Seeking Peace And Understanding

Deception Is Living With Us

2009-03-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Can you recognize a false message posing as truth? Can you recognize the voice of the devil? His message is “yea hath God said?”, and his message is false, since the devil is a liar. His message is a flesh and pride satisfying alternative to what the Lord has said in His Word. The first time I ever heard the term ‘discernment’, as in, “Are you involved in discernment ministry”? I had no idea what that meant. I had never heard of it. Turns out, I had been doing that, discerning, all along; not knowing it was called that. I thought this was a normal part of being a Christian; comparing what you hear to the Word of God and noting if there was a difference. How can we discern? We must know, believe in and trust in the Word of God.

There are religions and movements in the world which cry out the false, satanic messages of the god of this world; the New Age movement for instance, which is not new, just the old “ancient wisdom” occult religion of Lucifer that weaves its way back in time through history, all the way back past the Tower of Babel, to the garden.

The interesting thing is, now we are seeing this exact same message in the visible church, in some places. Besides the secular Humanist occult New Agers, who is promoting the devil’s lie the most lately? It is some within visible ‘Christianity’. It is within the visible church.

In mainline liberal Protestant Christianity, there is a movement, not just for ecumenism, but for interfaith universalism with the world’s religions. In seeker, man focused modern evangelicalism; there is the social gospel P.E.A.C.E. plan, which is focused on making this world in this present evil age, through the effort of man, a utopia. The messages you hear in these movements are not God’s message of faith and salvation in Jesus Christ alone.

Some who decided to leave modern institutional evangelicalism have not just rearranged how and where they gather, and how they do church. When I first heard of emergent church a while back, I thought they were interested in getting out of something less than biblical and becoming more biblical, and reaching the lost with the gospel. Turns out, they were interested in becoming skeptics, questioning the Word of God, becoming visionary philosophers and opening themselves up to the possibilities of global spirituality. In other words, they are slowly emerging into the same New Age spirituality that the devil is selling to the world.

God has told us His plan in His Word. He did not tell us to dream and come up with new ideas for how God’s plan will work out. He told us what to do, and told us what would happen, in His Word. We are not to gather in order to question what God has said, to question if it is true out of skepticism. To say you hold the Bible in high esteem, but you hold God even higher makes no sense, since Jesus, who is God, is the Word of God.

Our understanding/interpretation of the Bible is not achieved by the community’s collective responses and thoughts. This is Hegelian dialectic process, which uses dialogue to create synthesis or consensus out of thesis and antithesis. If we have questions, the answers are found in the Bible; that is, answers concerning things that God wants us to have information about.

Saved does not mean having a kingdom of God mindset. God’s plan is not going to become a reality because of us. He will do it. To say, together, WE can become God’s dream reminds me of the attitude of the people in Genesis 11:1-6.

All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. (Ps.119:160)

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (Eph.5:6)

Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:30)

We must all be careful that we are not lead astray, falling into the devil's trap of deception, posing as truth. We must use the gift of discernment and recognize the false teachings from within the church today for what is actually is, the same old lie that the devil sold to Eve in the garden. Do not be deceived!

The Character of Love

2009-01-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Last week I started a series based on 1 Corinthians 13, and we began to consider what Paul said was "the most excellent way" to live. And that "most excellent way" is the way of love.

In those first few verses Paul said that love is more important than spiritual gifts, or knowledge, or faith, or generosity, or even a willingness to die for Christ. For even if we had all that, but did not have love, they would be as useless and empty as beating a gong outside a pagan temple.

In vs. 4, Paul tells us that love is patient, love has a long fuse, love is slow to boil, love counts down before it blasts off. Then he tells us that "love is kind." And that is what I want us to consider this evening. Paul ends chapter 12 by saying: And now I will show you the most excellent way.

No matter how gifted you are – no matter how successful in ministry – no matter how close to God – there is one over riding principal that should guide everything we do. Otherwise everything you do for the Lord is a waste of time.

That over riding principle, of course is love. 1st Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages of Scripture. It’s quoted at weddings routinely. So much so that sometimes it begins to sound like the corny phrases of a Hallmark card. “What the world needs now is love sweet love” as if just saying the word “love” is all that’s needed.

This chapter is far more than that – it is far more challenging than we may have imagined.

So now let’s look at the character of this love Paul speaks of.

Paul defines for us what agape means. He does it in terms of “what it is” and “what it is not”. There are 8 things it does, 8 things it does not do.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

The 8 things love is: Patient, Kind, Rejoices in Truth, Protects, Trusts, Hopes, Perseveres, Never Fails.

The 8 things love is not: Envy, Boasting, Pride, Rudeness, Self Seeking, Anger, Holding Grudges, Delighting in Evil.

You could form these around four basic concepts:

How you deal with others (patient, kind, protects, vs. rude, angry, grudges)

How you deal with life (patient, hopes, trusts, perseveres, never fails)

Your relationship to yourself (never fails, patient, kind, vs. envy, pride, self seeking, boasting)

Your relationship to God (hopes, perseveres, rejoices in truth, vs. pride, self seeking, delight in evil)

Let’s look at these one at a time:

Patient - This comes from two Greek words: “long” and “tempered”. Vine’s expository dictionary says patience is “self restraint in the face of aggravation … the opposite of anger.”

Do you have a short fuse? Do you get easily frustrated when things don’t go your way or don’t happen fast enough? Do you retaliate easily and quickly against those that hurt you? That’s the opposite of patient.

Patience means you wait out trouble and you don’t strike out against adversity. I like how Peter describes later in:

1 Peter 5:6 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

You wait under God’s hand – you don’t run from trouble or run from God. Certainly God is patient with us, isn’t He? That’s love.

Kind - The Greek word for “kind” means “to show oneself useful.” Taking patience one step further – not only are you long tempered against trouble, but you actually reach out with a benefit to someone else. It comes from a root word that means “employed.”

It reminds me of something Paul emphasizes over and over in this letter:
1 Corinthians 10:33 For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Most of the time we think “what’s in it for me.” But kindness thinks, what can I do to benefit you? That’s love.

Paul next strings 8 negatives together. Often we learn by contrast – we see what love is by carving away what it is not – and when we find ourselves acting in these ways we know we are not acting in love.

Envy - It comes from the word “to boil.” It’s kind of the bolstered idea of “what’s in it for me,” in the sense of “it’s all about me.” When we become so self focused that anything anyone else has, that we don’t have, makes our blood boil, and is the opposite of wanting to benefit another. Envy is when we only want to benefit ourselves at the expense of others.

Boasting - Boasting is really a consequence of envy – “if you’ve got it flaunt it – even if you don’t have it, pretend like you do.” The Greek word has the subtext of “play the braggart.” Often times boasting is playing a part – something we are not but want to be or think we are.

Proud - This is the same word Paul uses in chapter 8 – “knowledge puffs up.” It means to inflate – like a bag of hot air – no substance but a lot of fluff. It’s increasing your sense of self importance well beyond your hat size.

Rude - The word here is “unshapely.” You could say “not pretty to look at.” Do people have a hard time being around you because you do things that are unpredictable or embarrassing or unbecoming? That’s rudeness.

Self Seeking - This could be rendered “worship yourself.”

Not Easily Angered - It means to “exasperate.” The Greek word is the opposite of patience.

Keeps no record of wrongs - The suggestion from the original here is thinking poorly of someone else – or really pondering and dwelling on someone else as evil. The old story goes that Santa Claus keeps a list of who is naughty and who is nice. Sometimes we keep those lists too don’t we? How quick are you to forgive?

Does not delight in evil - It means to be happy when an injustice or wrong occurs. In a sense this is the ultimate form of “anti-love.” We want, we get, we hurt others to get it – and we’re happy that we stomped over them to get what we really deserve in the first place.

The thing that all these negatives have in common is that they all focus on us – what we want, who we are, how bad everyone is in comparison to us, what bad things people are always trying to do us – me me me! This is the opposite of love.

Rejoices in the truth - This is interesting because the word “rejoice” is a compound word. Part of it is the same word used in “delight in evil.” When put together with the other word it means “to sympathize with gladness.” When you delight in evil you are holding yourself apart from the other person – glad they are suffering and you aren’t. Rejoicing in the truth means you are drawing close to someone as they come to know the truth of God and about sin, come to know the love of God, or have something good happen to them.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres - This is really neat – these four words form a related pattern. “protects” means to “roof over,” “trusts” means to “put your faith in” something, “hopes” means “to confide in” and “preserves” means “to stay under.” These are all things God does for us – and things we should do for others – throwing a protective blanket, physically, emotionally – over someone else; being willing to put our faith in someone else – be real, confide in them – know that God will work good in their lives – then stick it out with them to see the love of God change their lives.

You see all this business of love isn’t some magical, rose-colored-glasses kind of “feeling.” It’s actually very specific: love and trust God no matter what, seek the best for and the best in those around you – then help benefit their lives as they draw closer to God. That’s love!

What Love Is

2009-01-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

The Bible teaches us that we are to be people who exercise love in all of our relationships with one another.

Listen to these words, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" [Romans 12:18]. And again, "Be completely humble & gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" [Ephesians 4:2]. And still again, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men & to be holy..." [Hebrews 12:14].

Now all of those Scriptures say the same thing. It may be difficult sometimes, & not everybody will be easy to love, but if it is possible, we are to live in peace & harmony with everyone.

So I’m beginning a series of sermons that will deal with the subject of love and to start this evening we will focus on 1 Corinthians 13, the "love chapter" of the Bible. Tonight we are going to look at the first 3 verses which Paul begins by saying, "Now I will show you the most excellent way."

He is saying, "I want to show you the best way to take care of virtually every situation, & that is the way of love." Then he points out that love is more important than five other things that Christians consider very important.

In vs. 1, Paul says that love is more important than spiritual gifts. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

On the day of Pentecost, when the very first gospel sermon was ever preached, God gave the apostles the special gift of being able to speak in languages that they had never learned so that the people hearing them could understand what was being said.

But here in 1 Corinthians, Paul is saying that if God gave him the gift of speaking every human language, and even the heavenly language of the angels, but he didn’t have love, then he would be nothing more than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Now what did he mean by that?

Back in the 1st Century, there was a big gong or cymbal hanging at the entrance of most pagan temples. When people came to worship, they hit them to awaken the pagan gods so they would listen to their prayers.

Here, Paul is saying that even if he were so blessed that he could speak with the greatest of eloquence in every language, but didn’t have love, then his life was as useless as this ridiculous act of pounding on a gong to awaken non existent gods.

Then in vs. 2 Paul says that love is more important than knowledge. "If I have the gift of prophecy and I can fathom all mysteries & all knowledge, ...but have not love, I am nothing."

Paul says that even if you know it all - if you know everything there is to know about nuclear science; if you know everything there is to know about medicine; if you know everything there is to know about philosophy and psychology and theology and every other kind of “ology” - if you know it all, but have no love, then you are nothing at all.

It has always amazed me that when people look at society and try to analyze what is wrong with us, why we’re killing and abusing one another, that those experts always seem to come back with the same answer, "We need more education. We need to get everybody educated, and then we won’t have these problems anymore."

But I don’t think education is the answer. I’m certainly not opposed to education. But listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." I don’t think we need more knowledge near as much as we need more love. We need a whole lot more love and the hearts of people need to change before society will ever change.

Thirdly, Paul says that love is more important than faith. Can you believe that? Now he doesn’t say that faith is not important. He just says that love is more important than faith. He said, "If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

Faith, we are told in the Scripture, is so important that it is impossible to please God without faith. And I trust that all of you here this morning have faith. But what is your faith? What do you believe for sure today?

Do you believe that God is the creator of the world? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son, and that He came into our world and lived a sinless life, and that He died & was buried and on the third day rose again? Do you believe that He is now at the right hand of the Father, and is preparing a place for us, and that one day He will come again? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit is our guide and counselor & comforter?

If you believe all those things, then that is well and good and I commend you for it. But the Bible teaches that if you believe all the right stuff, but you do not have love, then you are nothing. Because even faith is of no value unless it is backed up by love.

In Galatians 5:6 Paul says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

Fourthly, love is more important than generosity. Paul says, "If I give all I possess to the poor...but have not love, I gain nothing."

Now notice that he doesn’t say, "If I give 10%." He says, "If I give everything, if I empty my checking account, if I give all my retirement funds, if I sell my house, if I cash in my insurance policies, if I sit on the corner with nothing left but what I’m wearing, and I’ve given it all away to help the poor, but I don’t have love then I am nothing at all."

