Bro. Brad's Blog

Sunday, 1/22/12 11am–Complete Peace

2012-01-23T14:42:00.001-05:00

Listen to the full audio message by clcking on the icon –>

SERIES: STOP DOING AND START GROWING

TITLE: COMPLETE PEACE

TEXT: GALATIANS 5:22

INTRO:

· Fruit/Grace of the Spirit – love…joy…PEACE

o Love and joy come together in the believer’s life, and this produces peace.

o This first trio of spiritual fruit reflects the “heavenward” aspect of our Christian life.

· What is peace? The world seeks it, but really does not know what true peace is?

o At a NOVEMBER 1999 ceremony in Oslo, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and United States president Bill Clinton vowed to finish the job of making Middle East peace begun by slain Israeli premier Yitzhak Rabin. Barak and Arafat hope to make progress on a timetable for reaching a final peace settlement within the next 10 months. [1]

o Peace is a constant struggle, and cannot be attained by the means implored by the world.

· Bible peace is the freedom from worry.

o People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them. ~George Bernard Shaw, "Family Affection," Parents and Children, 1914

o For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe. ~Author Unknown[2]

· The Bible has a lot to say about peace.

o OT word – shalom

o Interestingly, it is used most in Leviticus and Isaiah.

· Peace, in the Bible, comes from the verb form that denotes binding together and is reflected in the expression “having it all together.”

· So, true peace is something that only comes from God, and is a complete peace. We see that in the three aspects of peace:

I. INNER PEACE – Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

a. It is an inner repose (relaxation) and quietness, even in the face of adverse circumstances; it defies human understanding.^{^[3]}

b. This peace must come from God, because He is the only source.

c. “Freedom happens when the affirmation you look for from others is replaced by the affirmation you already possess in Christ.” [4]

d. God gives us a sense of well being because of our relationship in Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for us – past/present/future tense.

e. There is a God-sized hole in each of us, and when we try to fill that with anything other than God – we will never be a peace with ourselves, others, or in this world.

f. God is concerned with our hearts (desire) and mind (thoughts). He wants our desires and thoughts to be at peace – and they only can through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.

g. That’s an inner piece that is indescribable.

II. OUTER PEACE – John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

a. True peace from God is not only an inner work, but it will be evident on the “outside.”

b. It will be seen in our behavior towards others.

c. While the world will constantly scratch, claw, and fight for every last inch, and every last penny, the Christian who exhibits peace will not be caught up in this unfulfilling whirlwind of sin and destruction.

d. Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

e. If you can’t be at peace with others around you, then there is no way that God’s peace is in you.

f. This outer piece will also been seen in our reaction to the circumstances that surround us.

g. We have a new world view, based on verses like Romans 8:28.

h. Our new worldview is based on the revelation of God that does not depend on our circumstances because God is the ultimate authority of this world.

i. I have peace knowing that no matter what goes on, God is in control and working all situations for His good pleasure and my eternal good.

III. ETERNAL PEACE – Romans 5:1–2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

a. True peace comes from knowing that through faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified with God.

b. ‘Justify’ (Heb. ṣāḏaq; Gk. [lxx and nt], dikaioō) is a forensic term meaning ‘acquit’, ‘declare righteous’, the opposite of ‘condemn’ (cf. Dt. 25:1; Pr. 17:15; Rom. 8:33). Justifying is the judge’s act^{^[5]}

c. ILL: “One of the snores that is among the loudest evidences that we are asleep to the realities of death and eternity is the casual use of the phrase “R.I.P.” We say, “Rest in peace,” to wish a departed soul on its way to … where? For whom is death restful? Have we even considered the implications of this phrase?

i. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28; emphasis mine). He also says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6; emphasis mine). And once again, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27; emphasis mine). Jesus is the way to rest, life, and peace. There is no “R.I.P.” without “R” or “P,” and Jesus is the only way to both.”[6]

d. In the judgment to come, those who have repented of their sins, believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior have already had their verdict of “not guilty” given – and there is nothing that can be done to overturn it!

e. No matter what happens on this side of eternity, we have a heavenly Father waiting for us in our eternal, heavenly home.

CLOSE:

· The world has a warped and faulty view of true peace:

o Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. --Ralph Waldo Emerson[7]

· There is no peace within yourself. The Bible tells us that before we come to faith in Jesus, we are God’s enemy (Rom. 5:10).

· Maybe the peace you seek eludes you because you have never been justified in the presence of God.

· You can today by turning to the only true source of eternal peace – Jesus Christ.

· CHRISTIAN – God’s peace is much more than just an eternal peace – it is an everyday peace within you, and towards others.

[1] http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/struggle_for_peace/

[2] http://www.quotegarden.com/worry.html

^{^[3]} Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983- ). The Bible knowledge commentary: An exposition of the scriptures (Ga 5:22–23). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[4] Twitter @PastorTullian

^{^[5]} Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (636). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

[6] http://www.ligonier.org/blog/rest-peace/

[7] http://www.bibleinsong.com/Promises/Temporal_blessings/Peace/Peace.htm

1/15/12 11 am – Joy: The Lifeless Fruit of Today’s Christianity

2012-01-15T19:30:00.001-05:00

Here the full audio by clicking the icon on the right.

SERIES: STOP DOING AND START GROWING
TITLE: JOY: A LIFELESS FRUIT IN TODAY’S CHRISTIANITY
TEXT: GALATIANS 5:22

INTRO:
· Grace of the Spirit…Love (agape – love feast) - divine, self-sacrificing, self-giving love. It is the basis, the foundation of the other graces of the Spirit.
· Today, JOY: A LIFELESS FRUIT IN TODAY’S CHRISTIANITY.
· When a person lives in the sphere of love, then he experiences joy—that inward peace and sufficiency that is not affected by outward circumstances.^{^[1]}
· GK DEF: 5479. χαρά chara, khar-ah´; from 5463; cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight:—gladness, × greatly, (× be exceeding) joy (-ful, -fully, -ulness, -ous).^{^[2]}

· Joy is a gift of the Grace of God. It is not a work that can be manufactured. WE EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF GRACE WHEN WE DELIGHT IN THE BLESSINGS WE POSSESS OF GOD.
· We often mistake the material blessings that we have as a sign of God’s approval and the source of our joy.
· But the Kingdom of God is made of the spiritual blessings of God.

o Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink (physical blessing); but righteousness, and peace, and JOY in the Holy Ghost.

· God does not saved you then cause you to live a miserable life so that you would enjoy heaven that much more (some of you believe that!), but He saves you so that you might have a heavenly, grace-filled joy that is evident to those around you TODAY!

I. THE FUN OF JOY

a. Newsflash: Joy means having fun! Fun is not just something experienced by the un-churched who live for the pleasures of the world.
b. McGee - The world has what they call the “happy hour” in {bars} ~~cocktail parlors~~ all across our land. People don’t look too happy when they go in, and they sure don’t look happy when they come out! ^{^[3]}
c. That is because the world cannot give to you the joy you seek.
d. Their joy is a manufactured fun that has no sustaining worth.

i. EX: More $, more fun…etc.

ii. EX: The more I do, the more God will “joy” in me – oppressive.

e. If your Faith is not Fun, then there is no joy.

II. THE FULLNESS OF JOY

a. John 15:9–11 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
b. We were created BY God to have joy IN God. When we seek to fill that joy with something else, we will never be fulfilled.
c. 1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
d. It is God’s joy in us that produces more joy in our life.
e. True joy does not depend on our circumstances around us because it rests in the knowledge that God is in contro.
f. That is the truth behind Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
g. We can have joy in trials because God is the source of our joy and not our circumstances.

III. THE FULFILLMENT OF JOY

a. Romans 5:1–11 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
b. Our salvation and our security in God is the fulfillment of our joy.
c. Resting in God and His promises.

CLOSE:

· 1 Peter 1:3–9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
· In spite of all that you may be going through, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ produces a joy that is unspeakable.
· Our joy is not conditional to our circumstances – because God is bigger than our circumstances.
· Our joy is not based on the world’s philosophies and material desires because the spiritual blessings of God far outweigh them.
· God’s joy is fun and filled with fulfillment. God created you to Joy in Him and there is nothing the world can offer you that will fill that need.
· Our Joy is in God, because God is in us through His Son Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
· Christian, have you lost your joy?
·Hymn Writer Loses Joy Of Salvation
· Robert Robinson, author of the hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” lost the happy communion with the Savior he had once enjoyed, and in his declining years he wandered into the by-ways of sin. As a result, he became deeply troubled in spirit. Hoping to relieve his mind, he decided to travel.
· In the course of his journeys, he became acquainted with a young woman on spiritual matters, and so she asked him what he thought of a hymn she had just been reading. To his astonishment he found it to be none other than his own composition. He tried to evade her question, but she continued to press him for a response.
· Suddenly he began to weep. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he said, “I am the man who wrote that hymn many years ago. I’d give anything to experience again the joy I knew then.” Although greatly surprised, she reassured him that the “streams of mercy” mentioned in his song still flowed. Mr. Robinson was deeply touched. Turning his “wandering heart” to the Lord, he was restored to full fellowship.
· —H. G. Bosch^{^[4]}

^{^[1]} Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Ga 5:22). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.
^{^[2]} Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. (2009). Vol. 1: A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (77). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
^{^[3]} McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 46: Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Galatians) (electronic ed.). Thru the Bible commentary (104). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
^{^[4]} Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

Why You Like Tebow Too Much

2012-01-15T14:36:00.001-05:00

In a previous post, which you can read here, I wrote about why so many people hate Tim Tebow, the much aligned, much talked about Quarterback for the Denver Broncos. In that post, I made this statement in the opening:

To be fair, there are those who are fans of Tim Tebow who go overboard the other way. But that discussion is for another post another day.

Well, today is that day. Before you read any further, please understand where I am coming from and don’t misunderstand my motives for posting this. This is not a critique of the football player. Other than the fact that he is the subject of the adoration of many, he really has very little to do with what I am talking about. From everything I have read and seen, he is very genuine about his faith and practices what he believes. This is a warning to his fans who follow him.

Have you spent much time wondering why it is that so many Christians want to champion him as the new “Face of the Faith” in everything they say and do? It seems to me as if many Christians today have an inferiority complex. They feel like if they could just point to someone famous, or popular, then they themselves would feel some sort of connection with that elusive “cool club.” {And yes, I realize that by typing the words “cool club” I probably will never be admitted into it!}. The truth of the matter is, God did not save us and set us apart to be cool, popular, or even in the mainstream. Instead, we have been called to be a peculiar, or set apart, people for God (1 Peter 2:9). Truth is, we don’t need a nee “Face of the Faith,” we have Jesus and His Word.

Also, this “Tebow-mania” reminds me a lot of the old email about how NASA found the missing day that is mentioned in the book of Joshua. The crux of the thought behind the email usually went like this:

And if NASA found it, then Bible must be true and there is no way you could deny that so now you must believe in Jesus as your savior, too…etc.

While I am not trying to pick on you if you forwarded that email sometime in the past (the truth on this issue can be read here at the Answers in Genesis website), the truth is this – we don’t need NASA or any celebrity Christian to validate the correctness of the Bible, God, and Jesus Christ. You don’t have to try to find some sort of biblical relevance for every little thing Tebow does on the football field. Even if he didn’t throw 316 yards in his first playoff victory after being told to by his owner, whose first name was John, John 3:16 would still be in the Bible and would still be wealth of truth.

At the end of the day, those who are anti-Tebow, and anti-faith, will still continue to mock and make fun of him. That much we know. What I am wondering is this: Will those who spent so much time talking to to others about this certain believer who happened to play football for a living now begin to talk as much to those same people about the Savior who motivated him and should motivate us? Maybe if more people did, then guys like Tebow would not be such a rarity to the media today. That is the real issue at play here.

Kindle Book Review: Surprised By Grace by Tullian Tchividjian

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

At the recommendation of a preacher friend of mine, and some good reviews about it from other sources, I picked up (or uploaded to my Kindle Fire) Surprised by Grace by Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) and read it as my maiden voyage with my new Kindle Fire. Books are often like movies, sporting events, and other heavily promoted items and events – your expectations are so high going in that there is no way it will live up to hype. That was NOT the case for this book with me.

I am in the habit of highlighting in my Kindle when I read (BTW – one small aspect of the Fire that could be improved upon), and this is by far the most I have ever highlighted of one book. Never before have I read something that so concisely and clearly painted a picture of the fullness of grace for not only the unbeliever, but more importantly, the believer. Unfortunately for many Christians, grace and the Gospel are relegated to their conversion experience and those times when repentance is needed for daily sin. But God’s grace is so much more than just that and Surprised by Grace points us to that liberating truth.

What may be even more surprising is that he uses the book of Jonah as his text in laying out for us the fullness of God’s grace. My only disappointment is that I have recently preached through the book of Jonah and I did not have this book to help shed some valuable insight for my study and preparation.

While I, as a non-Calvinistic Baptist, would definitely not agree with all that Tullian Tchividjian would teach and believe, this work on God’s grace is one of the best I have ever read and would be a blessing to preacher and layperson alike.

Why You Don’t Like Tim Tebow

2012-01-09T15:21:00.001-05:00

Well okay, maybe not YOU, but there are a lot of those out in traditional and social media who love to do what ever they can to belittle and mock Tim Tebow, quarterback of the Denver Broncos. To be fair, there are those who are fans of Tim Tebow who go overboard the other way. But that discussion is for another post another day. As far as why he is so divisive, and what he does that causes such vitriol? While there may be many reasons behind this, here are the two major ones that I can come up with:

He is very outspoken about his faith, and that always rubs people the wrong way. The sad truth is that most of our society couldn’t publish fast enough and loud enough how great he has been in unexpectedly leading his team to victories if they knew that he was: getting drunk with his teammates afterwards, in a sexual relationship with some Hollywood scarlet, etc. How often does the media bemoan all the bad qualities of athletes, and yet when one comes along who is the opposite of MOST, he is mocked and belittled for it? But that is to be somewhat expected from non-Christians.

What surprises me most (and maybe it shouldn’t) are all the Christians who fall into this category. But maybe it has to do with the fact that we see someone who does what we know we should be doing but have always convinced ourselves that it is impossible – sharing our faith publically and at work. Tim Tebow is an ever present example to all Christians on how to practically fulfill the Great Commission in our own life, and that convicts us.

He is doing more with less. This one is a little more tricky to spot, but I really think many have a problem with Tebow because they perceive him as having “no talent,” and yet he is leading his team in surprising fashion. Maybe the source of their negativity is in a lack of their own accomplishments. Seeing someone who shouldn’t be doing what he is doing makes them feel guilty for not doing more with their life when they have more self-perceived “talents” in their own business field.

Now, most who like to criticize Tebow will never say it has to do with either of the two listed above. But most articles, commentaries, tweets, etc. point to one of these two reasons. And at the end of the day, isn’t that one of the big problems within our society: taking our own shortcomings out on others who succeed where we fail? It is the idea that if I can blow out someone else’s light, mine will burn brighter, which is just not true.

Instead of finding reason’s to tear someone down, how about we congratulate them and then examine our own life to see whether or not we are using our talents, gifts, abilities, and blessings as a testimony for God to the benefit and blessing of others?

Sunday, 1/8/12 -- Love: The Outflow of God’s Grace

2012-01-08T17:43:00.001-05:00

Click here to listen to the full audio version of this message.

SERIES: Stop Doing and Start Growing

TEXT: Peter 3:18; Galatians 5:22

TITLE: Love: The Outflow of God’s Grace

INTRO:

· “Grow in grace” – What is GRACE = the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life

· The Fruit of the Spirit listed here in Gal 5:22-23 are what is known as the Graces of the Spirit.

· There is a different from the:

o Gift of the Spirit (Salvation): Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

o GiftS of the Spirit (Service): mention in 1 Cor. 12 – the diversities of gifts and abilities to be used within the body of Christ.

o Graces of the Spirit (Christian Character) : Galatians 5:22-23

· Before we talk specifically about the first fruit, notice the wording in 5:22.

o “Is” –The word “fruit” is singular, indicating that these qualities constitute a unity, all of which should be found in a believer who lives under the control of the Spirit. In an ultimate sense this “fruit” is simply the life of Christ lived out in a Christian.^{^[1]}

· Possibly “singular” because it is produced by a singular seed: Holy Spirit.

o EX: Apple tree=apple seed – Peach tree= peach seeds.

· It can be said that the first fruit listed, Love, is the primary and foundational fruit, and from it STEM and GROW all others.

o Love:

o What is listed in 5:22-23 are NOT several spiritual fruits that are to be collected, but a single fruit of the Christian life.

· Paul’s other writings seem to back up this idea that love is the primary fruit and from which stem all others.

o 1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (agape), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

· So then, what does the Bible mean when it says LOVE?

o It is not the sensual love thought of by most of society today.

o The Gk word used here is agapē, agapaō, which means love, or love feast.

o It is the most common word used in the NT for love.

o This is one of the least frequent words in classical Greek, where it expresses, on the few occasions it occurs, that highest and noblest form of love which sees something infinitely precious in its object.^{^[2]}

· It is a divine, self-sacrificing, self-giving love.

o It has been said that the early church took this rarely used word for love – agape – and infused it with new meaning to describe God’s special love.

I. HOW GOD LOVES US

· Knowing how God loves us will help us to learn how we are to love.

a. His Love is the Source

i. To understand that God is the source of love, it will help to go back to 5:13-15.

ii. A misunderstanding of liberty causes Christians to live a life of self-indulgence.

iii. True liberty is the not the ability to do whatever we want, but to live the life that God has created us to live for Him.

1. EX: Fish out of water – not liberty, but death.

iv. 5:16-21 - The flesh, or our old sin nature, produces works of the flesh.

v. There is a difference between “works” in 5:19 and “fruit” in 5:22.

1. Works are manufacture, like in a machine.

2. Fruit is something that is grown.

3. Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

vi. But when we tap into the power source of God, washed in the blood of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit, God produces fruit within us and through us.

vii. This is what John 15 (Vine/Branch) is all about.

1. W/Out Him, we can do NOTHING!

2. No fruit, no root.

3. But if there is a root, then there should be some spiritual fruit. This is contrary to the “Easy-Believism” that permeates Christianity today.

4. James (Wed night) is a good book that teaches the biblical truth of fruit, or works, following our conversion.

viii. John 15 shows us that our spiritual fruit should grow and grow from “fruit, to more fruit, to much fruit.”

ix. McGee - He wants us to bear much fruit. Now the fruit is produced by the Lord Jesus using the Spirit of God in our lives. He wants to live His life through us. That is the reason I keep saying that you are never asked to live the Christian life. You are asked to let Him live through you. No believer can live the Christian life himself. The old nature cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit.^{^[3]}

x. Branches don’t WORK UP fruit; they just produce it because the source of power flows it through them.

b. His Love is Sacrificial

i. God is love and loves the world

1. 1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

2. John 3:16

ii. Such self-sacrificing love that sent Christ to die for sinners is the kind of love that believers who are Spirit-controlled manifest.^{^[4]}

II. HOW GOD LOVES THROUGH US

a. To Himself

i. Matthew 22:15–22 15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. 16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. 17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? 19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. 20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? 21 They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. 22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

ii. Love is God’s, and comes to us from God, for He is the creator and owner of it. Therefore, we love God by giving back to Him what is already His.

iii. What we give, and what we give to, shows what source our love comes from.

