Knuckles From The Knucklehead

What's The Attraction?

2010-09-02T23:50:00.001-04:00

A frequent reader asked that I consider Psalm 116, it's her favorite Scripture. That will not happen today. I will get to that Sarah S., thank-you for the suggestion.

My wife and I have been church shopping. I'm sure many of you out there know what that's like. We settled on a church and started attending on a regular basis. The pastor was a good speaker. The music was good. The people were friendly. We already had some friends that were attending there. We were looking at their ministries and considering where we could fit in. We were content, until God intervened.

We had received some mailings from a church that was just starting up. My wife talked about visiting there but I wanted to go online and check it out. I did and for whatever reason wasn't overly impressed so we stayed where we were.

Because of an advertising gimmick that I won't get into (because of length) a friend of mine posted a picture and some comments on Facebook about that same church. He was concerned about the message that was being conveyed. Frankly, I thought he had reason to be concerned.

It turns out that my sister, because of a friend's recommendation, had attended that church the previous Sunday. She was blown away by what she experienced. She thought my wife and I should check it out and we did.

Have you ever gone to a church and known right away that it was the place where you belonged? Until this year, it only happened to me once. Now, it's twice. After attending the first Sunday, we have not returned to the other church.

What was the attraction? They meet in a movie theatre. I can't say that I'm crazy about that, it's dark. The worship music is current. I'm not too familiar with today's worship music. I like hymns and worship music of the 80's and 90's. The pastor is young and so is the average age of the congregation. The average age increased quite a bit when I showed up. So, what's the attraction?

The church has a vision. They are not just interested in growing a congregation with transfers from other churches (which is not growth but redistribution). Their goal is to reach the lost with the gospel. They have a heart not only for the neighborhood but for the whole metropolitan area. They are willing to partner with other congregations to achieve that goal. There's action behind their words!

The pastor is not content with believers showing up, filling seats, and watching others do the work. He wants to know what your gifts are and get you plugged into ministry. He expects everyone to be involved, as I like to say, get their hands dirty. He challenges and encourages his congregation to be ministers of the gospel. He will do whatever it takes to make sure that everyone's full potential is reached. The Sunday teaching comes straight from the Scriptures. There's no guessing where the message comes from. He's not interested in the latest fads. He's energized and it transfers to the congregation.

There is a ministry team that intentionally moved into this area to help plant the church! They are not casting a net out the front door hoping that some fish will jump in or playing cool music hoping that someone driving by might hear it and stop in. They are going out and seeking the lost!

Most important is that Jesus is lifted up. It's all about Him. It's all for His glory and His honor. Jesus is the foundation of all that takes place in that fellowship.

What's the attraction? I think you can see it. God bless y'all real good.

The Call To Suffer

2010-05-09T23:16:00.014-04:00

"For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." Acts 9:16. These were the Lord's words to Annanias about Saul. (Also called Paul, Acts 13:9) How would you like that to be your call to ministry?

Peter, who denied Jesus three times (John 18) also received some words from Jesus. He was told, "I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” (John 21:18, 19) The death He was referring to was crucifixion.

Paul tells of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11:24-30, "Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am."

1 Peter 4:12,13 says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed."

Peter was crucified around AD 64 when Nero was the emperor of Rome. Paul would eventually be beheaded in Rome.

The mother of disciples James and John asks that her sons sit at Jesus' right and left hands. Jesus' reply is, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They said to Him, “We are able.” So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” (Matthew 20:21-23)

They did drink the cup as Jesus said. James was beheaded in 44 A.D. John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos and later died in Ephesus.

Mark 8:34-37 says, "When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Through all these trials there was great joy too! "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)

In Acts 5, the apostles are arrested and brought before the council. They are told not to teach in the name of Jesus and beaten. What is their response? Verse 41 says, "Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name."

Paul writes in Phillipians 4:1, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say Rejoice." With all the suffering you would think there wouldn't be much joy or rejoicing. The Christian faith is a paradox, the last shall be first, the least will be the greatest, those that lose their lives will save it, and rejoice in your suffering.

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours." (John 15:18-20)

In Hebrews 11 in speaking of Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham, the author writes, "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city."

As Christians we cannot expect to be treated fairly in this world. We don't belong here. We are strangers and aliens. As servants, we are not greater than our Master. We desire a better country, a heavenly one.

I once heard a preacher say that the Church prospers where there's persecution. God knows what He's doing. How else can the gospel spread from an upper room in Jerusalem to the four corners of the world. The call has been made. Would you be willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel? To die? AM I??!!

God bless y'all real good.

Luke 24 - A Couple of Good Questions

2010-04-11T00:02:00.014-04:00

Resurrection Sunday has come and gone. No doubt that in the next few weeks every fellowship will hear, read, or sing about about the events of Luke chapter 24. This chapter of the Bible contains some questions that stir my heart when I consider them.

The first comes in verse five. "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" This question is posed by an angel to the women who go to Jesus' tomb. The angel goes on to say, "He is not here , but has risen." In other words, why come to a place of death to find life or the living?

Isn't that what we did before we were saved, looking for "life" in all the wrong places? Thinking that wealth, education, a good job, or sex could fulfill our days on earth. Ephesians 2:1-9 says, " And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." True life, true living comes through Jesus.

The next question comes in verse thirty-two. "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"

"That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”
“What things?” Jesus asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.
“Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”
Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. As they sat down to eat,he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!
They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:13-32)

This reminds me of the day that I became a Christian. Although I had heard (with my ears) the Scriptures many times, one day I heard them with my heart. In my deadness the Scriptures were just words. On that day the Scriptures came alive! My heart "burned within"!

Since that day I have had many, many moments of "heartburn". (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) As I grow in my faith, God reveals more and more of Himself to me. After 30 years of walking with Jesus, I'm still learning new things, still being amazed by the awesomeness of God.

Look for life beyond the dead things. Allow the Word of God to burn in your heart. I will close with a quote from Ravi Zacharias that I have referred to in other articles, "Jesus didn't come to make bad people good, He came to make dead people live."

1 John 1:1-4 says, "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy."

God bless y'all real good.

The WNG - A Part of the Body

2010-03-13T23:24:00.007-05:00

I love the Wednesday Night Group. We're "A small group of Jesus' disciples encouraging one another as we learn what it means to follow Him." Our core Bible verse is Acts 2:42, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

The group has been meeting in different forms and different places for over twenty-five years. The past thirteen years we have been meeting in my house. I shepherd the group now. Before me it was Joe G. Before him it was John and Stephanie. Before them it was Pastor Joe. The Lord always provides the leadership we need.

It started out as a prayer meeting. It eventually became a church Bible study. Today it is a fellowship that is not tied to any one church. Many different churches are represented there.

Over the years many folks have come and gone. People come for a season and then leave. On occasion one of the original members still pays us a visit. The group has had as many as twenty members at one time and as little as six. The numbers don't matter to me.

We study the Scriptures. As far as I know none of the current members is seminary trained. We rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our study. If there is error in our understanding I believe the Spirit can lead us to truth. I am more than willing to seek the wisdom of others outside the group.

We are in fellowship together. I always thought of fellowship as a social gathering. I recently learned that it is more like a working together for a common purpose, a communion, partners with Jesus.

One of my favorite things to do with the group is breaking bread together. Yeah, eating together is great. It is a time of openness and honesty. I think we tend to drop our defenses when we gather to eat. We laugh a lot too!

Praying for one another is extremely important. We need to lift each other up in prayer. I try to encourage that more than anything else. I have to be honest though, it is difficult.

Why should I think that anyone would even care about all this? Frankly? I don't know. I guess that I hope it encourages you. The group was started by the Lord and it is sustained by Him.

The Wednesday Night Group is a part of the Body."Church" isn't just on Sunday morning. It is not one denomination over another. The church is the Body of Christ. It is the "saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus." (Eph.1:2 RSV) Stop in for a visit, stay a while if you like. God bless y'all real good.

MARY

2010-01-30T23:53:00.010-05:00

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: "Behold the virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

I never gave Mary a lot of thought until I saw the movie, "The Nativity Story". Now, I think of her often. For me, the Christmas story will now have a new dimension to it.

Her life from the time of the angel's visit to the Day of Pentecost was bittersweet. She was truly blessed. In Luke 1:48 she says, "For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed." Yet Simeon in Luke 2:35 says to her, "yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also".

Imagine how Mary felt when after the angel's visit she goes to see her relative Elizabeth and hears, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Mary responds with what is referred to as "the Magnificant", beginning with the words, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my Spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior." (Luke 1:46-56) Imagine now, after three months with Elizabeth, she goes home to face her parents (I am assuming this. It is not in Scripture.) and/or Joseph. By this time her pregnancy is beginning to show. How do you think the news was received knowing the penalty for adultery? It took an angel to convince Joseph to take Mary as his wife. Her life was spared.

There is so much to consider. The words of the shepherds that she pondered in her heart. The blessing of Simeon. The Feast of the Passover when Jesus was twelve years old where He turns up missing. His response when asked where He was, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" The wedding feast in Cana. How about her confusion when she hears Jesus ask, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"

Did you ever see the scene from "The Passion" when Jesus falls under the weight of the cross? www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZeN6kdgM2Y (Copy and paste) I sob like a child when I watch this. Mary was there to witness the crucifixion of her Son.

It doesn't end there. Where was she when He rose from the grave? She was with John (John 19:27). She was in the upper room with the disciples (Acts 1:14). Based on that, I'm going to assume she was present on the Day of Pentecost. This must have been a time of great joy for her!

In my Wednesday Night Group blog, referring to the Book of Acts, I wrote the following:

"One thing I would like to note is the presence of Jesus' mother, Mary, in chapter one. She has been a part of God's plan and a witness from the visit by the angel (announcing the birth of Jesus) to the birth of the church (the body of Christ). There was obviously much pain involved but she was truly blessed. She was chosen by the Father, gave birth to the Son, and witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit."

I have a new found admiration for Mary. She must have been a very strong women. Her life shows me that obedience to the Lord is far from easy but it is a blessing. Her life was a roller coaster of emotion. Should mine be any different? God bless y'all real good.

Heaven Invades Earth

2009-12-12T00:15:00.021-05:00

Ah yes, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Not because of kids jingle-belling,
much mistletoe-ing, or scary ghost stories, but because we remember the time when Heaven invaded Earth. Heaven invading Earth...I've heard that before. However it never struck me as it did this past Wednesday at our group meeting.

Since it's the Christmas season I asked the members of our group to come to our meeting with a memory, song, or Bible verse that helps them focus on why we celebrate. Mine comes from "Charlie Brown Christmas", it's Linus' speech. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZw06AbW6Vw)

His speech is based on Luke 2:8-20.It reads, " And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."

While I was reading this verse, I was reminded of Revelation 4:6-11. It reads,
"And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."

This is where I thought about the term "Heaven invades Earth". The glory of heaven is seen in the earthly realm! THE GLORY OF HEAVEN IS SEEN IN THE EARTHLY REALM!! That just blew me away! Can you imagine what it must have been like for the shepherds to witness such glory? ANGELS! HEAVENLY HOSTS!

Even more they were announcing the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord! Emanuel! God with us! Wonderful Counselor! Mighty God! Everlasting Father! Prince of Peace! The Word had become flesh and was going to dwell with mankind! HEAVEN INVADES EARTH!

The Creator of the world enters the world not like a conquering king but as a humble servant. Phillipians 2:5-11 says, " Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

The invasion was a mission of mercy. God sacrificing His Son. (Isaiah 53:5 says he was crushed for our iniquities.) But it doesn't end there. Romans 10:10 says, "For the death He died he died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives he lives to God." It sounds horrible. How can a loving God choose to redeem us that way? Hebrews 12:2 says, "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY (emphasis mine) that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

The Savior of the earth is born in a manger not a palace. Who are one of the first to see Him? Shepherds... not kings... not royalty... not rulers of nations... humble shepherds. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says, " Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God." I am humbled.

Merry Christmas. God bless y'all real good.

Out Of Their Sight and Control

2009-10-16T23:44:00.009-04:00

In the introduction to The Message Bible we read, "The Message was paraphrased over a period of ten years, straight from the Bible's original languages (Greek and Hebrew). The idea of The Message isn't to water down the Bible, making it easier to digest. The idea is to make it readable - to put those ancient words that their users spoke and wrote every day into words that you speak and write everyday."