Then he says that love is more important than accomplishments. He says, "If I...surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

He is talking about martyrdom. He is talking about being so faithful & so committed to God that you end up dying because of your faith. How deep is your faith? How deep is your commitment? Are you willing to lay down your life for God, if it came to that?

But Paul is saying that even if you go to church every time the church doors are open, if you read your Bible faithfully, if you pray, & do all the things that a Christian person ought to do, but if there is no love behind all that then it is nothing in God’s sight.

So he is saying that love is more important than spiritual gifts, more important than knowledge, more important than faith, more important than generosity, & more important than all the things that you might accomplish for the kingdom of God.

So obviously, love is very important, much more maybe, than we ever realized before. Listen to what Jesus says in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Now notice that Jesus says that this is a commandment, not a suggestion. And God never commands us to do anything that we cannot do.

We tend to think that love is something that just happens to us because that is what the world teaches. You fall in love like you fall into a ditch, or you fall out of love like you fall out of a tree. You can’t help it. It is something that just happens to you.

But the Bible teaches that love is something we can control. God commands us to love each other. Which means, I can will to love you, & you in turn can will to love me.

Now I want to apply that in several different areas. First of all, see how that would work in the family. Let’s suppose that someone in every family represented here today would say, "I’m going to go home & put this into practice."

Start with your spouse. You ought to love your husband or your wife first and most. You ought to be kinder, more tender, more gentle to them even if they’re behaving like a jerk. Begin first in your marriage relationship.

Can you see how that would affect the atmosphere of the home? There wouldn’t be any arguing or bickering, no sharp words between each other because their interests are just as important as yours. And pretty soon it filters down to the relationship you share with your children, maybe even your in-laws and your out-laws and everybody else in the family. Just because you love them.

It begins in the family, and it spills over into the church family. In fact Jesus said, "By this they shall know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

That’s the way the world will find out that the message of Jesus Christ is valid. And if we’re really going to love each other the way Jesus loved us then we have to develop in our own lives the same kind of compassion for people that Jesus had.

"What is it like to hurt deep inside and no one knows you’re hurting & you don’t feel free to tell them that you’re hurting? What’s it like being sick & knowing you’re not going to get well, and wanting more than anything else to live? What’s it like to be handicapped? What’s it like to be a minority? What’s it like to be dealing with marital problems or domestic problems? What’s it like?”

What kind of burdens are people carrying, and do we care enough to help them bear those burdens? That’s what it means when Jesus talks about loving one another as He has loved us.

Finally, we are to let that love flow into the workplace, too. We do it when we show those people who work next to us that Jesus Christ is our Lord, not just with words, but by the example we set.

You may have a hard boss that you don’t like very much. Or you may work with someone who makes fun of the way you live. But Jesus said that we are to love our enemies & pray for those who persecute us.

In fact, Paul writes in Romans 12:20-21, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Someone once said, "They will not care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

There is a more excellent way, and that is the way of Jesus Christ.

Are We Committed To Truth?

2009-01-04T19:09:00.000-08:00

Two elderly women were out driving in a large car and both could barely see over the dashboard. As they were cruising along they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red but they just went on through. The woman in the passenger seat thought to herself "I must be losing it, I could have sworn we just went through a red light."

After a few more minutes they came to another intersection and the light was red again and again they went right through. This time the woman in the passenger seat was almost sure that the light had been red but was really concerned that she was losing it. She was getting nervous and decided to pay very close attention to the road and the next intersection to see what was going on.

At the next intersection, sure enough, the light was definitely red and they went right through and she turned to the other woman and said, "Mildred! Did you know we just ran through three red lights in a row! You could have killed us!" Mildred turned to her and said, "Oh, am I driving?"

Brothers and sisters, the way things are going in our world and country we wonder who’s driving or if anyone is driving at all.

We live in a world of unrest and untruth. Turn on the TV and listen to the news. Read it in the paper. It’s everywhere.

We are a culture that does not want to admit that evil exists, especially in people. There is always an explanation or rationalization for the things people do. We make a serious mistake when we deny the existence of evil, and here is why: When we believe that evil does not exist, we become blind to it. When evil is dismissed as unreal, good becomes irrelevant. Good is only understood in relation to evil. If nothing is evil, then nothing is good. We are seeing that in our culture.

When we lose our concept of sin, then nothing is wrong and the right becomes wrong. When this happens we are in danger of losing our moral sanity.

The Lord is the only one who can change people’s hearts and lives. But how we go about presenting the truth of God’s Word is very important.

Here is my recommendation of what we Christians must do, how we must act and talk.
1- Contend without fighting
2- Speak without offending
3- Preach without condemning

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:27)

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3)

We are charged to contend for the faith of the gospel, the truth of God’s Word about the faith of Christ. How do we do this?

I once had an encounter with some unbelievers while having breakfast. My wife and I were having breakfast in a local coffee shop. It was empty except for four men at another table. One was mocking Christianity; in particular, the resurrection of Christ. He went on and on about what a stupid teaching that was. I could feel the Lord asking me: ‘Are you going to let this go unchallenged?’ However I was thinking, but I don’t even know these guys. He’s bigger than me. He’s wearing a leather jacket, tattoos all over his arm, and looks tough. I was agitated and frightened about doing anything. But I knew I had to stand for Jesus.

I took my last drink of water and went over and challenged him. With probably a squeaky voice, I said, ‘I’ve been listening to you, and you don’t know what you’re talking about.’ I did my best to give him a flying rundown of the proofs for the resurrection. He was speechless, and I was shaking. I must have shaken for an hour after that. But I had to take a stand.

While talking to another pastor about this incident the following week, he suggested I should have said something like this instead: “You know, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, and found it very interesting. If you don’t mind, I would like to pay for your breakfasts. The reason I want to do this is that, because of the resurrection, Jesus Christ has changed my life and lives in me, and wants to communicate his tremendous love for you.”

I learned then that good arguments don’t always change people but changed lives do. Changed lives change the lives of others, and thereby change the world. It only takes a little salt to season a whole pot of stew. It is amazing the effect that one Christian can have when they love other people and serve in the spirit of Christ. Let your light shine. A small candle can light up a whole room of darkness. We need to fight for the faith without being combative.

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (I Pet. 3:15)

We are to speak on behalf of our faith in Christ. We all need some kind of testimony and then be prepared to give it to others, but we need to do it carefully, gently and respectfully. When we come on too strongly to people we can sometimes turn them off.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col. 4:4)

After a day’s hunting in India a young Englishman who was a poor shot said to his Indian attendant, “I didn’t do so well today.” The young attendant replied, “Ah, you shot very well, but God was very merciful to the birds.”

That young Indian used tact and it’s something that we all need to use when speaking for Christ. We are here to draw people to Christ, not push them away by being offensive or rude. “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (II Tim. 4:2)

Thomas Ken, writer of the song, “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” was a chaplain to the sister of Charles II. It is said that the king once said concerning Ken’s courageous preaching, “I must go and hear Ken tell me my faults.”

Brothers and sisters, I think it’s the preacher’s responsibility to preach the Word and do it with a certain amount of rebuke.

I think any time we preach the Word of God we will tell someone their faults. In fact, some people will swear the preacher is picking on them or preaching right at them. I’ve always heard it said that the preacher’s job is to: “Shakem in, shakem up and shakem out.”

I think its fine to shake people up with the Word of God as long as we don’t condemn people. Condemning is not our business. That’s God’s business. Our business is to encourage and give courage to people in order to follow Christ. People in the world are so downhearted. They need to be helped, not hurt with condemning or condescending words.

Conservative Christian televangelist Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting "intelligent design" and warned them not to be surprised if disaster struck.

He said, "I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city.”

While Pat Robertson has a right to his opinion, I don’t think the way he expressed it helps the cause of Christ in America.

We Christians must preach the faith of the gospel without condemning people. It sounds very much like he was condemning the people of Dover, PA and that is not a good program of preaching.

A guide was conducting a group of tourists around the Empire State Building in New York. On the elevator ride to the 102nd floor, a nervous woman asked, “What if these cables should break? Would we go up or down?” The guide replied, “That depends entirely on the kind of life you’ve been leading.”

I think that some people should be nervous about what is going to happen to them when they die, but condemning people to hell with our words will not help them to turn to Christ.

One preacher friend of mine said years ago, “We must tell people the good news and then tell them the bad news of what will happen to them if they don’t accept the good news.”

There is truth in what he said, but the way we say things to people can make a big difference. Blatantly and perhaps obnoxiously telling people they will go to hell if they don’t accept Jesus as their savior is not the best way to go about it.

I don’t think there is one thing wrong with teaching the truth of scripture about hell, however. I think most of the time people will make their own application without us applying scripture to them.

Let’s be quick to preach Jesus…to present Jesus to people as the way, the truth and the life, but let’s not consign anyone to hell when it is not our business!

A little nine year-old girl prayed, “Dear God, take care of my family, take care of the whole world. And please God, take care of Yourself or we’re all sunk.”

Our world is a mess and it’s getting messier every day. In the book Genesis we see that God put His foot down and said, “Enough is enough.” And He destroyed that ungodly world. And there will come another day when God will say, “Enough is enough.”

The Lord is our only hope. He is our only hope in this world and our only hope for the next life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Let’s be quick to present Christ to the world. But in our presentation let’s not fight, offend or condemn people, because it won’t do any good. Let’s present Christ as the loving Savior that He is!

“NEW”, NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

2008-12-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again when in a fit of optimism many of us make great promises to ourselves about what we are going to do in the New Year that we usually abandon about the second week in January.

Let’s be honest now.

How may of us stuck to the diet?

How many of us actually kept going to the gym past February?

So I am not the only one, am I?

Well this year I am determined its going to be different.

I have made a couple of New Years resolutions I know I will be able to keep for the whole of 2009.

Are you ready? Here they are?

I have decided to eat more and exercise less.

I have decided to spend at least an extra half an hour a day off of my feet and in a chair or on a couch.

Now I might well be able to keep those kinds of resolutions but they wouldn’t make a great deal of difference to my life, except perhaps to increase my waist size by several inches.

In contrast I want to talk about some resolutions; some commitments which I guarantee will make a radical difference in my life and your life if you follow through on them.

In fact, what I want to do is to offer to you a way of starting the New Year which could significantly change your life.

Here is what I want to suggest to you: if you will make four commitments that God in His Word encourages us to make, and I guarantee you that the start of 2009 could become one of the most significant events in our lives.

This New Years, instead of being simply about having a few days off, if you will follow God’s advice, could become a way for you to the gateway of having a better life। I want to challenge you to make 4 new commitments for this New Year.

Here they are:

1: COMMIT YOURSELF TO FORGET YOUR FAILURES

2000 years ago one the first Christian leaders, Paul gave this advice “Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14). That advice from God’s Word has stood the test of time. I don’t know of any more relevant and practical advice for us at the start of 2009.

God is here that you have not lived your life imprisoned by your past.

All of us have failed in some way in our lives over the last year.

Probably we won’t see our failures recorded for history on TV but they are recorded in our hearts and minds.

For many of us our failures are painful memories. Maybe for you it is a memory of how you failed in a relationship. You made the wrong decisions, said and did the wrong things and the relationship ended.

Some of you who are parents probably know that you failed your children in some way, many of us are aware that we have failed our parents and it’s more than likely that many of us know that most of all we have failed ourselves in some ways.

What God’s Word is saying is that we must not allow ourselves to be bogged down by our past failures. That we must not dwell on our past so that it stops us from moving forward into the future that God has for us.

I think that the start of New Year is a good time for us to rise to that challenge. To say to ourselves, I am going to, with the help of God, forget my past. I am going to stop torturing myself about what I did or didn’t do. This New Year is a good time to stop being chained to our past failures. God is saying here in His Word that he doesn’t want us to go through our life branding ourselves as a failure.

On the Cross He died so that we could forgiven. When we become Christians, that forgiveness becomes a reality in our lives. When we have received Christ’s forgiveness it allows us to forgive ourselves and forget our failures.

Do you need to do that? Right here and now, do you need to accept Jesus’ forgiveness and then forgive yourself?

2: COMMIT YOURSELF TO GIVE UP YOUR GRUDGES

I want you to listen to these words from the book of Colossians because in them you’ll hear the second challenge I believe God wants us to rise to if we want to make 2009 a significant turning point in our life.

“Bear with each other and forgive each other whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col 3:13)

Did you catch that challenge?

God in those words is challenging us directly and personally to give up our grudges. That is what he means when he says forgive each other whatever grievances we may have against one another.

What’s a grudge? A grudge is a deep ongoing resentment that we cultivate in our hearts against someone else.