1. If work…family…hobbies, etc. come first, then God is not the source of our love.
2. But when God is first and foremost in our life, then we know that God is the source of that love.

iv. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

v. The only reason we have the ability and desire to love God is because He first loved us!

b. To Others

i. We love God first, and then to others for His sake.

ii. We are to use the liberty we have in Christ, not for our own wants and benefits, but to serve others in love.

iii. 1 John 4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

iv. The gifts of the Spirit that I mentioned at the beginning of the message are for the benefit of the body of Christ.

v. The grace of the Spirit, and love in particular, are the collective attitude that is needed to perform these gifts.

vi. It is possible to exercise your Gifts of the Spirit without exercising the Grace of the Spirit.

vii. A bad spirit, attitude (anger, harshness, unforgiving, verbally hurtful, etc.) WHILE TRYING TO SERVE GOD is a great indicator that something is not right spiritually.

CLOSE:

God is love; He is the source of all love. And His love is a sacrificial love.

Do we exhibit love that flows from God, through us, to others?

^{^[1]} Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Ga 5:22–23). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^{^[2]} Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (701). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

^{^[3]} McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 46: Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Galatians) (electronic ed.). Thru the Bible commentary (101–102). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

^{^[4]} Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Ga 5:22–23). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Stop Doing and Start Growing: Grow in Grace

2012-01-04T12:15:00.001-05:00

{My goal is publish every Monday my previous Sunday morning’s message (Yes, I realize that I am starting this on a Wednesday!). My primary goal is to be a benefit to those who were there and want to review something that was said. But if this can be a blessing to those who are not here, then great! I don’t type out full manuscripts before I preach. This is just an outline. I will work on getting ahold of the full audio version of each sermon and posting those, as well.}

Click Here For the Full Audio Version

SERIES: Stop Doing and Start Growing

TITLE: 01 – Grow in Grace
TEXT: 2 Peter 3:18
INTRO:
· What is the primary feeling felt by the majority of Christians today: Love…Joy…? Contentment…Peace…etc?
· For many, if not most, it is …GUILT.
· We have programmed ourselves that the more we do, the more God likes us: Attendance, Bible reading, offering, evangelism, etc.
· Therefore, we think the opposite is true – when we sin, God is so angry with us that He disowns us and there is no way we can return to Him…the church…etc.
· All of this is the result of faulty understanding of the Gospel and of Grace.

o Weak definition of Grace & the Gospel that leads us to believe grace only involves us when we sin.

· Our goal is to correct this mindset in 2012:

o AM – Fruit of the Spirit – not something we do, but something that flows.

o PM – The Gospel – for Christians!

· This morning, we need to start with the issue of Growing in Grace.
I. WHAT IS GRACE?
a. Grace – charis –
b. 5485. χάρις charis, khar´-ece; from 5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act; espec. the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):^{^[1]}

i. So, Grace is not just something that God bestows upon us, but something God flows through us.

c. For many, grace is only something that involves either salvation or something we need when we sin. But grace is much more than that.

i. We are STRENGTHENED by grace – 2 Timothy 2:1–4 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

ii. We ENDURE SUFFERING by grace – 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

iii. We GIVE when GIVING IS DIFFICULT by grace – 2 Corinthians 8:1–2 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

iv. We SING when SINGING IS DIFFICULT by grace – Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

v. We ARE WHAT WE ARE by grace – 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

d. When we do not recognize and exercise the grace of God within us, it means it was given to us in vain.

i. Paul used his grace, and it was grace that used Paul.

ii. William Barclay – The Christian must daily experience the wonder of grace, and daily grow in the gifts which grace can bring.[2]

II. WHAT IT MEANS TO GROW IN GRACE?
a. Grow – the word is a present, active imperative and means to be constantly growing, not in spurts.

i. Spiritual spurts may get more initial recognition, but continual growth has lasting impact.

b. The fruit of the Spirit, which are listed in Gal 5:22-23 and we will be studying for the next couple of weeks, are evidences of growing in grace.
c. Growing in grace does mean that you must experience and go through trials and even suffering.

i. Wiersbe – We never really experience the grace of God until we are at the end of our resources.[3]

ii. The lessons learned while enrolled in the “School of Grace” always cost a lot, but are worth the price.

d. To grow in grace means to be more and more like Jesus.

i. John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

ii. We grow IN grace BY grace!

Close:
· Have you experienced Eternal Grace?
· Have you experienced Daily Grace?

o Are you growing in grace? Let’s grow in grace in 2012.

^{^[1]} Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. (2009). Vol. 1: A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (77). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter,(Saint Andrew Press; Edinburgh, Scotland, 1960), pg 415
[3] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, (Chariot Victor Publishing, Colorado Springs, COL, 1989), pg. 470

My 2012 Book List

2012-01-02T18:29:00.000-05:00

I have made it a personal goal to read at least 24 books this coming year. The reason I share my list is so that you might add to it books that would be of benefit to me. I try to vary what I read as far as style and subject. Here is my list that I have so far:

Surprised By Grace by Tullian Tchividjian
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
The Soul-Winner by Charles Spurgeon
Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology, by Roger Olson
Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 1 &2
10 People Every Christian Should Know by Warren Wiersbe
The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

This is the start of my list. What books would you recommend?

Books I Read in 2011….How About You?

2011-12-30T12:36:00.001-05:00

I am always on the look-out for good books to read on a variety of different topics. Most of the books that I read this year were on my Kindle. Personally, I have found that the Kindle has made me a better, and more avid reader.Hopefully, within a month I will be upgrading to the Kindle Fire (I could do it sooner if you would like to contribute to the fund ) But, not all my books were eBooks. Many came from a couple different publishers that I review books for, for free. So while I might not normally choose to read them, I do for the blogging review program and am pleasantly surprised sometimes. Here is my list that I read in 2011 with a quick thought about each (many of these have full a full review if you check through my 2011 blog posts):

1. The Faith of Ronald Reagan by Mary Beth Brown – Not a bad read, though it seemed a little thin, almost like it was written by a PR firm.

2. Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom by Stovall Weems – Would not recommend this book. I only read it as a part of book review program.

3. Roadmap Through Revelation by Rick Schworer – A good commentary on Revelation that was sent to me via eBook form by the author for review. Like all commentaries, you may not agree with everything, but I would definitely refer back to it when I preach through Revelation.

4. Pursuit of God – AW Tozer – I have never came across a book written by Tozer that disappoints, this one included. It is not quite to the level for me of Knowledge of the Holy, but very close.

5. Daddy Dates by Greg Wright – A surprisingly good book. There is not much “Bible” mentioned outright in it, but it is still good none the less, and look forward to implementing some of it when my daughters are a little older.

6. Who Stole My Church by Gordon McDonald – This was a very helpful book, even though it was a fictitious account of how a church learned to bridge the generational gap.

7. Holier Than Thou – Ergun Caner – The author recently joined the staff of a college that many of our missionaries a associated with, so I grabbed this book and began to read it and was glad that I did. It quickly became one of my favorite books to read as the author deals with the issue of phariseeism in a balanced way. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

8. King James Version Debated, A Plea For Realism by D Carson

9. Facts on King James Only Debate by John Ankerberg

10. One Bible Only? By Roy E. Beacham – These are three books on my list that I know many of my readers probably don’t want to see or know that I read. The reason I chose to read these three books was to balance out my understanding of the translation issue. One of the interesting facts that I gleaned from it is how both sides of the debate use the same logic to defend their position. The only difference is what verses you pick to prove your point.

11. Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff – A lighthearted and fun read, much like the website that bears the same name.

12. Sticky Church by Larry Osborne – There is a good idea here about doing small groups that are based upon the previous week's sermon. I have not quit found a way to implement that here in my church, but it still might happen in the future. This should be a book read by anyone who does small groups in their church.

13. Poke The Box by Seth Godin – This was a book on leadership/initiative that came highly recommended and it was pretty good at the time, but now that I think back on it, not much stands out.

14. Communicating For A Change by Andy Stanley – In my opinion, this is one of the best books on preaching that I have read. It is not a text book (the first half is a narrative about how the process he explains later in the book might unfold in a preachers life), and it does not promote expository preaching – but it is a tremendous help in the area of communicating your message.

15. Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by Arthur Pink. – I read this as I preached through this subject and it did not disappoint.

16. Sunday School in HD by Allen Taylor – The reason I chose to read this book was that we were/are struggling a bit in the area of Sunday School and I was looking for a reason to not just blow it up completely. After reading this, I put away the TnT and we are devoting more time and resources into moving forward in Sunday School.

17. Going Deep by George MacDonald – I read this book because of his other book I read previously this year, and this one did not disappoint either. A great book on discipling new leadership within our church.

18. This Year Is Different: How the Mavs Won it All by Bob Sturm – Here is a book that most of you would not care about, but it was great to me because it dealt with the greatest year of one of my favorite sports teams: The Dallas Mavericks. If you are a Mavs fan, or even an NBA fan at large, you will like this book.

19. The Profile of a Leader by James Rasbeary (gifted to me by the author)

20. Nehemiah: Experiencing the Good Hand of God by John MacArthur

21. A Passion For Faithfulness by J.I. Packer

22. Nehemiah: Memoirs of an Ordinary Man by Stephen Davey

23. Hand Me Another Brick by Charles Swindoll – I read through these five books this year while preaching through the first half of Nehemiah. All five were useful at times, but I found Swindoll’s the most helpful, followed by Davey’s. Those would be the two books that I would definitely recommend to you if you were studying/preaching through Nehemiah.

Well, that’s my list. Let us know in the comment section below what books you read this year

P.S. – My next post will be about what books I plan on reading in 2012, with the recommendations of others.

THE CHRISTMAS SERIES: ISAIAH’S FALLEN TREE–ISAIAH 11:1-10

2011-12-12T17:47:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 11:1-10 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, Neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, And reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, And faithfulness the girdle of his reins. 6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, And the leopard shall lie down with the kid; And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; Their young ones shall lie down together: And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, And the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. 10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, Which shall stand for an ensign of the people; To it shall the Gentiles seek:

Last week, we covered, in a three part series, our first tree: Adam’s Forbidden Tree - here, here, and here. This wee, we dive right into our next tree: Isaiah’s Fallen Tree, which deals with the prophecy of the coming of Jesus.

THE CONTEXT OF THE PROPHECY

In the first verse of Isaiah 11, the words, “stem … roots.” With the Babylonian captivity of 586 B.C., the Davidic dynasty appeared as decimated as the Assyrian army (mentioned in Isaiah 10:28-34) who came to attack. A major difference between the two was the life remaining in the stump and roots of the Davidic line. That life was to manifest itself in new growth in the form of the Rod and Branch. But while we always talk of the Davidic line to the Messiah, we see here the name “Jesse” spoken of. Why? Well, Jesse was David’s father through whose line the messianic king was to come (ref. Ruth 4:22; 1 Samual 16:1, 12, 13). ^{^[1]}

Another phrase found in that first verse I want to point out is, “grow out of his roots.” As we see from Isaiah 11:10, Jesus is the "root of Jesse.” All of this reminds us of this tremendous truth - sometimes God's greatest & most important work is like a plant's root - unseen but necessary for growth.

THE CHRIST OF THE PROPHECY

We see the name The Branch of the Lord. This is a title for the Messiah (see also Isaiah 4:2). The Messiah is also referred to as the “Righteous Branch” in Jeremiah 23:5. Jeremiah, in this chapter, denounced all the leaders (“pastors, shepherds”) of Judah for the ruthless way they treated the helpless people (vv. 1–4). Instead of leading the flock in love, they drove it mercilessly and exploited it. The shepherds didn’t visit (“care for”) the sheep, but God would visit the leaders with punishment. Because the leaders disobeyed the Law and refused to trust God, they destroyed the nation and scattered the flock among the Gentiles. God, however, promised to regather His people and transform the remnant into a nation. (The word “remnant” is used nineteen times in Jeremiah.) A remnant did return to Judah after the Captivity, rebuild the temple, and restore national life.^{^[2]}

And in a greater sense, this is prophetically filled by Jesus, especially in His Second Coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Righteous Judge.

Now, the question arises – how does this apply to our lives today?
I believe we get a greater understanding of Jesus’ teaching in John 15:1-17 by understanding Him as the Righteous Branch and the Root of Jesse. Here are three truths for us to ponder:

We bear no fruit if there is no root (vs. 4).
Love is the fruit (vs. 12-14).
And if there is no love, then there is no fruit, which means there is no root (vs. 16).

Can you open up your “spiritual cupboard” and find some spiritual fruit of love?

^{^[1]} MacArthur, J. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible : New American Standard Bible. (Is 11:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

^{^[2]} Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be decisive. An Old testament study. (103–104). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

The Christmas Tree Series: Adam’s Forbidden Tree of Genesis Chapter 3 – Part 3 of 3

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today, as we wrap up the chapter and our study of Adam’s Forbidden Tree, we notice:

THE FALL – 3:14-21

Adam’s sin brought about the fall of mankind. Which we see it play out in two curses and the cure. First is The Enemies Curse – 3:14. Unlike with Adam and Eve, there is no questioning of the serpent here. By agreeing to yield itself to Satan, the serpent is changed into what we commonly refer to as the snake today. More can be read at this at Answers to Genesis. The snake is now an everlasting reminder to mankind of the temptation of sin and the results of the fall.

Secondly, we notice The Extended Curse – 3:16-20. Let’s look at Adam and Eve individually here.

Eve - 3:16 - The word Conception in the Hebrew is heron, which means pregnancy.^{^[1]} So not only would child birth bring pain, but woman would now be under the headship of man – 3:16b. Eve, in essence, took the leadership here in this moment in the Garden, but now man was to be the spiritual head of the home. That is probably why there is such a lack of male leadership in our homes today – Satan was there that day to hear the roles given out and has been working ever since to destroy them. We see the NT application of this in Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” and Colossians 3:18, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
Adam: 3:17-20 - You really sense the fact that God was letting Adam know just how completely and utterly he failed. God, in essence, tells him, “You listened to Eve instead of Me.” And because of Adam’s sin, we see the far reaching effects it had. The ground (earth) was cursed (3:17-18), and so was mankind. Death was not a reality until Adam took of the forbidden fruit. This is what Romans 5:12 is referring to when it says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

It is interesting to note the response of Adam in 3:20. He named his wife Eve, which means “mother of all living.” In essence, we could say that Adam was the father of all dying. So by naming Eve just as he did, he is displaying his understanding of the punishment that has been meted out to them – Eve would sorrowfully bring forth life; and his actions would bring forth death to all offspring.

If this is where it ended, we would be a hopeless people. But we notice The Eternal Cure – 3:15,21. Genesis 3:15 is the first prophetic verse recorded in the Bible. In this, we see God’s redemption plan of mankind unfold. This verse is why we celebrate Christmas – the coming birth of the Messiah. In this verse, we see the struggle between Satan and God’s people, with Jesus Christ bring the ultimate and final victorious blow.

God gives them the future prophecy, and then gives them the current example – 3:21 – making coats of skin. For these coats to have been made, an animal had to of died. This was the first example of the need for death and bloodshed to cover man’s sin. This is seen throughout the rest of the book’s of Moses, and it culmination in the Gospels with the death and shed blood of Jesus. The only eternal cure for sin and death is faith in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Because the first Adam sinned, the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45) came and as a quickening spirit gave His life a ransom for our salvation today.

Adam and Eve look forward to the coming Messiah; today, we look back. They looked to the sacrifices as a reminder; today, we look to the Bible. It is God’s Word, the Bible, that reveals to us the greatest gift ever give – salvation to a lost and dying world.

THE FINALITY – 3:22-24

There is no going back to the Garden on this side of death and eternity. Unless the Lord chooses to return, death is certain for us.

The question is this: are you in fig leaves or coats of skin? There is no hiding from God, and there is eternal judgment for your sin.

But God offers eternal grace through Jesus Christ today if you will only accept it today.

^{^[1]} Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries: Updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.

The Christmas Tree Series: Adam’s Forbidden Tree of Genesis Chapter 3 – Part 2 of 3

2011-12-07T14:51:00.000-05:00

In our first post, we covered THE FRUIT. Today, we see:

THE FAILURE – 3:6-13

In this part of the chapter, we notice three different forms of failure, The first is The Failure of Wants – 3:6. How was she able to surmise all of this detail about the fruit just by looking at the tree? Because she was already thinking about it from the deceptive seed that Satan planted in her mind. The word desired is a similar word in the Hebrew that is used for covet. This is an illustration of Commandment #10 – Thou shalt not covet. She began to covet, or want, to be a god, just as Satan told her in 3:5.

This was an appeal to man’s desire to be religious. But religion never has nor never will save anyone. Satan is all too happy for you to be caught up in religion at the expense of a real relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

This desire to have something that she could not is played out in our society every day. How many people are spending money that they don’t have, to buy things that they don’t need, just because it is new…better…someone else has it…etc? How much money is being spent this Christmas season in the name of buying happiness and contentment for their kids, family, and or friends and acquaintances – which it never delivers? Eve wanted something that she could not have, and it led to disaster.

Now, how does Adam fall into all of this. Well, because Adam wanted to be with Eve, he deliberately chose to disobey God’s command and took the fruit. Did you notice that the whole time the Serpent was speaking to Eve, he was really speaking past her to Adam, who was there? That is why he used the word “ye,” which is the plural form of you. This leads to the failure of all mankind, as we will see in part three.

The second failure we notice is The Failure of Works – 3:7-10. The cover of fig leaves is an illustration of man’s attempt to cover their sin with their own good works. Verse 7 shows us that death was immediate. Not the physical death that we often think about (but that process of death began at that moment), but a spiritual death. This was the beginning of eternal separation from God. The sweet fellowship and communion they had was now completely severed. Man, no matter how hard he tries, can never cover their sins with good works or deeds.

3:8 - Isn’t that just the most pathetic scene in the entire Bible? Adam hiding in the bushes from Him who made the bushes. As if God couldn’t see him! “God’s glory is no longer their central heartbeat; it has been supplanted by their own self-preservation according to their own pitiful notions. Their very notion of God has become warped and inadequate. [1]”

The whole human race tries to hide from God – but it is pointless – there is no corner to hide in from the One who created the four corners!

Finally, we see The Failure of Why – 3:11-13. Here is where things get REAL ugly (as if it hasn’t been bad enough already!). You can almost imagine it playing out like some old TV game show from the 70’s or 80’s called “The Blame Game.” In 3:12, Adam blames Eve. Today, we blame others for our sin…situations…problems.

But really, Adam is blaming God – and we do the same. You don’t think so? Well, when we utter excuses like, “IF I had so-in-so’s talent and time I would do more…If I had more money I would give,” what we really are saying is that, “God hasn’t blessed me like He has you…” We are blaming God!