I guess I felt the need to write that because I enjoy quoting The Message Bible. It is truly readable. I like to use it occasionally at our Wednesday Night Group meetings. It is there that we have been looking at John chapters 13-17 and having completed that moved on to Isaiah.

In John 16:8-11, the Message Bible reads, "When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted."

In Isaiah 1:26, the Message Bible reads, "God's right ways will put Zion right again. God's right actions will restore her penitents."

The phrases "out of their sight and control" and "God's right actions will restore her penitents" jumped out at me like a cat pouncing on an unsuspecting mouse. They are added in the Message Bible translation to aid in understanding the verses. However, they speak to me in my understanding of God and His work.

In Genesis 3:22-24 (ESV) we read, "Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life."

Because of sin man would have to die. God didn't want man to live forever in his fallen state. He had a plan, a plan to redeem man. It was totally His idea. The work of redemption happened outside of man.

Isaiah 53: 10-12 says, "Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors."

God's plan was to send His Son to be the suffering servant, to "bear their iniquities". Again God even provides the sacrifice, just as He provided a lamb for Abraham before he was about to offer up his son Isaac. (Genesis 22)

We are justified by faith (Romans 4). Romans 3:27 asks, "Then what becomes of our boasting?" There is no boasting! There can't be! We had nothing to do with it!

Romans 5:6-11 says "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation., "

Can you see why those words, "out of their sight and control" and "God's right actions will restore her penitents" jumped out at me? Salvation, redemption was God's idea. It was His plan. It was done out of our sight and control. It was God's right actions that restored us. That just blows me away. God bless y'all real good.

Can You Make The Connection?

2009-08-13T23:28:00.022-04:00

I'm at a loss for words. I have a severe case of writer's block. Maybe you can help me.

I'm going to list some things that I've been reading and contemplating. I know it all fits together but I can't put it into words. That's where you come in.

2 Corinthians 11:21-30 says, " But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying."

From the "faith" chapter, Hebrews 11:32-38, "And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy— wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."

In the article, "A Jesus Manifesto For The 21st Century Church", Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola write:

"Jesus Christ cannot be separated from His teachings. Aristotle says to his disciples, "Follow my teachings." Socrates says to his disciples, Follow my teachings." Buddha says to his disciples, "Follow my meditations." Confucius says to his disciples, Follow my sayings." Muhammad says to his disciples, "Follow my noble pillars." Jesus says to His disciples"Follow me." In all other religions, a follower can follow the teachings of it's founder without having a relationship with that founder. Not so with Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus cannot be separated from Jesus himself. Jesus Christ is still alive and he embodies his teachings. It is a profound mistake, therefore, to treat Christ as simply the founder of a set of moral, ethical, or social teaching. The Lord Jesus and His teaching are one. The Medium and the Message are One. Christ is the incarnation of the Kingdom of God and the Sermon on the Mount."

Roger Thoman writes in his review of Steve Addison's book, "Movements That Change the World":

"The Baptists and the Methodists developed strategies that made it easy for gifted and committed laypeople to take up leadership and go where the people and the opportunities were. Deployment was rapid because very little upfront investment of resources and education was required. Methodist preachers, many of whom were teenagers, were trained on the job as “apprentices” by more experienced workers. They were expected to be continually studying as they traveled. They practiced lifelong learning and graduated the day they died."

In the book, "The Forgotten Ways", Alan Hirsch writes:

"The explicit aim of the Cultural Revolution was to obliterate Christianity (and all religion) from China. At the end of the reign of Mao and his system in the late seventies, and the subsequent lifting of the so-called Bamboo Curtain in the early eighties, foreign missionaries and church officials were allowed back in the country, albeit under strict supervision. They expected to find the church decimated and the disciples a weak and battered people. On the contrary, they discovered that Christianity had flourished beyond all imagination. The estimates then were about 60 million Christians in China, and counting! And it has grown significantly since then. David Aikman, former Beijing bureau chief for Time magazine, suggests in his book "Jesus in Beijing" that Christians may number as many as 80 million. If anything, in the Chinese phenomenon we are witnessing the most significant transformational Christian movement in the history of the church. And remember, not unlike the early church, these people had very few Bibles (At times they shared only one page to a house church and then swapped that page with another house group). They had no professional clergy, no official leadership structures, no central organization, no mass meetings, and yet they grew like mad. How is this possible? How did they do it?"

Let me close with Scripture. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not us."

Can you connect all this information? If so, let me know what you come up with. If not, I hope that the Lord uses a portion to bless you, encourage you, and help you to grow. God bless y'all real good.

Church and State

2009-06-13T00:24:00.025-04:00

I love Jesus. My desire is to serve Him while I am here. I want to serve others in His name and encourage my brothers and sisters as they live out their Christian faith. I want to be a disciple.

I love my country. Many men and women have shed their blood for the freedoms that I enjoy. I have been blessed beyond all understanding to be a citizen here.

Hearing the decisions that are coming from our government in Washington D.C. today is alarming. Seeing the direction that the United States is moving is unbelievable. It's like watching a slow motion train wreck. If Jesus was incarnate in 21st century America, would He be concerned?

What does the Bible say about government or politics? What is our role? What did Jesus say about government?

Romans 13:1-7 - 1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Titus 3:1 - 1Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work

1 Peter 2:13, 14 - 13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

I don't think that Jesus was concerned with politics. I only know of a few instances where Jesus spoke of anything that resembled a political statement. The first one is Matthew 22:17-22, "17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" 18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. 20And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21They said, "Caesar’s." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." 22When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away."

The other is Luke 13:31,32, "31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." 32And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course."

The last being John 18:33-38, "33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 34Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?" 35Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?" 36Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." 37Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world— to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." 38Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"

Based on the previous verses I had to come to a conclusion. I am concerned about the direction of the United States. God has put in place our current form of government I will involve myself in the voting process. As of now, I have a right to speak and petition our government. I will do so when necessary. However, I will not do so at the expense of my ministry or the great commission! 2 Timothy 2:3,4, says, "3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."

Barak Obama, Nancy Pelossi, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul are powerless in God's Kingdom, just as Pilate was powerless.

My aim is to please the one who enlisted me. God bless y'all real good.

Let Christ Be Seen

2009-05-09T00:29:00.011-04:00

Christ within me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ above me
Christ beneath me
To my left and my right
Christ where I lie
And where I arise
Christ in the hearts of all who think of me
Christ on the lips of all who speak of me
Christ in the eyes of all who see me
Make me Your instrument Lord
- from "Make Me An Instrument" written by Rick Elias

The above could have been taken from the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi or St. Patrick's Breastplate as noted in the liner notes from the CD, Prayers Of A Ragamuffin.

I find those words to be powerful. Not only that we be so consumed by Jesus but all who see us, speak to us, or think of us would experience Jesus too. That blows me away!

I would always want it to be that way. However not everyone wants to see Christ in us. 2 Corinthians verses 14-16 says, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance of death to death, to the other a fragrance of life to life."

The "aroma of Christ to God" is a stench to those who are perishing. That can lead to our suffering that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians. In chapter 4 verses 7-10 says, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."

As I mentioned in my last blog, suffering is not a bad thing. Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50:20, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

Paul goes on to say in verses 16-18, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Whether Christ being seen in us is an encouragement to those being saved or a conviction to those who are lost, He needs to be seen either way. Christ within me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ above me, Christ beneath me, to my left and my right but most of all Christ in my life to the glory of God. God bless y'all real good.

We Despaired Of Life Itself

2009-04-21T00:04:00.014-04:00

There's always something going on. I know I'm no different than anyone else. I could fill every night of the week with "stuff". Even with all that's going on, the Lord can still reach me with Scripture. Last week our Wednesday Night Group started looking at 2 Corinthians. As I read the first chapter out loud, I heard many grunts, gasps, and sighs as I read verse eight.

2 Corinthians 1:8 says, "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself."

Paul despaired of life itself? This pillar of faith? How could he be so honest? He's in leadership! Isn't that a sign of weakness? Doesn't he realize he could lose his position? Wasn't that the issue? How could an apostle be suffering so much affliction if he's called by God to be an apostle? My question is, how could he not?

Jesus had a few things to say about this. Matthew 5:10, 11 says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." Later in chapter 10 verse 24 He says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master;" and verse 28, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;". Mark 8:34 says, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Peter knew suffering too. 1 Peter 4:12-14 says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."

What can result from suffering? 2 Corinthians 1:9,10 says, "Why, we felt we had received the sentence of death; but that was to make us RELY NOT ON OURSELVES BUT ON GOD WHO RAISES THE DEAD (emphasis mine); he delivered us from so deadly a peril, and he will deliver us; on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again." That's not a bad result is it? Also in verse four of 2 Corinthians Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comforts, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to COMFORT THOSE WHO ARE IN ANY AFFLICTION (emphasis mine), with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

I think Richard Wurmbrand who suffered fourteen years for his faith in a Romanian prison could offer more comfort and encouragement than I could to a persecuted believer. Someone who has experienced cancer and it's treatments is much better able to comfort another cancer patient than one who has not experienced it. The same goes for divorce or the death of a spouse. You get the picture.

[Just as a side note, we pray for the Church in China, that the persecution would end there. I heard that they are praying that we in the United States would be persecuted for our faith! (I cannot confirm or deny that statement.) The point is this, look how much the Church in China is growing. Now look at the Church in the U.S. Many believe that the United States is now a post Christian nation. Look at the persecution of the early Church. What were the results? I once heard a preacher say, "The Church prospers where there is persecution."]

If you are suffering, know that you are in good company. For many have walked this road before you, Stephen (the first martyr), Richard Wurmbrand, and many, many others that I cannot name (the Lord knows their names). Let the Lord be your comfort and strength. Anticipate how you can be used by the Lord as a result of your trial. God bless y'all real good.

The Power of God's Word

2009-03-15T04:43:00.004-04:00

God's word is alive. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." This truth was made real to me the other night when I was out with a group of friends.

We visited a home, garden, and craft show at the local fairgrounds. One of our friends had a display there. He told us that the amount of visitors was down from previous shows. Current economic conditions being what they are, the amount of people looking for his services has dropped off.

Later that evening we met some more friends at a restaurant. I discovered that someone else is going through a rough time with a client that supplies his company with a lot of business. This has created a severe problem.

We had a good size group at the restaurant. I was at one end of the table and these two men sat across from each other at the other end. There was a lot of conversation going on. All of a sudden my ears were tuned into their conversation. They were talking about their businesses and what they were facing. The next thing I hear is Scripture! These two men were encouraging each other with the Word of God! I WAS BLESSED! Their conversation stuck with me the whole evening! It still inspires me!

That's the power of the Word! Deuteronomy 8:3 says, "Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

My two friends know this. They know the power of God's Word. They also know the power of prayer. Please pray for them, lift up their families and their businesses. Please pray that their faith would be strengthened, that their patience is long, and that their friends are many.

I remember the words of the men Jesus talked to on the road to Emmaus when they realized who He was (Luke 24:13-34). "Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"

May your heart burn within you. God bless y'all real good.

Correction

2009-02-17T06:14:00.006-05:00

There will always be setbacks on this journey. The important thing is how they are handled. One month things are looking great then a month later I find myself ready to throw in the towel and just revert to keeping my thoughts to myself. In the end, I'm just not going to give up that easy. The apostles dealt with much worse than I am facing. I guess this is just another growth oppotunity.

2 Timothy 4:5 says, "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill you ministry." This is exactly what I'm going to do, fulfill my ministry. I can't do it by myself. I need the help of the Body.

I need correction like everyone else. Sometimes I might fight it. I might exasperate or even infuriate my teacher. That does not change the fact that I need correction. The Holy Spirit will convict. The Scriptures will correct. But if my brother remains silent, how can I grow?

Proverbs 23:13, 14 says, "Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge. Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell."

Hebrews 12:5-8 says, "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every one whom He receives.' If you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."

I ask you my brothers, do not keep silent when you see that I am in error. I may not like it, it's humiliating. Guess what, it's not about me! God's honor and Truth are more important than my feelings. I want Him to be glorified. God bless (and correct) y'all real good.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-13T00:42:00.009-05:00

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has many fond memories of Christmas as a child. I'm probably not the only person who would like for the joy of those times to return. Do I just accept that it is because I'm an adult that the emotions of Christmas will never be the same? Should I feel guilty because the anticipation isn't the same as when I was a child?