A grudge is an unforgiving spirit that leads to unforgiving attitudes and unforgiving actions.

Now I know that you know what I am talking about.

Harboring a grudge is about nursing a dislike for someone.

What we need to know is that grudges are dangerous because they are destructive.

· Grudges destroy marriages.
· Grudges break up families.
· Grudges ruin friendships.
· Grudges split churches.

Let’s be honest enough to admit that one of the scandals of the Church is the grudges that Christians hold against one another.

Today if you know you are holding a grudge against someone then God has something to say to you. He says “give it up.”

I want to remind you that grudges are not just destructive they are also self-destructive. When you hold a grudge against someone you will hurt yourself as much and perhaps more than you will hurt the person you are holding it against.

There was a tragic example of just how destructive grudges are. I don’t know if you remember it. A man was killed by a parcel bomb and then a couple committed suicide a week later. It turned out that the couple who had committed suicide had sent the bomb because of a grudge that they had against their intended victim that stretched all the way back to school. Ultimately their grudge destroyed their life.

Make no mistake about it, if we keep harboring a grudge then it will eventually destroy us, if not physically, certainly emotionally and spiritually. It will make us a bitter and twisted person. The book of Job in chapter 21 describes people who “Have no happiness at all, they live and die with bitter hearts.” Do you really want that to be your epitaph?

Do you remember the parable that Jesus told about the servant who was forgiven a huge debt by the king and then refused to forgive someone else a tiny amount? Jesus said his unforgiving spirit landed him in prison. A quote I read in a book once said, “Unforgiving servants always end up in prison, prisons of anger, guilt, and depression.

God says to us in His word “don’t sentence yourself to prison.” Set yourself free. Give up your grudges, “forgive each other whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

According to God’s Word the way to give up a grudge is to forgive a grievance।

Notice what God is saying here.

He isn’t asking us to ignore whatever the person has done to us.

He isn’t asking us to pretend it did happen.

He doesn’t ask us to condone it, to pretend it didn’t matter. What God asks us to do is to forgive the grievance. That means to acknowledge how wrong and painful what was done to us was but to decide to forgive person who did the wrong to us.

I am absolutely certain that there are people who need to give up their grudges and forgive the grievance they have against someone else.

Some of us need to forgive the grievance we have against our parents for what they did or didn’t do.

Some of us need to forgive our children for the same reason.

Some of us need to forgive a partner for emotional or physical abuse.

Some of us need to give up the grudge we have against someone at work because of the way they have treated us.

Some of us need to give up the grudge that stems from an argument we had with someone.

God says that that deep-seated resentment we have against that person has to go.

What better time to make that difficult decision to forgive than the start of a new year?

We can’t tell God we can’t forgive, because what we really mean when we say that is that we won’t forgive. If Christ can forgive us our sin despite it involving the pain of the cross then surely we can give up our grievance whatever the cost?

The question is will we do it?

3: COMMIT YOURSELF TO RESTORE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

The first computer I had, every time I turned it on, a little windows poped up that asks if I want to run a check to see if my programs were all working properly.

God in his word issues a very similar invitation. It is the invitation not to check to see if our computer software is working properly to but check whether our personal relationships are working properly.

Here is how the Lord issues that challenge in “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18)

The important phrase there is, as far as it depends on you. God by using that phrase is personally challenging each one of us to do all we can to restore our relationships. The Lord wants us to do everything we can to restore any relationships that has gone wrong in our life.

Some relationships might have gone wrong in our life because of what other people have done and they might well not want that relationship restored. God recognizes that. That is why he starts by saying “If it’s possible”

But let’s be honest some of our relationships have gone wrong because of what we have done haven’t they?

When God’s word says here, “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” it is saying if we have caused a rift in a relationship then we have a responsibility to do everything we can to restore it. That everything includes the one thing we all probably find most difficult, asking for forgiveness.

Am I the only person who finds it hardest to say “I am sorry” to the people I am closest too?

I wonder how many marriages represented here are not all they should be or could be simply because someone won’t say “I was wrong, I am sorry, will you forgive me”

I am certain that some of us who are married and need to ask forgiveness for “ harsh words and cutting remarks” that have really wounded our partners over the years.

Maybe God is saying to some of us that this change of year is the right time to restore those relationships we ruined by going and sincerely saying that we are sorry for those angry words or those selfish and thoughtless actions.

Keith Drury is a brilliant writer from the Wesleyan Church and in one of his books he touches on this whole subject of restoring relationships when talking about restitution. This is what he says “restitution deals with more than property. It is also going back and making things right for hurtful things I’ve said or done. It’s far easier for me to tell you some story than to tell you of the difficult and painful times I’ve had to ask my wife, my boys, my boss, friends and secretary to forgive me. Restitution is asking forgiveness for harsh words, quick tongue, or cutting remarks. It is asking forgiveness from a brother you hurt, a mother you caused heartache to, or a former spouse which you maligned.

Restitution is confessing and seeking forgiveness from an old business partner, neighbor, or roommate. It is admitting my past errors in relationships and humbly seeking forgiveness from the one I’ve hurt. And it’s harder to make personal restitution than property restitution.”

Make no mistake it will be hard to do but one of the most significant things that we can do to mark the New Year is not set off a firework but to admit our past errors in relationships and humbly seek forgiveness from the ones we have hurt.

Will you rise to that challenge and make a commitment to restore your broken relationships in this New Year?

4: COMMIT YOURSELF TO TURN YOUR BACK ON YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS.

I watched a PBS special on the American Civil War a few months ago and what I discovered was that after the war was over and the slaves had been set free, many slaves decided to stay with their former master and continue to do what they were told. They were set free but they chose to live as slaves.

The New Testament says that is exactly how many Christian chose to live. Christ died to set them free, the Holy Spirit has given them the power to be free, but just like those former slaves they still choose to obey their old master, sin.

Listen to these words from Romans 6, “Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give in to its lustful desires … we are no longer slaves to sin” (Romans 6:2)

That is the last challenge that I believe if we will rise to meet will make this New Year truly significant for us. When God says “Do not let sin control the way you live, do not give in to its lustful desires He is issuing the challenge to turn our back on our transgressions.

I had the photocopier repairman once, turn on the machine and it said on the display “Error code ” He looked at it and said “Same old fault” He then explained that each model of photo-copier usually has a particular way of going wrong and that it happens time and time again.

That is a principle that is as true in the spiritual world as it is in the electronic world.

Christian writers used to talk about something called “besetting sins”. What they meant by besetting sins were particular sins that a particular Christian was prone to doing time and time again. For most of us when we are saved we give up certain sins easily but there are other things that we know are wrong that we really battle with. Those are our besetting sins. Many of us end up choosing to give into our besetting sins and end up living double lives.

I get a magazine called Leadership Journal and about 3 years ago there was an article by an anonymous pastor that described his battle with his besetting sin, pornography. How he gave into time after time and then was overcome with guilt. Maybe that is how some of us lived over the last year, constantly defeated by the same old sin.

Too many Christians have the wrong attitude about their besetting sin. They won’t do anything about it and they learn to live with it.

I have to ask, is our spiritual life crippled because we have learned to live with a besetting sin?

Do we have a quick temper that we constantly give into?

Or a caustic tongue that loves to assassinate other people’s characters or wound their feelings?

Have we learned to live with that critical judgmental attitude we know is wrong?

Is there a sexual sin that we keep on giving in to?

Have we been going too far with our boyfriend or girl friend?

Have you been secretly logging on to pornography sites on the Internet time and time again?

God here in His word challenges us to turn our back on that sin whatever it is. To stop letting it control the way we live. He is challenging us to stop giving in to it. He wants us to stop obeying our old master.

Let’s be clear about this: Jesus death broke the power of sin, the Holy Spirit can give us the power to resist sin and all of that means that we don’t have to go into this New Year still being defeated by the same old sin. We can have the victory over it. God says we are no longer a slave to sin so don’t live like one or act like one. If we will ask for God’s forgiveness for our sin, and His power to resist that sin, then this millennium can be for us, not just a new era in history, but a new era in our spiritual life. Don’t miss that opportunity.

It all boils down to this: Will this New Year be just a calendar changing event for us or are we willing to rise to these challenges from God’s word and make these commitments and so make it a life changing event?

Are you willing to make these 4 commitments for 2009?

1. Will you commit yourself to forget your failures?
2. Will you commit yourself to give up your grudges?
3. Will you commit yourself to restore your relationships?
4. Will you commit yourself to turning your back on your transgressions?

This New Year will really be something to celebrate if we will make forgiveness the heart of what it’s all about for us.

Have the courage right here today

To forgive yourself and “forget the past”

To forgive others who have hurt you “and forgive whatever grievances you have”

To ask for forgiveness from those you have hurt and “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”

To ask for God’s forgiveness and “No longer be a slave to sin”

A Love that Changes Everything

2008-12-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

Jack Kelley, a reporter from USA Today tells the story of a trip to East Africa in which he was taught a very valuable lesson. He was in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to cover a terrible famine. It was so bad that as he walked toward the village he saw many people already lying on the ground dead. In his retelling of the story he recalls how the smell of death is something that gets into your hair, onto your skin, onto your clothes, and can’t be washed off.

As he made his way down the road he came across a little boy. He could tell that the boy had worms and was malnourished; his stomach was protruding. His hair had turned a reddish color and his skin had wrinkled as if he were 100 years old, both signs of malnourishment.

The photographer who was traveling with the reporter had a grapefruit which he gave to the boy. But the boy was so weak that he couldn’t hold the whole grapefruit for himself. And so they cut the grapefruit in half and gave it to him. He took the grapefruit, looked up at the two men as if to say “thank you” and began to walk back towards his village. What the little boy didn’t realize was that the photographer and reporter were following at a distance.

As he entered the village, there was another little boy who looked to be dead. His eyes were completely glazed over. As it turned out, this was his younger brother.
The older brother kneeled down next to his younger brother, bit off a piece of the grapefruit and chewed it. Then he opened up his younger brother’s mouth, put the grapefruit in, and worked his brother’s jaw up and down. The reporter and photographer later learned that the older brother had been doing that for the younger brother for two weeks.

A couple days later the older brother died of malnutrition, and the younger brother lived. I wonder if this is what Jesus meant when he said, "There is no greater love than to lay down our life for somebody else." Love changes everything. It changes our hearts and causes us to do things for others that we would never have done before.

I want to give you a practical example of what I mean when I say that love changes everything. If you’re married, consider this for a moment. Are you the same person that you were when you got married? Think about an example of something that has changed about your spouse? Is there anything that has changed because you married the person sitting next to you?

Love has a way of reshaping us and redefining our priorities and our motives. It transforms our actions and ultimately it changes our lives.

Our scripture reading is about a love which sets the bar by which all other loves are defined. It’s a love which defines unconditional love. It’s a love which comes without condition.

Turn with me in your Bibles if you will to Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. What we find in the first part of the book of Romans is Paul’s belief that the Gospel has the power to save everyone, specifically both Jews and Gentiles, both the chosen people of the Old Testament and all others. Paul builds up to chapter five by explaining to this church that they are righteous not because of what they’ve done to obey the law, as was the traditional thought, and not because of their good deeds, but simply because of their faith in Christ. This was a radical concept for the Jews and was very difficult for them to accept.

Look with me at chapter 5. Paul starts this passage off by talking about a relationship. He writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

Before we go too far we need to pause and think about a word. This word “justified” is often translated “righteousness”. And righteousness, we learn in the Old Testament, is all about a relationship. When a person fulfills his or her end of a relationship, or his or her obligations, they are said to be righteous. Righteousness entails faithfulness to a relationship.

What Paul has laid out for the church in Rome and for us in the first four chapters of this book is the fact that you and I, while created to be in a relationship with God, have fallen short of our end of the bargain. Because of sin we no longer are able to keep up our part of the relationship. We have fallen short of God’s glory.

But here’s the good news that he offers in this chapter: a way has been made to repair that relationship once again. A means has been provided whereby we can be at peace with the very God whom we have injured with our sin.

Love changes everything. Think with me for a moment about a relationship in your life which is strained. Almost all of us have them. Maybe it’s with a spouse, or maybe a child. Maybe it’s another person online, or someone at work. But you know how difficult it is to forgive that person if they’ve hurt you and you also know how difficult it is to ask to be forgiven if you’re the one who’s done the damage. Let me ask you something else, how often are you willing to give in even when the other person is the one in the wrong and lay yourself on the line so that your relationship can be repaired? I don’t about you, but that’s difficult for me.