Eve blamed Satan. She was the first person to ever say, “The devil made me do it!” But the truth of the matter is that she was to blame. And we have no one to blame but ourselves when we give into temptation. The Bible tells us in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

What excuses are you hiding behind today?

[1] Phillips, Dan (2011-07-14). The World-Tilting Gospel (p. 50). Kregel Publications. Kindle Edition

The Christmas Tree Series: Adam’s Forbidden Tree of Genesis Chapter 3 – Part 1 of 3

2011-12-05T12:23:00.001-05:00

The Christmas tree has become one of the symbols of the American Christmas. Putting it up the day after Thanksgiving signals Christmas time is truly here. Now, in my opinion, there is some silliness when it comes to Christians and whether or not you should have a Christmas tree. Usually, the argument comes from Jeremiah 10:1-4. The internet is full of people quoting these verses on why we should not have a Christmas tree (Don’t tell anyone this, but we have one up in our church – oops!). Here are the facts from the text:

He was not talking about Christmas trees because they did not even exist yet. You can do hours and hours of Google searches on the origin of the Christmas tree and find all kinds “truths” about when and where the Christmas, or Yule Tree, began. So whatever your argument is, you can probably find a source of “authoritative truth” to back it up on the internet somewhere. The actual truth is probably lost somewhere in time because it is just not that important.
The context (I know, context often gets in the way of “good” preaching ) of Jeremiah’s statement was about idol worship and using the wood to build an idol to worship. We see that from the word “Palm Tree” used in verse 5. It is a Hebrew reference to a modern scarecrow in a cucumber patch. So the context of these verses is about someone who takes wood that they chopped down, fashions it into an idol, and worships it instead of God.
Now, if you are bowing down and worshipping your tree and teach your kids that at night gifts grow on its branches for them, or if you are allowing all the commercialism and trappings of the holidays to cause you to lose your focus on worshipping God and the earthly birth of God Incarnate – then there is a problem. But if not, there really is no big deal about the Christmas tree, one way or another. Those who argue these things usually don’t have a proper interpretation of Romans 14 and the issue of personal liberty in Christ. If you choose to not have a tree, then GREAT. If you choose to have a tree, that is fine, too. There is nothing to get worked up about. When we get worked up over these things, we show that our focus is not where it should be.

The tree will be our theme this Christmas season at our church, and I want to share with my readers my messages from the pulpit for this Christmas season. There are many trees that become a focal point throughout the Bible. In this blog series, we look at ADAM’S FORBIDDEN TREE – which is found in Genesis 3. (NOTE: It is my suggestion that you have your Bible opened to Genesis while reading these post. I will try to link the other Bible references for you.)

This is where it starts for mankind, and where it starts for us. If we don’t understand this chapter and this tree, we will never have a proper understanding of the rest of the Bible, salvation, grace, or how we are to live and our limitations in this life.

THE FRUIT – 3:1-5

The first thing we notice is The Deception – 3:1-3.The Bible tells us this about Satan in Revelation 12:9, “…Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.” Satan is described as a liar by Jesus in John 8 and a deceiver, and here we see why. The word used to describe him here is Subtil, which means “crafty or cunning.” His subtlety is seen in his twisting what God had said. From the very beginning of man’s existence, Satan has desired to deceive man and lead them away from God. The same is still true today.

We notice in vs. 2-3 that Eve quotes to Satan God’s command. How did Eve know this was God’s command? Read carefully Genesis 2:15-17. Did you notice that this command was given before Eve was created in 2:18-25? When Eve quoted it, it was not exactly as we have it in chapter 2. There is lots of debate and discussion about the reason why. The difference could be explained one of these ways:

Adam added on to it for Eve’s warning – this is not likely because Adam would have been adding to God’s command, and this would be considered the first sin.
Eve added her interpretation to it because she misunderstood the phrase “surely die” and thought there might be something poisonous about touching the actual tree – not likely.
Most likely – We can surmise from 3:8 that God commonly walked with Adam and Eve while in the Garden. It was probably during one of these times that God and Adam talked with Eve about this one forbidden tree and they went into further instruction about it.

Either way, we see both the deceptive and subtle work of Satan already at hand, which leads to…The Doubt – 3:4-5. Pay careful attention to Satan’s wording – “surely.” The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled (deceived) Eve through his subtilty (Craftiness),… (parenthesis mine)” Satan was clearly being deceptive in his wording in deceiving Eve, just as Herod was in speaking to the wise men in Matthew 2:8 when he said, “…Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.” Herod never planned to worship Jesus, but instead planned to kill Him.

The devil deals in deception to cause God’s children to doubt. His desire is to get you to think that sin is not that bad…not that big of a deal…God’s way is outdated…etc. He was trying to get Eve to doubt God’s love and goodness by withholding this one tree from her. Yet, God’s love is displayed in the fact that He allowed them to freely have every other tree in the Garden!

How easy is it for us today to forget the goodness of God?

Are we more like the wise men, who understood Herod’s deception and did not fall for it? Or are we more like Eve, always falling for Satan’s deceptive traps?

What do you do to prevent this from happening in your life?

What’s The Password

2011-11-29T12:59:00.001-05:00

Let me say this upfront if you have been redirected back to this blog post: I’m Sorry. My intentions is not to offend you, hurt your feelings, or make you angry at me. Maybe you saw the link and clicked on it, or are a regular reader. Please understand, I am not trying to offend you. But there is a problem. It creeps its ugly head up around this time of year. It is the “Merry Christmas” uproar.

I know, I know, what am I saying?!? This is what I am saying: why are we making a big deal about this? While I cannot prove this, I would not be surprised if many American Christians believe the following fictitious account:

When a person dies, they are immediately transported to the gate of heaven. There, some historical religious person (like Paul, Peter, or maybe Gabriel or another angel) waits to either let people in or keep them out. As you walk to the door, you knock two times and a little hinged door opens up and the voice inside asks, “What’s the password to let you in to heaven?” You excitedly and emphatically answer, “Merry Christmas!” The door then swings wide open, and you enter in to heaven as countless others stand sulking on the outside saying, “Why did I say Happy Holidays?!?”

It always amazes me as to all the people who get so bent out of shape when some department store decides to hang a banner that read Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas. It is as if some people think that Jesus was speaking to Target, Wal-Mart, etc. and not the church when He said, “Go ye therefore into all nations…” These stores are not in the business of spreading the Gospel, they are in the business of making money. That is what they base their decision on. Christians, on the other hand, SHOULD be about the business of spreading the Gospel into all nations.

So, am I saying that you should not say “Merry Christmas”? NO. I always using the phrase because that is what I am celebrating. Here is my point: instead of getting mad at a store for taking “Christ out of Christmas,” lets get upset with ourselves for thinking it is someone else’s responsibility to do what God has commanded us to do.

So now, when I see the phrase “Happy Holidays,” it is a reminder to me about my responsibility to spread the Gospel. How about you?

Kindle eBook Review: Going Deep: Becoming A Person of Influence By Gordon MacDonald

2011-11-09T16:41:00.001-05:00

ABOUT THE BOOK: The future of the Christian faith will not be determined by the number of people who fill the pews but by the spiritual depth of those people. Pastor Gordon MacDonald revisits the fictional New England congregation of his critically acclaimed book Who Stole My Church to deal with a new dilemma: What's his church's story? What is it doing that justifies its existence? The importance of these questions is anything but fiction.Through a series of e-mails and discussions with friends and parishioners, Pastor Gordon's search for their story leads him to realize that the future of the Christian faith, and thus the church, is at risk. As MacDonald says, "We seem to know how to get unchurched people to visit our buildings. We even seem to know how to draw them across the line into a declaration of personal faith in Jesus. But what we do not seem to know is how to cultivate spiritually deep people. Tomorrow's church could be headed for trouble." Deep people. People who possess spiritual awareness and maturity, people with solid, grounded, life-altering faith. MacDonald shows that the church needs people with a passion for God's presence and a desperate hunger to seek him above all things.

MY THOUGHTS: I was really interested and excited to get this book and dive right into it because I had already read his first book Who Stole My Church and really enjoyed it. Just like his first book, this is a fictitious story and you need to know that going in to it. And just like the first book, I found myself a couple of times saying, “That only works in ‘fiction land’ and probably would not happen like that or come together like that in real life.” Some of the issues, and the blend of temperaments of the people in his group, were just a little too perfect to be reality, in my opinion. But, that still did not take away from my enjoyment and encouragement from this book.

There are many issues that this book brings to light, and many things that I personally have been dealing with lately here in my ministry. We seem to be in the midst of a “low commitment” Christianity, and therefore are not training up any committed followers for the next generation. When you study the life of Jesus, while many times He taught the masses, much of His time was directed toward the training of the twelve. Yet, how often do we spend a good portion of our time not only discipling, but specifically training small groups on how to take the spiritual lead? I know I have been challenged and encouraged to spend more time and effort with a smaller group of believers who show the characteristics of committed believers who could be used for leadership in the near future.

MY RECOMMENDATION: Though I know some will not care for the fictitious style of the book and immediately scoff at it, this really was a great book for me, and it has really moved me and motivated me to cultivate some “deep” Christians in our church. I would highly recommend this to any pastor or Christian in a position of leadership and influence.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Kindle Book Review: Sunday School in HD: Sharpening the Focus on What Makes Your Church Healthy by Allan Taylor

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

BACKGROUND: Ministry professional Allan Taylor writes to all church leaders about the crucial role that Sunday School must play in producing healthy Christians who in turn produce healthy churches. He emphasizes the value of the Sunday School model to the total church ministry for its superior ability to nurture relationships and more personally stir passion for the Great Commission across every age group.

Taylor presents the sharply focused idea that all Sunday School programs are either imploding (through directionless ineffectiveness) or exploding (thanks to visionary leadership and practicing some fundamental disciplines). As such, he guides the reader toward growth principles that must be operative for any church to begin or continue a transformational Sunday School boom.

MY TAKE: Our church has really been struggling with our Sunday School department recently. So much so, I had begun the process of stepping back and evaluating its effectiveness and whether or not we needed to continue with it. As I was praying and evaluating, I came across a Twitter recommendation for this book and decided to give it a read – and I am glad I did! There is so much good and helpful information packed within this book. While I realize that much of it may not be “new,” it is all very helpful and practical. He covers the issue or Sunday School importance, purpose, and leadership, among other things.

MY RECOMMENDATION: This is a very good and helpful book for anyone to read who is involved in Sunday School ministry, or who plans to be one day. I feel so strongly about this book, I will probably be purchasing one for all of our Sunday School workers - I learned not to call them volunteers in the book, read it for yourself to find out why .

Kindle Book Review: Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross by Arthur W. Pink

2011-11-03T15:53:00.000-04:00

ABOUT THE BOOK: The words Christ spoke from the cross can inform Christians of the purpose, the meaning, the sufferings, and the sufficiency of his death. After an introduction that discusses the nature of Christ's death as natural, unnatural, preternatural, and supernatural, Dr. Arthur W. Pink clearly illustrates the lessons that can be drawn from Christ's words-lessons on forgiveness, salvation, affection, anguish, suffering, victory, and contentment. This comprehensive and accessible volume is useful for both sermon preparation and personal study.

MY TAKE: I recently felt led to preach through the seven different cries from the Cross and used this as a basis of my study, and I was not disappointed. Pink is very thorough in his coverage of the differetn statements made by Jesus while on the cross, and he also does a good job in pointing the read to the practical applications of what Jesus says. Pink also does an excellent job in going back to the Old Testament to point the read to the fulfilled prophecies of Jesus.

MY RECOMMENDATION: This would be an excellent book for any Christian, and especially any preacher or pastor. I would recommend the Kindle version as well. Sometimes I have found that older books are a little “choppy” when transferred to the Kindle, but that is not the case with this one.

Hope Springs Eternal…or Why I Was Way Too Into This Last World Series

2011-11-01T10:45:00.001-04:00

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

Man never Is, but always To be blest:

The soul, uneasy and confin'd from home,

Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

– Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

While I must admit that I do not know much about this poem listed above, I have always heard the phrase, “Hope springs eternal.” Usually, it is around the time of Spring Training when fans of baseball look forward to the upcoming season. For 25+ years, there never was too much hope for the team I rooted for – the Texas Rangers. But this season was a little different. They had just made their first ever World Series the year before, and even though they lost their best starting pitcher and a couple of other players, there was still some hope. Then the improbable happened – they made it back. Not only did they make it, but they actually were doing so well that many thought of them as the favorite to win their first ever World Series title.

I will admit up front that I have never really been into watching a full, nine inning baseball game on t.v. (always enjoyed watching it in person, though), but I really got swept up in the excitement of the World Series. I am sure that many who follow me on Twitter and Facebook observed this phenomenon, as I DEFINITELY over tweeted during the last two games. To come so close twice in game six and not win was probably one of the greatest and most excruciating roller coaster rides I have been on as a sports fan.

Sports will do that to you. Well, actually, anything you become heavily invested in will do that to you. Hope makes us more involved, more passionate, more vocal, and more invested. And we do so not knowing how it will all end. I always thought that the Rangers would win game six all the way up till David Freese hit his homerun in the bottom of the 11th inning.

Yet, we often do not get that involved, passionate, vocal, or invested in the things of God. I know this may be a bit of a cheesy statement to make, but maybe it is just my way of justifying my temporary obsession with the World Series. Does this mean that we should not be passionate about anything else other than the Lord. I know some that feel that way, but I don’t feel that is the truth to take away. To me, it is a reminder of how hope motivates us to step outside of our “normal” self and say and do things that we would no longer do. And when it comes to hope, we have the greatest hope available:

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Because of the eternal hope that fills our hearts and mind, we can and should openly rejoice and share our hope to those without any…like Houston Astros fans .

Is there anything that you found yourself becoming heavily involved and passionate about?

What are ways that we can become this passionate about our faith?

Competing or Completing?

2011-10-25T16:14:00.001-04:00

Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

This title “Competing or Completing” came to my mind as I read my wife’s blog today and thought to myself, "Man, its been a while since I posted and now she is out blogging me!" While I say that “tongue in cheek”….well, sorta ….it is true that many marriages forget that there primary purpose is to cleave to each other and begin they begin to clash and compete with each other. Each spouse thinks it is their responsibility to change the other, and in essence a competition begins to see whose "differences" are superior and should be emulated in the other. While there will always be differences in personalities, opinions, likes, etc,, those differences actually become a strength when looked at like a puzzle piece. The different shapes of the puzzle fit together in a certain way that keeps everything together. Without the different pieces, the puzzle would endlessly slide around and never form the picture that it is intended to. If every piece was the same shape with ins and outs (not sure how to describe an actual puzzle piece??), the puzzle would never be complete.

Often, couples begin to look at their differences and deficiencies and wonder, “Why don’t we have more in common…he/she just doesn’t seem to get me…etc.” But when it comes to puzzles, and our marriages, the differences are not deficiencies – they are part of a large picture and are made the way they are for a purpose. As husband and wives, we should embrace the differences, knowing that God is putting together a masterpiece of a puzzle.

How do you view differences in your relationships?

Does Spiritual Health Affect Your Physical Health

2011-09-29T09:48:00.001-04:00

We live today in a very compartmentalized society. By that I mean that we look at everything as a separate entity that does not affect the other. I thought of that this morning when I read:

Psalm 32:3 (KJV) - When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

By breaking down this verse of David’s psalm, we learn how our physical health often correlates with our spiritual health:

When I kept silence – By keeping silent, what David is implying is that he was silent in confessing his sins. We know this because the previous two verses deals with the subject of repentance.
my bones waxed old - Here, David is alluding to the physical pain he was suffering. He felt that his bones and his body were waxing, or wasting away. Think about it, the older we get the more physical pain we feel,e specially in our bones.
through my roaring all the day long – Here, David pulls back the curtain and tells us how he was roaring, or groaning, all day because of this physical pain.

So at one point in David’s life (the Bible shows us at least a couple of different instances that this could refer to) he suffered physical pain because of unconfessed sin. In the common language of today, it could be said that David pens, “When I kept silent and refused to confess my sin, my bones and body wasted away, and I groaned in pain all day long.”

Now, before anyone thinks, '”Well, that is only in the Old Testament,” let me remind you of what Paul warned the Corinthian church in relation to the taking of the Lord’s Supper:

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 KJV (27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

As I read David’s psalm today, I thought about how much my pain, both physically and mentally, is really just spiritual in nature. Many times, our physical health is tied to our spiritual condition. There is joy when our communion with God is where it should be, and we often suffer from physical ailments when stress and sin separate us from a closeness with our Heavenly Father.

NOTE: Please don’t misunderstand me and paint me as a “Health and Wealth” prosperity preacher. There are many instances given to us in God’s Word where men and women suffered physically do to no spiritual shortfall of their own. Job is an example of this from the Old Testament, and Paul is a great reminder of this in the New Testament. But truth be told, many of us suffer more as David did in this Psalm than as Paul did with his thorn in the flesh.

So, how do we combat this? Here are a few practices that I can think of:

Pray – This is what Psalm 32 is: a prayer and song of David’s reflection on the times when his physical suffering was due to unconfessed sin. I know this sounds so simple, and we know that prayer is what should be done, but do we pray sincerely and deeply as we should? I remember when I lived in Texas the family doctor we had in Decatur, Texas. He was a good Christian man, and when he found out that I was a Bible College graduate and was praying about pastoring soon, we would often spend a couple of minutes talking about spiritual things. I will always remember what he said to me (and I think my wife Darci was with me at that time), “I know a lot of people who come to my office sick, and there is nothing I can do for them because there problem is spiritual in nature.” He then talked a little bit about the importance of prayer.
Confess – Sin is the source of our pain. So if we are tired of it, we should let it go through confession in prayer. When we come to the realization that sin is the source of our health ailment, there is no earthly doctor who has the remedy.
Serve – There is joy in serving the Lord by doing good things for those around you.

What are some other ways to renew your physical health through spiritual disciplines that you can think of?

A Labor of Love

2011-09-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

1 Timothy 5:17 KJV Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

As Paul is closing his letter to Timothy, her reminds him to teach the church how they are to take care of the pastor, or elder leader of the church. While there is a lot that can be said on that subject, I will leave that for others to do at this time since I am a pastor and would not want to come off as someone who is teaching on this subject for selfish reasons. Truth be told, my church takes care of my family very well, and for that I am grateful.

What I do want to briefly touch on the last part of the verse – especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. While I know it is somewhat “taboo” to say that pastoring is a job, it is a labor, as Paul mentioned. And so, as a pastor, I often ask myself, “How well am I laboring? Am I laboring in the best areas of the ministry, or am I sacrificing the best labor to take care of some good labors?” There is so much that happens within a church, even a smaller-sized church like ours. Many good responsibilities and ministries fall under the umbrella of the church, and too often those things fall into the lap of the pastor. But is that always right?

Remember what happened early on in the book of Acts (chapter 6) when there arose a contention inside the church about the perceived neglect of certain widows. What was the response of the leadership of the church? They cast a vote and added men to the “church staff” to take care of these areas so that they could continue to do the best thing – praying and studying the Word.