Maybe it's because I worship Jesus all year round that the Christmas season is no different from any other time of year. Do we pressure each other to have a certain response when Christmas comes?

With all these questions, am I too self focused? Maybe that's the problem.

Let me say this. I am truly thankful that Jesus came. I'm sorry He had to endure what He did but I'm thankful He did it. Hebrews 12:2 says, "...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross..." I'm thankful that the Lord sought me, revealed Himself to me, and gave me the faith to believe.

After having said that, my attitude is changing. It takes a reminder. I had to remind myself why we celebrate Jesus' birth. It was His death and resurrection that makes His birth worth celebrating. I'm no longer focused on me but on Him. It's not about ME!

In the midst of all your Christmas shopping and preparations, remind yourself why we celebrate Jesus' birth. Have a wonderful, blessed, joyous Christmas! God bless y'all real good.

Well, DUH!!

2008-11-30T23:54:00.007-05:00

I really appreciate how God prompts me to stay focused on the Scriptures. Okay, I'm humbled by it too.

I recently read "The Shack" by William P. Young. It's a controversial book. Basically it is about a man who meets with the Trinity. He learns that he needs to forgive two people in his life that caused him great pain, his father, and the man who murdered his daughter. I won't go into details but I will point you to a review that I found to be really good.

http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/the-shack-by-william-p-young.php

I have friends who love it and I have friends who refuse to read it. Even though the book is fiction, the author portrays God (the Trinity) and makes statements about God that I assume he believes to be true. The bottom line is that they are not Scriptural.

In my reading there were times when I would shake my head and say, "That's not right!"
I continued to read constantly reminding myself that it was fiction. The conclusion about unforgiveness, it's control on our lives, and the importance of forgiveness could have been reached using Truth. The author's ideas about the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit needs to be reviewed with a Bible.

It wasn't until I read the review that I mentioned above that I realized something. There were little subtleties that I missed. Had I known (or remembered) Scripture they wouldn't have slipped by me unnoticed.

That's the point of my post. Christians need to know the Scriptures! I know what you're thinking, WELL DUH!

I can't stress enough that Christians need to know their Bible. They need to be under good teaching. They need to be able to discern what is right. They need to be in constant communication with God. They need to be lead by the Spirit.

Read 2 Timothy. It is Pauls's last letter. I refer to it in my post from September
14th. You will see the importance of knowing Scripture. Also read Hebrews 5:11-14.

I am thankful that the Lord has lead me to good instruction. He has put wonderful brothers and sisters in my life that encourage me to study the Bible. He has put me in the presence of many good teachers. Even though I might wander off course at times, He is faithful to guide me back to the narrow way. God bless y'all real good.

Article From The Simple Church Journal

2008-11-10T23:19:00.008-05:00

The following article is from the Simple Church Journal aka House Church Blog. It is from a book titled "The Simple/House Church Revolution" by Roger Thoman.

My intention for posting it is not to continue the argument of house church vs. traditional church. For me that has been resolved by my understanding of "one body, many parts". I think it is a simple reminder of what the church is.

Read it and be reminded and encouraged. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 2: Defining "Church" (Webster Has It Wrong)
From "The Simple/House Church Revolution" Book. The entire book can still be downloaded here.

Church according to Miriam-Webster’s online dictionary:
1: a building for public and especially Christian worship
2: the clergy or officialdom of a religious body
3: a body or organization of religious believers: as a: the whole body of Christians b: denomination c: congregation
4: a public divine worship
Webster defines church according to the way this word is used today. I was taught this same definition as a little boy when I would put my hands together and recite the rhyme: “Here is the church, and here is the steeple; open the door and here are all the people.”

Jesus, however, introduced the term “church” with a very different meaning in mind. He used a word “ekklesia” that simply described a group or assembly of people. This is the original definition of the word. He described “church” as those people who were following Him—people walking in allegiance to him. People. His followers. Nothing more than that.

Jesus did not spend much time describing how to organize his people together or how to do meetings. Rather, his focus was on a lifestyle of loving others and obeying Him: “Go into all the world…” “Let your light shine…” “Do what you see the Father doing…” “Love one another…” Church, as defined by Jesus, was simply his followers living life for and with him.

Over the years, however, the word “church” began to include the many structures and forms that we added to the original meaning:
• Public meeting places (buildings or storefronts)
• Organizations of believers who get together to be led by a worship team and preached to by a pastor
• Denominations that we join
But, as John Eldredge reminds us:
Church is not a building. Church is not an event that takes place on Sundays. I know, it's how we've come to think of it. ‘I go to First Baptist.’ ‘We are members of St. Luke's.’ ‘Is it time to go to church?’ Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all.
No. Not at all. Church is God’s people—those who are choosing to live life with Jesus… 24/7. That is it. Nothing more.

But don’t God’s people gather together? Yes. We do see gatherings take place in Scripture. Many gatherings. Most often informal and simple. Normally in homes (Romans 16:5). Everyone participated (1 Corinthians 14:26). They functioned as spiritual families that cared deeply for one another (Romans 12:10). Yet the focus of the church (God’s people) was a lifestyle of Jesus-following, rather than organizing events, attending programs, or joining organizations.

Perhaps the best way to describe the church of the New Testament is as small, vibrant, caring families of believers who are loving others and reproducing themselves into every corner of the world.

The Things I Learned About Church From Bible College

I attended a Bible College as a brand new Christian hungry to live a life useful to God. I loved reading the stories of the disciples following Jesus, traveling with him, ministering with him, doing miracles alongside of Jesus as he poured out his life for others. I thought it was fantastic. I enjoyed studying the book of Acts and seeing God’s people going throughout the world, filled by the Spirit, walking in God’s purposes and power. But, as a subtext, I was also taught to “do church” in Bible college. It was not a specific class. There was no text book. I simply learned to follow “how it was done” by those around me. Frankly, the way I learned to “do church” did not look much at all like the lives of the early disciples that I was studying and wanting to be like.

Nevertheless, by the time I felt called to pastor a church, I no longer questioned how church was done. We started with a building and a core group of Christians. We invited, and planned, and organized, and put together Sunday events. We built more buildings and started more services to invite people to. We developed programs for young and old, men and women, married and divorced. We hired staff and we organized ministry teams.

Without realizing it, we were following human traditions for church life that were developed over the centuries: cathedrals, pulpit-led services, pews, order-of-service, etc. All of these things may be useful in their place (God can use anything), but they have no place in the basic definition of “church.”
Sadly, as the church has adopted more and more traditions and become more and more institutionalized, it has become largely ineffective in its impact on earth. In the western world, where we have created the best organizational church systems that exist, Christianity is declining. In contrast, in parts of India and China where the expression of church is largely organic, simple, and fluid, the church is flourishing.

Our longing is to see the church restored to its essence of life and vitality so that she becomes the full expression of Christ’s power and love on earth. This is the great hope of God’s kingdom coming to influence, save, and redeem a lost planet. Priscilla Shirer made this comment:

In the first century in Palestine Christianity was a community of believers. Then Christianity moved to Greece and became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome and became an institution. Then it moved to Europe and became a culture. And then it moved to America and became a business. We need to get back to being a healthy, vibrant community of true followers of Jesus.

Being Church.

My Filipino friend, Molong Nacua, wrote an excellent article entitled “Being Church” that reminds us of the true meaning of “church:”
Church is where Christ lives, not the place where we meet. It is Christ-empowered people, a kingdom of priests for the purpose of winning against the works of the devil and establishing God's Kingdom (1 Cor. 3:17; Matt. 18:19; Ex. 19:6)… Christianity is not about doing church, but being the church. Church is not some place to go to participate in, but it is about being who you are in Christ and thus experiencing His real life in you. Your Christianity was never defined by attending a particular church. It is defined by Christ in you. In other words, you are a Christian 24/7, not because you participate in a two-hour worship service, but because Christ lives in you every minute of every day.

Again, my intention is not to step on toes. If anyone is offended please forgive me. I was encouraged as I read this article that I am a part of the church. It excites me to see the bigger picture. God bless y'all real good.

I Need Them! They Need Me!

2008-10-29T23:33:00.010-04:00

I see the church differently today than I did twenty-nine years ago. I was twenty-one years old when I became a believer. I was "saved" in the Lutheran church, Missouri Synod. After two years I joined the Wisconsin Synod which was more conservative. Later I spent time in a non-denominational church and eventually ended up in a pentecostal church.

I held different positions from youth leader to worship leader. I was on a pastoral search committee and lead a small group.

At one time I thought of church as only the people that belonged to my group. Church was confined to everyone within the four walls of the building. I was only seeing a part of the picture. The building had windows but I thought they were for letting in light not looking out into the world. I'm glad God is bigger than that. I am thankful that He began a good work in me. (Philippians 1:6)

I am no longer a member of a particular church body. I meet with a group of people on Sunday morning for coffee, bagels, Bible study, and encouragement. I still lead a small group. I am a part of the body of Christ! I always was! Today I have a fresh perspective on what that means.

Does this mean that believers who gather in different places with different forms are not a part of the body? NO! That's the point! We're all a part of the body! I need them! They need me! Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-30. One body, many parts!

When another part of the body has a need and I can help, I should. When another part of the body needs encouragement, I should speak up. When another part of the body needs prayer, I pray. Should I not fellowship with other parts of the body because I'm not a member of their church? Should they keep me from fellowship because I'm not a member? 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."

This world has enough challenges. We need Jesus and we need each other. How healthy is a body with missing parts? God bless y'all real good.

Thoughts on 2 Timothy

2008-09-14T04:08:00.012-04:00

This past Sunday we touched on 2 Timothy at B & B Fellowship. As the day progressed I felt the need to look at it further. I then decided to look at it with our Wednesday night group. We read the whole book out loud from the Message Remix Bible. As an old friend used to say, "The Lord blessed me down to my shoes!"

2 Timothy is Paul's last letter. What was on his mind? What would you want to say to someone if it was your last letter?

I see it as a letter of encouragement, speaking of Timothy's "honest faith" and his "special gift of ministry". Paul says, "So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It's as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us." He goes on, "throw yourself into this work for Christ. Pass on what you heard from me.."

Timothy is warned to "stay clear of pious talk" (his words must be backed by a godly life) and to "run away from infantile indulgence" (run after mature righteousness).
"Refuse to get involved in inane discussions, they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool..."

It wouldn't be easy though. He would have to "take your share of the suffering for the Message". He says, "When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did." Paul was writing this letter from prison having been abandoned by many of his followers (2 Timothy 1:15). Timothy should not expect anything better, neither should we.

There's so much more. Get your Bible out and read 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 (NLT) says, "You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." Read it and let me know what stands out to you.

Finally Paul says in chapter four, verse two (NLT), "Preach the word of God. Be prepared whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."

God bless y'all real good.

The Meeting Place Doesn't Manifest God's Kingdom

2008-07-29T23:28:00.010-04:00

I entered the house church verses traditional church debate about two or three years ago. My wife attends a traditional church. I attend a fellowship that meets in a house on Sunday morning.

For those of you that might be concerned because my wife and I don't worship at the same place on Sunday morning, don't be. We have a small group that meets in our home on Wednesday nights. On occasional Sunday afternoons we meet with other believers for singing, prayer, Scripture reading, and fellowship. We are "not forsaking our own assembling together".

My two Sunday meetings are not defined. By that I mean they are less structured. Wednesday night is a little more structured. We have a Bible study, either a book of the Bible or a topical study. The folks that attend the Wednesday meeting have a pretty good idea what to expect.

The different meetings mentioned above are a part of God's kingdom. "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them." Mat.18:20.

Because of my situation, I feel I have more freedom to serve where I'm needed. I can help a friend with music ministry at his church. I can fill in for a youth pastor who's on vacation at another church. Guess what? When I'm doing those things, I get to fellowship with other members of God's kingdom!

Others are called to serve one particular assembly. My wife fits that category. She's a treasurer and board member. She's made a commitment to serve the Lord at the church she attends. Hey! We're all a part of God's kingdom!

Luke 9:49,50 says, "John answered, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow us.' But Jesus said to him, 'Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you."