But that’s exactly what God did. God saw the big picture. God knew that we could never make our way back to where we started. God knew that you and I, left to our own efforts would only continue to try but fail to come back into the relationship that God created us to be a part of. And so God chose to take the initiative. And even though God wasn’t the one in the wrong, God chose to make the relationship whole again by doing something which is un-imaginable: sacrificing God’s very self for the very people who caused the pain in the first place. God’s love changed everything.

That’s why we’re here right now, because of such a great love. A love which Paul says as we continue on in this chapter, gives us reason to boast in our hope of sharing in the glory of God. In other words, because of God’s great sacrificial love, you and I can one day look forward to celebrating the glory of God in heaven.

But this love which was poured out for us not only gives us something to look forward to, but praise God, it gives us a hope that can carry us through the most difficult struggles in our lives. This love gives us the courage to face the future unafraid.

Turn with me again in your Bibles to Romans 5 and look with me at verses 3 -5. The Apostle continues and says, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

The Christians to whom Paul wrote refused to take part in many of the social activities of their time because of the idolatry and immorality that were rampant, and as a result these Christians suffered persecution. Paul says, celebrate your suffering! Not only celebrate during your suffering but celebrate the fact that you suffer, because suffering produces endurance, and when we learn to endure then we can glean the lessons that our suffering can teach us. How many times have you wanted to escape a trial rather than live through it? None of us enjoys suffering. But when we learn to endure, we always come out on the other side better people than we went in.

That’s where Paul’s next phrase comes in: endurance produces character. It makes us better people. And as our character improves, so does our ability to have hope to see the hand of God at work in the fiery furnaces of our lives, and to be able to come out of them un-charred. And the hope that enduring our sufferings ultimately produces will not disappoint us because of the love that has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

On the night of March 29, 1848, Niagara Falls completely and mysteriously stopped flowing. The estimated 500,000 gallons of water that customarily rushed over the falls stalled to a trickle. James Francis Macklem, a village justice of the peace in the Niagara area, wrote that the subsidence of the waters and that the phenomenon of the Niagara running dry "caused great excitement in the neighborhood at the time."
To some, the mystery of this sudden "turning off" of the river seemed to be a sign, and nightfall found most of the churches packed with people praying or talking in frightened voices about the end of the world. Fear grew into panic.

The cause of this unusual event began along the shores of Lake Erie near Buffalo. For several days, the wind had been blowing to the east over Lake Erie, driving much of its ice flow down river. Then the winds suddenly shifted to the west, driving the lake water west and causing the lake’s ice to break up and dam the river. The Niagara River ceased to flow for almost 30 hours until the ice shifted and the dam broke up.

There have been times in my life where I was really exhausted. Something had stopped flowing as I was experiencing some struggles and stress, and rather than wanting to learn from them my first instinct was to flee. I wanted to escape the trials. Something had stopped flowing, but then something always happens to me. As I pray, the love which I experienced long ago as child in Jesus Christ when I gave my life to Christ, is poured out all over again. I am overwhelmed by a feeling that no matter what happens in life, no matter what struggles I must face, it’s all going to be all right, because I’m loved.

I’m loved by one whose love for me is greater than I can ever explain. And because of that love I can endure and can hope not only in tomorrow but also in eternity. Because of that love I can live, and live abundantly.

Have you experienced that same kind of love? Does it consume you? Does it burn within your heart? Does it change everything in life? Does it transform your relationships? Does it mold your speech? Does it break your heart over the needs of others? The love of God has been poured out for you and all you need to do is open yourself to allow it to fill you.

The love of God has changed everything, for good. The desire of God’s heart is that you will allow it to change you.

Turning Hardship to Joy

2008-12-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

A cynic once asked an elderly believer who had endured great physical pain for 20 years, "What do you think of your God now?" The godly sufferer replied, "I think of Him more than ever."

Sorrow can be the means of bringing us heart-to-heart with God. When repeated strokes of adversity have robbed us of health, friends, money, and favorable circumstances, God then becomes the only thing in life for us. We come to love Him for who He is and not merely for what He has to give.

In those times we cry out with the psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You" (Psalm 73:25). The path of sorrow leads us to the place where we can say, "My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (v.26).

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13.

Suffering can become so intense at times that we don’t know how we can take any more pain. It’s in these moments that Jesus reassures us of His presence and sustains us, even though for reasons we do not understand the hurt is not taken away.

Dr. Diane Komp, a pediatric cancer specialist at Yale University, often must perform very painful procedures on children. She tells of a wonderful nurse’s aide named JoAnn who reflects God’s love. During the procedures, JoAnn comes in and holds the child and tells him that she will stay with him. Her hugs along with her loving and reassuring words have carried many children through those difficult times.

That’s a glimpse of what Jesus does for those who trust Him in their suffering. He draws us to Himself and says that He will be with us in our pain, for nothing can separate us from His love (Romans. 8:39).

How often we cry out for release, but no relief comes. The pain persists, but we sense God’s presence. Later, as we look back, we can see how the Lord was with us, caring for us, meeting our deepest needs.

No matter what painful situation you may face today, remember that Jesus is holding you.

In 1931, Jane Whyte felt she was nearing the end of her life. Her husband Alexander, the famous Scottish preacher, had died 10 years earlier. As she looked at the world around her, she was depressed by the moral and political chaos. There seemed to be no reason for her to go on, nothing for her to do.

At dinner one evening, she sat next to a man who sensed her dejection. "What is your greatest concern?" he asked. "I’m preparing to die," said Mrs. Whyte. "Why not prepare to live?" he suggested.

That was the question Mrs. Whyte needed to hear to break the deadlock in her life. She began to see that God wanted her to live and to touch others for Him. Her attitude changed and within a year she led a Christian outreach team on a mission to Geneva, Switzerland. That trip profoundly affected the lives of many people.

Life can seem overwhelming at times, but God offers us hope. Paul wrote, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans. 15:13).

Regardless of your age or circumstances, don’t despair and "prepare to die."

Believers in Christ can prepare to live--filled with hope, joy, and peace, through His love.

1. Jesus knew that God often uses tragedy to cause people to look to heaven for solutions to their problems. The Savior said, "Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." (John. 15:2) Thank the Lord to for His pruning of certain habits, thoughts and dependencies enabling you to be more fruitful.

2. Jesus knew that people need to die to themselves and their desires before God can properly use them. The Lord Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24) Ask the Lord for a greater yielding attitude so you can enjoy greater spiritual success.

3. Jesus knew that sometimes we must step aside in order for God’s greater work to be done. The Lord Jesus said, "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John. 16:7) Ask the Lord for the wisdom to know when to step aside to allow God to use whomever He wants to get His will accomplished.

4. Jesus knew that persecution is a part of God’s plan to help us mature in all aspects of life. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are you when they persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of me." (Matt. 5:13-14) Ask the Lord for greater endurance to withstand the tests, trials and hardships that are a part of God’s plans.

5. Jesus knew that adversity often happens to the Godly as a means of greater visibility for God’s kingdom and righteousness. The Lord Jesus said, "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me." (John. 16:1-3) Ask the Lord to help you see the silver lining behind every dark cloud of adversity.

6. Jesus knew that hardship often happens so that we can see how the Lord turns our grief to joy. The great Shepherd said, "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." (John 16:20) Ask the Lord to give you greater faith enabling you to see how God can turn any grief into greater lasting joy.

7. Jesus knew that things often get worse in minor areas so that we can learn how to assume greater responsibilities. The Master said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke. 16:10) Ask the Lord to help you be faithful and effective with your minor duties so God can promote you to greater responsibilities.

8. Jesus knew that the Lord uses difficulties to weed out those who are not fit for leadership. The Lord Jesus said, "They all alike began to make excuses. Please excuse me "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brother and sisters - even his own life - he cannot be my disciple." (Luke. 14:18-26) Ask the Lord to help you not be disqualified because of unwilling to surrender all for God’s will.

9. Jesus knew that adversity is often used to accomplish the greater purposes of God throughout society. The Lord Jesus said, "Neither this blind man sinned nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." (John 9:4) Ask the Lord to give you greater insight into how the Lord uses everyone and everything for His sovereign purposes.

10. Jesus knew that God can use politically motivated investigations for greater teaching. The Lord Jesus said, "Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs? So they were divided. The healed man answered, "You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does His will." (John 9:16-31) Ask the Lord to give you the patience to let the Lord use politically motivated investigations to accent God’s truth.

11. Jesus knew that God could even use the betrayal of Judas Iscariot for His glory. Jesus said, "He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me. I am telling you now before it happens so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. Jesus was troubled in spirit and said, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." (John 13:18) Ask the Lord to give you the grace, wisdom and strength to endure betrayals.

Today, as we look at the words of the Bible, we find there is much wisdom shared with us from 2000 years ago. It’s as if the Bible were written yesterday. That’s because He is the same now as He was then, and the same as He will be tomorrow. But it's important for us to realize on the "Joy" Sunday of the Advent Season, that there is a difference between Joy and Being Happy. Do you think Paul was happy about being in prison? Yet if you read his letters, there is no doubt that he was filled with Joy.

Joy is the ability to stand in the middle of the storm, when our entire world is falling down around us, and remain thankful to God, in the knowledge that all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord. Do you love the Lord? Are you expressing thankfulness for the hard times? Is His light shining through you for others to see? Know that when others see you calm, assured, and steadfast, through the difficulties, they say…”I want some of what they have.”

If you have been failing to give thanks for your difficulties, today is the day to change that. Today is the day to turn it around. If we are joyful, we need to be joyful for both the good times and the bad. I am not trying to say it’s easy, just telling you that it’s necessary!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit. It’s not something we can do in our own power, it’s a gift from God. If you haven’t been feeling joyful, I invite you to experience real joy today.

Rules For Attempting The Impossible

2008-12-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. (Matt 14:25-32)

The branch of the service called the "Seabees" had as their slogan during World War II, "If it’s difficult, it will take a day or two. If it’s impossible, it will take a little longer."

There are really five rules for attempting the impossible that we are going to review.

RULE ONE: Don’t get counsel from your detractors (vs. 25-27)

“During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

To prove this idea as a Biblical concept we must realize that we don’t have all the words that were spoken in the conversation between the disciples and Simon or Simon and Jesus. In the gospel of John, it states that if all the words of Christ were written down, perhaps all the books of the first century would not contain them. (John 21:25).

Therefore, it seems a valid idea that people would offer their advice to Simon as he began to walk on the water.

Listen carefully and tell me if you can hear the cold water committee giving advice to Simon. Can’t you hear them saying, "No one has ever done that, Simon, Don’t be a show-off.

It’s more sensible to stay in the boat, Simon. who’s going to pay for your hospital care if you break a leg?" Or maybe, "There’s a ghost out there."

The principle of Rule One recognizes that if you’re going to try to do the impossible, there will be many who will tell you how you can’t do it. They know why you shouldn’t attempt the impossible and almost always they can give advice whether they know what they’re talking about or not. Don’t get counsel from your detractors. GET SPIRITUAL ADVICE FROM SPIRITUAL PEOPLE.

Einstein could not speak until he was four years old and did not read until he was seven. Beethoven’s music teacher said about him, "As a composer, he is hopeless." When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teachers said he was so stupid he could never learn anything.

Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have "no good ideas."

Caruso was told by one music teacher, "You can’t sing. You have no voice at all."

These are but a few examples of individuals who achieved recognition and success in their lives despite the negativism and criticism of others. They refused to say, "I can’t."

Job also received an advice to curse his God because of difficult trials he experienced but he never entertained it.

Whether in serving the Lord, a church project, a commitment to support the ministry, all Christians need to attempt to do what seems impossible.

RULE TWO: Don’t attempt the impossible in your strength (v.28-29a)

“And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And He said, "Come!"

Napoleon Hill said, "A burning desire is the starting point of all achievement." If you and I have a burning desire to do the impossible, we have begun to accomplish it. But since it’s spiritual we should not think we can do it in our strength or power. Simon Peter asked, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Simon didn’t start walking on the water until Jesus commanded him to "come." Therefore, the impossible was attempted only after the Lord gave the command and the strength to do so.

This is the big difference in what the positive people of the church do and what the negative folks do. The positive folks say, "I can in Christ’s strength." The negative people just say, "we can’t" and both groups are right.

Therefore RULE THREE is "Seek the Lord's approval."

NOTICE THIS: Simon didn’t just jump in the water; he waited for the Lord’s okay.

Could it be as Simon said, "I would rather be in the midst of a stormy sea walking with the Lord than in a boat without Him." And as he requested to hear from the Lord, it is interesting to note that the Lord’s voice could be heard above the storm. This truth lets us know no storm is too great if we can sense God’s presence and irregardless of the storm, if we listen, we can hear His voice.