I often wonder how this same situation would have been handled in today’s modern church. Unfortunately, this happens a lot and the answer is usually something along the lines of, “Tell the preacher and let him take care of it.” We have lost, in some regards, the aspect that the ministry of the church is to be done by everyone, and not just a select few. There are many responsibilities in the church that would be better handled by others in order to free up the pastor to spend more time in prayer and Bible study.

The interesting thing about laboring in word, doctrine, and prayer is that it is something that will be unseen by the average church member. And because it is unseen, the pastor is often viewed as having “done nothing” all day and wasted away his time. I must admit that there have been days that I looked back on all that I had done and found myself a little underwhelmed because there was nothing “concrete” to show for it, i.e. a visit made in the home or hospital, etc. But just because your pastor is not in your home visiting you every other day does not mean that he is not busy in the Lord’s work. Unfortunately, we will often forsake the best work of the ministry because it is unseen, for the good work that can be seen and recognized by others. Think about how your church could be revitalized if:

Your pastor had more time to pray and study uninterrupted
Everyone had a part in the ministry of the church

Please don’t misunderstand this post as a pastor trying to get out of “work.” In truth, if you take some of the ministry responsibilities from your pastor and allow him to spend more time in his office, you have created more work for him. But it is the best work! That is why I chose the picture for this post that I did. I love the opportunity I have to study, pray, and help God’s people every week. I just think that more pastor’s out there might enjoy their church and pastorate more if they were allowed to focus on the best things while the church members took care of the good things.

Book Review: The Runner’s Devotional

2011-09-12T15:34:00.001-04:00

ABOUT THE BOOK: Ever wondered if there’s a purpose to your running and what it has to do with your spiritual life? The Runner’s Devotional will inspire you in your faith while encouraging you to excel at the sport you love! This book is for runners of all levels—casual and avid, competitive and recreational—who want to improve their running skills, attain personal running goals, and grow closer to God. Fifty-two devotional readings will keep runners motivated, inspired, and running in the right direction, both on and off the road, through life’s many peaks and valleys. Each devotional includes an inspirational reading, a personal story from a runner, Scripture application, running tips, and questions to consider. Additional features include health and fitness tips, and weekly runner’s logs.

MY TAKE: First, let me admit I requested this book because I was in the last half of a successful diet and really wanted to get into long distance running. But that was BEFORE I tore both of the meniscus and my ACL in my left knee, which not only stopped the diet/weight loss, but shelved any possible notion of me taking up running. Still, I found this book to be not only interesting, but I could see it being helpful for someone who is either an avid runner, or an aspiring one to be. There seems to be many good training tips throughout, and a weekly chart to keep tabs of your progress. The book is a little “lite” on the Bible, but makes good applications from running and the nuances of marathons and training to the everyday spiritual aspect of life.

MY RECOMMENDATION: I could see this book being very helpful to anyone who is a runner, and the weekly logs at the end of each chapter seem helpful. But let me caution you on two things:

This is set up as a weekly devotional, and not an every day devotional.
This is strictly geared to the runner, and probably would not be very useful to someone who is not.

But, if you are a runner and understand that this is not a daily devotional, I think you will be helped by this book.

NOTE: Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

To Blog or Not To Blog…Is That The Question?

2011-09-12T10:03:00.001-04:00

Let me first say, “Sorry.” While I have mixed in a couple of reviews, I have not posted a true blog post in a while. It seems that for a month or so in the summer I get super busy and blogging is one of the first things to go. August was that month, and even the last part of July as I got ready for all that August would bring. We had a combined church camp, then our first Vacation Bible School that we put together from scratch. Not our first Bible School, but our first one that we did not buy the prepackaged program from a publishing company. This meant we came up with the theme, lessons, songs, crafts, games, skits, etc. It was a lot of work, but very rewarding when it was all said and done (and it saved our church a lot of money that was normally spent). Now, I could try to deny the fact that I have not posted in a while, but it is true. While I don’t know that there is anyone out there who just waits with bated breath for my post, I am sure that most people have not noticed. But if you did – I’m sorry.

Even though I may not have posted any real blogs lately, that does not mean that I stopped reading other people’s blogs. While many people will get up and read the daily paper, I usually read blogs – and a wide variety of blogs and topics. Some are long post, some are short. Some are devotional in nature, and some are theological in discussion. A couple are sports related, but most have to do with the Bible, church, Christianity, etc. My criteria for following and reading a blog is very simple: if it helps me in some way, shape, or form, I will follow. If not, then I don’t. And on regular intervals, I will re-evaluate my blogroll and drop those that I have stopped reading. Pretty simple and straight forward.

Now, this does not mean that I have to, or that I do, agree with everything I read on a blog that I follow. All this means it that that certain blog is a help to me. Sometimes reading an opposing view will help sharpen me as to what and why I believe what I do. That is why my blogroll is somewhat eclectic. And it may be why I can be somewhat eclectic in my practice of faith and why I do not necessarily fit into one “camp” or another. Seems as though there are some who think I am a little too “liberal,” while others feel as if I am too “pharisaical” in practice. But at the end of the day, I suspect that are many more preachers, pastors, and Christians like myself – they just aren’t as vocal as the extremes of both sides. At the end of the day, we must be fully persuaded in our own minds (Romans 14:5).

And as I thought about the reason why I choose to read and follow certain blogs, it reminded me once again of the importance of using my blog to be an encouragement for whoever may read it. Encouragement is not always a pat on the back, but sometimes it is the illumination of God’s Word to certain areas of my life that need to be improved. But never is it mean-spirited, hateful, or accusatory – and neither should my blog be! I understand that I might be in the minority on that one, especially considering how many blogs, websites, and even ministries seem to be devoted to being as mean-spirited and crude as possible while pointing out supposed short-comings. These folks often remind me of those who are trying to preform eye surgery on an unsuspecting brother or sister in Christ to remove a small splinter while a huge rafter beam is sticking out of their eye (Luke 6:42).

I hope and pray that you are reading this because somewhere along the way you were helped or encourage, and it is my prayer that will continue to happen in the future.

Free Book Give-away

2011-08-29T16:47:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to an free book give-away by Tyndale Publishers on parenting. Go and check it out.

http://www.tyndale.com/blog/?p=1243

DVD Review: Desiring God by John Piper

2011-08-26T16:12:00.001-04:00

I recently have finished watching John Piper’s 10 part series on “Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God.” I must admit up from that I have never read the original book Desiring God, so this was my first exposure to this line of thinking. One of the issues I had to try to get around, and still have not completely done so, was his use of the word “hedonism.” While I understand what he meant by that (Completely desiring and joying in God), it is still shocking to me. That is probably due to my exposure to the word in a different context early on in my life, which has shaped my view of the word now. Maybe that was the point in using the word. But I know that my wife was casually watching it with me and the moment she heard that word, she asked me, “What is he talking about?”

Again, while my viewing of this series was mostly positive, I did not have a study guide to go along with the videos. This probably would have enhanced the experience, though I cannot say for sure since I did not have it. Without them, the videos seemed really short and choppy. So, if you are thinking about purchasing the video, you should probably get the Study Guide to go with it. But even with the “choppy” feel of the videos, there was plenty of information packed into it. At times it seemed that he was a little “heavy” on references outside of the Bible, but there was plenty of Scripture to back up his main thought of joying in God.

I received this DVD for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

PERSISTING IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION: MOCKERY

2011-08-09T10:23:00.001-04:00

Nehemiah 4:1-6 KJV But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. (2) And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? (3) Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. (4) Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: (5) And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders. (6) So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.

Chapters four through six of Nehemiah deal with the opposition that Nehemiah and the people faced as they rebuilt the walls and the gates of Jerusalem. By my count, there are 5 different forms of opposition that they faced. Some commentators and theologians break it down to as many as nine, but for the sake of our study, we are going to divide it into five different forms of opposition over the next couple of blog post. Why all of this opposition? Well, we must remember that there is an adversary, who makes like a roaring lion, seeking to devour those who give their life to the Lord. And even though Satan may not be mentioned by name, it does not take a CSI team to find his fingerprints all over the place here in chapter four. When the enemy sees progress is usually when they will speak up and do what they can to discourage the Christian from continuing on. But we must always remember that opposition is an opportunity for the Christian to grow.

By the way, not all criticism is evil. Constructive criticism is good; destructive criticism is evil. You have to be able to determine the motive, value, and hear to the criticism. Reminds me of a story I came across of a shipwrecked crew who had been drifting for days in a small boat off the coast of Brazil. They were suffering the horrors of thirst but they dare not drink the seawater because the salt would make it even worse. They saw a vessel coming towards them, and called out, "Water, water!" "Dip your bucket over the side" they were told. They thought they were being mocked. But no, the water was fresh. They had drifted into the flow of the mighty River Amazon bearing fresh water far out to sea. (http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/illustrations-about-mocking.asp)

The first form of opposition I want to deal with is Mockery, which we find in 4:1-6. Remember when you were a kid and someone would tease you or make fun of you? One of the first responses was usually the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But the truth of the matter is that words do hurt, and your spiritual enemy knows this. This attack is especially true when you take on the role of a leader. It was Chuck Swindoll who rightly stated, “Unpleasant though it may sound, you haven’t really led until you have become familiar with the stinging barbs of the critics (Hand…Brick, pg 65).”

This is why mockery is one of the forms of discouragement Satan throws at a Christian. You have to be prepared for the world to mock you for your faith.Jesus warned us in John 15:18, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” And Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” How well do you handle the mocking of others when you serve the Lord? We see from this portion of Scripture how to deal with mockery.

RESPONSE OF THE PERSECUTORS – 4:1-3

The first thing we notice about those who were persecuting Nehemiah and Israel was that they listen to what is happening, as we read in 4:1. You may not be paying attention to them, but your critics are paying attention to you. That is why we can never take a moment off as a Christian.

Now, who was it that they heard this information from? We covered this a bit in chapter 2, but maybe it was Eliashib, as you can read in 13:4,7-9. Maybe it was some folks from Judah, as you read later in the chapter in 4:10. Or maybe it was those who are mentioned in 6:17-18. The fact of the matter is there was lots of opposition. But who was telling them was not important to Nehemiah, which may be why their name is not specifically recorded. You can’t worry about trying to make everyone happy and pleasing everybody.

The second thing we notice is that they loathe and laugh at what is happening, as we see in 4:2-3. These types of people can be referred to as “sidewalk supervisors.” They are the ones who are doing nothing for God, yet are critical of those who do. Tobiah criticized and laughed at “their wall,” when it really was God’s wall. The critics often have the wrong view of a subject. These critics could not see or sense the source of Nehemiah’s spiritual strength – God. When people look at problems and projects through the eyes of humanity, they become critical of ideas and projects that require great faith to be accomplished. Sanballat and Tobiah both tried to use their words to cause despair. By the way, mark this down - Critics run with critics.

The world does the same today by trying to make the Christian feel inferior and silly for practicing their faith and living for the Lord. The world is pressuring the Christian to conform to their way of thinking. But if you conform, the world considers you a hypocrite and you lose your testimony; if you do not conform, you are a fanatic. Either way, there is no pleasing the world so we should not even try or worry about it. Remember this about those who mock and ridicule – it is often a sign of bitterness and or anger issues. Warren Wiersbe has a good though when it comes to this issue – Ridicule is a device used by ignorant people who are filled with jealousy. (Outlines…pg 390)

REPLY BY PRAYER – 4:4-5

Facing criticism while living by faith is a form of spiritual warfare. This is a warfare that is won on your knees. A Christian who is constantly on their knees will not be a Christian who retreats. When Nehemiah was faced with this problem, he did not turn and run. Turning and running from a problem never solves it, but often makes it worse in the long run. Sometimes, the hardest part in dealing with a problem is just getting up the courage to face it. You do this through prayer. And we see that Nehemiah prayed.

It can be said that while Nehemiah’s enemies talked about him amongst themselves, Nehemiah talked about them to God. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 15:28-29, “The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things. (29) The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.” Many Christians need to retrain how they react to negative words and situations. The less you say to your enemies, the more you allow the Lord to speak to them. And remember this - it is hard to talk bad and gossip about someone you are earnestly praying for. Instead of worrying about what others are saying, Nehemiah prayed about it. Worry leads to panic, and panic leads us to try to fix a problem on our own and that is usually when it goes wrong.

Notice with me who he prayed to. Nehemiah’s prayer was directed towards God – the one who could do something about it. He responded to God first because that was who he always carried is troubles and trials to. The one we go to first in times of trouble is a reflection of who we trust the most.

You also notice what he prayed about. Nehemiah prayed privately what he wanted to say publically about and to his enemies.

RETURN TO THE PRIORITY – 4:6

After praying to God, we notice the response of the workers. Nehemiah and the people ignored the mocking and just kept working. Many times, the best response is often no response. The people continued to work as they prayed because prayer is no substitute for work. Every Christians must continue to not only pray, but work and serve the Lord persistently. A critic is one who demoralizes; a leader is one who encourages. Remember, Satan does not create, he only destroys. Don’t allow the heartless, fact-less critics get you off track.

Satan sent ridicule because he wanted to get Nehemiah and the people to leave the work and engage in a back in forth with him. If Nehemiah and the people had stopped the work to answer and argue their critics, their enemies would have said, “See, told you.” The best answer you can often give is no answer. Don’t let the critics bother you, just keep working and serving the Lord.

Secondly, we read about the rise of the wall. They got the building up completely in circumference and halfway up in height. It is often at this point in a large project that you become a little discouraged. The children of Israel did not notice the half that they finished; they noticed the half that remained. You could say they were a “glass is half empty” personality. Let’s determine to focus on what God has done, and that will encourage us to see that God will finish it, as well.

Finally, we notice the reason for the workmanship. This may be one of the most important verses in the book. They had a mind to work because their heart was in the work. When serving God, leading your family, or whatever the challenge is before you, if you are not motivated by love then your mind will give out and you will eventually give up. But too far often today, many Christians have a mind to quit, a mind to turn back, and a mind to do just enough to get by. We would do good to remember what the Bible tells us in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

If you live by faith every day, especially in public, you will be mocked just as Nehemiah and the children of Israel. The question is not if it will come, the question is how will we respond? Do you respond with prayer and persistence? Continue to pray, and continue to serve. The work is not finished.

The Deception of Sin

2011-07-26T11:24:00.002-04:00

Romans 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

I could not help but think of this verse and the topic of the deception of sin this morning. As a pastor, I have the privilege of speaking and counseling with many people. My heart often breaks for those who are grieved by the choices of the family they love. Fathers and mothers praying and pleading with their children and grandchildren; kids hoping and praying that their family will stop sending them to church on the church van and actually come with them one Sunday morning; a strained relationship between spouses that weighs heavy on their heart. Unfortunately, I could go on and on. Why so much heartache? Why so much hurt and confusion? It is a simple answer, with devastating consequences – sin.

Satan has fed mankind the lie that sin is not that big of a deal, and there are no consequences to deal with. When that young lady decides to take that first drink of alcohol, she never plans on becoming a drunk who ruins her family, and even worse, takes the life of a innocent bystander because of her choice to drink and drive. That young man, when he decides for the first time to search and find pornography on the internet, never thinks that eventually his heart will grow away from his wife and kids and he seek immorality with another woman and tear his family apart and scar his children for life. Often, when faced with the temptation of sin, we do not consider the long-term consequences that it will bring. Unlike Moses, we decided to enjoy the pleasures of sin, but that pleasure is fleeting. We have been deceived, and the pain and destruction can last a lifetime.

But God has not left us without an answer.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

What is needed today is honesty. Honesty with ourselves – yes, we have a sin problem. No more excuses. And honesty with God – God, I am a sinner. By your Holy Spirit working through me, help me to recognize my besetting sin and lay it aside. Let’s make this our prayer today.

A Good Blog I wanted To Share With You Today

2011-07-18T10:44:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to a good blog post that I wanted to share with you today about taking in account the entire Word of God, and not just a verse or two: http://tjrds.blogspot.com/2011/07/isolated-texts.html

Proper Planning – Part 2 of 2

2011-07-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

Nehemiah 3

In part one, dealing with the issue of proper planning, we saw the Head of the plan. Today, we see:

THE HELPERS OF THE PLAN

As great of a leader as Nehemiah may have been, it would have been nothing if the people did not follow him and do the work. They were willing to work Wherever. Everyone who wanted to work was allowed to. While some got to stay close to home and work, others had to commute to other parts of the city for their responsibility. Everyone did not necessarily work where they were trained/experienced – 3:8-9. Here, we see a goldsmith, a pharmacist, and a politician, working side by side the walls and the gates. One of the great aspects about a church is that you get all kinds of people, from all walks of life, whose paths would for no other reason ever cross, working side by side serving the Lord.

We also notice that They were willing to work Without Complaining. Some had to work in more difficult places, and did so with out complaining. Some did more work than others, without complaining – 3:11, 19, 21, 24, 27, 30. You notice a phrase that is repeated in these verses: another piece. These people did their responsibility – and then some. When it comes to the church, we need to understand that not everyone gives the same or does the same amount of work. But everyone does their responsibility, and those who do or give more don’t complain.

Luke 12:48 …For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required….

Instead of looking around and comparing what you are doing in the church compared to others – just do more!

Not everyone had the most desirable place to build on the wall, but they had a good attitude, a smile on their face that originated from their heart – 3:14. Here we read of someone from a royal family working in what amounts to their sewage system. Compare this to the following verse – 3:15. Wouldn’t you rather work near the fountain and not the sewer?! This just shows the heart of many who worked in that they did so without complaining, even when others had a “better” job than they did. Too many times today we get stuck with a difficult task, and instead of embracing it and tackling it we complain that we have it harder than others and that it is not fair. We need to have the attitude of 3:20. The word “earnestly” in the Hebrew means to glow, to be zealous. There are a lot of times where we may do what is right, but not earnestly with zeal. Let’s all find our place on the wall here at the church and work earnestly with a zeal and passion for the Lord.

Now, we see…THE HINDERERS OF THE PLAN

No matter how great and important a plan may be, there will always be those who try to hinder it. Satan is in the hindering business, and he uses people as his pawns for this purpose. We notice two hindrances here from chapter three.

The first hindrance we notice is that Some Refused To Work – the nobles – 3:5. The church is likened to a body.

Ephesians 4:16, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

When a certain body has a part that does not function properly, that body is considered handicapped, or disabled. The same can be said about the church today when a Christian refuses to do their part in the work of the Lord. You are here today because God has led you and your family here. If you refuse to work, you cause this body of believers to be spiritually handicapped and prevent us from reaching the goals that God has set before us.

So, while some refused to work, we notice that… Some Returned to the world –Eliashib - 3:1, 20-21 ;13:4, 7-9. Here, we read about the sad case of Eliashib. It is sad because here was a man that was working on the wall, helped to repair the gates, and yet will eventually turn his back on his brethren. He was allied, or married into, the family of the enemies of Israel – Sanballat and was in alliance with Tobiah. As we will talk about this more when we get to chapter 13, this reminds us that it is not only important to start right, but to end right.