The kingdom is manifest when people that are "for Him" gather. Where they gather is not important. It can be in a cathedral or a cafeteria, in a building or at a bus stop. I am really excited by what the Lord has been showing me concerning His kingdom! God bless y'all real good.

The Church (What Do You Think)

2008-07-13T03:28:00.010-04:00

THE CHURCH. If I were to gather my Christian friends in a room and open a discussion about the church, it would probably release a set of fireworks that would make the Y2K New York harbor fireworks look like a sparkler in the hands of a 3-year old. The opinions (all based in Scripture) would be diverse to say the least.

What I would like to do is hear from you. How would you define "church"? I read a quote basically saying that we have replaced the "Kingdom of God" with "church" therefore losing the meaning of both. What do you think about that? Let's see some fireworks! (If this stirs up anger in you please count to ten before responding)

KoG

2008-06-28T23:59:00.007-04:00

Okay, see if you can follow this. In a blog post written by Felicity Dale, she quotes author Phillip Mauro from his book, "The Church the Churches and the Kingdom". He writes, "… we cannot regard it as a matter of indifference but rather of grave concern that in our day the existence of the Kingdom of God as a present reality, the place and responsibility of every regenerated person therein and the great and precious truths and promises that pertain thereto, have all but faded out of the consciousness of those who have entered into that Kingdom by the door of the new birth;" (emphasis mine)

Our Wednesday group has been looking at the Kingdom of God (KoG) for the last several weeks now. It is changing my perspective of the Christian walk big time! Mauro's quote for me was a reality, "faded out of the consciousness". What does Scripture say?

-John the Baptist preached, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat. 3:2)
-Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness". (Mat6:33)
-"Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God," (Mark 15:43)
-Jesus said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God," (Luke 8:10)
-"Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John3:5)
-"And he (Paul) entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God." (Acts 19:8

Vine's says,the Kingdom of God is (a) the sphere of God’s rule. The Kingdom is also (b) the sphere in which at any given time His rule is acknowledged.

This world needs to hear about this kingdom. You need to know about this kingdom. There are many verses that say what the kingdom is like (check out my April 21st post), what it is, and what it is not. John the Baptist preached the KoG, Jesus preached the KoG, Paul, Peter, James , and John preached the KoG. Get the picture? See how my perspective can be changed? How about you? Get a concordance and start studying. You will be changed! God bless y'all real good.

The Law of Liberty

2008-06-07T18:05:00.014-04:00

The past couple of weeks James 1:25 and 2:12 has been the subject of conversation at Bible & Bagel Fellowship. It spilled over into my Wednesday group and also in a conversation with my wife and my sister. These verses talk about the "law of liberty". I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what that means.

The law of liberty is certainly not the law of the Old Testament. Christians are not bound to the ceremonial law. Jesus fulfilled it. I believe that is made clear in the book of Galatians. (Check out the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew to see how Jesus feels about the commandments.)

"So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." (Rom 7:12).The law could not save us because of our sinful flesh. "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom 8:8). Read Romans 7:13 through 8:17. Romans 7:14 says that the law is spiritual but we are of the flesh, sold under sin. Jesus took care of that (Rom. 8:1-4).

I believe the law of liberty is the gospel, the good news of forgiveness and freedom in Jesus. Romans 8:1-4 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

The Spirit of Christ dwells in all believers. All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. We did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear (the opposite of faith). We are adopted, we are sons and daughters, and we are free!

Galatians chapter five, verses 13 & 14 says, " For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." James 2:8 says, "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well." When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment in the Law he said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. and the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a great definition of love.

We are now under the law of liberty. Free to love and serve God. Free to love and serve others. Free to share the gospel. Free to be merciful (James 2:13) What an awesome God we serve! God bless y'all real good.

Persevere! His Word Is Still Sufficient

2008-05-22T23:01:00.010-04:00

Matthew 10:22 says, "And you will hated for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."

Romans5:3 says, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverence;"

James 1:3 says, "...knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.."

To persevere is to persist in or with any undertaking, plan, or course. To persist is to continue steadfastly, to remain, to continue, to endure.

Has your faith ever been tested? Have you ever been taken to a point of choosing faith or choosing unbelief? I'm not talking about when Christ revealed Himself to you. I'm talking about an incident as a believer where you had to choose to trust God to get you through?

I've been there. During the lowest point in my life I had a decision to make. I won't go into the details but you can read about it at Witness Jesus - Testimonies which I link to from my site, look under Guidance, and read "Provided 4".

At that time I had a decision to make. I chose faith. Looking back, I see in that time of my life tremendous growth. It wasn't easy. I had questions, doubts, there was disappointment, and tears. With the help of God I remained faithful. He rewarded my perseverence. I'm still running the race! Thanks be to God!

How about you? I know many believers are suffering much more than what I went through. I encourage you to continue in the race. Keep your eyes fixed on the prize. Persevere! His Word is still sufficient. God bless y'all real good.

The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like That

2008-04-21T22:08:00.000-04:00

I had another one of "those" experiences. The one that I'm sure many of you have had. The one where you read a Bible verse for the thousandth time and something new jumps out at you, giving you a whole new look at the message.

I am referring to Matthew 13. Matthew 13 is giving us glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven. With the exception of the first one, the parables start out with the phrase "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." or "may be compared to". It is those words that caused me to see things differently.

The first parable is the parable of the sower. The sower sows the seeds (the word of the Kingdom, Mat. 13:19) and they fall in different places. Here are the results:

The seed on the path - not understood, the evil one snatches away what was sown.
The seed on rocky ground - received with joy, no root, tribulation and persecution
cause it to fall away.
The seed in the thorns - the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches
chokes the word and is unfruitful.
The seed on good soil - heard, understood, bears fruit.

For the longest time I thought this parable was about who is saved, who is not, and did some lose their salvation. That's not the case here at all. It's basically saying, here's why some make it into the Kingdom (the good soil) and why others don't (all others).

The seed on the good soil is understood, takes root, and not swayed by tribulation and persecution. It is not choked by the cares of the world or the deceitfulness of riches. It is fruitful.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.

There is definitely going to be a separation between those in the Kingdom and those that are not. The parable of the wheat and the tares and the parable of the fish in the net show this. At the end of the age the tares will be separated from the wheat and burned. The good fish will gathered and the bad fish will be thrown away. Matthew 13: 49, 50 says, "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.

The Kingdom is valuable. The parable of the treasure in the field and the parable of the pearl tell us that. It is worth selling all you have to obtain it. Remember the seeds thrown among the thorns?

The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.

The parable of the mustard seed and the leaven shows us that the Kingdom will grow into something huge. That it will infect the world.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.

I hope this gives you a little glimpse into what the Lord is showing me. God bless y'all real good.

An Article By John Armstrong

2008-04-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

I read the following article by John Armstrong at theresurgence.com
I found it to be thought provoking. What do you think? God bless y'all real good.

Keeping Christ Primary: Still the Church's Greatest Task. Author: John Armstrong DATE: 2007 POSTED ON: 03.20.08
"Primary: earliest, original, of the first rank, of first importance, chief." So reads the entry in the Concise Oxford Dictionary (1976).

What, I ask you, is the church's primary task? Not what are the many good things the church should be doing, since there are a number of good answers to this question. But rather, what is really of first importance in the life of the church? How should leaders in your church think about doing the primary thing, that which is truly of first importance?

Spiritual Amnesia
It seems to me history reveals that the church of Jesus Christ is always in danger of spiritual amnesia. This danger seems even more evident to me now than it has been in many, many years. Today we argue about all kinds of church-related issues and needs. We even occasionally speak about revival and renewal. And we promote numerous causes-social, spiritual and political-but rarely do we address the need to restore the primary thing-the proclamation and place of Jesus Christ as Lord. Simply put, we don't see Christ as the end for which the Church exists in the world. He is, if we are concerned with him at all, seen by us as a means to an end but almost never as the end itself.

Listen to our conversations. Read our literature. Pay attention to our sermons and our popular speakers. Ask yourself: "Where is Christ in these orations and equations?" What really fires our imagination, moves our will, and strengthens our resolve? It doesn't seem to be Christ, not if our words and actions are a true barometer.

Recent years have witnessed a great deal of conversation about dysfunctional families in America. We even have Dr. Phil to remind us of this problem on a daily basis. There can be no doubt-the evidence abounds, no matter the angle from which you consider it-the problems of everyday life are deeply and systemically rooted in the life and structure of the family itself. Numerous case studies have clearly revealed that human life is best nurtured within the family. In fact, when family structure breaks down the results within the larger culture are clearly connected; social breakdown and rampant personal dysfunction happen everywhere. The connection that I am seeking to make here should be self-evident. But I use the family dysfunction category for a different context, namely the church family. I am suggesting that there should be no doubt that our most basic problems in the Christian life begin within God's family; i.e., inside the church.

The Need for Healthy Churches
Over the course of the last fifteen years, I have written a great deal about the need for healthier churches and stronger Christian leaders. I even wrote an entire book on the moral breakdown of ministers. I am called to invest my life in the kinds of people and issues that touch the health of the church. I have suggested for fifteen years, in public and private, that very few local churches in North America can be honestly described as robust and healthy. No one seems to take serious issue with my conclusion. I have come to think the reason is fairly obvious-we instinctively know that our congregations are not healthy.

My question then is really very simple: "If this observation is true, that our churches are not spiritually robust and healthy, then why aren't we deeply concerned about the renewing of our dysfunctional congregations?" And if we are concerned, what should be primary in our effort for restoring the church's health?

Plainly the most dysfunctional of all churches, at least on the pages of the New Testament, had to be the church in Corinth. From reading the Pauline letters to Corinth we discover that there were at least four different rival camps within this one church. Members lied to each other, cheated and stole from one another, and even took their fellow members to court to settle personal differences. Furthermore, these members engaged in the most ignominious sexual behavior within the life of the congregation. To top it off they routinely got drunk at their regular celebrations of the Lord's Supper. The apostle informs us that God's judgment against them resulted in some pretty direct discipline.

So then whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment (1 Corinthians 11:27-31).

Most of the church growth experts that I know would have written this congregation off as a bad church plant and simply moved on, counting their losses and planting a new and more exciting local church with a bright young entrepreneurial pastor. I can hear such experts saying: "This church doesn't deserve our support. It can only drain our energies and resources. Move on. Start fresh. Let this one die. New churches, with vision and hope, are always to be preferred to old ones with their huge problems and serious breakdown." To quote the old gambler, "You've got to know when to hold 'em and you've got to know when to fold 'em."

Thankfully Paul didn't follow this kind of worldly advice. Around A.D. 55 he began to write a letter to this flock. Eventually there were several epistles sent to the church in Corinth, perhaps four in all, though only two are included in the canon of the New Testament. These letters urged the Christians at Corinth to cut out the nonsense and to correct their problems by properly understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ. A careful reading of the first letter demonstrates a number of specific pastoral steps that should be followed to resolve specific problems in the Corinthian church, problems that were both ethical and doctrinal.

Near the very beginning of Paul's first letter we get an important insight into the primary thing needed to bring health back to this church. This insight had clearly been missed in the Corinthian context. I want to suggest that it is too easily passed over, or simply assumed, in the modern church context. Paul wrote:

And I, when I came to you, brothers and sisters, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Put simply, Paul says that a healthy, balanced and prospering church is not a church focused upon size, budget or program. Church health is not about unique sectarian systems of doctrine, or the promotion of special interest groups that defend the right issues. Furthermore, a healthy church does not make human wisdom, or even pulpit eloquence, the centerpiece of its ministry. The church is at its best, and thus is the healthiest, when it keeps "the main thing" the main thing, that is when it makes Christ primary.

Most New Testament scholars agree that Paul was an intellectual giant. He was bi-lingual, if not tri-lingual. He had the equivalent education of a PhD in religion and philosophy. He understood the major issues of his day and he could debate with the best Jewish and Greek minds. But it seems this brilliant man decided, as an act of sheer faithfulness to God, to keep that which is of first importance primary.

This observation doesn't mean that Paul was an anti-intellectual. He did not head up the ancient "Know Nothing Party." Ignorance is never the mother of true piety. A careful study of Paul's sermons and letters will demonstrate his amazing literary and intellectual powers. These were all used to great advantage, as his letters show.