The story of David against Goliath. I Samuel 17:31-58 You’re so small but my God is so big.

Are you waiting to do some great work, waiting until it doesn’t take faith? Are you going to witness, teach, lead, or serve as soon as you can understand how you can do it in your strength? Rule Two & Three works together "Don’t attempt the impossible in your strength & always seek the Lords approval."

RULE FOUR: Don’t stay in the boat (v.29)

“…And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”
In verse 29 the scripture says Simon got out of the boat. Perhaps this is the most strategic rule. If you don’t get out of the boat, you can never walk on water. Doing what seems to be impossible can never be a reality unless we begin to move on by faith.Most of us haven’t gotten out of the boat to serve the Lord. We have difficulty in practicing our gifts. Why? Because we are comfortable staying inside our boats.

Simon Peter requested the Lord to command him to come unto Him. The Lord gave the command for Simon to get out of the boat. He said, "Come." Although no major purpose or theological benefit is derived by Simon walking on the water, the Lord says, "Get out of the boat." No doubt the Lord knows Simon will learn a lesson in faith by getting out of the boat. BECAUSE WITH GREAT FAITH NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

One of my favorite hymns is titled, "The Savior is Waiting." I especially like the 2nd verse. "If you’ll take one step toward the Savior, my friend, You’ll find His arms open wide; Receive Him, and all of your darkness will end, within your heart He’ll abide."

Simon got out of the boat and did it in the Lord’s power what was humanly impossible. The hymn says, "If you’ll take one step toward the Savior, you’ll find His arms open wide." You must take that step. You must get out of your boat in answer to His command.

RULE FIVE: Don’t focus on the circumstances (vs.30-32)

“But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

When Simon Peter requested the privilege of walking on the water, he didn’t let his mind and attitude dwell on circumstances. Circumstances are never right; there is always some reason why one should not attempt it. Consider for a moment the purpose of walking on the water. Is there really any need for Simon to make this walk? Does it really benefit anyone? I think the answer would be, "No, it doesn’t." But notice the Lord encourages him to do it anyway. In verse 29 Jesus told Simon to come to him. If Jesus will bid one to attempt the impossible when it doesn’t really seem to be significant, how much more would He encourage us to attempt the impossible when it is significant?

THE KEY POINT IS: In attempting the impossible, focus ONLY your gaze upon Jesus!
But later on Simon looked at the waves he started to fall. He keeps off his gazed upon Jesus. You see, as long as Simon keeps his eyes on Jesus, he is all right, but when he pays more attention to the wind and waves than Jesus, he sinks. All of us can learn from Simon’s experience.

We might criticize Simon, but he walked on water further than anybody else in history except the Lord. But he first had to get out of the boat. Someone said "Those who afraid of failing will never become successful."

Attempt Great things for God and Expect Great things from God!

Are You Expecting The Best?

2008-12-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 3:14-3:21

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Most people never take advantage of God’s abundant resources. Eph. 3:20 says, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us."

Some never tap into the tremendous resources that God has made available to us.

Matthew 9:29 said: "According to your faith, it will be done to you."

The key to unlock all God wants to do in your life is really simple: It’s Faith.

The Law of Expectations says that, basically, we get what we expect out of life. We tend to see what we expect to see, we tend to feel what we expect to feel, we tend to act the way we expect to act, and eventually, we tend to achieve what we expect to achieve. Your expectations influence your happiness, they influence your health. Your expectations influence your relationships.

There are two approaches to life and you get the choice. You can choose to life by fear, or you can choose to live by faith. You can be an optimist, or you can be a pessimist. You can choose to live by faith or by fear.

Job was sometimes a pessimist, and in Job 3:25, he says, "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me." You know anybody like that? They focus on what they don’t want, not what they do want.

Paul on the other hand, was an optimist. And in Phil. 1:20, he says, "I live in eager expectation while I’m going through all these trials." He was an optimist. He could be cheerful even when life couldn’t be perfect.

When you expect the best, you’re honoring God. It also increases your ability when you’re expecting the best.

Athletes know that the winning edge is attitude, not ability. It’s how you see it. Do you know that Mohammed Ali only lost two fights in his lifetime? And both of these fights had one thing in common different from all the other fights: in a press conference prior to the fight, he said, "Now, if I lose this fight..." It’s the only time he ever said it, and he lost them both.

David went out to fight Goliath and he took stones with him. Super confidence! Everybody else was saying, "He’s too big! We can’t kill him." David was saying, "He’s so big. I can’t miss!" David expected the best.

Not only that but expecting the best encourages others. Optimism is contagious.

How do you stay optimistic when everybody seems to be going wrong? Let me give you six steps:

1. Start Your Day with Faith

In order to stay optimistic when everything else seems to be going wrong, whether it’s at work or at school or in my finances or with my relationships, start your day with faith. Now you know studies have shown that the first ten minutes of your day sets the tone.

Some of you may feel like Eeyore. You remember Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh? Eeyore the old donkey stood by the side of the stream and looked at himself in the water. "Pathetic," he said, "that’s what it is, pathetic." He turned and walked down the stream twenty yards, splashed across and walked slowly back to the other side and he looked at himself in the water again. "As I thought" he said, “no better from this side. But nobody minds. Nobody cares. Pathetic, that’s what it is.” Then behind him Winnie the Pooh came in. "Good morning Eeyore, said Pooh.”Good morning Pooh bear”, said Eeyore gloomy, “if it is good morning. Which I doubt!”

Any of you identify with Eeyore?

Look at this verse, Psalm 5:3, "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my request before you and I wait an expectation." Start your day in faith. Don’t start your day with the morning news.

2. Look for the good in your situation

Not everything is good, but look for the good in the situation. Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Circle that "all." God specializes in bringing good out of bad.

You know that when Thomas Edison was sixty-seven years old, a great fire burned down his famous laboratories in New Jersey. And not only did he lose several million dollars in his equipment, he also loss his records to most of his life works. The next morning, he walked out among the charred embers and he said this: "There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew." He turned a stumbling block into a stepping stone. Look for the good in your situation.

3. Give your problems to God

So what do I do when the situation looks impossible? Read these verses with me, 2 Corinthians 1:8-10, "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." Give your problem to God. When it looks like it’s out of your control, you give it to God. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

4. Eliminate negative words

Have you ever talked yourself into feeling bad? "You know, I feel so tired." You know you can talk yourself into anything. You can make yourself sick. Eliminate negative words.

Negative words. The Bible has a lot to say about this. Ephesians 4:29 read it with me. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Now, it says there "but only what is helpful". Circle the word "only". Use only helpful words. That means you should not have negative words in your vocabulary.

James 3:5, "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” The tongue, the Bible says, is like a rudder on a ship. It’s small, but it sets the course of your life. Stop talking and focusing on what you don’t want and focus more on what you do want.

5. Associate with positive people

It is very important in discouraging times that you attach yourself to hopeful people. That’s one of the reasons why it’s good to join a good, warm, family church. Get around some positive people. Because the wrong crowd can bring you down. 1 Corinthians 15:33, Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

If you want to soar with the eagles, you can’t run with the turkeys. Psalm 1 says, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Why, because like optimism is contagious, so is pessimism.

I think you need to know the difference between the VIP’s and VDP’s. VIP’s are Very Inspiring People. They lift you up. You need lots of them. VDP’s are Very Draining People. You don’t need many of them. Although you should have some just for a ministry.

6. Remember your future

When you are discouraged and you want to be optimistic, remember your future. The Bible calls it our blessed hope. That if you are a believer and you put your faith in Christ, the final chapter of your life is not written yet. This life is not the end. There is heaven. There is coming return of Jesus Christ. And heaven is what we’re waiting for.

There is a story about the old missionary couple who had been working in Africa for years and was returning to New York City to retire. They had no pension; their health was broken; they were defeated, discouraged and afraid. They discovered that they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big game hunting expeditions.

No one paid attention to them. They watched the fanfare that accompanied the president’s entourage, with the passengers trying to catch a glimpse of the great man.

As the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, "something is wrong. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service for God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us? Here this man comes back from a hunting trip and everybody makes so much over him, but nobody gives two hoots about us.

When the ship docked in New York, a band was waiting to greet the President. The Mayor and other dignitaries were there. The papers were full of the President’s arrival, but no one noticed this missionary couple. They slipped off the ship and found a cheap flat on the East side, hoping the next day to see what they could do to make a living in the city.

That night the man’s spirit broke. He said to his wife, "I can’t take this; God is not treating us fairly." His wife replied, "Why don’t you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?"

A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, "Dear, what happened?"

"The Lord settled it with me," he said, "I told him how bitter I was that the President should received tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seems as though the Lord put his arm on my shoulder and simply said, “But son, you’re not home yet!”

You won’t be in heaven for thirty seconds, and you will say, “Why on earth did I get discouraged when I knew what was coming? Why didn’t I serve more, pray more, give more, love more, be more what God wanted me to be?” You’re not home yet. Remember your future.

Now look again at these verses we started with again. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

According to your faith, it will be done to you.

God bless!

Peace Which Transcends All Understanding

2008-12-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about Tracy Lyperd? Tracy was a beauty queen in Virginia a few years ago. Shortly after crowning her successor, she drove 250 miles to seek revenge on her ex-boyfriend for jilting her and marrying another. She took with her a pistol, a hammer, lighter fluid and matches.

When she arrived at his house and rang the doorbell, it was answered by his new father-in-law. Tracy faked having car trouble, and asked if she could use the telephone. Once inside the house, she took out her hammer and hit the father-in-law on the head. She stunned him, but didn’t knock him out.

What she didn’t realize was that he was an ex-secret service agent. He grabbed her and as they struggled, she pulled the pistol from her purse and tried to shoot him. That’s when the mother-in-law joined the fray and the two of them wrestled her to the floor, holding her until the police arrived.

I have a suspicion that Tracy, with that kind of disposition, was probably never in the running for the Miss Congeniality award. When questioned, she said that she was driven to seek revenge because she needed "inner peace."

The world, many times, considers this type of behavior to be the best way to deal with conflict in order to achieve peace, but does it work?

The title of this article is "the peace...which transcends all understanding." That phrase is found in Philippians 4:7. And in the verses surrounding it, Paul deals with the subjects of outer peace, inner peace, and peace with God.

How do you define “Peace”? Peace could be defined as "being in a right relationship." So outer peace means being in a right relationship with each another. Peace within means being alright within and peace with God means being alright with God.

OUTER PEACE

First of all, Paul tells us that we need to be considerate of each other and at peace with one another.

But that’s not the attitude of a lot of people today. They’re convinced that if you don’t gripe and complain, argue and fight for everything you want in life, you’ll never get it. So you’ll hear them saying such things as "Me first, & everybody else last," and "It’s my way, or no way!"

But in church it’s different, isn’t it? I mean, after all, we’re all Christians saved by the grace of God. And since we all have that in common, we always get along with each other, never disagreeing. Isn’t that right?

Of course it’s not! We do disagree at times. Even though we’re all Christians, wanting to serve our Lord, there are still times that we disagree.

A couple of years ago a rapidly growing congregation I know very well sent out a questionnaire and asked its members to fill it out and send it back because they were trying to find out what the people felt about certain things. More than 200 members did so, and they compiled the results.

The one thing that the survey revealed most dramatically was that they were a very diverse congregation.

For instance, some thought they ought to go to the bank and borrow all the money they could borrow, buy more land and build all the buildings they needed immediately. But others felt that they shouldn’t borrow at all. Instead, they ought to wait and not build anything until they could pay cash for it.

Some felt they were giving way too much to missions. They wanted to keep the money for themselves, and use it to help pay for their new buildings. But others said, "We’re not giving enough to missions. We need to give more!"

One person responded that the preacher didn’t preach enough on stewardship, and he ought to be encouraging the people to give more. But someone else wrote, "It doesn’t make any difference what the subject is, the preacher always talks about money."

Now that wide diversity should not surprise us because almost everybody has opinions on almost everything - even in the church. But the question is what do we do with the diversity?

Do you allow it to cripple you? Do you say, "We’re so diverse we’ll never agree, so therefore we won’t do anything?" Or do you move forward prayerfully, realizing that some will disagree with whatever course you take?

Now the Bible gives us some guidance on this. It teaches that the way for the church to solve the problem of diverse opinions is to select elders who are in tune with God and also in tune with the needs of the congregation. And as they seek God’s guidance in the decisions that have to be made, pray for them, get behind them, and support them.

Now let’s look at what Paul says in Philippians 4:2-3, "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life."