The Bible says there is joy in heaven when a sinner repents and is born-again, and I rejoice too. But the longer I pastor, the more and more I rejoice over those who remain faithful. Lets determine to not be a hindrance, but to get involved in the work, and not turn back,

By all accounts in reading this portion of Nehemiah, we can honestly say that it is not the most exciting chapter of the Bible. But when we consider all that is accomplished in this chapter, we can say that it is an unexciting chapter that leads to an exciting conclusion. That conclusion being the rebuilding of the walls and gates.

And I believe this is typical of our lives today.

For the most part, our lives are often not that “exciting.” The task of everyday living and fulfilling the plan we have in place for spiritual success can be sometimes monotonous. But it is through everyday consistency that God blesses and rewards the Christian. Have a plan – work that plan – and don’t allow yourself to be hindered from it.

Proper Planning - Part 1 of 2

2011-07-13T16:33:00.002-04:00

NEHEMIAH 3

As we come to chapter 3, we come to place where the “rubber meets the road.” Nehemiah developed the burden for the city; he passed that burden on to the people; now it is time to build. It has been said that the hardest part of any task is just getting started. That’s why tomorrow is the favorite day to do everything! Accomplishing anything for God, whether it is through ministry here in the church God has led you to, or in raising a godly family, is a task that requires proper planning. But many Christians never succeed in their plans because they lack the proper planning. It has been said well by others before us in relation to accomplishing any task before you, that if you fail to plan, then plan to fail. What is your plan for yours and your family’s future? We learn from this third chapter of Nehemiah two parts of a successful plan, and we also will see what can hinder that good work.

The first thing we notice is…THE HEAD OF THE PLAN

In every family, organization, job, etc., that has to be someone who is ultimately in charge to have a plan in place. This individual is the one that God has burdened his or her heart for the situation at hand. In our text, Nehemiah is that person. In many ways, what we read here is an example of the New Testament church. We are given a good blueprint for how not only our personal lives, work situation, and families should be run, but also this church.

The first thing we notice is The Responsibility of Nehemiah’s plan. Nehemiah had a responsibility to find a place for everyone to work. If you notice, he assigned many of them to area where they lived. 3:1 – the priest by the sheep gate, which they considered to be holy ground because it was the place that the sacrificial lambs would enter in that they used for the atoning services. By the way – this would be the same reconstructed gate that Jesus, the Lamb of God, would enter the city through! Reminds us that you never know who or what your work will be used for – so do it to the best of your abilities.

Nehemiah also had the task and responsibility to motivate the people to work and fulfill their task. There were a lot of people doing jobs that they never had done before. Many kings, priests, etc who may have never picked up brick laying and carpentry tools in their life and now hammering away at the gates and slopping mortar for the walls. People, whether it is in our families or in the church, are often crippled by fear. It is the job and responsibility of the leader to motivate them to continue on. And the greatest way to motivate is by being a loving example. Think about Nehemiah – he did not scold the people for allowing the walls and gates to get into such poor condition. He wept with them, and took on the responsibility of a construction foreman, a job for which he had no known experience.

Now, we notice The Reason for Nehemiah’s plan. The main Purpose of Nehemiah’s plan was to protect the people. They needed these walls and gates to protect themselves from the enemy that surrounded them. That is the obvious reason here, but lets look at the not so obvious…What it Pictures. These gates represent different aspects of the Christian life. (From Warren Wiersbe):

Sheep Gate – 3:1 – reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Not only was this the first gate repaired, it is the only gate with no lock, representing that anyone can enter into the gate of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The Fish Gate – 3:3 – reminds us of Soul Winning and how Jesus has called us to be fisher’s of men.
The Old Gate – 3:6 – reminds us of God’s unchanging truths, and how we are to seek the Old Paths of the Bible. While the world is always looking for something new, we look to the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The Valley Gate – 3:13 – reminds us of the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ who left the glories of heaven to take on the form of man to be our sacrificial saviour. The valley’s of life may not be enjoyable, but God often leads us through them for our good and His glory.
The Dung Gate – 3:14 – Reminds us of the daily cleansing we need from sin as Christians - 2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
The Gate of the Fountain – 3:15 - Is an illustration of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39).
The Water Gate – 3:26 – This speaks of the Word of God. This is also the 7^th gate, and the #7 represents completion in the Bible – the perfect Word of God!
The Horse Gate – 3:28 – The horse represents war and warfare, which is a reminder to us that the Christian life is a battle, and we have an advisory, the devil.
The East Gate – 3:29 – Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. This east gate is a reminder to us the Jesus is coming soon.
The Miphkad Gate – 3:31 – The word Miphkad in the Hebrew means command, assignment. It reminds us that we have a command to live for the Lord and will have to give an account to Him one day.

We need to recognize what gates we have allowed to deteriorate and formulate a spiritual plan to rebuild them once again.

POTENT LEADERSHIP QUALITIES – Part 3 of 3

2011-07-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

Nehemiah 2:11-20 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. (12) And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. (13) And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. (14) Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass. (15) Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. (16) And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. (17) Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. (18) Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. (19) But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king? (20) Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.

In part one we covered the first quality in a good leader, they Privately Inspect the Conditions. In part two, we saw that a good leader is Personally Involved in the Conflict. Today, we will cover the final quality:

PERSISTENT IN SPITE OF THE CRITICS – 2:19-20

When considering critics, and the pest that they can become, member this, “There is no opportunity without critics (Davey, pg 50).” We notice in verse 19 the Response of the Critics – 2:19. Who were these critics? Sanballat was governor of Samaria. Tobiah ruled Ammon. Geshem ruled the Arab nations with his sons. So, as we see, Nehemiah and Israel were surrounded by critics. Like Elijah of old, sometimes it may seem that our enemies surround us and outnumber our friends. But remember, everything and everyone that opposes God will oppose you when you step out by faith to serve Him. “There is no opportunity from heaven without opposition from hell (Swindoll, pg 58).”

We notice that they ridiculed and mocked them. And when we get to chapter 4, we see that this is a favorite tactic of theirs. It has been said that, “Mockery and ridicule are the weapons of those who have no other.” Public ridicule is still the norm today for those who oppose God and the Bible. We see that in the Media…Hollywood…and Public Educational System. And if they can’t embarrass you, they will try to intimidate you, just as they tried to intimidate Nehemiah. But Nehemiah understood what was penned many years later in the New Testament in 1 John 4:4, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

In verse 20 we see Nehemiah’s Response to the Critics – 2:20. When you face opposition, understand that opportunity is just around the corner. Nehemiah did not allow his critics to deter or stop his work for the Lord. You family, church, co-workers, etc. are depending upon your leadership – don’t give up and don’t give in! The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

I remember reading an illustration somewhere about a boy who was being bullied for his lunch money everyday of $2.50. So one day he decides to sign up for karate lessons so he could defend himself. He showed up for his first lesson and the instructor tells him it will cost in $5 a lesson. So, he decides the next day to just give his money to the bully because the fight is not worth it! Too many Christians today are willing to “pay the bully,” than to stand up and fight and build for the Lord. The work is worth it so give it your all.

So, as we close this three part blog series, how do you rate as a leader? Remember, you’re only a leader if someone is following you! Get alone with God and get a God-given burden for your family, you church and the Lord’s work. Enlist the help of those around you and motivate them to fulfill God’s purpose. And don’t let anyone deter your from fulfilling your responsibility. Let me leave you with a thought from Dr. V. Raymond Edman – It is always too soon to quit!

POTENT LEADERSHIP QUALITIES – Part 2 of 3

2011-06-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

In part one, we studied the first great quality of a leader, he PRIVATELY INSPECTS THE CONDITION. Today, we look at the second quality:

PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN THE CONFLICT – 2:17-18

The first quality of a leader is to Identify with the Brokenness – 2:17a. The word “reproach” here means, “a disgrace, to look down upon.” Nehemiah did not want God to be looked down upon by the heathen around them. Notice once again that Nehemiah used the words, “we” & “us.” Whether on the jobsite or in the home, when all you do is cast blame and criticism, you squelch motivation. But when you identify with the problem, you encourage motivation (Swindoll, pg 56). What Nehemiah prayed in private (1:6-7) is what he said in public. Mark it down - our private words eventually make it to the public. When God places you in a position of leadership (church, job, family, etc.), it is good to remember that you cannot do it all alone.

The second quality of a good leader is to Identify the Burden – 2:17b. Nehemiah made an honest assessment about the situation, not sugar-coating their condition or viewing it through rose-colored glasses. Nehemiah did not threaten or offer incentives, but appealed to their inner desire to please God and do right. What great advice for parents today!

He did not care that they had lived there in that condition for so long that they may have grown used to it and not want to put in the hard word to change. Nehemiah knew that his burden came from God, and he was not going to compromise it for anything or anyone. Every believer needs a burden & a ministry from God for God. It would be good to remember the words penned by Matthew Henry, who once wrote, “Many are weak in our duty because we are cold, indifferent, and unresolved to it.” Nehemiah was moved by God because of the great need, and he shared that burden with those around him.

The third step a good leader will take is to Identify the Blessings – 2:18. When God leads, God provides – and we should let those around us know! When the people see the credentials that the king has given him (remember, this is the same king who stopped the work during Ezra’s day), and they hear his stirring speech on the blessings of God, the people are moved to do something.

“And they said…” – they did not try to tell Nehemiah about the times under Ezra that they tried to rebuild the walls and failed. Too many Christians today are content with the disrepair around them and or they are discouraged because of past mistakes and failed attempts.

Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Nehemiah knew that God could do it because He had already did it in the heart of the king, and in sharing this it convinced the Jews that the time was now to begin to rebuild. This is when Nehemiah became a leader. You are not a leader if no one is following – you’re just on a long, lonely walk! The people needed Nehemiah, and Nehemiah needed the people. You can get a lot more done for the Lord when there is one head and many hands!

Notice the word Work – this is a word that will continue to come up as we study this great book. The Bible never separates spiritual and secular work as if they are different. The Bible teaches that to the child of God nothing is secular, and everything is sacred and spiritual.

Paul was a tent maker to help fund his ministry of starting churches that could not afford to take care of him.
Moses was a shepherd for 40 years before God called him to lead Israel out of the bondage of Egypt.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer, which put him into position to be used of God to get the funding needed for the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

We should remember what Paul said to the Corinthian believers in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” Our problem today is that we often compartmentalize everything when we shouldn’t. No matter what you are doing, and where you are doing it, do it all for the glory of God.This was a good work because it was what God wanted, and it was being done to glorify God.

In our third post, we will look at the final quality of a good leader - PERSISTENT IN SPITE OF THE CRITICS.

POTENT LEADERSHIP QUALITIES – Part 1 of 3

2011-06-27T15:49:00.001-04:00

As we continue our study of Nehemiah, we see that the battle leaves the throne room and is now out in the open for all to see. We see that Nehemiah has a certain pattern to his life – pray, work, and then pray again. It could be said that prayer was the bookends of his life. It was this pattern that established Nehemiah and one of the greatest leaders known to man. Leadership has been defined as, “The art of getting people to do what they ought to do because they want to do it.”

Everyone reading this today serves a two-fold purpose as not only a follower, but a leader. You may be a leader in the church, the job site, your circle of friends, or in your family. The question we must ask ourselves today is this: How do we rate ourselves, or how effective are we, as leaders? Let’s notice together today Three Potent Leadership Qualities Nehemiah exhibited that should be evident in all of our lives today:

PRIVATELY INSPECTS THE CONDITION – 2:11-16

It has been said that a wise leader knows when to plan, when to speak, and when to work (Be Commentary, Wiersbe). This is evident in the life of Nehemiah. The first thing we notice is that he was Separated unto the Lord – 2:11. As Nehemiah enters the city with the king’s army, no one in Jerusalem seems to take much notice. But though they took little notice of him, he took great notice of them and their state.

As we will notice in 2:12, it was during these three days that Nehemiah got alone with God and God gave him the burden for the true condition of the city and the walls. I am sure Nehemiah was ready to get started, and the temptation was to jump right in to the work – but he waited 3 days for the Lord lead.

As a leader, whether it is in the workforce, in the church, or in our family, we must be willing to get alone with the Lord and wait on His timing. Often times today, we desire so much to be in the forefront of everything that we never take the time to get alone with God in obscurity. Think about the Apostle Paul. Soon after his miraculous conversion he spent three years in the desert alone with the Lord before he began his ministry.

The key is to be what you ought to be when no one is looking. Be faithful behind the scenes (Swindoll, pg. 54). It is easy to do what is right when others are around and you will be held accountable to them – but what about when no one will notice?

The second truth we notices is the Solitude of the Responsibility – 2:12,16. This is the work and responsibility of leadership that most people never see; and it is here that you will gain the respect of others. One characteristic all successful leaders share is the ability to know how to handle themselves in solitude.

God had placed a burden in Nehemiah’s heart, but he waited to tell everyone about it – they must not of had Facebook or Twitter back then! As a leader, you must be careful to not publicize your plans too soon before the people they will benefit are able to appreciate them.

It was not a mistake that Nehemiah chose to go at night. He saw more at night than the residents saw in the daylight, for he saw the potential as well as the problems. This is the mark of a great leader (Wiersbe). As a leader, there will be many sleepless nights as you are burdened with conditions as others slumber to the need around them.

Another reason, which we will cover in a later post, why he went at night was because there were some within the city who were aligned with Jerusalem’s enemy – you can read about it in Nehemiah 6:17-19.

The third observation we make is that Nehemiah Saw the Need Firsthand – 2:13-15. Chuck Swindoll has said that, “The secret of successful leadership is doing your homework.” It was the responsibility of Nehemiah to be fully aware of the details and to develop a plan of action.

The first step is always to understand fully the task at hand. That is why he inspected the walls for himself instead of just going off the report he was given in chapter 1. As he inspected the circumference of the walls, history says it was over a mile around. The new walls needed to be 3-4 feet thick, and 15-20 feet high.

The individual who is able to stand back, being fully aware of the facts, and yet not list in them, is the one best equipped to lead. Nehemiah did not overlook the problems, nor did he allow them to overwhelm him. We cannot ignore the needs around us, but must honestly asses them if we are going to be a part of the solution.

PLANNING FOR THE PURPOSE–Part 2 of 2

2011-06-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

Nehemiah 2:1-10 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. (2) Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, (3) And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? (4) Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. (5) And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. (6) And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. (7) Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; (8) And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. (9) Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. (10) When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

In Part 1, we read about the Encounter. Next we see…

THE EDICT – 2:6-8

There are three points I want to bring out in relation to the King’s edict, or response. First, we notice The Secret Companion – 2:6. It is no accident that when Nehemiah recounts the day, he makes a mention of the queen getting involved in the discussion. There is good reason to believe that this queen was none other than Esther. This may be why now that the king is more favorable to what is going on now. Remember, the book of Esther covers the time between ch. 6-7 of Ezra. And it was in chapter 4 of Ezra that this king stopped the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Now that Esther is queen, she may have softened the king’s heart to the plight of Israel, which is why he now is helping them instead of hindering them.

Secondly, we notice The Solicitation for Contributions – 2:7-8a. While Nehemiah was praying, he was also doing some planning. Too many people today have no plan for their life, and they call it, “living by faith.” Chuck Swindoll once wrote, “The presence of faith does not mean an absence of organization (Hand me another brick, pg 37).” Nehemiah planned because he had faith that God was going to answer his prayers. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 16:1, “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.” Proverbs 16:9, “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

A lack of a plan shows a lack of faith in God answering your prayer. If you are praying to God and have faith that God will answer it – then have a plan and be prepared for when He does answer. The enormity of Nehemiah’s plan reveals to us the enormity of Nehemiah’s faith. In asking for all that he did, it would be the same as if the mayor of your city not only agreeing that you should build a new church building, but the city offering to finance the entire build for free. We serve a big God, so let’s pray some big prayer, and formulate some big plans!

Finally, we see The Sovereign Compassion – 2:8b. Even though Nehemiah was the one who made the request, and he had a plan in place for when the time was right – he still recognized that it was the hand of the Lord and gave God the glory. “It was not because Nehemiah was smart, but because God was sovereign. It was not because Nehemiah was great, but because God was gracious (Steven Davey , Memoirs).” This proves that delays to prayer are not necessarily denials. God was working in not only Nehemiah’s heart, but the king’s, as well. Continue on in prayer and allow God to fully work through the situation.

THE ENEMY – 2:9-10

One of the interesting aspects that I noticed in comparing and contrasting Nehemiah and Ezra was The Different Method – 2:9. When Ezra made his return to Jerusalem in Ezra 8:22-23, he did not want any help from the king or his army. Yet, we see that Nehemiah did not refuse the help. What this reveals to is that God does not always lead the same way. We don’t always have to imitate everything that those before us have done.

Whether it is breaking the cycle of sin that has plagued the previous generations of our families, or serving the Lord here at the church today – just because something was done a certain way in the past does not automatically mean that it has to be done that same way today. If you grew up in a family that did not serve God – you can change. If you are resistant to change, you need not be. The seven last words of the dying church are, “We’ve never done it that way before.”

When it comes to serving the Lord, we have it ingrained in our minds that new is always bad, or a compromise – but that is not true. Everything old, whether it is music, or a program, etc was new at one point. We reject new things because they are not biblical, not because they are different. As a church, we must embrace new things as God sends them our way and use them for the glory of God if we want to reach the next generation for Christ.

As much as is concerned with the critics, we notice The Differing Men – 2:10. Mark it down, whenever you step out by faith and try to make a difference for God – there will be critics. When you experience criticism and opposition, it does not necessarily mean you are outside the will of God. Sometimes, it reveals that you are right in the center of God’s will for your life. Don’t allow the “negative nellies” to get you off the path of your faith.

As we close this portion of Nehemiah, let me ask you: Are you planning for God to answer your prayer? Do you have a plan in place for God to use you to rebuild your family/church? If God is leading you, don’t be afraid to take a new path in serving Him.

PLANNING FOR THE PURPOSE–Part 1 of 2

2011-06-21T16:26:00.003-04:00

In chapter 1 we learned a lot about prayer from Nehemiah. Now, we are going to learn about the importance of planning. It is good to have a plan in place, just as we will see Nehemiah did. Reminds me of a story are read recently. A certain man remembered visiting a nursery, looking for a certain type of tree for the front yard. While there he saw a sign that said, “The best time to plant a tree was 15 years ago.” The next line stated, “The second best time is today.” (1001 More Humorous Illustrations, pg 247). Many Christians are like Nehemiah in that they are praying; but they don’t continue on to chapter two and plan and prepare like Nehemiah did. Are you planning and preparing for the day God answers your prayer? That may seem like a contradiction, but as we will see in the first part of chapter two, every Christian should be PLANNING FOR THE PURPOSE.