What Truly Makes a Church Healthy?
What Paul is saying is actually quite plain-a healthy church is not established on human talent, conventional wisdom, or sociological/market-oriented insights. Why? Because "[T]he foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25). "For," Paul adds, "what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Corinthians 4:5).

What Paul is teaching is patently obvious-the healthiest congregation, at its very best, must revolve around the primacy of the person of Jesus Christ. And we do not proclaim our theology, though inevitably we must have one that helps to produce health. We surely do not embrace and promote a philosophy, though we must think deeply about the ultimate issues posed by various philosophical questions. And we should not make liturgy, institutional well-being, numerical growth, or denominational and special interests our raison d'être. What we are called to do, if the church is to be truly healthy, is simple really.

We must unapologetically make Jesus Christ the centerpiece of everything we preach, everything we pray, and everything we seek to do in this world.
No other reading of the words of the apostle "For I decided to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2) make any sense at all if we miss this point. Everything else, important as it may be, is secondary. This must be primary.

Martin Luther understood this text to be the very center of all true theology and faithful Bible reading. He wrote, "There is not a word in the Bible which is extra crucem, which can be understood without reference to the cross." And the great English theologian P.T. Forsyth put the same truth this way: "You do not understand Christ until you understand his cross."

If my reading of Paul is faithful, and it seems self-evident that it is, then a church does not revolve around a pastor, as important as this office and ministry is for a healthy church. There are two extremes to be avoided by this observation. First, a healthy church will almost always have a healthy pastor, or several healthy pastors. But this is not the primary thing to focus the church's ministry upon. Second, the elders and/or deacons (or church councils) are not the central thing in the life of your church either. It is important that you have godly and faithful leaders. Don't misunderstand me. But some seem to think that if you get the right leaders and the right system of leadership in place you will have health, ipso facto. (I have seen this emphasis fail time and time again over the past thirty-five years of ministry.) But if the proper emphasis is not on our leaders, then it is not on us as the congregation either. We are not the center of attention, as shocking as that sounds to modern Christian ears. To understand this point about what is truly primary would, I am convinced, lead to the true health of many Christians and thousands of local congregations. Read these words slowly and carefully:

The church is not about you, it is about him! Christ is Lord and you are not!
Your strengths, your weaknesses, your opinions, your gifts, and your personal experiences are not what the church is about. End of argument. Case closed.

The ancient Jews thought that the idea of a Messiah, crucified on a cross, was totally obnoxious, patently ridiculous. The Greeks thought this business of the cross was foolishness. They held this idea in utter contempt. Paul ignored the entire spectrum of this kind of response and tells us, simply, that he preached Christ crucified, "whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness" (1 Corinthians 1:30). Why?

Because Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead!
This fact established Paul's entire mission. John Calvin was right when he said, "The resurrection of Christ is the commencement of his reign" and added, "It is the most important article of our faith." Christ risen from the dead meant that Christ was Lord over all. J. I. Packer has this right and thus concludes: "The victim of Calvary . . . is loose and at large." Christ alone has authority to forgive sins. Christ alone is the fact of all facts, the truth of all truths. Christ alone and Christ above all else. That is Paul's point. He desired to decrease in order that Christ might increase as Lord. He must be primary!

Finally, Paul plainly understood what we have so easily forgotten. The church is the only organization, in reality the only organism, ordained by God to make Christ known to the world. The Bush administration doesn't have this mandate. Your place of employment doesn't have this mandate, even if it is a Christian institution. The school system doesn't have this commission, public or Christian. Only the church, expressed in various and diverse local settings, has this commission from God to preach this message, to live out this story, and to make followers of the resurrected Messiah.

But preaching Christ as primary is much more than proclaiming good expositions from the Bible each Sunday. If this was all Paul desired he could have made this point and closed shop. But he spent chapter after chapter making a far more important point in 1 Corinthians. We simply cannot preach Christ as primary and be done with it. No, we must live what we proclaim and we must work it out within our family (the church) or we will become a dysfunctional family. We are to do this work, which is called by Paul "work[ing] out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). We do not do the work to earn our salvation but we dare not profess God's salvation without doing this work. This means that we must be reconciled one to another. It means we must actively pursue the healing of our churches. And beyond all else it means that we must make Christ the primary goal of all we undertake. Health is not an option if w e would be faithful to the call of Christ to make him primary. We must address our dysfunction with the only cure that still works.

If most of our churches are not healthy, and again I think most of us would admit this to be true, then we must do everything that we can to restore them to this biblical pattern of "Christ alone." This pattern begins with making Christ the primary issue, not with us or with our building of sandcastles on the beach. A. W. Tozer was right when he said, "The cross of Christ is the most revolutionary thing ever to appear among men."

A Prayer to Keep Christ Central
"God make me an instrument of your peace. Let me sow love and allow me to be part of the healing of the church, not of its further division and dysfunction. Help me to keep the primary issue central-the supremacy of Christ and him crucified. Please do this Father, for the glory of Christ, Amen."

O Wretched Man That I......Was?

2008-03-11T00:37:00.000-04:00

"The Lord blessed me down to my SHOES!!!!" That is a quote from Pastor Bob while delivering a sermon one Sunday many years ago. I will never forget that line.

First off, there's a lot going on in my life spiritually. I am forever being blessed by the Wednesday night group and Bible and Bagel Fellowship on Sunday morning. Since November I have been meeting with friends for a Sunday afternoon fellowship. It started out as believers gathering together to blanket a sister in prayer. It has developed into a wonderful fellowship where we gather much like the early church may have.

Hebrews 10: 19-24 says, "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."

Jesus is not only the great high priest, He is the perfect sacrifice. His blood accomplished what the blood of goats and bulls could not. There is no longer a veil between us and God. The price was high. Our salvation didn't come cheap. Don't minimize His work with a timid faith or living in your "unworthiness". Yes, we were not worthy. That's why He did it! Oh wretched man that I.... was! Thanks be to God! Thank you Jesus!

Now we can CONFIDENTLY enter the holy place! We can draw near IN FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH! Our hearts have been SPRINKLED CLEAN from an evil conscience! Our bodies have been WASHED CLEAN with pure water. Let us hold fast our hope WITHOUT WAVERING.....FOR HE WHO PROMISED IS FAITHFUL! HE promised! HE is faithful!!

What better way to stimulate one another to love and good deeds than by reminding each other of these truths. I was reminded of these truths this past Sunday. The Lord truly blessed me down to my shoes! I pray that this happens for you each time you gather with other believers. God bless y'all real good.

A Confession

2008-02-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

I have a confession. Last year I left a church because of a difference I had with the leadership. I won't go into details but the end result was that I left the congregation. After leaving, it was my hope that their ministry would fail. Their failing would somehow vindicate me. I'm talking about a congregation that my wife and some good friends still serve. How selfish is that? Every once in a while I still think it's all about me. Please forgive me.

How can we show the love of God to the world when we can't even love each other. There are some that will say to me, "I can love them but I don't have to like them."
Do I really need to address that?

1Corinthians 13: 4-8 says, "Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on it's own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."

It's okay to have disagreements. Paul was involved in a few of them. It's how we handle them that makes us different from the others. Don't think I'm saying that the church should wink at sin to maintain unity. We are to correct each other.

All that being said, we need to practice patience. 2 Peter talks about God's patience, not wanting any to perish. We see his patience with Israel. Paul tells us to be patient with the weaker brother, Rom. 15:1.

A friend of mine likes to remind me that we are a work in progress. It is God who does the work and he has to be the One to complete it. God bless y'all real good.

Take Heart! Be Encouraged!

2008-01-21T20:14:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy getting together with other believers. A line from the Steve Taylor song, "Jenny", says, "Those Bible belt people think living is a sin so they all start dying from the day they're born again." (Steve Taylor is a Christian so the line needs to be understood in context to the song.) The point here is that those outside the faith believe that to be true. However for me it couldn't be more false.

I've often said that I laugh more with believers than any time I used to spend with others in a drunken state. The best part about it is that now I don't wake up with a hangover! Most Christians are not stuffy ol' killjoys. Actually it's the opposite.

What I like most about meeting with other believers is the encouragement I receive when we gather together. 1 Corinthians 14:26 says, "How is it then, bretheran? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." If I may be so bold I would like to add (not to the Scriptures) tell a joke! To edify means to instruct; to improve; to build up esp. morally and spiritually. (Cassell Compact Dictionary)

The Scriptures are not silent concerning encouragement. I Thessalonians 5:4 says, "encourage the fainthearted". In Colossians 2:2 Paul wants the church at Coloasse to be encouraged "to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul is explaining the difference between a tongue and a prophecy. He basically says a tongue is spoken to God and builds up the speaker. One who prohesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement.

We need to be encouraged. The Christian life is not a sprint, it's a marathon. I used to be a runner, running in 5K, 8K, and 10K races. Along the course people would be standing on the side of the road. Some would hand out water and others would yell out words of encouragement. I loved it. At times I found myself wanting to give up but their words kept me going.

Hebrews 12:1,2 paints a wonderful picture. It says, "Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with enurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

There are two things I want to point out from this passage. Number one is that we are surrounded by witnesses. These are the ones who have gone before us and lived the life of faith that we're living. I like to think of them as the people along the side of the race course yelling out encouragement as we run. Number two is keeping our eyes on the prize which is Jesus (Philippians 5:13,14). We cannot look to the left or right lest we get pulled off course. We focus on the finish, Jesus.

So take heart my friends, be encouraged. You can't make this journey alone. Get together with other believers and live, and laugh, a lot! God bless y'all real good.

Fresh Starts

2008-01-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

I hope this doesn't offend my former pastors. All of them (about six total over 28 years) have been a positive influence on my life.

The truth is I don't remember too many of their sermons. The best way for me to learn is through interaction usually in a Bible study or a small group setting. However, every so often a word or phrase from a sermon finds it's way into my heart and blesses me.

One Sunday after New Year's Day I heard a message on fresh starts and new beginnings. The pastor said that God is a God of fresh starts. That's all I remember of the teaching. I would like to share with you what that means to me.

Lamentations 3:22,23 says, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."

2 Corinthians 4:16 says, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day."

At the beginning of each new year I always think about a fresh start in my walk with the Lord. How can I know and relate to Him better? How can I improve my prayer life? Are there better ways to share Him with others? How can I better encourage others in their walk?

The best thing about starting fresh is that if I fall short or fail, He's ready to offer me another opportunity. A new chance to get up, repent if needed, and move on. God doesn't want us to fail! Let me say that again a little louder, GOD DOESN'T WANT US TO FAIL!! I am reminded of Israel and their opportunities or Peter and his.

The "fresh start" doesn't have to be yearly. It can be daily, hourly, or minute by minute. The point is that it's available.

I want to encourage you to get a fresh start. You don't have to do it alone. Get the help of a spouse, or close friend, an accountability partner. Do it with your small group or Bible study group.

God's mercies are new every morning. Have a wonderful new year. God bless y'all real good.

Jesus In The Flesh

2007-12-23T00:29:00.000-05:00

A former pastor of mine would remind us, when Jesus was an infant He soiled His diapers. I'm sure His digestive system worked like mine does. He burped too. I'm not trying to be vulgar or irreverent. I am trying to “flesh out” Jesus in the flesh.

Another pastor always said that Jesus did not cheat. By that he meant that Jesus lived as a man on this earth. He set aside His deity (Philippians 2:6-9) as the Son of God to walk among us. He did not invoke His deity to overcome sin and temptation, thus "cheating".

My Wednesday Night Group is studying Hebrews. A few verses caught my attention and made me think about Jesus being a man.

Hebrews 2:17,18 says, "Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted."

Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin."

Hebrews 5:8 says, Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him," (the concept of “being made perfect” carries the idea of being complete).

Jesus was tempted and suffered. We know that in spite of temptation he did not sin. The Scriptures also say that He learned from suffering. What did Jesus have to learn?

I have an idea. Let me know what you think.

Until the birth of Jesus, the triune God never experienced life in the flesh, as man. I know this will offend many. I am not questioning God's omnipotence. Could a perfect God know what life was like for man?

I believe that Jesus had to come and live as a man to experience what we go through. He had to be tempted like us. He did so without sinning. He had to suffer to be made perfect and therefore become the perfect high priest.