Here were two women, both of them really committed Christians who have worked side by side with the Apostle Paul, who have had a disagreement, and we have no idea what they’ve disagreed about.

But there is something that bothers me. This is a letter to the church at Philippi, and in it Paul has dealt with some very important matters. So why on earth, in the midst of such an important letter, does Paul stick in something so personal about two of the ladies in the congregation?

Shouldn’t he have tried to solve this problem much more discreetly and privately? Why so publicly as to write about it in a letter that millions have read now for nearly 2,000 years?

Well, maybe it is because it is important that the church communicate to the world that we don’t handle disagreements the same way that the world handles them - that we’re able to find common ground and agree to work in harmony with one another.

Notice what Paul does and what he doesn’t do. First of all, he doesn’t take sides. He doesn’t say, "Syntyche is right and Euodia is wrong. So you get out of here, Euodia." He doesn’t do that.

Secondly, he doesn’t pull rank. He doesn’t say, "I’m the apostle here and therefore I say if you two don’t agree, you’re both out of here." Instead, he encourages them to find common ground where they can agree. He says, "I plead with you to agree with each other in the Lord."

In Romans 12:18, Paul wrote, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

There is something else that Paul does. He appoints a third party to intervene. In verse 3 he’s called, "loyal yokefellow." We don’t know who he was, but whoever he was, he was a peacemaker. And Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God."

Now there is nothing Satan would rather do than to divide the church. Because if he can do that, then he can so cripple the church that it won’t be effective in getting out the good news about Jesus.

So it’s important that we pledge to one another and to God that we’ll not allow ourselves to be used as pawns in the hand of Satan to divide His church. As we serve God together, we will be at peace with one another. We must project Peace on the outside, even if we disagree about the details.

PEACE WITHIN

Secondly, Paul talks about peace within. Listen to verse 4-7:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Now, I don’t know how you feel right now, but sometimes we feel like we’re on top of the world and everything is going our way. But probably, most of the time, we don’t feel that way.

Are you carrying a heavy burden? Maybe you’re worried about something. Maybe there is a problem in your life that just doesn’t seem to go away. Maybe you feel guilty because of some sins you have committed.

Maybe you’re concerned about finances. Maybe you’re frustrated because you’re trying to get something accomplished and you can’t seem to get it done.

Whatever the reason, here we are. And I think Paul’s words are directed at all of us who carry burdens.

And we need to realize that as Paul writes these words he is not sitting in some ivory tower. Not all the pieces of his life are in place either. He’s in prison and facing trial. He may soon be executed. But in these verses, Paul writes a formula for developing peace within.

He says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." In other words, "Don’t worry. Let God handle it."

I've heard it said that worry is the Christian’s most popular sin because it is one that we don’t even try to disguise. Worry is so common in our lives that we’re not even particularly ashamed of it.

When we go to church we mouth all the right words, "Crown Him with many crowns. He’s Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is Emanuel. God is with us."

But then we leave church and forget that He’s with us. We forget He’s Lord and King, and we take all the burdens that we brought with us and put them right back on again. And we begin to worry more and more.

In Ephesians 3:16 Paul writes, "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being." Paul is saying that even while we’re wasting away on the outside, if we’re Christians, we’re being strengthened and changed on the inside.

In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about worry. Now I know you’ve read these words before, but please read them again. Listen to how complete and inclusive they are, and listen to it as though you were standing face to face with Jesus and He is looking right into your eyes as He speaks these words.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these”.

"So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Someone has said that worry is assuming responsibility that God never intended us to have. He will carry the burdens for us. We need to turn our worries over to God.

And 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

It is impossible to project Peace on the outside, if we don’t have Peace on this inside first. It’s this inner Peace we have as a gift from God that makes us capable of projecting Peace to the outside world.

PEACE WITH GOD

Finally, Paul mentions peace with God. Verses 8-9 are verses we need to read often. They’re so special. Here is what Paul says.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Paul is saying here are eight filters. Everything you hear and everything you see needs to pass through them. And if it doesn’t make it through these eight filters then it shouldn’t be in your mind and in your heart.

There is so much garbage in this world. And the old saying "garbage in, garbage out" is true. So think about it. Can the movies you see, and the TV programs you watch, and the music you listen to pass through these eight filters?

Paul says, put everything through these eight filters. If it’s not true, then don’t welcome it. If it’s not noble, if it’s not right, or pure or lovely or admirable or excellent or praiseworthy, don’t let it find a home in your heart. And if you’ll use these filters you’ll have peace with God.

Jesus said in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Do you remember the words that Jesus first spoke to His disciples following His resurrection? The disciples were in the upper room, and they were fearful for their own lives. Their leader was dead, and their future uncertain.

Just then Jesus appeared though locked doors and spoke to them. Do you remember what He said?

`Peace be with you.’ The very thing that they didn’t have was the very thing that He offered - peace. And He still offers it to us today."

So how do you define Peace? Is it inner Peace? Outer Peace? Peace with God? Hopefully through this message you have come to learn that it takes all three in order for Peace to be effective. It’s our inner Peace that God gives us, that allows us to project outer Peace to the world, which gives us Peace with God and creates Peace within the world.

Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek. Proverbs 15 tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. It’s living our lives, following the example that Jesus gave us that contradicts the world’s way of dealing with conflict.

Birds And Bees And This Thing Called Love

2008-11-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

Countless numbers of people, from young to old, from Atheist to Christian, from all walks of life, have asked this question. Many have pondered this question at one time or another and come up with many explanations to what Love is.

Some say I am in Love, or I feel Love, or I must be in Love. Love is more that just a feeling, more than just a desire, and often Love is not what a person feels at all. It is my intent here to address and answer the question what is Love?

First let's take a look at what Love is not.

Love is not a strong sexual feeling or physical attraction to someone or something.

Love is not something that dies after awhile, or switches on and off.

Love never seeks to destroy, wound or hurt anyone.

Love never blames or condemns.

There are those who say they Love God, yet in His name murder and kill men, woman and children, with guns, bullets and bombs. This is not Love.

I am sure many of you can add their own views and beliefs of what Love is not, as I know I am only listing a few of them.

In our world today, so many teenagers become pregnant at such a young age, children having children, and often the father is nowhere to be seen. Many say it was because they Loved each other and it just happened, but this is not Love.

Muslim extremists claim to Love God, (Allah) yet as demonstrated by their killing of innocence they do not know God or His Love.

The Church throughout history has massacred millions of people all in the name of the God whom they confess to Love, but this isn't Love.

Marriages and relationships that many thought were built on Love have broken into pieces. Good friends who say they Loved each other, have broken up and in some cases bitter feelings of hurt and resentment linger.

At the Alter, men and woman take their marriage vows before God and the congregation. They promise to LOVE, honor and obey each other. Yet a little later in their marriage, they part ways for many reasons. But there is one reason that I believe stands out more than any other, they have never known real Love. The excitement of the sex loses its thrill. The respect and patience they once had for each other has almost died. Some look for satisfaction in another whom they often call LOVERS. But True Love really never dies.

If they had Real Love before they married, if they had known what Real Love is, and knew the giver of Real Love, many today would still be together, and their children would not be caught up in the pain and hurt.

Marriage is an institution created by God. It is a Holy Union where two people join together as one and pledge their lives to each other. It's not something to do in order to satisfy man made laws. It is certainly not something to go through to have a big day and invite lots of friends and family. It is much more that this. Although these qualities can make a wonderful day to be remembered, it is much, much more than all this.

Marriage is a Holy union. But before you can enter into this union with each other and God, you must first know God. You need a relationship with God, and you need to understand His Love. You need to experience His Love in your heart, and understand how God Loves. Understand the depths that God went through to show you His Love and the price He paid for you!

When you have been touched by the Love of God, then you can truly know what Love is. Love is Power! When a man and a woman who have received Jesus Christ into their lives and He is made their first love, then they stand before their God, they stand before Him with Jesus' Love in their hearts.

God has placed His Love in your heart by Christ Jesus His Son. So now you have His Love in you. This cannot be said of those who do not know God or have not personally acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Now I realize that in spite of some not knowing God personally or His Love when they take these Holy Vows, God still Loves them and often blesses that union, with grace and peace. Often these couples find God and His Love through marriage. I am not saying that all marriages are doomed, because people were ignorant to God and His Love. He is a God of Supreme Love.

You may be wondering at this point, how do I Love?

And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

This was the Old Testament commandment given by God to His people, to Love God with all your heart and with all your soul. But man broke this covenant with God. He chased after other gods and loved himself and ungodly pleasures more than God. He chose hate, war, material riches and to love himself and others more than God. So man broke this covenant with God early on.

Nothing much has changed today as we look around us. But something has changed and it's changed the lives of countless peoples all over the world. God sent His Son into the world.
Man cannot Love God or each other in the way God desires. It's the same with salvation. You cannot earn it, or work for it. It is a gift from God. You cannot live by Gods Word without having the Holy Spirit living within you, and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You must understand the depth of Gods love for you. You need to understand the sacrifice God made for you, so you can experience His Love in your heart.

No living soul can Love with perfect Love until Gods Perfect Love has been instilled in their hearts. Without Jesus, we cannot know what Real Love is.

How did God reveal His Perfect Love?

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:8)

I need to make it clear here that humans can show Love. It is something God has placed in us all. It is a choice we make. At times we limit our love to others. But what I am talking about in this message is not the human love with its limits. I am talking about Perfect Love. Agape Love-Gods Love. God's Perfect Love without limits.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

Because of Gods Perfect Love towards us, He sent His Son, Jesus, to take on our sins, our sicknesses and diseases, and He was punished in our place, so that through His death and resurrection, He could place His Love in our heart.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

All our past sins have been washed away in the blood Jesus shed, as atonement for sin. The moment you ask Jesus into your heart, you receive His forgiveness, and GODS PERFECT LOVE. As you continue to follow Him, read His word, pray and trust Him, His Love grows inside you. It will empower you to Love, even those who speak all manner of evil against you, those who lie about you, those who have abused you and hurt you. Instead of hatred and bitterness your desire will be for Jesus to save and change them as He did you. You will find yourself praying in tears and overwhelming Love for them. Even God Himself has said to you, "He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands." (Job 22:30)

When you are tired and have run out of steam, you will find yourself compelled by Gods Perfect Love and going that extra mile to help someone in need!

When a son, daughter, husband, wife, friend or anyone hurts you, you will not retaliate with bitter wounding words, because God Loves them and His Love in you will empower you to be silent and pray in your heart, knowing that God will bring a change in their lives just like he promised you in Job 22:30.

LOVE IS:

1. Pure and Unselfish. It never seeks its own Comfort or Pleasure.

2. Love is Kind and Compassionate.

3. Love is Patient and Longsuffering.

4. Love is Considerate and Merciful.

5. Love is Warm and never Cold.

6. Perfect Love is God; For God is the author of Love.

When God allowed His Son to be tied to a beating post, and receive the lashes of cruel whips. It was His Love for you. It was because He Loves you.

When they stripped Him naked and He suffered humiliation, when they spate upon Him, mocked Him and punched Him, He endured it because He Loved you with Perfect Love.

When they shoved that crown of thorns into His skull, when they laid Him down upon that cross and drove nails into His hands and feet, He allowed them to do so because He Loves you.

When they lifted Him up on that cross, ripping His wounds as it dropped into the hole, and as He hung their suffering for nine hours, He did so because He truly Loves you. He knew that He must pay the price for your salvation. He did not want you to be punished for the sin in your life. He, in Love, took your punishment. THIS IS LOVE! Yes my Friend, THIS IS LOVE!

It Was Love that took Jesus to the cross. It was Love that held Him there and not nails. It was Love that satan tried to kill, but he failed. Because Love was raised up from the grave and now that same Love lives in our heart.THIS IS LOVE! Until you have this Love in your heart by receiving Jesus as your Lord, You will never know how to Love Gods way.

There is an old hymn I have always liked that says:

O love that will not let me go,

I give you back the life I owe,

That it might richer, fuller be,

Make Jesus all that I can see.

Receive Jesus today and learn to Love Gods way.

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:7-8)

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. (1 John 4:15-17)

Five Keys To Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

What Do You Think of When You Think of Thanksgiving?

Eating, Football, Long Weekend, Shopping, History, or Family? Thanksgiving is much more than any of this.

True thanksgiving is not just a day for food, football, and family. It’s not just a holiday every fourth Thursday in November. For God’s people, everyday should be Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate a battle or anyone’s birthday. It is simply a day set aside to express our thanks to God.

Did you know that in 1789, George Washington made a public proclamation saying that, “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor?” He recommended and assigned Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 to be a day of Thanksgiving.