THE ENCOUNTER – 2:1-5

There are three steps we notice in this encounter. First, Nehemiah in the Presence of the King – 2:1-4a. A servant’s appearance and countenance was very important in the presence of the king. The king wanted those whom he employed to have a happy countenance to portray and reflect the well-being brought about by his reign. Any change in Nehemiah’s behavior would arouse suspicion from the king. We see this play out in the story of Joseph, the baker and the butler (cup bearer) all in prison. Genesis 40:1-3 And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. (2) And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. (3) And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

The word sad here is similar to bad/evil – “Why is your face troubled with evil?” Nehemiah’s admission of fear shows that he was totally depending upon God and had no confidence in his self. He realized what authority the king had over him, and it would be nothing short of a great work of God to change the situation. This was the same King, who in Ezra chapter 4, sent a letter at the request of Israel’s enemies and forced the rebuilding of Jerusalem to be stopped.

“Let the king live forever” – this was Nehemiah’s way of not only paying his respect to his boss, but letting him know that his change in countenance had nothing to do with some poison he ingested that was supposed to be for the king. He then begins to unload the burdens of his heart – a burden that was bottled up for over 3 months, fed continually by daily prayer and fasting. By mentioning the sepulchers, Nehemiah was appealing to an ancient tradition which held the burying place of one’s ancestors in great importance. The king is moved, and asks Nehemiah what his request is, which leads to…

Nehemiah’s Prayer to the King of Kings – 2:4b. This is the shortest, yet one of the most powerful, prayers recorded in God’s Word. In recalling the situation, Nehemiah used the transitional word “so.” This 2 letter word will appear over 32 times in this book. Nehemiah uses this word to get right to the point and respond to the situation at hand. There is no reason to deny a situation that is right in front of you – procrastination is the enemy of success – have a plan.

The first step, and most important part of Nehemiah’s plan was to pray. Even though he was in the presence of the king, he never forgot that he was always in the presence of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lord’s. In my Bible I have this note written down by this verse – Short prayers work when you stay close to the throne. Nehemiah was able to send up a short, quick prayer because he had already spent much time in dedicated, sincere prayer. The key is not the length of your prayer, but the loyalty to the one you pray to. God was just a prayer away from Nehemiah, and the same is true for us today.

Nehemiah’s Petition to the King – 2:5. He did not force the issue, but humbly told the king the situation and allowed God to move in his heart. We cannot try to manipulate people into doing what we want, but wait and be patient for the Lord to do His work in His timing. When you manipulate people, you may get what you want – but it will not last. We must exercise patience and allow God to work in people’s heart.

In part 2, we will see Edict and the Enemy.

Book Review: Daddy Dates by Greg Wright

2011-06-18T17:46:00.001-04:00

PUBLISHER’S OVERVIEW: Daddy Dates gives the average Joe easy steps to actively and successfully engage with his daughter and raise a confident woman-to-be. When faced with the reality of raising four (4!) teen daughters, Greg Wright went on a soul quest. He came back with a mission: Don’t Screw Up. This funny, insightful, and relatable book poses the wildly original concept that should be a “duh” for most dads—but isn’t: In order to raise a confident woman-to-be, show your daughter what it feels like to be treated with love, respect, and true interest by a man who loves her. Daddy Dates shows the average father how to actually do that. It is written in an original voice and will appeal to both men and women. It is the kind of action-oriented “how to” material that guys enjoy, and so many others will recommend to other dads.

MY THOUGHTS: This was a book that I was really looking forward to reading and reviewing. Not because I knew the author – I did not. It was because of the subject matter of this book: a dad and his daughters. As a father of four girls all under the age of 7, I realize I have my hands full – as many people “kindly” like to point out after they realize all our girls are in fact girls. There “helpful” reminders usually come after a version of the phrase, “No boys, huh?…..are you going to keep trying?….etc.” as if it is a bad thing to have only girls and we need a boy to be complete. Who knows what are future holds in store, but this one thing I know: I have A LOT to learn about when it comes to raising daughters.

The author, Greg Wright, does a great job relating what he has, and is, doing with his daughters, which is what makes this book unique. It is not written “after the fact,” but by someone who is currently, “going through it.” Sometimes, after we have experienced something, we forget all the details of the everyday battles and struggles, and he does a good job covering it and you can relate in many ways to what he is going through. Though, I must admit that it makes me want to read a “10-years later” chapter to see how it all worked out.

His ideas on how to deal individually with each daughter, and how he goes about it, are very helpful and something that I will be implementing in my relationship with my girls. I especially enjoyed the chapter on dealing with your daughter as she turns thirteen, and the fact that, like me, he does not allow his daughters to date while they are in high school (not that we are there yet, but I have made that determination. In my mind, there in NOTHING good that can come from High School dating. As I once read somewhere else, it is nothing more than showing kids how to divorce when they get older.). Not too many people that I have come across share this idea, and so it was refreshing to see that I was not the only one.’

MY RECOMMENDATION: Now, if you are looking for a book that is heavy on Bible verses and characters, this is not the book for you. While there are some underlying biblical principles in the book, and the occasional church/youth group mention, that is not his focus. And while I do not agree with the author on areas of children and music/movies/etc., overall this is a really good book and anyone who is a dad to daughters would benefit greatly by reading it.

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

Fountain Pen Review: Lamy Safari Fine Tip

2011-06-08T16:19:00.001-04:00

{This my first foray into Fountain Pen Reviews}

Today, I am reviewing the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen with a fine nib that I purchased from http://www.jetpens.com. Up front let me tell you that I am some what of a “rookie” when it comes to using Fountain Pens. I already had a couple of other brands that were Med nib (I will review those in the coming weeks), and so I was looking for something that was a fine nib that I could use everyday, and did not cost too much. Here are my thoughts:

The Fine Nib – I wasn’t quit sure how I felt about writing with it when I first got it. It seemed “scratchy” when I first started writing with it, but after a couple of times that issue no longer exist. Some of that may be to the fact that I just put the ink cartridge in and began to write without doing any prep work to the nib.
It has a viewing window for the ink, but serves no purpose for me as I am using the blue ink cartridge that came with it. I am looking forward to getting a convertor for it and filling my own ink. The ink that comes with it seems to have a little bit of fading issue, but that may be do more to the paper I am writing on with it.
The clip – this was the biggest obstacle I had in purchasing this pen. I just could not decide if I liked this style of clip, or not. It is definitely unique, and while it may not be the most elegantly designed, it is very practical in use and I am liking more and more as I use this pen every day.
It also has a flat edge grip, or what they call a comfortable grip. Usually I am not a fan of non-rounded pens and extra grips, but this one works for me.

Overall, this has been a great, every day fountain pen and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants one but does not want to spend a lot of money.

The Path To A Powerful Prayer Life – Part 2 of 2

2011-06-06T07:00:00.002-04:00

Nehemiah 1:5-11 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: (6) Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. (7) We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. (8) Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: (9) But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. (10) Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. (11) O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

In the previous post, we covered the Priority of Sovereignty, now we see:

A - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SIN – 1:6-7

Once we recognize God as being sovereign, our next step down the path of powerful prayer will be to acknowledge our sin. We should respond as Isaiah did once he saw the Lord high and lifted up - Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

A child of God cannot have a proper view of God and still condone and be unrepentive of their sin. Many paths of prayer come to an abrupt stop because we are unwilling to recognize and acknowledge our sin. I like what Stephen Davey says on this subject – God does not forgive excuses, He forgives sin. (pg 28). The acknowledgement we read of in 1:7 is no blanket confession, but he named sin one by one. He did not live in some made-up dream world were everything was perfect all around him, but became personally responsible and concerned with the need. Alan Redpath once wrote, “Let us learn this lesson from Nehemiah: you never lighten the load unless you have first felt the pressure in your own soul. You are never used of God to bring blessing until God has opened your eyes and made you see things as they are (Hand Me.., pg 21).”

Nehemiah did not respond like the typical Christian does today to problems and bad reports. Our first response today usually is, “Who’s fault is this…who do I have to get on to?” Instead, Nehemiah demonstrated compassion and wept to God for his own sin and the sins of the people. Acknowledging our sin before God is of the utmost importance because our sin separates us from God in prayer. There are two types of people who are separated from God by sin

Lost - John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Many people claim to believe in God but not in Jesus and think that God hears them when they pray and they are wrong. The 1^st prayer of the unbeliever that God hears is the prayer asking Jesus Christ to be their saviour.
Disobedient Christians - Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: The word regard does not mean to be sinless, it means to approve, enjoy. When we refuse to repent and turn away from known sin, or when we choose to do something knowing, “I can just ask for forgiveness afterwards…” it separates us from God and He will not hear our prayer

T - TRUST IN THE SCRIPTURES – 1:8-10

The Bible has been called given many names by many Christians. One is “The Answer Book,” or “The Instruction Manual For Life.” But a better, more accurate description is, “The Promise Book.” Why? Because it does not matter what it says if you do not trust it. In Nehemiah’s prayer, he quotes and paraphrases from Ex. 20:6, Lev. 26:33, Deut. 30:2,4, and Ex. 32:11.

Nehemiah recognized the first part was true and fulfilled; now he was pleading to God to fulfill the second part of the promise. Same for us today. Jesus has already came the first time and died for our sins and rose again from the grave the third day. Now, we are praying for God to fulfill the second part of His promise and return to take the saints to heaven with Him.

Nehemiah was able to pray this way because he hid God’s Word in his heart and his mind. In great time of need and despair, he recited and paraphrased it back to God. Stephen Davey shares this thought on this subject – Nehemiah had a grasp of the Word, and the Word had a grip on him (pg 33). I think that one of the main reasons that many Christians don’t know what to say in prayer is because they don’t know what God has already said to them in His Word.

H – HUMILITY IN SUPPLICATION – 1:11

The last thing that Nehemiah prayed for was his request. The first thing we usually pray for was the last thing he prayed for. Being humble means laying aside your own pride, and your own ideas, and fully submitting yourself to God. Nehemiah personally signed up to be the solution. He was willing to put “feet to his prayer.” “The greatest thrill in praying is not necessarily in receiving an answer, but in becoming the answer. (Nehemiah: Memoirs of an Ordinary Man, pg. 34)” Is it our prayer that God that He might use us to fulfill His will?

Remember our boy who was asked to pray for the meal but just started eating instead? His parents asked him why he didn’t pray, and the boy answered, “I already prayed for this food; these are leftovers!” (1001 More Humorous Illustrations For Public Speaking, pg 256). This boy has already traveled down that path for that meal. Are you on the path to a powerful prayer life?

Priority…Acknowledge…Trust…Humility.

The Path To A Powerful Prayer Life - Part 1 of 2

2011-06-03T11:07:00.006-04:00

A little boy was asked to pray before the meal. The boy looked over the meal set on the table before bowing his head. He picked up his fork instead and began to eat. His parents asked him why he didn’t pray before his meal. We will find out why the boy did not pray in just a moment, but it reminds me that a lot of people are puzzled and confused when it comes to prayer.

There are few places better in God’s Word to learn about prayer than the book of Nehemiah. A study in the life of Nehemiah is a study in the life of prayer. There are few prayers that you will ever read that are greater than this one before us today.

Notice with me the Focus of Nehemiah’s prayer. If you read Nehemiah 1:1, then 2:1 and study the different names of the months they used during Nehemiah’s day, you would notice that it covers a span of approximately 100 days. And as we see in 1:11, he prayed everyday that that day would be the day.

Nehemiah was consistent and persistent in his prayer for God’s intervention. Reminds me of that great prophet Isaiah and what he says in Isaiah 62:6-7, “ …ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, (7) And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” There is a single subject that that this grouping of books (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther) share. Remember when Mordecai was encouraging Esther to do something about Haman’s plan to have all the Jews killed in the book of Esther? He tells her in Esther 4:14, “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” I believe Nehemiah realized that God had placed him in a position of prominence for such a time as this, and his prayer reflected this great desire and burden. It was Chuck Swindoll who wrote this about Nehemiah – It is a tough combination to find a person who holds a high position in the eyes of the world and yet who is tender before God (Hand Me Another Brick, pg 19).

You understand that what Nehemiah was asking for was something that would be considered humanly impossible. While being the one who made sure the king’s food and beverages were not poisoned may not seem like a desirable job for us today, you have to remember that these were different times. Kings would often pick the best and brightest of those in their captivity for this sacrificial job. It had to be someone who he trusted, and with this great trust came great benefits. History shows that these cupbearers were often respected and honored more than even the king’s own family. So to be released from his position of king’s cupbearer and allowed to go back to Jerusalem for a rebuilding project would be unprecedented. Would the king be willing to give up the one person he has grown to trust in making sure that his meals and drinks were not poisoned? Nehemiah’s prayer needed to be very focused.

Also, we notice the Friend’s of Nehemiah’s Prayer. Something I have overlooked until I was studying for this series was a small phrase tucked away in 1:11, “…and the prayer of thy servants…” What an encouragement to Nehemiah to know that he was not alone in praying for God’s help. There are times in your life when you can literally feel the prayers of God’s people moving and motivating you. You will never be closer to a friend than when you pray together.

Prayer is one of the greatest weapons the Christian has at their disposal; yet it is often the tool that is most neglected and under used. One of the reasons is that there are a lot of questions surrounding how to pray. A preacher once shared this thought and said, “I am often asked this question, “How does prayer work?” My answer usually begins with the admission, “I don’t know how prayer works, I just know that prayer is work, and those who work at prayer discover prayer works!” (Nehemiah: Memoirs of an Ordinary Man, pg. 21)

Let me ask you this question today - How powerful is your prayer life today? Stephen Davey, in his book Nehemiah: Memoirs of an Ordinary Man, gives us a path to follow that leads to a powerful prayer life that I want to share with you.

P - PRIORITY OF THE SOVEREIGN – 1:5

The word Sovereign is one you often hear in description of God, which means supreme ruler, above all others. Dr. Harry Carr, in his book This I Believe, defines it this way - The sovereignty of God is not a divine attribute. It is the exercising of the divine will of God (This I Believe, pg. 44). We must always remember when we begin to pray that we are praying to the Sovereign, and we are His servants.

The first step down the path of powerful prayer is at the feet of the sovereign God’s throne. When we pray, we are not trying to manipulate and pressure God into doing what we want Him to. God is not some genie in a bottle who grants us three wishes. We must always pray as Jesus prayed in the Garden just before His trial and death by crucifixion – Not my will, but thine will be done. This is the start to the Lord’s model prayer – Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Our prayers should be a balance of boldness and reverence. Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we can enter into the holy of holies and approach the throne of grace. So, we can approach God with confidence because we have been invited. Yet, we do so with trembling because we are aware Who it is that has invited us.

Part two

eBook Review: Roadmap Through Revelation by Rick Schworer

2011-05-23T15:44:00.001-04:00

INTRO (from the book’s website):

For those who’ve picked up Revelation and wondered why Armageddon happens more than once, or which comes first, the Trumpets, the Vials, or the Seals, this is a book that will clearly chart out for you a timeline of events, harmonizing the four accounts of Christ’s Second Coming.

Whether you are new to Revelation or have studied it for years, you will enjoy the short stories that bring Revelation to life. Experience the faceoff between the two witnesses and the Antichrist at the temple. Watch as a living, breathing statue commands the world to worship the Antichrist and receive his mark. Rejoice as the Messiah rescues His chosen people hiding within the rock city of Petra.

This book will help to answer your questions with an in-depth look at the three raptures, the seventy-five days between the Tribulation and the Millennium, the differences between the Red Dragon, the Beast of the Sea, and the Beast of the Earth, and Daniel’s Beast; as well as the history of Baal, Nimrod, and Babylon.
Rev. 1:3, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

WHAT I LIKED: This was a very easy to read study on the Book of Revelation. It was not technical, had had a lot of “fact-based hypothesis” on what it might be like experiencing the book of Revelation as it unfolds. The author is very well studied in not only the Book of Revelation, but Old Testament prophecy and church history.

WHAT I MIGHT CHANGE: What I liked is also what seemed to take a little bit away from the book. Sometimes, the author’s ideas on how he thinks it will play out bleed into the actual text and interpretation of the Scriptures, in my mind. I had to remind myself every now and then that it was his interpretation and not concrete facts from the Bible (though, you need that in a prophetic book like Revelation).

MY RECOMMENDATION: While this is not necessarily a technical, verse by verse commentary on the Book of Revelation, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is studying the book. The author makes it clear that you will not agree with everything you read in his book in his introduction, and if you keep this in mind, you will greatly enjoy it and glean much from it.

This eBook was given to me free by the author to review.

A Good Sunday School Resource

2011-05-18T09:44:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, I wanted to take a quick moment and share a great Sunday School Resource that I have been using. Just click on the link below and it will take you to the sight. I teach the children’s Sunday School class on Sunday’s and use these lessons. They are very adaptive and easy to use.

http://www.christianitycove.com/

What other resources do you use for Sunday School, children’s ministries?

THE PAIN OF THE BURDEN

2011-05-17T12:28:00.001-04:00

Nehemiah 1:1-4 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, (2) That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. (3) And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. (4) And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

As we begin with our study of Nehemiah, the first subject that comes up is the heart and burden of Nehemiah. Too many Christians today live like they habitate on an island to themselves. This is a very self-centered attitude. But it is God’s purpose for us to be focused on Him first and foremost; and if we are focused on God like we should be, we will be burdened for those in need around us. What tugs on your heart strings today? Is it personal problems or needs? Our vision of God will shape our lives and impact those around us. As we will see, Nehemiah was a man who sought for God to be glorified and His children helped. Let’s look and see three characteristics of Nehemiah and how we can share this same vision and burden.

NEHEMIAH’S BRETHREN – 1:1-2A

There are some facts we know about Nehemiah’s breathern. First, lets notice When They Returned. The remnant of Israel returned in 3 waves. Zerubbabel, then Ezra brought a group and rebuilt the Temple and restored the worship. Now, approximately 14 years later, Nehemiah learns of the deplorable conditions of God’s city and chosen people. The Bible tells us the month was Chisleu, which coincides with our November/December.

Secondly, we notice Who Returned. His brother’s name is Hanani, who we meet again later in Nehemiah 7:2. Hanani was one of the people who returned with the second group led by Ezra. They were struggling without and protective walls after some successful spiritual reform under Ezra. The Israelites had a goal to make Jerusalem a God fearing and worshipping city, but their enemies prevailed in thwarting this by tearing down their protective walls. This is a reminder to us today that we need to build and maintain spiritual walls to protect our testimonies, families, churches, and country. The world today does not want distinctive, separated, sold-out to God Christians and will try to do anything and everything in its power to break down your walls and burn your gates. Think about all the attacks today on families…fundamental, Bible-believing churches…Bible standards (marriage, drinking, worldliness, etc.). We need walls of separation!

NEHEMIAH’S BURDEN – 1:2B

Nehemiah’s burden was two-fold. He was concerned for their Safety. Even though Nehemiah had it very well living and working in the king’s palace, he had not forgotten his people. How was it that Nehemiah developed this burden for the safety of his people? By hearing of their great need.

God often calls men and women to a particular job or ministry by revealing to that person a specific need. We see the same today in our churches when we are blessed to be in the presence of missionaries. These are men, women, boys and girls who have seen a need and received a burden from the Lord to do something about it.