As a result He is able to sympathize with us. Jesus experienced pain, joy, anger, temptation, sorrow, fear, probably every emotion we feel. He knew what it was like to be separated from the Father. Again, in all those things he did not sin. He did not cheat. So maybe the fact of Jesus’ suffering completed or made him the perfect high priest to make the once and for all offering for our sins and better understand who we are to come to our aid.

No matter what we are feeling, or what we experience, remember that Jesus went through the same things. Read the verses above again. Look for other verses in the Scriptures that confirm what I'm saying. Share what you find with me. Let's grow together. God bless y'all real good.

(Thanks for your help Rudy.)

Are You Missional?

2007-11-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Well, are you missional? It's the newest buzz word in my world. I would say that I touched on it in my September 7th post, "Set Apart". The best way for me to present it to you is to is to copy an article by "The Blind Beggar" Rick Meigs:

"One important note before you continue: On this website, the term "church" refers to the people of God; the called out ones; those formed for his dwelling and bearers of his presence in the world. It doesn't refer to a building, denomination or physical location. So when you read "church," think of yourself and your faith community, not that building you go to each Sunday.

In an article titled, "The 'Missional Church': A Model for Canadian Churches?" David Horrox writes, "The church should stop mimicking the surrounding culture and become an alternative community, with a different set of beliefs, values and behaviors. Ministers would no longer engage in marketing; churches would no longer place primary emphasis on programs to serve members. The traditional ways of evaluating 'successful churches' – bigger buildings, more people, bigger budgets, larger ministerial staff, new and more programs to serve members – would be rejected. New yardsticks would be the norm: To what extent is our church a 'sent' community in which each believer is reaching out to his community? To what extent is our church impacting the community with a Christian message that challenges the values of our secular society?"

Dan Kimball in "The Emerging Church" (Zondervan, 2003) describes the missional church "as a body of people sent on a mission who gather in community for worship, encouragement, and teaching from the Word that supplements what they are feeding themselves throughout the week."

Both Horrox and Kimball capture much of the essence and heart of what it means to be missional, but can we probe deeper and articulate a more definitive understanding? I think we can and what follows is an imperfect attempt to explore and develop our appreciation of what it means to be missional.

Missional is a Shift in Thinking

But first a necessary word of caution for those who wish to explore and understand what it means to be a missional church or people. Alan Hirsch rightly states that "the word 'missional' over the years has tended to become very fluid and as it was quickly co-opted by those wishing to find new and trendy tags for what they themselves were doing, be they missional or not. It is often used as a substitute for seeker-sensitive, cell-group church, or other church growth concept, thus obscuring its original meaning." As a result, missional is often looked upon as just another phase or program. But we error when we do so for missional is more than just another movement, it is a full expression of who the ekklesia of Christ is and what it is called to be and do. At its core, missional is a shift in thinking. This shift in thinking is expressed by Ed Stetzer and David Putman in their book, "Breaking the Missional Code" (Broadman & Holman, 2006) like this:

From programs to processes
From demographics to discernment
From models to missions
From attractional to incarnational
From uniformity to diversity
From professional to passionate
From seating to sending
From decisions to disciples
From additional to exponential
From monuments to movements
And let me add a couple more to Ed's list:

From services to service
From ordained to the ordinary
From organizations to organisms
Making this shift can be difficult for many (particularly Evangelical Americans), but to fully appreciate what the missional church is, we must look outside of our traditional understanding of how we do church and realign ourselves with the biblical narrative. So, as you consider the following "description," don't attempt to understand it within your traditional framework, shift your thinking.

Description of a Missional Church

-A missional church is a collection of missional believers acting in concert together in fulfillment of the missio dei.1
-A missional church is one where people are exploring and rediscovering what it means to be Jesus' sent people as their identity and vocation.
-A missional church is individuals willing and ready to be Christ's people in their own situation and place.
-A missional church knows that they must be a cross-cultural missionary (contextual) people and adopt a missionary stance in relation to their community.
-A missional church will be engaged with the culture (in the world) without being absorbed by the culture (not of the world). They will become intentionally indigenous.
-A missional church understands that God is already present in the culture where it finds itself. Therefore, a missional church doesn't view its purpose as bringing God into the culture or taking individuals out of the culture to a sacred space.
-A missional church is about more than just being contextual, it is also about the nature of the church and how it relates to God.
-A missional church will seek to plant all types of missional communities.
-A missional church is evangelistic and faithfully proclaims the gospel through word and deed. Words alone are not sufficient; how the gospel is embodied in our community and service is as important as what we say.
-A missional church understands the power of the gospel and does not lose confidence in it.
-A missional church will align all their activities around the missio dei -- the mission of God.
-A missional church seeks to put the good of their neighbor over their own.
-A missional church will give integrity, morality, good character and conduct, compassion, love and a resurrection life filled with hope preeminence to give credence to their reasoned verbal witness.
-A missional church practices hospitality by welcoming the stranger into the midst of the community.
-A missional church will see themselves as a community or family on a mission together. There are no "Lone Ranger" Christians in a missional church.
-A missional church will see themselves as representatives of Jesus and will do nothing to dishonor his name.
-A missional church will be totally reliant on God in all it does. It will move beyond superficial faith to a life of supernatural living.
-A missional church will be desperately dependent on prayer.
-A missional church gathered will be for the purpose of worship, encouragement, supplemental teaching, training, and to seek God's presence and to be realigned with God's missionary purpose.
-A missional church is orthodox in its view of the gospel and scripture, but culturally relevant in its methods and practice so that it can engage the worldview of the hearers.
-A missional church will feed deeply on the scriptures throughout the week.
-A missional church will be a community where all members are involved in learning "the way of Jesus." Spiritual development is an expectation.
-A missional church will help people discover and develop their spiritual gifts and will rely on gifted people for ministry instead of talented people.
-A missional church is a healing community where people carry each other's burdens and help restore gently.
-A missional church will require that its leaders be missiologists.
1. From Brother Maynard

What a Missional Church is Not

-A missional church is not a dispenser of religious goods and services or a place where people come for their weekly spiritual fix.
-A missional church is not a place where mature Christians come to be fed and have their needs met.
-A missional church is not a place where "professionals" are hired to do all the work of the church.
-A missional church is not a place where the "professionals" teach the children and youth about God to the exclusion of parental responsibility.
-A missional church is not a church with a "good missions program." The people are the missions program and includes going to "Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
-A missional church is not about a new strategy for evangelism.
-A missional church is not missional just because it is contemporary, young, hip, postmodern-sensitive, seeker-sensitive or even traditional.
-A missional church is not about big programs and organizations to accomplish God's missionary purpose. This does not imply no program or organization, but that they will not drive mission. They will be used in support of people on mission.

What a Missional Church Looks Like

JR Woodward at Dream Awakener has a perspective on success that really helps my understanding of missional. His post "A Working Definition of Success" provides a working definition of what missional might look like. Here it is:

-Not simply how many people come to our church services, but how many people our church serves.
-Not simply how many people attend our ministry, but how many people have we equipped for ministry.
-Not simply how many people minister inside the church, but how many minister outside the church.
-Not simply helping people become more whole themselves, but helping people bring more wholeness to their world. (i.e. justice, healing, relief)
-Not simply how many ministries we start, but how many ministries we help.
-Not simply how many unbelievers we bring into the community of faith, but how many ‘believers' we help experience healthy community.
-Not simply working through our past hurts, but working alongside the Spirit toward wholeness.
-Not simply counting the resources that God gives us to steward, but counting how many good stewards are we developing for the sake of the world.
-Not simply how we are connecting with our culture but how we are engaging our culture.
-Not simply how much peace we bring to individuals, but how much peace we bring to our world.
-Not simply how effective we are with our mission, but how faithful we are to our God.
-Not simply how unified our local church is, but how unified is "the church" in our neighborhood, city and world?
-Not simply how much we immerse ourselves in the text, but how faithfully we live in the story of God.
-Not simply being concerned about how our country is doing, but being concern for the welfare of other countries.
-Not simply how many people we bring into the kingdom, but how much of the kingdom we bring to the earth.

Who is Behind "Friend of Missional"

Friend of Missional is brought to you by The Blind Beggar. It is a non-commercial, non-profit, non self-promoting venture. I do not claim that these ideas and concepts on the Missional Church are necessarily original to me. Input from many sources and individuals has helped craft this description."

Well, are you missional? I thought there were many good points in this article. It has challenged me to search the Scriptures and really try to understand my role as a part of Christ's body and how I should live my life before others. What do you think? God bless y'all real good.

Can You Accept This?

2007-10-23T04:48:00.000-04:00

In my last post, commenting on God's work of salvation, I stated that all the work was His. Some might say that we have to "accept" it but I disagree. I think it is more like "we don't reject it". It sounds like semantics but let me explain myself.

Psalm 51:5, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." This verse tells us that we are born in sin, all have a sin nature. We are naturally sinners, all of us, from the time of conception.

1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned."

Romans 8:10-12, "As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one; There is no one who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all gone out of the way; They have together become unprofitable;"

John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit;"

Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;"

There are many more verses but I will stop there. I will give you my opinion and you can let me know what you think.

Man in his sin has no free will. The "choice" was made at the garden. From that point on his only choice is disobedience.

God in His mercy has given man a gift, the gift of salvation, paid for by the blood of His Son Jesus. The gift is for all mankind.

When I buy a gift for someone, it already belongs to them. Even if I haven't physically handed it to them, it still belongs to them. When I do hand it to them, the only thing they can do is reject it. It is already theirs, they can only reject it.

I see the same thing with God's gift. Man (natural man) can only reject it. However through the work of the Holy Spirit (God) and His Word a change is made and the new man (Spiritual) is able to "not reject it" if you will. Just for the record I believe Christians have free will.

I believe that from start to finish the idea, plan, and work of salvation is God's. If man has a hand in it (he has to "accept it") then it is works righteousness. God bless y'all real good.

Religion

2007-10-07T22:53:00.000-04:00

I have been intrigued by the following introduction to Hebrews and verses from Romans 14:4, and Colossians 2:6-23. They are taken from Eugene H. Peterson's "The Message/Remix".

"It seems odd to have to say so, but too much religion is a bad thing. We can't have too much of God, can't get too much faith and obedience, can't get too much love and worship. But religion - the well intentioned efforts we make to "get it together" for God - can very well get in the way of what God is doing for us. The main and central action is everywhere and always what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. Jesus is the revelation of that action. Our main and central task is to live in responsive obedience to God's action revealed in Jesus. Our part in the action is the act of faith."

That is not the whole introduction but he ends with this, "The focus becomes clear and sharp again: God's action in Jesus. And we are free once more for the act of faith, the one human action in which we don't get in the way but on the way."

Romans 14:4(b) says, "If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help." This is in reference to eating or abstaining from certain foods and expecting others to do the same.

Colossians 2:6-23:

6-7 My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
8-10 Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.

11-15 Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it's an initiation ritual you're after, you've already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.

16-17 So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.

18-19 Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.

20-23 So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? "Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important."

In my mind these all fit together. I would like to attempt to make sense of what I'm thinking and as always I am open to being corrected if I'm wrong.

I find it interesting that the whole idea, act, and work of salvation are God's. It was His plan and His Son. It was His calling by His Word (the Bible) and His Spirit that lead us to salvation. We had absolutely nothing to do with it. Don't give me that "we had to accept it" stuff either. I don't buy that.

With all that being said, do you think that it is our job to maintain it? Many that do have given us all kinds of rules and regulations to follow. You might say the rules are only there to keep us from going too close to the edge of the cliff. It sounds to me like the Pharisees. Just like them the intention is good but the result is not. We depend on the rules of man to keep us obedient to God. Just tell me what I can do, what I can't do, and what I can get away with. Does the Spirit stop leading after we are saved? Do we somehow lose our ability to hear from God? We heard Him when we were called.

The problem with rules and regulations is that they lead to religion. Earthly things become more important than God's Word. Again, the intention is good but is it good? The church building, the form of worship, worship music, icons, all these things that were intended to represent Jesus have become more important than Jesus and what He taught! Read Isaiah 1:11-17.

My Gerbel friend puts it this way, "Hence we see that Jesus is moving us in "life" (living) as we lay aside our (worthless) man-made 'got to be a better christian' doctrines ....we really have no room to charge one another in silly rituals, nor to be an over bearing parent, to crush a young believer's faith...Nor should we let another crush our Spirit....For I am convinced that we can share God's love and message far more effectively in everyday life than in weekly meetings that close us off from (the outside world), designed to 'empower' us to be stronger, better followers who can strain the gnat but swallow a camel..."