Of course most of know the story of the pilgrims and how they and the Indians of the area had a Thanksgiving feast in 1621, long before Washington’s proclamation.

Even earlier than 1621, we find people offering up thanks to God. In the Old Testament we find a Song of Thanksgiving. It is Psalm 100. It is subtitled “A Psalm of Thanksgiving”. It is an invitation to join together to acknowledge the great things that God has done. Not only does Psalm 100 call us to praise the Lord with thankfulness, but it also describes to us the nature of thanksgiving. Let’s read Psalm 100:

“A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Psalms 100:1-5

In this Psalm I find five key words that describe the essence of thanksgiving. The first word is:

1. JOY

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!” Psalm 100:1

We don’t have problems shouting at a football game, but we very seldom raise our voice in church. Our lives are meant to be a joyful call to God. God wants us to get excited about who He is.

Just this past week I saw the film clip of the victory celebration in New York City when World War II ended. And that celebration was a shout of praise. The war was over – the victory had been won. We need to shout praises to God – I have read the end of the Book – I know who wins the war – I know who has victory – Praise be to God on high! I need to shout joyfully because God has won the victory. We need to be filled with joy and shout about it.

The second word is:

2. GLADNESS

“Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.” Psalms 100:2

Let me tell you this, there is a huge difference between gladness and sadness.

When we come before the Lord – we are to do it with gladness not sadness.

There are times when people come to church on Sunday morning worship almost like they are coming to a funeral service. I’ll tell you the truth, we need to go to every church service like we are going into a resurrection service. My Lord has risen from the dead. I need to celebrate that fact. Because you see, as one of my favorite hymns exclaims:

I serve a risen Savior,
He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living,
whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him,
He’s always near.

He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me,
along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives,
salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

When we come before the Lord, we should to do it with gladness.

The third word is:

3. DEPENDENCE

“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3

This verse shows three roles of God:

a. God is LORD

We are to make Him ruler, master, boss of our lives.
God is God and we are NOT.

God told Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’” (Exodus 3:14). We have no more control over God then we do the weather. God is God and we are not.

b. God is CREATOR

If you create something, you are greater than what you have created. You have every right over that which you have made.

“It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” Psalm 100:3

c. God is SHEPHERD

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:3

God guides us to the place of security, plenty and rest.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3

I don't recall who, but someone once rightly said,

If we are created, He is the Creator.
If we are sheep, He is our Shepherd.
If we enter His courts, He is our King.
If we serve Him, He is our Master.

I am dependent on God. He created even the air that I breath. He knows every hair on my head. He knows every beat of my heart. I thank HIM for being God. I am dependent on Him.

The fourth word – of course – is:

4. THANKFULNESS

You can’t give thanks unless you are thankful.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

Thanksgiving is what flows out of a thankful HEART.

In Luke chapter seventeen there is a very interesting story. Jesus enters a village and upon entering He finds ten men who were lepers. They stood a long way off and yelled out to Jesus, "Jesus, have mercy on us!" When Jesus saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourself to the priests." Did you know that they had not been cleansed yet? They left before they were cured, because the Bible says, “that as they went along, they were cleansed.” Do you know what happened then? One of them, only one of them,when he saw that he was healed, turned around and went back to see Jesus. The Bible says he fell down on his face at the feet of Jesus, glorified God and thanked Jesus for what He had done. So only one out of ten THANKED Jesus for what He had done. Do you remember what Jesus asked him? "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” We need to be thankful to God for what He has done for us.

That brings us to the fifth word is:

5. GRATITUDE

“For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100:5

Three reasons to be grateful:

a. The Lord is GOOD

b. The Lord’s mercy is EVERLASTING

c. The Lord’s truth endures FOREVER

In Romans chapter eleven Paul is giving thanks and praise to God when he writes:

“Everything comes from Him; Everything happens through Him; Everything ends up in Him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.” Romans 11:36

Our praise, our thanksgiving and our worship needs to directed to God. We need to be thankful for what He has done.

I want you to notice something about Psalm 100, in its short five verses, look at how many times God is mentioned or referred to. Read it again:

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Psalms 100:1-5

This Thanksgiving, with all the preparations, events and excitement, my prayer, is that God is thanked, with joy and gladness, with thankfulness and gratitude, and with a heart dependent on Him, by us all.

My Philosophy Of Youth Ministry

2008-11-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

All ministries, if they are true Christian ministries, are ministries of the Word. I believe strongly in the power and sufficiency of Scripture to accomplish God's work in this world. Scripture clearly states that God's word is sufficient for the work of the ministry - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” I believe Psalm 119:9 provides the framework upon which all youth ministry should be built -- Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word.” The first and foremost objective of youth ministry should be to build God's word into our kid’s hearts. Youth ministry should be just as concerned with teaching theology and doctrine as adult ministries are.

I have heard some object and say, ("You can't teach kid’s theology and doctrine, it's too hard and they are not interested.") My response to this is? If Junior and Senior High students can learn algebra, science, literature and history, then they certainly can learn theology and doctrine. And I just don't agree that they are not interested. Granted, if you walk in and say, "Okay students, tonight we are going to discuss Infralapsarianism vs. Supralapsarianism," they are going to look at you like you're from Mars. But instead, if you say, "Okay, tonight we are going to discuss the question, 'which did God decree first, salvation or the fall?'," I believe you could have some interesting conversation. The point is, Junior and Senior High kids can be taught, even the finer points of theology and doctrine. To accomplish this, all that's required is the purpose and resolve on our part to do it, because we know that this is our kids' greatest need and is what Scripture instructs us to do.

Youth activities and special events are good, necessary and beneficial. A healthy Youth Ministry should include some special activities and events just for the Youth. The problem with activities in many Youth ministries is that they become the tail that wags the dog. Many churches seem to have adopted a philosophy that says, "If we keep our kids busy enough, they won't have time to sin." In the words of our Youth today – (NOT!)

Activity is not a substitute for ministry or parental involvement. Often I think we have so much going on for our Youth in some churches that it detracts from home life and the ministry that should be taking place there. We need to encourage our teens and parents to spend more time together instead of keeping our kids gone half the summer or in so many weekly activities that they are never home. Youth ministry in many cases has become nothing more than large scale baby sitting centered on fun and games. Don't misunderstand me, I like to have a good time as much as anybody, and fun Youth activities have a necessary place in Youth Ministry. The point is though, that activities should be secondary to the main focus of the ministry which is to build God's word into the hearts of our Youth.

When our teens get to be 23, 24, 25, what do we want for them? Do we want them to look back at their youth experience and say, "Man, did I have a lot of kicks during my teen years."? Or, do we want them to look back at their teen years and say, "I am so glad somebody cared enough about me to teach me the things of God so that I am equipped to live in this godless world from a Godly perspective."? Which do you think they will think was the greater blessing when they grow up?

Balanced Christian Education Program

2008-11-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

I believe there are five measurements of spiritual growth: knowledge, perspective, conviction, skills, and character.

These five levels of learning are the building blocks of spiritual maturity. Any strategy designed to help people reach spiritual maturity must incorporate all five to be effective.
Here's a brief sketch of how I feel key programs should be set up around each of these measurements:

Knowledge of the Word

To begin building a spiritual growth curriculum you need to ask two questions:

1. What do people already know?

2. What do they need to know?

I remember a conversation with a brand new believer who was struggling with trials in his life. I took him to James 1 and explained the purpose of trials. Tom seemed satisfied.

But as he started to leave, Tom said, "I thought maybe my trials were a result of some sins from a previous life."

That was when I realized Tom needed more than an explanation of trials! He needed to understand the Biblical view of life.

A program I recommend to develop knowledge of the Word is a nine month inductive Bible study course, written and taught by lay teachers in the church. It is called the W.O.R.D. study.
W.O.R.D. is an acronym for the four activities of the Bible study:

• Wonder about it (ask questions about the text),

• Observe it,

• Reflect on it, and

• Do it!

Perspective

Perspective is understanding something because you see things from a larger frame of reference. It is the ability to perceive how things are interrelated and then judge their comparative importance.

In a spiritual sense, it means seeing life from God's point of view. In the Bible, the words "understanding," "wisdom," and "discernment" all have to do with perspective.

The opposite of perspective is "hardness of heart," "blinded" and "dullness."

Psalm 103:7 says, "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel." The people of Israel got to see what God did, but Moses got to understand why God did it. This is the difference between knowledge and perspective.

Knowledge is learning what God has said and done.

Perspective is understanding why God said it or did it.

Perspective answers the "Why?" questions of life.

Perspective causes us to love God more, helps us resist temptation and enables us to handle trials. Without it we are in danger of falling into error and drifting away from God's truth. A program I recommend to teach perspective is called “Life Perspectives”. It is a course of systematic theology which covers eleven essential doctrines.

Conviction

Dictionaries usually define conviction as a fixed or strong belief. Conviction is really much more than that. Your convictions include your values, commitments, and motivations.

I like the definition I once heard, “A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for!" Our convictions determine our conduct. They motivate us to act in certain ways.

The church should teach biblical convictions to counter the secular values that believers are constantly exposed to. As the old cliche goes, “If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.”

Conviction helps us be diligent in continuing to grow spiritually. Growth requires time and effort. Without convictions about growth, people become discouraged and give up. No one stays with a difficult task unless he is convinced that there is a good reason for doing it.

Therefore, a church can teach people how to pray, how to study the Bible, and how to witness, but without imparting the corresponding convictions, people will not stick with it.

We must burn in the conviction that the Kingdom of God is the greatest cause in the world. I forget where I read it, but I remember hearing once, "Jesus demands greater allegiance than any dictator that every lived. The difference is that Jesus has a right to it!"

Skills

A skill is an ability to do something with ease and accuracy. You develop a skill—not by listening to a lecture, but by practice and experience. In the Christian life there are certain skills you must develop in order to mature: Bible study skills, ministry skills, witnessing skills, relational skills, time management skills, and many others.

Skills are the "how to’s" of spiritual growth. Knowledge and perspective are concerned with knowing. Conviction and character are concerned with being. Skills are related to doing.

We are to be "doers of the word, not hearers only" (James 1:22). Our actions prove we belong to God's family. Jesus said, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."(Luke 8:21)

If we want the church to produce effective Christians, we must teach the necessary skills for Christian living and ministry. Remember that skill, not dedication, is the key to effectiveness at anything.

"If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success." (Eccl. 10:10)

Character

Christ-like character should be the ultimate goal of all Christian education. To settle for anything less is to miss the point of spiritual growth. We are to "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13)

Developing the character of Christ is life's most important task because it is the only thing we'll take with us into eternity. Jesus made it quite clear in his Sermon on the Mount that eternal rewards in heaven will be based on the character we develop and demonstrate here on earth.

This means the objective of all our teaching must be to change lives, not merely provide information. Paul told Timothy that the purpose of his teaching was to develop character in those he taught: "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (1 Tim. 1:5)

Paul told Titus to do the same thing: "Now you must tell them the sort of character which should spring from sound teaching." (Titus 2:1 Phillips)

Character is never built in a classroom. Character is built in the circumstances of life. The classroom Bible study is simply the place to identify character qualities and teach how character is developed. When we understand how God uses circumstances to develop character we are able to respond correctly when God places us in character-building opportunities.

God is far more concerned with our character than he is with our comfort. His plan is to perfect us, not pamper us. For this reason he allows all kinds of character-building circumstances: conflict, disappointment, difficulty, temptation, times of dryness, and delays.A major responsibility of any church's Christian education program should be to prepare people with the knowledge, perspective, convictions, and skills needed to handle these situations. If we do, people will develop character as a result.

What Causes Church Growth?

2008-11-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

There are numerous books, articles, videos, and audios available on the subject of church growth these days. Churches are bombarded with a large array of resources and models that promise "rapid" church growth, "easy" church growth, "massive" church growth, and the like. But there is no book or program better or more effective than the Bible itself.

A historical look at the birth of Christianity should make something pretty clear: Jesus drew crowds. It is hard to justify a 'small church' mentality when looking at the example of Jesus given in the Bible.

The clear lesson from the life of Christ and the book of Acts is that the church is to be constantly expanding and constantly on the move. And that its impact should not be restricted to formal church services, but rather to the community itself and meeting the needs of those surrounding it. What community has a greater need than hearing the Good News of the Gospel?

When the day of Pentecost came, the writer of Acts records that the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Christ in "tongues of fire" and with a "mighty wind" (Acts 2:1-3). When this incredible and supernatural event happened, it attracted quite a crowd and gave the apostle Peter a dramatic opportunity to stand up publicly and be counted as a follower of Christ, an opportunity he failed to take on the night of Jesus' trial.