Colossians 2:23 says, " These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion and self-abasement and severity to the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh." Do you see my thought here? It's okay to say no!

In my Christian walk I have changed my mind about many things. I assume I will continue to as I mature in my faith. I've had many good teachers. I've held on to what they have said and I've differed with them too. It's okay to do that. The Spirit speaks to all that he indwells. He can guide us. The important thing is to let the Bible be your guide. Let what it says speak to you not what it doesn't say. Don't replace God's Word with man's wisdom or rules. It leads to religion. God bless y'all real good.

Set Apart

2007-09-08T00:17:00.000-04:00

I was at the grocery store today. While I was there I thought I would try to pick out the shoppers that are Christians. I guess there should be something that sets them apart from the unbelievers. A different hair style? Different clothes? Do they buy different items? Smell different? Christians don't smoke so all non-smokers must be Christians. I didn't see anyone carrying a Bible. The cars in the parking lot all looked normal. Some of them had fish symbols on the back, I guess they belonged to the non-smokers.

Please forgive me for being so sarcastic. The point I'm trying to make is this, what does a Christian look like? How are we set apart? There have been times when someone has said to me, "You must be a Christian because you ......... I've also heard, "I thought you were a Christian, why did you .......

We need to get a picture of what a Christian life is and what it is not. It's not a life of strict rules, regulations, dos, and don'ts. That's what the world/unsaved think. Do this, don't do that, don't smoke, drink, or chew, or hang around with women who do. Is that the best way we have to show who Jesus is, what he's done, and why we follow Him? Read Colossians 2:16-23.

1 Peter 1:15 says, "...but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct." Romans 12:1 says, "...to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God..." The question then is this, what does it mean to be holy?

To be holy means to be separated unto God, the result being conduct befitting those so separated. Some Bible translations use the word sanctification. Sanctification is separation of the believer from evil things and ways. I would say set apart from the "world" or "earthly ways".

When I say earthly ways, what am I talking about? There are many Scriptures that tell us. The one that comes to mind for me is this, Colossians 3:5-10. It says, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

Paul then goes on to say in verses 12-14, "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

How important is love? Matthew 22:37-40 says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is just like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Of course this love is extended to enemies too. In Matthew 5:44 Jesus says, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Read 1 Corinthians 13, the "love" chapter, apply it to your life and include your enemies. Wow!

Let me take some lines out of Romans chapters 12-15 to bring this entry to a close. We should not be conformed to this world but transformed by renewing our minds. We shouldn't think too highly of ourselves. Our love should be genuine, outdoing one another in showing honor. We should be patient in tribulation and constant in prayer. We should contribute to the needs of the saints and show hospitality. If you are wronged, do not avenge yourself. A Christian overcomes evil with good, feeding a hungry enemy. Pay taxes, revenue, respect, and honor to whom it is due. We should welcome one who is weak in faith. Don't pass judgement on each other over special days, eating, or abstaining from, certain foods. "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." (Rom.15:1,2) We should live in harmony with one another and be servants.

There is so much more. How does all this compare with the wisdom of the world? How does it compare with your experience? Living this way would truly set you apart. I think it would be noticed too. God bless y'all real good.

I Confessed Already

2007-08-19T23:01:00.000-04:00

Rudy Baga's blog titled "There are two shackles around the ankles of many Christians"(Monday Aug.13), is a must read. I have linked to his blog. With apologies to him, I would like to try and reinforce his article.

1 John 1:9 has lead to a huge misunderstanding. It reads, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This one verse has lead many Christians to think that all sin must be confessed to be forgiven. Note that I said "Christians". These are ones who have already confessed, agreed with God that they were sinners in need of His grace, and received it.

Now, if it's true that all sin must be confessed to be forgiven, then can I assume that all unconfessed sin will not be forgiven? Again I am referring to a Christian. Can I assume that Jesus' blood only covered my sins up to my "birth from above" and after that I have to confess for the sins I commit afterward to be forgiven? If I have one unconfessed sin, I'm going to hell. Is that your understanding?

For the sake of this article I would like to define confession as I believe most Christians would define it. I believe most would define confession as asking forgiveness of sins committed.

[That is not the definition and if you read Rudy's blog, he defines it for you. He says, "First of all the word for “confess” in the original Greek, means to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent, (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). This gives a little different feel than what we typically think of with confession."]

I only bring this up because of a conversation I had the other night. The person I spoke with believes unconfessed sin will land you (Christian) in hell!! I am talking about a born again Christian women who has been a believer for a long time!

When I disagreed with her she immediately asked if I believe in the doctrine of eternal security (once saved always saved). The implication was that I believe a person who has professed faith in Jesus can live a sinful lifestyle and still go to heaven. I was misunderstood. However I am in good company because Paul was misunderstood too. Read Romans chapter six. Verses one and two state, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"

True born again believers do not want to live a sinful lifestyle, 1 John 5:18. I am not saying that they don't sin. When Christians sin they can be comforted that Jesus took care of it, 1 John 2:1.

Why do Christians want to be in control of their salvation? Why can't we be comfortable with the work that Jesus did? (I had a pastor friend ask me that question.) As a Christian, did you provide the way of salvation, restoring your relationship with God? Did God not call you? Wasn't it God's work? His plan? His Son? His Spirit? His Word? What makes you think you have to sanctify yourself?

Christian! ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM!!!! Use your freedom to serve. Galatians 5:13 says, "For you were called to freedom, bretheran; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another."

Christians do not need to ask for forgiveness to be forgiven. He remembers our sin no more. Read Psalm 103:11,12. Read Isaiah 1:18. Read Romans 8. However, just like our earthly parents, we feel bad for being disobedient to our Father (one who is "unsaved" wouldn't care). We say I'm sorry ,not for forgiveness, but for peace of mind, or a restored relationship, and we move forward in our walk with Him.

This article didn't quite go in the direction I had planned. I'm guessing that is a good thing. Even so, as always, let me know what you think. God bless y'all real good.

Lead From the Front

2007-08-08T23:32:00.000-04:00

It's amazing, the things I hear that cause me to stop and think. This past Sunday I heard a preacher on the radio say something to the effect of, lead from the front not from behind. That statement really grabbed my attention.The idea is that it is better to lead from the front by example than to lead from behind with a whip.

I decided to discuss it further with my Wednesday night group this week. Two incidents from the Bible came to mind. The first was the woes to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 and the other was Jesus washing the disciple's feet in John 13.

In Matthew Jesus says of the scribes and Pharisees to, "...practice and observe whatever they tell you - but not what they do. For they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others." Later He says, "..you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in." Are you feeling the love? Are you familiar with this side of Jesus? Wait, there's more.

In verse 23 He goes on to say, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel." You need to go to your Bible and read this. He calls them whitewashed tombs full of dead people's bones, unclean, serpents, and a brood of vipers. Then he asks, "..how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?"

Paul in Galatians asks, "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh?" We were once "slaves" to the law. We were in "bondage". Does this conjure up images of a slave master standing over you with a whip to keep you in line? In Christ we have been set free!! Amen? Paul goes on to say in Galatians 5:12, "For I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves." How's that for love and tolerance? He's angry!

Leading people from behind with rules, regulations, and restrictions will not work.
Read Colossians 2:16-23, it refers to those things as "human precepts and teachings".
Paul goes on to say, "seek the things that are above", and "Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth."

Jesus lead from the front. Take a look at John 13. This is a familiar passage. This is where Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Jesus finishes the washing and asks them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example."

Paul lead from the front. 1 Corinthians 4:16 says, "I urge you then, be imitators of me." Again in chapter eleven, verse one, he says, "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ." In Philippians Paul tells them to "join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us."

Timothy was encouraged to lead from the front. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

Are you leading from the front? Are you not only following Jesus' example but setting an example for others? Are you loving, merciful, gracious, and kind? Are you a servant? I'm not just talking about serving other believers but also those outside the church. Are you growing in your relationship with Jesus?

I know there's a time to be firm. We cannot tolerate sin in our lives or the lives of other believers. Jesus was firm with the ones who should have known better. We should be too.

I didn't reach this point in my faith because someone stood over me with a whip ready to strike the moment I stepped out of line. I don't have to look over my shoulder, I only need to gaze toward the front. God bless y'all real good.

The Word

2007-07-18T23:53:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine made a great comment the other night. He said that he notices an energy that surrounds a conversation that includes the Scriptures. I'm sure many of you have noticed it too. I notice it on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, and recently, Thursday nights. I've noticed it at work, on camping trips, and family get-togethers.

The comment made me think of a Bible verse, Luke 24:32, "And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" Just reading that verse and typing it created that energy!

I think most of you know what I'm talking about. God's word is powerful!

Let's look at Psalm 119. "Word" is mentioned thirty-eight times. I could be wrong and I'm willing to be corrected but I think that God's word, statutes, and the Scriptures are basically the same. They all come from God.

What can the word accomplish according to Psalm 119? Let's look at it.

v.9 - cleanse your way
v.11 - keep us from sin
v.16 - give us delight
v.17 - bountiful life
v.25 - revive us
v.28 - strengthen us
v.38 - reverence for God
v.41 - salvation
v.42 - provide answers when taunted
v.43 - provides hope
v.49 - provides hope
v.50 - comfort when afflicted, gives life
v.58 - mercy
v.65 - good dealings with God
v.67 - keeps us from straying
v.74 - joy in fellowship with others who revere God
v.76 - comfort
v.81 - hope
v.82 - comfort
v.89 - stability
v.101 - restrain us from doing evil
v.105 - light our way
v.107 - revive us
v.114 - protect us
v.116 - uphold us
v.123 - perseverance
v.133 - direct our steps
v.140 - time tested, tried (confidence)
v.147 - hope
v.148 - source for meditation
v.154 - revive us
v.158 - disgust of sin
v.160 - source of truth
v.161 - stability
v.162 - joy
v.169 - understanding
v.170 - deliverance
v.172 - proclaim, can't keep silent

John refers to Jesus as the Word. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.......And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

2 Timothy 3:14-17 says, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you have learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Are you feeling it? That's the Spirit working through the Word. God bless y'all real good.

"Let's Play Bible!"

2007-06-29T23:43:00.000-04:00

I called a friend of mine the other night and invited myself over to his house. His wife and my wife were going to attend a meeting one evening that week and I thought it would be a good time to get together and "play Bible".

I like to use that term for Bible study. Think about it. It's a lot of fun playing games. We play cards, we play ball, and we play music. Those things are fun, entertaining! It's fun studying the Scriptures too, so why not call it playing Bible!

There really aren't any rules. It's good to play with a few people so you can hear different thoughts but not too many that the game becomes too chaotic, with lots of rabbit trails. It would also be good to have a few different translations and maybe a reference book or two. The most important resource is the Holy Spirit.

When I arrived at my friend's house, we just sat down and started talking. We discussed "repentance" because that's what my Wednesday group had discussed a couple of weeks ago. It was so much fun. I had a great time. I like the dialogue, the back and forth, anticipating what the Spirit will reveal next.

When the women returned from the meeting, I suggested to my friend that we get together and "play" again. Hey! Maybe next time the ladies can play too!. The "game" is fun for everyone, male or female, young or old, mature or new believer.

Proverbs 9:9,10 says, "Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous and they will learn even more. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement." (NLT)

Acts 2:42 says, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (RSV)

Romans 15:14 says, "I myself am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another." (RSV)

The growth that results from playing Bible are priceless. From my evenings with the Gerbils and challenges from the German, to Bible and Bagel Fellowship, the Wednesday group, and Ballofdirt, I am growing by leaps and bounds. "You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17, The Message Remix Bible)

I challenge you to gather with a friend, friends, or family and play Bible. It's a "game" that will impact your life. God bless y'all real good.

Teachable But Not Gullible

2007-06-16T03:24:00.000-04:00

In responding to a recent blog post I accused the writer of being immature. Some may have taken my comment as being disrespectful. He is the pastor of a church and many people look up to him. My comment, even though it was harsh, was not meant to be insulting. My hope was that it would be thought provoking.

Many times in the Scriptures believers are referred to as "sons" or "children" of God. Matthew 18:3 says, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Now I ask, do we remain children?