After Peter's sermon, the writer of Acts reports that "about 3,000 souls" were incorporated into the “church”, the "church" being the fellowship of believers and followers of Jesus Christ.

A local church that withdraws into closed-door legalism, "Comfort Zone" complacency, or elitist judgmentalism, according to the Bible, is a church outside of God's will. We must always remember that when we point a finger at someone else, there are three other fingers pointing back at us. There should always be time for critical self-evaluation when things aren’t going as well as they should.

This is not to suggest that a church shouldn't stand for truth as this is clearly part of God's mandate for the church. But if Jesus is #2 on the list of priorities for a church, that church fails to allow the Holy Spirit to work and the church dies or becomes more of a Social Club and Landlord, renting its facilities in order to survive as a result. As long as one continues to do the same things they have always done, they will continue to get the same results they have always gotten.

Social Injustice and Racial Equality are indeed noble causes to work towards, but it can't replace the primary reason a church exists. Jesus has to be that reason in order for the Holy Spirit to fill the pews. Somehow our churches today need to get back to the basics of Christianity.

The biblical model for a church is a church that actively and passionately ministers to both the physical and spiritual needs of those around it, but especially the spiritual needs. Such a church should desire to grow, not for its own glory, satisfaction, or financial concerns, but because of its love for God and the people within its reach.

Crisis In The Church

2008-11-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Remember the frog that landed in a pan of water and stayed until it boiled? Had the pan been hot, the frog would have noticed and hopped out. But the water felt cool at first, and the frog sensed no danger. It simply relaxed and conformed to the gradual change. Subdued by the rising heat, it grew too sluggish to act. By the time the water boiled, the frog was dead.

I want to share the burden of my heart with you concerning the alarming trend of Biblical illiteracy and state of discipleship in today’s churches. I want to encourage you by saying that with every problem there is an opportunity and to envision the church as the Lord sees it. The following statistics reveal a crisis in the church.

Regarding Biblical illiteracy and discipleship, Christian researcher and author George Barna reports:

* Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels.

* Many professing Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples.

* 60 percent of Americans cannot name even five of the Ten Commandments.

* 82 percent of Americans believe "God helps those who help themselves" is a Bible verse.

* 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.

* A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.

* A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that Billy Graham preached the Sermon on the Mount.

* Six out of ten Americans reject the existence of Satan.

* Four out of ten Americans believe that when Jesus Christ was on earth He committed sins.

* Five out of ten believe that anyone who is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven.

* Four out of ten believe that the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.

* Seven out of ten born again Christians said they do not believe in moral absolutes.

* Only one out of ten Christians base their moral decision-making on the principles taught in the Bible.

* 54 percent believe truth can be discovered only through logic, human reasoning and personal experience.

These statistics indicate a gradual change of temperature over time. In general, Biblical illiteracy is a growing trend and church discipleship is ineffective.

I see the Christian landscape in our country as having been strewn with the wreckage of derelict half-built towers, the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish. I say this because thousands of people still ignore Christ's warning and undertake to follow Him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so. The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so called nominal Christianity. In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent but thin veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. Their religion is a great soft cushion. It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience. No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as escapism.

I would suggest that many Christian churches have abandoned serious Bible exposition and theological teaching. Historical exegesis is becoming a lost art in the pulpit. The church should be intentional about teaching the background of the being and attributes of God, His sovereignty, His majesty and holiness. Preachers should stress the fact that the righteousness of God has been outraged by human sin and that apart from Divine, unmerited grace, man's deadly guilt (Romans 3:19) will bring upon him the wrath of God (Romans 1:18), the deserved judgment of the Lord (Romans 2:2), and ensuing death (Romans 6:23).

However, rather than explaining the historical setting of a passage, texts become springboards for devotional reflection, and Biblical passages are taken out of context as the preacher searches for those stories that evoke the responses or attitudes desired. As a result, the heart of a good sermon is fast becoming the emotional work that can be done in 20 minutes preaching time.

Perhaps we are where we are because there is an overemphasis on personal experience to the exclusion of serious Christian education or that spirituality is being built on private emotional attachments or because of the tremendous influence unbiblical philosophies and worldviews are having on church goers. Christians who lack biblical knowledge are the products of churches that marginalize biblical knowledge. Bible teaching now often accounts for only a diminishing fraction of the local congregation's time and attention. The move to small group ministry has certainly increased opportunities for fellowship, but many of these groups never get beyond superficial Bible study. Youth ministries are asked to fix problems, provide entertainment, and keep kids busy. How many local-church youth programs actually produce substantial Bible knowledge in young people? Even the pulpit has been sidelined in many congregations. Preaching has taken a back seat to other concerns in corporate worship. The centrality of biblical preaching to the formation of disciples is lost, and Christian ignorance leads to Christian indolence and worse.

As Barna reports, “Christians have increasingly been adopting spiritual views that come from Islam, Wicca, secular humanism, the eastern religions and other sources. Because we remain a largely Bible-illiterate society, few are alarmed or even aware of the slide toward syncretism - a belief system that blindly combines beliefs from many different faith perspectives."

So, whose problem is this? Who is responsible for this growing and alarming trend?

We are responsible and we will be held accountable.

Parents are to be the first and most important educators of their own children, diligently teaching them the Word of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Parents cannot delegate their responsibility to the church, no matter how faithful and Biblical it may be. God assigned parents the primary responsibility of teaching their children. Children must understand that their parents are teachers and fellow students of God’s Word.

Churches must recover the centrality and urgency of Biblical teaching and preaching, and resist the temptation to exchange entertainment for enlightenment. Perhaps pastors and churches have become too busy, distracted, and weary to make Biblical knowledge a central aim of ministry. The Cross, repentance, and acceptance of Jesus as both Lord and Savior should be of paramount importance.

The reason people are so desperately apathetic in the church is because they do not plan to do one thing about what they hear in church. They do not understand discipleship.

It is time we intentionally train, equip, disciple, empower, release, supervise and hold accountable, disciples as Jesus did. Every church should have at every exit door a large sign that reads, “You are now entering the mission field.” Value of ministry should not focus singularly on the annual report and presentation by a supported missionary out of Africa and where much fanfare is afforded. Equality of ministry should include released disciples whose mission fields are the home, neighborhoods, workplaces and who are real estate agents, painters, carpenters, bankers, car salesmen, homemakers, waiters, and others who collectively, as they are made into disciples and commissioned before the church, encouraged, and supported, could play a vital role in God’s Kingdom here and now.

Discipleship

We must understand that the essential thing, the thing God is after above everything else is our becoming Christ-like. As disciples, our goal is that "Christ be formed in you," (Gal. 4:19). Paul declares that: "Those whom God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). Paul says to the church at Corinth, "All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image" (2 Corinthians 3:18) The goal of discipleship is our being formed, conformed, and transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. Disciple-makers are to lead people to Christ and help them mature spiritually. Disciple-makers should have an intense love, concern and lifelong care for those to whom they are spiritual parents. When we lead people to Christ, we are to stand by them, helping them grow in Christ until they are fully trained.

Discipleship is not an 8-week program, an occasional small group study, a sermon series on the Great Commission or trying to be godly. Discipleship is what Jesus lived and breathed and taught and commanded us to do. Discipleship is doing what Jesus did in His ministry of power, personal transformation, and following in His footprints. Discipleship embraces Jesus’ words, Jesus’ model of taking only a handful of people committed to the process, surrendered to allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, accountability, humility, submission, confidentiality, and a brave heart willing to live the life of Christ Jesus here and now, forsaking everything until Christ is fully formed within. Discipleship is the process wherein a person becomes Christ-like.

What Is a Disciple?

From Mark’s gospel we learn: “And He went up to the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed the twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out demons” (Mark 3:13-15).

A disciple learns that discipleship is a life-long, continuous process of making the will of God the Father his or her own. Jesus chose to obey, even though obedience led to suffering and death. Disciples must choose to obey, even though obedience can lead to suffering and death.

The result of such obedience was that Jesus suffered the Cross, was lifted up, and now draws all men to Himself: “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified.

Paul was stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19); and this was only one instance of much suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 Paul summarized his lifetime of suffering for the sake of the gospel. Paul labored tirelessly, was whipped 195 times, beaten with rods three times, stoned, three times suffered ship wreck, traveled incredible distances, endured storms, was attacked by robbers, abused by his own countrymen and unbelievers, was exhausted, thirsty, hungry, hurt, cold, naked, weak, offended and carried the burden of care for the churches: “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them” (2 Timothy 3:10-11). According to tradition, all of the apostles were killed. Only John died a natural death.

Today, many teach that “If you have faith you will not suffer” or “If you just believe and confess it, God will deliver you from your troubles” or “If you declare God’s favor, God will prosper you.” Jesus rebuked such theology: “Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). Jesus also said in John 15:18-19, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." Paul said: “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). We are never to seek favor by teaching people what they want to hear. God’s perspective is seldom ever man’s perspective.

There cannot be a disciple without the Cross and there cannot be a cross without a disciple. Jesus taught that there is no true authority without sacrifice, no true spiritual maturity without suffering, no true discipleship without the cross. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

Jesus taught by word and life that a disciple is born in brokenness, produced in pain, honed in humility, perfected in praise, forged in the fire of suffering and known by their love.

Who Is a Disciple of Our Lord?

Anyone who is called of God, deeply and personally committed to Jesus Christ by faith, empowered by His Holy Spirit, who is sent out in the power and authority of our Lord, and who continues and extends His life and Great Commission ministry.

Christ’s Discipleship Process:

1. Jesus called His disciples (John 15:16).

2. The relationship between Jesus and His followers was up close and personal (John 15:15)

3. The pathway of a disciple of Christ was the pathway of self-sacrifice and service (Luke 9:23-24)

4. Christ’s discipleship was a blessing, never a burden (Matthew 11:28-30).

The Requirements of Discipleship:

1. The disciple of Jesus Christ must put Jesus above everyone and everything – he or she must value following Jesus Christ above life itself (Luke 14:26) - there are no shortcuts.

2. The disciple of Jesus Christ must place his commitment to Christ above material possessions (Luke 14:33).

3. The disciple of Jesus Christ must daily die to self-interest (Luke 14:27).

4. The disciple of Jesus Christ counts the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:25-33).

New Testament Discipleship for Today:

1. Discipleship is a life-long process by which we become servants and friends of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:14-15).

2. There are distinct stages in discipleship - it was a number of years until those who were with our Lord were qualified and released by Him to carry on His work; Paul spent years in preparation also (Galatians 1:15-18).

What is a Discipleship Process/Curriculum?

Some misconceptions about discipleship are that it is thought of as a component of teaching, the number of sermons you listen to, the number of books you read, how many Bible verses you memorize, how often you attend church services, etc. And though discipleship may include these elements, it is much, much more. Discipleship is all about becoming Christ-like ... becoming a doer of the Word. Think of biblical discipleship as spiritual parenting. Taking a look at Deuteronomy 6:1-25, we see some significant discipleship principles:

• The aim of discipleship is obedience to God’s Word, not just head knowledge.

• Discipleship is founded on a relationship with God and with others; it is both vertical and horizontal (Matthew 22:37-40).

• Discipleship recognizes that one is a teacher and another is a student, both mutually submitted to one another, both on the journey, both learning to walk as Jesus walked.

• Discipleship recognizes that learning involves transparency, safety, confidentiality, content, environment, experiences and relationships. An effective discipleship process is built upon strong foundational biblical principles.

• Discipleship creates an environment where no one stands alone, struggles alone, serves alone, develops alone, seeks alone, or grows up alone.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Jesus - Matthew 28:19,20).

At this point you may be thinking that your church is the exception. In response I would challenge you to prepare a simple doctrinal questionnaire about the basics of the Bible and theology and ask your congregation to respond. Nothing difficult. Just ask simple questions like, “Do you believe Jesus lived a sinless life?” or “Do you believe Satan is real?” or “Who are you discipling?” The results, if you are courageous enough to take this challenge, may surprise you.

What you believe determines who you are, what you do, how you live and most importantly, your final destination. The writer of Hebrews tells us that certain foundational teachings are essential for all believers to understand (Hebrews 6:1,2) - basics including the importance of faith, the foolishness of trying to be saved by good deeds, the meaning of baptism and spiritual gifts, and the facts of resurrection and eternal life. I am deeply concerned about the lack of understanding regarding the basic essentials of our faith in today’s churches.

Perhaps America has become the greatest mission field in the world. Perhaps it is time we get back to basics.