1 Corinthians 3:2 says, "I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not able to receive it."

Hebrews 5:13-6:1 says, "For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press on to maturity..."

2 Peter 3:17,18 says, "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard, so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

It's obvious from the Scriptures above that there needs to be growth. Why?

Ephesians 4:14 says, "As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;"

2 Peter 3:17 says, "You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall away from your own steadfastness."

We need to grow so that we are not deceived. It's easy to take advantage of an infant or someone who is uneducated. When I was a child I believed in Santa Claus, the Easter bunny , and the tooth fairy. Guess what?

When I was an infant in Christ I was told a lot of things about being a Christian, the Church, and my Christian walk. Guess what? Almost thirty years later my relationship with Jesus, the Church, and others is a lot different. I'm still teachable but I'm not gullible.

So, when I accused the pastor of being immature, I was referring to his maturity as a believer. Things will look a lot different to him thirty years from now. I would encourage him and you to pursue the Scriptures, remain steadfast, and to "run with endurance the race that is set before us."(Heb.12:1) God bless y'all real good.

Don't Live There!

2007-05-20T04:45:00.000-04:00

Has the Holy Spirit ever put something on your heart that you just had to share? That's what I have been going through for the past couple of weeks. I warn you that it is going to be long (you may want to print it and enjoy it during a more personal time in the powder room) but in the end I believe you will find great joy!

Isaiah 53 from The Message reads:

"Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?"

"The servant grew up before God - a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is , it was our pains he carried - our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him - our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him."

"He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence. Justice miscarried, and he was led off - and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought to his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true."

"Still it's what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from it - life, life, and more life. And God's plan will deeply prosper through him."

"Out of that terrible travail of soul, he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many "righteous ones", as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly - the best of everything, the highest honors - because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his shoulders the sin of many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep."

The absolute violence and sheer wrath that was placed on the servant, Jesus, is overwhelming. God piled all our sins on Him. Words like "beaten bloody", "tortured", and "crush him with pain", paint a vivid picture of the price that was paid for our sins. Sin had to be taken care of so that "life would come". Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages which sin pays is death". If Jesus had not have suffered then "life" could not come.

Could we have paid for our own sins? Could we have died in Jesus' place? No! The sacrificial lamb had to be spotless. Leviticus 1:3,4 says, "If the animal you present is from the herd, it must be male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the Lord.Lay your hand on the animal's head, and the Lord will accept it's death in your place to purify you, making you right with him". Hebrews 9:13-14 reads, "For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God". It had to be Jesus! He is the only one that could have fulfilled the requirement of being without defect.

Jesus died for our sins but it didn't end there. Jesus rose out of the grave! He's alive! Luke 24:2-3 says, "And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body". The two men at the tomb asked the women who were seeking Jesus' body, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" then in verse 6 it says, "Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 says, "For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Now I ask, does God want us (the church, the called out ones) to focus on death or life? Do we walk about in sackcloth and ashes or joy? Isaiah 53:11 says, "Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied." In Hebrews 12 we read that Jesus, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross". Now I know that is being said to encourage us to not grow weary or fainthearted in our struggles. It is saying that there is joy in the end. That's where Jesus is, "seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Do you think he's experiencing joy? Do you wonder if He thinks it was worth the price?

I know we are to remember his sacrifice. We do that when we have communion, the bread and the wine, the body and the blood. We can't forget.

I can't back this with Scripture (you may be able to so let me know by commenting) but I think that it is an abomination for a believer to live in sorrow and defeat and not joy and victory! You may as well tell Jesus that His sacrifice wasn't enough to take care of the sins in your life. You may as well tell Him that His resurrection wasn't enough to bring you life. You may as well say that His work wasn't enough to bring you joy (even in suffering James 1:2, 1 Peter 4:13). How dare any believer do that!

Okay, I'll back off a little. We can have moments of doubt, sorrow, guilt, anger, etc. but DON'T LIVE THERE! It's been dealt with! Jesus took care of it! Show the world the power of Jesus and His resurrection by being a living example, His body! This is not "name it and claim it" theology! It is truth! There is joy in the truth. God bless y'all real good.

God's Calling

2007-05-09T22:27:00.000-04:00

Did I miss my calling? Some members of my family and some friends would answer a resounding "YES!" to that question. I love them and I appreciate what they're saying. I too have have asked that same question of myself. There are times I would have answered yes but in reality the answer is no. I am right where I need to be.

I have a wonderful ministry. I minister to my wife and other family members. I am a part of a small group and I participate in a Sunday morning "Bible and Bagel Fellowship". Twice a month on Sunday evening I worship the Lord, pray, and fellowship with other members of the body.

I minister in other places. I am a missionary to an auto parts warehouse during the week. I get payed to be there! I don't have to raise my own support! I've had a lot of opportunities to share the gospel. I simply live out my faith in front of my fellow workers. Do they notice a difference? Do they ask questions? Have conversations about Jesus taken place? Yes!

I also minister to friends outside the church. We break bread together, we laugh, share life experiences, and occasionally (dare I say it) enjoy a malt beverage together. I am able to share Scriptures when they apply to my life or theirs. They are always receptive. We have built a good relationship and they know I care.

I minister to others too. I've had opportunity to pray for the needs of my neighbors. They have asked my wife and me several times to intercede on their behalf. My interactions with restaurant workers, retail workers, and other "service" workers have opened doors to minister. FOLKS THAT I ENCOUNTER EVERY DAY!!!

Two weeks ago my sister and I met with a friend who was in town for a seminar. We talked about what was going on in our lives. We talked about people we know that are "struggling" with their calling. His conclusion, and we agreed, is that we are to "live our life". There are many opportunities in our day to day relationships to show the love of Christ, to share the Word with others. That conversation was confirmed the other night when another friend approached me with a similar comment.

Once in a while God confirms my calling when I am told, "You are the nicest person I know", or "Thanks for the phone call, I needed it", "You should start a church", or "You missed your calling". Those comments encourage me. They tell me that I am right where I need to be.

This would all be vain babbling if I didn't include Scripture. (Matthew chapters 5,6, and 7), (Micah 6:8), (James 2:14-26), (1 Peter 3:15, 16). I know there are many more. Take time to share the verses that come to your mind, minister to me. God bless y'all real good.

Read All About It!

2007-04-28T17:38:00.000-04:00

Have you ever seen a CBD (Christian Book Distributors) catalog? It boasts "more than 5,000 products inside". I think it would be safe to say that at least seventy-five percent of those products are books. That would be 3,750 books. THREE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY BOOKS!!! Are you thinking what I'm thinking? With that many resources the American Christian should be the best discerning, happiest, healthiest, prayingest, wisest, culturally relevant Christians in the world. Our society should have strong Christian values and our churches should be packed. Right? We have all the answers, right?

We hear about the latest ideas for church growth. It worked well for one church, it should work in all churches. Write a book! House church, cell church, emergent church, mega church, the possibilities are endless. Pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib,
pre-wrath, how's it going to end? Read the book! Are you Calvinist or Arminian? Not many have heard of this, are you a preterist? How did the early church grow without all this information?

All these books can give us things to think about. They can also lead us to over complicate God's Word. We start looking between the lines and pages of the Bible, taking it out of context, in order to find some hidden message.

Can we learn from other books? Sure we can. I would be a liar if I said I wasn't influenced by other writers. However, I'm tired. I'm taking a vacation from other books. Right now I'm going to focus on one book, the Bible.

Remember when you first became a believer? If you are like me, you devoured the Scriptures. I couldn't get enough. Each session with the Word brought fresh meaning to my life. It was a wonderful time.

Maybe I've spent a lot of time in other books so I could get to the place where I am now. I want to return to the simple pleasure of loving Jesus, reflecting His love to others, and living my life in a way that would please God. I want to be a good disciple that disciples others.

2 Timothy 3:16,17 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."

Maybe if we all would return to our roots, things could be different. Study the Scriptures to find out what is from God and what is from man. Let the Bible be the ultimate authority. Then each day the Lord can add to our fellowship those who are being saved.(Acts 2:47) God bless y'all real good.

U-Needa Wednesday Group

2007-04-12T04:04:00.000-04:00

How could imperfect Christians make a judgement of another believer and apply church discipline? The point here is not the application of discipline (that could be the subject of a future post) but the discussion of the subject itself. It took place last night at my Wednesday group meeting.

Every Wednesday I get together with about eight other people and we discuss God's Word. What is God telling us in the Scriptures? How can we apply it to our lives? Someone shares a concern or a need. We pray for each other. We praise God together. We hold each other accountable. We eat together, watch movies together, and encourage one another. The word that sums it up best is relationship.

Our discussions are sometimes "spirited", sometimes we can get "passionate", we don't always agree, but at the end of the evening we are able to laugh and part as friends ( family). This is real church, this is what it's all about. In my opinion, one Wednesday evening is worth a month of Sunday mornings.

Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in big trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

1 Corinthians 14"26 says" When you meet together......But everything that is done must strengthen all of you."

There are numerous Scriptures that talk about encouraging each other. After a Wednesday group meeting I am stoked! Fired up! I realize that there are others who genuinely care about me. They challenge me to be the best I can be. They have my back and I have theirs. They can see my ugly side and not judge (although they could) but encourage me to change. I love them, they love me.

I want to encourage you to find or start a group. Sunday morning worship is okay but U-Needa Wednesday group! God bless y'all real good.

Our Easter Basket

2007-04-09T22:46:00.001-04:00

I wrote a song ten years ago with the following lyrics:
Christian do you know who you are; By the resurrection of the Lamb; you're more than forgiven, you gain more than Heaven; You are now a new man.

The song was based on a book I read by Bill Gilham titled, Lifetime Guarantee. The following is a partial list taken from Chapter Five, "A "New Man" in an old Earthsuit"

-You are justified and redeemed (already). (Romans 3:24)
-You are free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)
-You are sanctified (holy, set apart). (1 Corinthians 1:12)
-You are a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
-You are the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians5:21)
-You are a son and an heir. (Galatians 4:7)
-You are chosen, holy, and blameless before God. (Ephesians 1:4)
-You are redeemed, forgiven. (Ephesians 1:7)

There are many more "you ares" but I hope you get the point. Many things happened when Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead. Forgiveness, new life, and a restored relationship with God were mentioned in my previous entry. But do you see that there's even more for believers, through Christ?

This past week at our Wednesday Group meeting, we discussed these things. It was exciting to consider the results of Christ's work in light of the Easter season. A woman in our group summed it up in a way that fit the holiday, "This is our Easter basket (from God)".

Thank you Lord that you loved us so much. God bless y'all real good.

Not Just Life, But A Relationship

2007-04-09T22:34:00.000-04:00

The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus is about triumph, a resounding victory of life over death! That's what most people think of when Easter is mentioned, and that would be correct. However, many don't know that it is about a restored relationship too.

I knew someone who said that with most religions we obtain heaven (a joyful afterlife) by being good people in this life. As life progresses, if you do more good things than bad things, don't murder or take advantage of others, help people in need, and are considerate of the environment ( "one" with the universe and others), you are headed to eternal joy and peace with God. Christianity, on the other hand, says we have no chance (on our own).

The Bible says in the book of Romans (chapter 3) that "no one is righteous-not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one." "Their talk is foul, like stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies." "Snake venom drips from their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace." "They have no fear of God at all." Whew! Can it be more plain?

In chapter 5 of Romans it says "When Adam sinned (Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 3), sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.""Yes Adam's sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God and a new LIFE for everyone." "So, just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us RIGHT STANDING with God and resulting in eternal LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord." Here's the hope, God's grace (undeserved favor).

Apologist Ravi Zacharias said, "Jesus didn't come into this world to make bad people good, He came to make dead people live." The Bible, in the book of John, chapter 6, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." "For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal LIFE."The book of Ephesians in the New Testament of the Bible says, "Once you were dead because of your many sins." "By our very nature we were subject to God's anger." "But God is so rich in mercy, and loved us so much, that even though we were DEAD because of our sins, he gave us LIFE when he raised Christ from the dead." This is his gift to us. HIS Son, HIS gift, HIS work, HIS action, HIS love, HIS, HIS, HIS!!!!! He did it because we can't! WOW!!

I hope this gives you something to think about. Check it out, search for yourself and find the life and a restored relationship with the Creator, God. God bless y'all real good.