As we will see in Chapter 2, the position that Nehemiah held in the king’s palace gave him a great opportunity to be used by God to help his brethren. God often blesses us and puts us in a position so that we may get a burden for those less fortunate…those who are struggling. Do the blessings that God has bestowed upon you motivate you to help others, or drive you to gather more for yourself?

We also notice that Nehemiah was concerned for their Spiritual Condition. More pressing than the physical needs the remnant of Israel had was their spiritual needs. They had begun to lose hope in God, and Nehemiah was motivated by his great love for God to do something about it. One issue that some have with our churches is that we don’t seem to care about the physical needs of people around them. And out of this, we have many new-age movements under the banner of Christianity, like the Emergent Church and New-Evangelicalism. But one of the main problems with these groups is that they often focus on the physical needs at a neglect to the spiritual. This leads to what is often referred to as a “Social Gospel.” Many people today are more worried about their family’s physical needs and ignore the spiritual.

Do we need to do a better job of sharing the love of God in our community through acts of kindness to those in need? YES. But we do so as a means to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not a means to an end. I like what I once heard Bro. Scott Pauley say at a preacher’s meeting - Jesus healed many, but always with a purpose. He did not have a healing ministry, but a revealing ministry. We help those in need in order to have the opportunity to reveal to them our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Are you burdened for the spiritual condition of those around you?

NEHEMIAH’S BROKENNESS – 1:3-4

First, Nehemiah receives The Report in 1:3. Nehemiah realized this was not just an attack on God’s people, but an attack to God and His Glory. But many times today we are so self-absorbed that we never even realize the need around us.

Now, we notice The Response in 1:4. Nehemiah’s response was three-fold:

Consecration – or wholly set aside for God. Nehemiah was fully set aside for God’s use and glory. The first step in consecration is repentance. Originally, we are all selfish in nature, and we need to repent of that selfish sinfulness and turn fully and completely to God. But most Christians never feel God lead them to do something great for Him because they are distracted with their own life – their own needs – and their own plans to hear. When we cannot obey God in the basics of our faith, we should never expect God to do extraordinary.
Compassion - He was moved with compassion and he wept and mourned over the terrible report. Nehemiah’s compassion was not just directed at the struggle of the Israelites, but he had great compassion for the glory of God. If we are sincere in our love and compassion for God, it will break our hearts to see His children in need and suffering. We are so hard-hearted to the needs around us that we dishonor the name of God to those we live amongst. As God’s children, we ought to be the first in line to help others, not Missing In Action.
Continued Intercession – When we look at Nehemiah 2:1 and compare the months, we see that he prayed for 4 months. This is what separates good Christians from great Christians – Intercessory prayer. As we will see starting in the next blog post, Nehemiah was one of the greatest men of prayer. Would to God that we would have some men and women today who would dedicate themselves to prayer and fasting on behalf of others!

As we close this blog post, let us consider some question:

Are we concerned for the glory of God?

Are we concerned for those around us?

When we see the need, when we see them struggle, how do we respond?

THE PERSON OF NEHEMIAH

2011-05-09T11:17:00.001-04:00

Editors Note: This will begin a new series of blog post from the book of Nehemiah, in which I have titled the series, “Nehemiah: God’s Foreman.”

There may be few books of the Bible better than Nehemiah for where we are at today as a church, and a whole in this country. As we study this great book, we will be looking at the spiritual applications on rebuilding our families, churches, and country. Before we do this, I want to spend some time today looking at who Nehemiah is, and what characteristics made up this great man that was mightily used of God.

BACKGROUND/OVERVIEW of the Book

The book belongs in a grouping of three – Ezra, Nehemiah, and Ester. These 3 books together cover about 100 years, starting with the first of three remnants returning from captivity in Babylon as Jerusalem is rebuilt. These are the last, in chronological order, of the Historical Books, and Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are the prophets who prophesied during this time period. Nehemiah covers the time of approx. 457-432 BC, or 12-20 years after the end of Ezra. Nehemiah is widely considered the author of the book that bears his name. Most parts are a memoir, with chapter 7 being a historical documentation of the Jewish families, similar to the one found in the Book of Ezra.

SUMMARY of the BOOK

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king in the Persian palace, and leads the third and last return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. His concern for the welfare of Jerusalem and its inhabitants prompts him to take bold action. Granted permission to return to his homeland, Nehemiah challenges his countryman to arise and rebuild the shattered walls of Jerusalem. In spite of opposition from without and abuse within, the task is completed I only 52 days – a feat which even the enemies of Israel must attribute to God’s enabling. By contrast, the task of reviving and reforming the people of God within those rebuilt walls demands years of Nehemiah’s godly life and leadership. (Talk Thru the Bible pg 123)

BACKGROUND OF THE PERSON OF NEHEMIAH

He was born to Jewish parents in exile, and his name means “the comfort of Jehovah.” We can gather by his reaction to the poor state of walls and remnant of Jerusalem that he was raised in a godly home. We must always remember that Nehemiah’s don’t just happen – they are raised. At a young age he was appointed the responsibility of being the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. God would later use this position to secure the permission, protection, and provision Nehemiah needed for the task. He was a man of God, filled with the Spirit of God, and prayer was a natural and essential part of his life and his success. Nehemiah knew what work was, inspired others to work, and knew how to encourage those who became discouraged. He stood strong and tall in the face of opposition from without and within.

PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

The book of Nehemiah shows us what God can do through a remnant of believers who rise to God’s call through His servant to restore a focused and strengthen relationship with Him. This is where many of us are at today – a need to refocus and strengthen our faith and walk with God. What is needed today are some Nehemiah’s who will have a burden to rebuild what the enemy has destroyed. We have, for far too long, grown okay with the broken down walls of our faith. Are you willing to do something about the spiritual conditions around you? There are three characteristics that each of us should adopt in our lives so that we might begin to rebuild our walls.

NEHEMIAH’S FOCUS

He did not focus on what he could not do, what he had not been trained for, or what he never had accomplished before. Nehemiah was not one who saw the problems or complication, just the possibilities. Nehemiah was a dedicated layman willing to give up the luxuries of the palace to labor with the people of God. He was more concerned for the disrepair of God’s work than his own personal fame and fortune.

What is our focus today? When we look around and see no problems, it shows that we have a lack of spiritual focus. Too many of us are like the remnant of Jerusalem who see the disrepair of the walls, but we are unwilling to do anything about it. Our families are struggling in sin, and yet we turn a blind eye. Our churches are struggling to reach our communities and affect change with the Gospel, yet there is no tear I our eye as we sow the Gospel seed. Where is our focus?

NEHEMIAH’S FORTITUDE

J. B. Tidwell once said this about Nehemiah – He was cautious. His secret visit to the walls and his division and distribution of the laborers are good illustrations. He was courageous. He stood alone as leader of the enterprise and worked on, reusing to be frightened away by the enemies. He was uncompromising. He would neither compromise with outsiders, such as Sanballat, nor with those among his own people, such as the nobles. (pg 91, The Bible Book by Book)

It is sad how quickly the average Christians will just roll over and tuck tail and run when times are tough. There are some difficult times ahead for us as the Christian culture of our once great nation continues to erode – do you have the strength to see it through? The Bible still says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The easiest thing to do is float down stream with everyone else…Blend in with the crows. It takes real spiritual fortitude to stand up and do something about what you see, about what needs to be done.

NEHEMIAH’S FAITH

J. B. Tidwell continues on with some more insight about the person of Nehemiah – He had a concern for God’s cause. This is indicated by his earnest inquiry, by his deep sorrow for Jerusalem, etc. He had confidence in God’s cause and could pray for it and plead with heathen kings for it. He co-operated in God’s cause and actively fitted into the divine plan and works. (pg 91, The Bible Book by Book)

One of the many great lessons and topics we will cover while studying Nehemiah is his prayer life. His life also is a picture of the restoration ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Both left their high positions in order to identify with the plight of their people.
Both came with a specific mission and fulfilled it.
Both are characterized by prayerful dependence on God (Talk…pg. 126)

If we want to accomplish the work that Nehemiah accomplished, we must share the faith that Nehemiah possessed. And this faith is fortified in prayer.

CLOSING:

Are you willing to be a Nehemiah? Your family needs a Nehemiah to spiritually lead them in building up the wall of separation and faith. The church is in need of some Nehemiah’s – men and women who will do their part to build a church – spiritually and physically.

Where are the Nehemiah’s today?

Sliding Down The Slope of Sin–Part 2 of 2

2011-05-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Psalm 73:1-3 A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. (2) But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. (3) For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

In this post, we will look at two other areas in our walk of faith that, if we are not careful, can begin to slip.

WE CAN SLIP IN OUR FAITHFULNESS

Notice the progression of slippage when it comes to our faith. The first place we begin to slip is in our Attitude. Usually this bad attitude it directed at someone else. Maybe it is the preacher who preached on your particular sin that day. Or maybe it was the Sunday School teacher because you did not like the way they taught their lesson. Or maybe it was another church member who looked at you wrong…did not look at you…etc. Maybe your bad attitude is directed at a spouse, or sibling, or school teacher. The bottom line is this: there is nothing worse than a Christian with a bad attitude. It hurts your personal testimony, destroys your relationships, and stops your spiritual growth.

And this bad attitude, if not dealt with quickly and swiftly, will lead to bitterness. Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

Next, we slip in our Application. When a bad and bitter attitude are left uncheck, we see we become hearers but not doers.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

A lot of people sit in church with their poor attitude and hear lots of helpful teaching and preaching of the Bible, but do nothing about it. And this bad attitude has not only cost them their spiritual vitality, but they are deceived and don’t even know it. Many Christians who were once on fire for the Lord and now just smoldering reminders of the warnings of James 1:22.

Finally, we slip in our Actions. We can become stingy in three diferent areas of our Christian walk:

Stingy in our Scriptures – Many so-called disgruntled Christians claim to be mad at God when in reality they don’t know anything about Him. They have to stop reading God’s Word because they can no longer handle the conviction. It is easier to stop reading God’s Word and allow your heart and mind to be filled with the world’s trash. All this does, it continue your downward spiral of sin.
Stingy in our Supplications - Prayer is so important, so vital to our closeness with the Lord, that it is no wonder this is one of the first actions to slip away when we begin to backslide. I can almost guarantee you 100% that when someone has fallen deep into sin or grown cold in their relationship with the Lord, it started the day they stopped reading their Bible and praying with fervency. This is the life-blood of the Christian walk, and we cannot do without it.
Sting in Services -
1. Stop giving our tithes - Malachi 3:8-10 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. (9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Mark it down, when someone has a problem tithing and giving, deep down they have a heart issue with God and this is how it manifest itself.
2. Stop giving our time - Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

WE CAN SLIP IN OUR FAMILIES

We must face up to the reality that the American family unit has fallen on really bad times. But why have our families slipped so far? Look at what the Bible teaches about the family in Ephesians 5:21-6:4.

The first truth I want you to notice is that our families slip when the Husbands Don’t Lead. The husband has a two fold responsibility:

The Husband is to LOVE - In this entire section of Scripture, it is the husband who has the greatest and most difficult responsibility. As tough as some ladies may think it is to submit biblically to your husband, the husbands calling is much more difficult. The husband must first and foremost love his wife just as Jesus loved the church and gave His life for it. A sacrificial love puts your wife first – above your needs, wants, and desires. Loving your wife and your family means you are the one who provides for them – 1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
The Husband is to LEAD - We need to return to the time of men leading the family, and men leading the church. This does not mean that the woman is inferior, but that God has created the sexes with different responsibilities. While it seems that even during the Lord’s earthly ministry that it was the women who were more spiritually sensitive, He still called 12 MEN to lay the foundation of the first church with and to lead it to what it is today – and He has not changed His plan of formula! This business that, “The man is the head, but the wife is the neck that turns the head,” is right out of the pits of Hell! We need men today to spiritually and biblically lead their families.

Secondly, our families slip when the Wives Don’t Heed. It is sad that in today’s day and age that so many women are forced by their weak husbands to take on the role of leadership – but this is not God’s plan and purpose for you. But God help us from strong-willed women who will not submit to the leadership and God-given authority of their husband. You may think this is archaic, but it is as old as the Bible and we cannot improve upon it. The Bible is not telling you to submit to sin, but when your husband makes strides to be a spiritual leader, then love him and support him and DON’T TRY TO SABOTAGE IT.

Finally, notice with me that when the family slips, our Children Won’t Succeed. This new generation is struggling, falling further and further away from God – and it is not all their fault. I believe the brunt of the burden lies on the previous generation and the deterioration of the family. We have tried to tear down and redefine what the nuclear family is, and it is the children that suffer. One of the reasons we see so many children who don’t know how to obey their parents and other authorities is shown to us in our text from Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

If we want our kids to grow up to be successful in the Lord, we must start training, leading, and loving them today in the Lord.

As we put a close to this blog topic, we must remember that we usually don’t notice problems until something completely falls apart – but before we fall, there is always a slow slide first. Has the quality of your fellowship, faith, or family begun to slip? It is time today that we seek the Lord to stop the slide before we completely fall.

Sliding Down The Slope of Sin–Part 1 of 2

2011-05-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

As we see in this psalm of Asaph, there usually is a slid before there is a fall. There are 3 different men with the name “Asaph” mentioned in the Old Testament. One was a chronicler of Israel mentioned in 2 Kings and Isaiah. Another was a keeper of the forest mentioned in Nehemiah. The writer of this psalm was one of the Choir leaders for David, and was a skilled musician. He is mentioned throughout 1 and 2 Chronicles. Scholars attribute Psalms 50, 73-83 to Asaph. This is also the same Asaph that is mentioned in Nehemiah 12:46 For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.

As Asaph starts this Psalm, he deals with two contrasting subjects in the first three verses:

The Goodness of God – 73:1. There is no mistaking or overlooking God’s goodness to His people who by faith follow Him. All righteousness starts in the heart. David said it this way in Psalm 51:10, and he wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” I recently read of one of the martyrs of our faith, John Hooper, who wrote of this verse while in prison and said, “We must learn to say this verse whether it be winter or summer, pleasure or pain, liberty or imprisonment, life of death.” We must always remember that God is good ALL THE TIME!
The Greed of Man – 73:2-3. Asaph’s problem came because he saw the wicked around him prospering without any seemingly retribution from God. This Psalm represents a great battle that many Christians have faced. Asaph chronicles this battle, and shows us when he turned the corner – Psalm 73:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. We often allow outside circumstances that we cannot control to allow us to slip in our own Christian walk.

In my Bible, I have this note written down beside vs. 2 – You slide before you fall. To slip means that not only are we not moving forward, we are slowly moving backwards. God expects you and I to press on and move forward. Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” We do so by looking to Jesus - Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Are we allowing certain aspects or areas of our Christian walk to slip? Let’s look at three areas in our lives that we need to make sure do not slip. We will study the first one in this post.

WE CAN SLIP IN OUR FELLOWSHIP

One of the ways we define a New Testament church is a called-out, separated, fellowship, or body, of baptized believers. Our fellowship slips when we fail to Preserve our Structure. Dr. Raymond Barber once said, “Poor and inadequate facilities stump church growth. We must provide the facilities that are adequate to keep the ministry of the church going.” God often blesses churches with facilities, or a central location to hold meetings, outreach, etc. They come in different shapes and sizes. Our job is more than just to maintain what God gives us, because if all you do is maintain, eventually the standard will begin to slide. What are we going to do about what we have to be a good steward of what He has blessed us with? What do new people think about when they first walk into your church building?

Is it clean?
Well lit?
Inviting?
A place to worship?

An old building gives off the vibe of an old, dying church. Preserve the buildings and structures God has blessed you with. It is a testimony of your church and the Lord to the community surround it.

Another area our fellowship slips is when we fail to Preach the Scriptures. We are called to communicate the Word of God and fulfill the Great Commission. A church cannot lose its focus on God’s priority – the preaching and teaching of His Word. He not only inspired it to be written, but God has preserved it for us completely and without error today. For English speaking people, I believe that is the King James Version of the Bible. As the church, we have a responsibility to maintain, and even reproduce that word. Think about what Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:15, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Music is important – programs are helpful – but the church’s first priority is to teach and preach the Word of God. We are to rightly divide the Word of Truth, and cannot err on the side of programs and personalities and music.

Yet another area our fellowship slips is when we fail to Propagate and Saturate. It would be great if people were beating down the doors of the church to hear God’s Word and to find out how to know for sure they are saved. But they are not, so we must go out and tell them and invite them. This is the first step in what we call the “Great Commission.”

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Luke 24:46-47 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

If we are not telling others how to get to heaven, then why would heaven want to keep our doors open?

Finally, our fellowship slips when we fail to Persevere with our Standards. No one today likes to preach and adhere to standards. And when you do, they claim you are nothing more than a Pharisee and a legalist. Instead of spending so much time trying to tear down Biblical standards, we should be doing what we can to build them higher and stronger.

If we are going to err, let’s err on the side of caution. If you were taking a trip up a mountain, I am sure you would stay as far from the ledge as possible. Yet, when we continue to ignore Biblical standards, all we are trying to do is get as close to the ledge as possible without falling. But all it takes is one gust of wind, one misstep, one slide, and we are tumbling down the slope of sin. One preacher said it well when he said, “I don’t have standards because I am so holy; I have standards because I know how sinful I am.”

Our families and churches would be in a lot better shape if we would keep our Biblical standards. Mark it down – every time someone lowers or loosens their standards, they don’t become more Christ-like, just more like the world.

Let’s not allow our fellowship, our church, to slip.

Book Review–Awakening: A New Approach to Faith, Fasting, and Spiritual Freedom

2011-04-29T00:33:00.001-04:00

OVERVIEW: Stop hitting the spiritual snooze button. Would you describe your walk with God as fresh and exciting? Would you describe your spiritual life as vibrant and passionate? If not, would you like these attributes to be the norm in your everyday relationship with God? Are you ready to experience an awakening? Awakening helps you stir up your slumbering soul. Yours"ll discover how to break out of your season of dryness or get off to a great start either in the New Year or the next season in life. Take your faith-walk from a "going through the motions" or "have to" mindset to the stimulating, fresh "want to" experience of enjoying God’s presence-24/7. Weems encourages you to surrender fully, to discover the right kind of fuel for the journey, and to learn a new way to pray and fast. This lifestyle is not based on rules or religion, but on a deep, satisfying, motivating relationship with God. Included in Awakening is a 21-Day Plan that will guide you through the principles that ensure a lasting, fresh relationship with God-even in a world where everything quickly becomes stale. "It’s time to wake up and put an end to spiritual sluggishness! I promise this year will be the best of your life if it is your best year spiritually." Stovall Weems

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK: This is not a “technical” book when it comes to prayer and fasting, which makes it a very easy read. If a person were so inclined to do this 21-day fast, I believe the section at the end would be a big help in assisting you with that plan. I believe chapter five, dealing with the subject, “God is a Filler, not a Forcer,” may have been its best. I was challenged and encouraged to “make more space” in my life for God.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK: I am always skeptical about something “new” when it comes to the Bible and faith, and I believe my skepticism was warranted here. The author tries to make a very big distinction from how fasting is practiced in the Old Testament and the New Testament, but I still do not see that big of a difference. In my opinion, the author tried too hard to make fasting seem “easy,” when it is not. Fasting is still a sacrifice, and I just don’t believe that it is something that you can cut corners on. At the end of each chapter there was an “Awakening Story,” and these stories revealed some red flags to me: such as the condoning of “social drinking,” and speaking in tongues.

OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: While there are some good thoughts and ideas that you can glean from this book, I just cannot give it a recommendation at this time.While I do believe fasting is a biblical practice that is far too often ignored, making it simpler is not the way to go. There are no shortcuts when it comes to our relationship with the Lord.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

SPIRITUALLY SLUMPING & STUMBLING–Part 2 of 2

2011-04-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Luke 13:10-13 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. (11) And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. (12) And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. (13) And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

In our first post, we notice that her trouble was a Sustaining trouble. Today, we will look at another characteristic of her trouble, and what Jesus did about it

SHE FOUGHT SPIRITUAL TROUBLE

What’s often overlooked in this account is the fact that it was a spirit of infirmity. After the ruler of the synagogue complained about Jesus healing on the Sabbath, Jesus answers Him. In answering him, Jesus reveals to us in Luke 3:16 that this woman was bound by Satan. Just as in the case of Job, and even Paul, God allows Satan a certain measure of space to afflict people. Many of the unusual, unexplainable disease of our day might very well be explained the same.

The Bible tells us that Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

So, we don’t know all the reasons why God permits this, but one of the reasons is that He sometimes uses these types of situations to show His power over Satan and His love for mankind. There are two truths I want to point out about spiritual infirmities:

First, spiritual infirmities affect our Mindset. Often times, these types of trials and tribulations affect our mindset and deform the way we think. We notice that this woman did not lay out of church, blame God, or even become bitter. When we become bitter at God – or even God’s messenger – it shows that we have allowed spiritual infirmities to affect the way we think.

As we are taken through dark valleys of spiritual trials and temptations, lets renew our mind and take on the mindset of Christ and persevere, realizing that God, in His timing, will take our present difficulties and turn them to His, and our, own good. Dr. Raymond Barber tells of a prayer that goes, “O Lord, help me to understand that you let nothing come into my way that You cannot handle.” (Don’t Look Now, But Your Religion Is Showing, pg 128)

Secondly, spiritual infirmities affect our Mood, or spirit. Often times, as Christians, we know the right words to say. But our attitude reveals a different, more realistic truth about us and our heart. “Even if your body is imprisoned, your spirit is free to fly away to God (Dr. Barber, pg 130).” No one wants to be around someone who is constantly cranky, critical, and complaining. These are characteristics that should NEVER be used to describe God’s children. If one of those characteristics fits you, then you need to seek the Lord for deliverance from these infirmities.

Finally, we notice that…

SHE FELT THE SAVIOUR’S TOUCH –

13:12-13

Just as she felt the physical hand of Jesus touch her; we all need to feel the spiritual touch of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We notice some characteristics of the Saviour’s touch.

First, it was a compassionate touch. Jesus did not ignore her, but He healed her the moment he saw her. Most people today will turn the other way, cross the road, etc. when they see a person in need. Many Christians today will not get involved in someone else’s life because it might be a little too messy. But praise God that our Lord and Saviour looks down from heaven with compassion on us today and is always in the right place at the right time to help us in our very present time of need.

She was unable to look up, so for all we know she did not even see Jesus there. But He saw and called out to her and that is all that matters. Aren’t you glad that one day when you had nowhere else to turn, nowhere else to look, that Jesus called out to?!

Secondly, it was a commanding touch. Jesus did what others could not do. No doubt this woman went to every doctor she could find for some help and some relief. She probably tried every medicine, and every type of physical therapy they had back then. But there are just certain problems that are too hard, too complex, for man to solve.

We would do good today to go to the Lord FIRST when difficulties arise, and not LAST. For most Christians, their motto is, “When all else fails, try Jesus.” That’s why so many who claim to be God’s children only darken a door when they are in need or going through difficulties. Again, when we are in the midst of difficult and trying trials we should turn to Jesus – but we should turn to Him first!

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:24, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” But if we are honest today, most treat Jesus like an acquaintance, and not a friend. If you do not believe so, then ask yourself who it is you turn to first when times are tough.

Jesus had a commanding touch because He had the authority to do what no one else could do.

We also notice that it was a controlling touch. No doubt this lady went to this synagogue week after week, offering prayers for her healing. Yet, it was this day that Jesus chose to come by, and this day that Jesus chose to heal her.

What we often fail to remember in the trials of life is that the Lord is always in control. Even when everything around us seems to be out of control, God is always in control. God answers prayer, in His timing. That is why we are commanded to have patience. Patience is the exercise of faith in times of trials and testing. We can exercise patience because we know that God is in control.

Finally, we notice that it was a complete touch. She was healed immediately and completely. If you checked in with her a couple days later, you wouldn’t see some hunched-over woman back in pain.

When God answers prayer – He answers prayer! What a great example for us of salvation. Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the payment of our sins COMPLETELY AND ETERNALLY saves us!

Let me close with this great illustration from Andrew Murray, a great pastor and author of old, who once faced a terrible crisis. Gathering himself into his study, he sat a long while quietly, prayerfully, thoughtfully. His mind flew at last to his Lord Jesus, and picking up his pen, he wrote these words in his journal:

First, He brought me here; it is by His will that I am in this strait place: in that fact I will rest.
Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.
Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last, in His good time He can bring me out again – how and when He knows

Stay faithful, stay positive, and trust in God in your times of trials and testing.

SPIRITUALLY SLUMPING & STUMBLING–Part 1 of 2

2011-04-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

A patient in a doctor’s waiting room heard a scream from within the doctor’s examining room, and saw an elderly woman come out and quickly depart in a state of agitation. “What happened?” asked the waiting patient. “I told her she was pregnant,” replied the doctor. “You couldn’t be serious,” remarked the patient. “Of course not,” he answered. “But it cured her hiccups.” (1001 More Humorous Illustrations, pg 156)

There is a lot for us to learn today from this short account of a healing given here in our text. God has the ability to heal all our infirmities. Our timing is not always God’s timing, but in His time He will heal and abolish all such infirmities as we encounter in our life. The question tonight is this – do we have the faith, and the patience of faith, to trust Him, even in the most difficult of situations?

In these two blog posts, we will look at two aspects of this woman’s infirmity, and how Jesus healed her:

SHE FOUGHT SUSTAINING TROUBLE

The first characteristic we notice with this sustaining, or continuing, trouble was that her infirmity was unending. She suffered from her ailment for 18 years! (Parents of teenagers would understand this better!). That is a long time to suffer.

Sometimes, it is God’s will for people to go through extended times of suffering and sickness. Think about Paul:

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (8) For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (9) And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul suffered from what he called a “thorn in the flesh.” What exactly this was, we are not sure. We know that Paul was imprisoned and beaten many times. So maybe this was a lingering aftereffect from this. It could have also been the eye sight problem that he references in other letters. But Paul understood some truths about this thorn:

God allowed Satan to inflict physical harm on him, just as God allowed it on Job.
God gave it to him and allowed it to keep his pride in check.
Paul prayed three different times, and the answer was always God’s grace, not God’s healing.
The more Paul struggled with this thorn in the flesh, the more he had of the power of God.

Despite what all the false prophets tell you on TV – it is not always God’s will to heal you. I heard a commercial recently with Gloria Copeland saying it was God’s will for you to be healed. Someone should have told the Apostle Paul that!

The woman in our text dealt with this infirmity for 18 years; yet she never stops attending church (synagogue). Your faith is only a valuable as what you allow to stop you. What do you allow to keep you out of church? If absence makes the heart grow fonder, a lot of folks really love their church! – (1001…, pg 69)

The second characteristic we notice was that her infirmity was unpleasant. Think about it – it was difficult for her to walk, sit, sleep, etc. When we are want to complain, maybe we should stop for just a moment and consider the fact that others have it much worse than we do? There are people suffering all around us – and many are not as noticeable as this lady was.

Reminds me of this illustration I recently read - A man was shopping at a grocery store. His young son followed closely behind, carrying a large basket. The father loaded the basket with one thing after another until another customer began to feel sorry for the boy. She said, “That’s a pretty heavy load for a young fellow like you, isn’t it?” The boy turned to the woman and said, “Oh, don’t worry. My dad knows how much I can carry.” In the same way, God knows out limitations and gives to us no burden beyond what we can carry. (1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, pg 380)

It may be unpleasant, but If God gave it to you the He gives you the strength to make it through – Don’t quit!

The third characteristic we notice was that her infirmity was upsetting. One of the not so obvious ways that this was so upsetting was that she always had to look down. God made man to look up, that is why we don’t walk on all fours!

She saw dust all the time – which is a characteristic of death:

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Psalms 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

She was never able to look up and see the stars – a characteristic heaven and the future of the saved:

Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Deuteronomy 1:10 The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.
Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

While this woman had no choice but to always look down – we have a choice today. When trials and troubles come your way, are you looking down or look up? We would do well to have the same outlook as the psalmist did in Psalm 121:1, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”

Sustaining Relationships–Part 2 of 2

2011-04-23T07:00:00.002-04:00

1 Corinthians 13:1-7 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. (2) And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. (3) And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. (4) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, (5) Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; (6) Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; (7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

If you did not read part one, get it here now. In this post, we will cover the last two areas of our life that love needs to be greater than.

LOVE IS GREATER THAN OUR

WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS – 13:3

We are commanded to help others when it is within our ability – and sometimes even giving and helping above our abilities. But when we do, it must be with a pure motive of love. If you help someone, only to hold it over their head the rest of their lives – than you really didn’t help them. If you help someone, only to look down on them as you do – then you really didn’t help them.

When we give to others, we cannot forget to give that which is most important – love. People need food, but that runs out. People need money, but that is spent and gone. But what people need the most is someone to love them without reservation, without hesitation, and without complications.

What a shame to give your life to be completely consumed for the Lord – but to hold back your heart! Many Christians serve God with their hands, their feet, and their head, but forget about their heart.

LOVE IS GREATER THAN

WHATEVER COMES OUR WAY – 13:4-7

Notice that this is one complete sentence. The key to love is in the first part of the sentence in vs. 4 – Charity suffereth long. This simply means that love is patient.

The prayer of a typical Christian – God, give me patience - and hurry up with it! Whatever comes your way, patiently wait on the Lord and Hew will renew your strength. When we are unwilling to wait on the Lord, it reveals a lack of love in our heart for our God and our Saviour.

Paul does not stop there in describing love. He also tells us that love is kind. It saddens me to see so much unkindness practiced by Christians today. Sarcasm can sometimes be a mask for an unkind and unloving Christian. When someone comes to church for the first time in a long time and we “jokingly” say something sarcastic about it. You’re not funny or friendly or fun-loving – YOU ARE MEAN-SPIRITED AND UNLOVING!

The remaining parts of the sentence could be summarized by this word – conceit. Conceited people are selfish, prideful, and misbehaven. If you are always looking out for “#1” – then you do not posses or practice love.

In summarizing the topic of love and our relationships, I am reminded of something written by J. Allen Peterson, in The Myth of the Greener Grass:

Newspaper columnist and minister George Crane tells of a wife who came into his office full of hatred toward her husband. “I do not only want to get rid of him; I want to get even. Before I divorce him, I want to hurt him as much as he has hurt me.”
Dr. Crane suggested an ingenious plan. “Go home and act as if you really love your husband. Tell him how much he means to you. Praise him for every decent trait. Go out of your way to be as kind, considerate, and generous as possible. Spare no efforts to please him, to enjoy him. Make him believe you love him. After you’ve convinced him of your undying love and that you cannot live without him, then drop the bomb. Tell him that you’re getting a divorce. That will really hurt him.”
With revenge in her eyes, she smiled and exclaimed, “Beautiful, beautiful. Will he ever be surprised!”

And she did it with enthusiasm. Acting “as if.” For two months she showed love, kindness, listening, giving, reinforcing, and sharing. When she didn’t return, Crane called. “Are you ready now to go through with the divorce?” “Divorce!” she exclaimed. “Never! I discovered I really do love him.” Her actions had changed her feelings. Motion resulted in emotion. The ability to love is established not so much by fervent promise as often as repeated deeds. (750 Engaging Illus., pg. 320-321)

The question today is this – how are you sustaining your relationships? Without love – you are not!

Sustaining Relationships–Part 1 of 2

2011-04-21T14:31:00.001-04:00

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

As we continue studying and receiving advice for our Christian walk, we come to the subject of our relationships and charity, or love.

Strong’s defines Charity as love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast. Here, Paul is showing us that people can do a lot of things, a lot of good things, and yet not have a motivation of love in doing so.

The fact of the matter is we all have a tendency to overrate things.

“That is the BEST meal I EVER had…PRETTIEST baby I have EVER seen…”

We have a tendency to overstate things.

A fellow said to a man who was given to exaggeration, “Friend, you exaggerate. Everything you say is bigger, better, more by the thousands or millions. You need to stop that.” The exaggerator answered, “I’m really concerned about that myself. In fact, I have shed barrels and barrels of tears over it.” (Don’t Look Now, But Your Religion Is Showing, Barber, pg 89)

But there is no possible way for us to overrate or overstate the impact of charity, or love. A poet once said:

Love is a funny thing; it is just like a lizard.
It crawls around your heart and jumps into your gizzard.

Another poet said it this way:

Love is like an onion, You taste it with delight.
And when you’re through, You wonder whatever made you bite. (Barber, pg 89)

Love is just something that you and I cannot fully explain; it must be experienced. And there is no greater example of this truth than the love of God. If our finite brains could explain the Love of God, it wouldn’t be much! As we talk about relationships, the most important relationship you have is with God. Can you say today that you love God as much or more than the day you were saved? You may not feel it is possible, but don’t overstate or overrate your love of God. The church of Ephesus did – Revelation 2:1-4.

In these verses from 1 Corinthians, we see different areas that love is greater than. We will look at the first two in this post.

LOVE IS GREATER THAN THE

WORDS WE SAY – 13:1

Paul lived in what is commonly called the Greco-Roman world. It was from this same region that some of the world’s greatest philosophers came – Socrates, Plato, and others. Think about some of the great Greek cities during Paul’s days – Acts 17:15-23, 32-34. Here in Athens at Mar’s Hill, Paul stands in the midst of all of this so-called knowledge and higher learning and preaches the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This area of the world was known for having great men of speech, or oratory ability. Many could move crowds and governments with their speech. But Paul reminds the readers that it does not matter how intelligent sounding their speech is; without love it is empty. As a Christian, you can say the right things, but if it is not bathed in love, it is empty – no one will hear.

How many of your words have fallen on deaf ears because to the hearer, it only sounded like a noisy gong (brass) or clanging (tinkling) cymbal? How bothersome is it to hear someone just steadily bang on an instrument? How bothersome are our words to our hearers when there is no love in what we say?

LOVE IS GREATER THAN THE

WISDOM WE POSSESS – 13:2

Paul gives 3 forms of wisdom here. The first is Prophecy. In the Old Testament, the prophet spoke for God, and only spoke what God had revealed to him. Paul and the Corinthians were familiar with the Old Testament prophets. The new believers in Corinth could now go back and read those great prophets and now fully understand what those Israelites who denied Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Saviour missed – that God had provided the way of salvation through His only begotten Son. And it is through the lens of love that the Old Testament prophets spoke their messages of warning and coming judgment. One of the prophets, Jeremiah, is known as the “weeping prophet” because of his love and broken heart for wayward Israel. The judgment of God must be declared, but it must be done so with a heart of love.

The second form of wisdom Paul mentions is Knowledge. Paul is saying that it does not matter how much we understand, and how much knowledge we have if we do not posses love. This does not mean that we should not seek for knowledge and wisdom from God and His Word. What it shows is that our gathering of this knowledge should not only fill our minds with wisdom, but it should also fill our hearts with a greater love for God and people.

The third form of wisdom is Faith. As much as the Bible speaks about faith, we see here that it is hollow without love. So, in essence, we can say that love and faith go hand in hand. If you don’t have faith, then you don’t have love. And if you don’t have love, then you do not have faith.

Do you show love in your words and wisdom with others around you?

SIMPLE STEWARDSHIP

2011-04-18T17:22:00.001-04:00

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

According to the Associated Press, in 1996, a man by the name of Joe from the state of Wisconsin was to receive a check from the Social Security Administration for $40,000. Now, Joe was not supposed to receive the check directly because mentally handicap he had, with the addition of a gambling problem. But they messed up and mailed it directly to him and he went on to blow it all in a casino in just a few weeks. The government will not be giving any more money directly to Joe. They are on record as to say, “Those who can’t manage money cannot expect to be given even more. “

The same principle applies to us today. God entrust what is valuable to those who prove their ability to manage it. God expects us to be faithful stewards of His blessings. How faithful are you in your stewardship. Let’s quickly look at three areas we are to be faithful stewards of.

GIFTS OF GOD

There are three gifts that I want to focus on for just a moment. The first one is our Talent. The Bible tells us in I Corinthians 4:1-2, “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. (2) Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” God has given each believer abilities. We should strive to use them for God & not the world. Whether it is singing…teaching…being a friend…building…technology…or any other talent, use it for God’s glory.

The second on is our Time. We are told in Ephesians 5:16 that we are to be, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Time is the one commodity that everyone has the same amount of, and we can not get it back when it’s spent. No one will stand before God and say, “I gave you too much time.”

I recently read that the average 77 year old man spends 24 years sleeping; 14 years working; 8 years with amusement; 6 years at the dinner table; 5 years in transportation; 4 years in conversation; 3 years accumulating education; and 2 years reading. His other 4 years in miscellaneous pursuits. If he went to church every Sunday morning & prayed 5 minutes every day, that would only be 5 MONTHS over 77 years. Even if he attended every service available at the average church (Sunday School, 11am & 6pm Worship service, and a Mid-Weed prayer and Bible Study), that would still only equal 1 year 9 months. How much time have you really given to God?

The third one is our Treasure. God doesn’t need your finances, but He doesn’t need to bless you with them either. If the paying of your mortgage was a sporadic as the average Christian’s tithes and offerings, they would be evicted already! When we don’t want to give, it shows a heart problem.

GOSPEL OF GOD

1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

We are to be faithful stewards of the Gospel through Soul-winning. The phrase, “Ministers of Christ” is a reference to the believer being Christ like. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, and we are His ministers today to continue that work. One great way for us to do so is through the giving out of Gospel tracts. This allows every believer is a preacher! Whether we realize it or not, every Christians IS a preacher, either for good or bad. God has entrusted you to spread the Gospel – is He pleased?

A second way we are to be faithful stewards of the Gospel is through the Scriptures. The phrase “stewards of the mysteries of God,” refers to something that was hidden but now revealed; something that cannot be understood by natural man. The mystery here is the Gospel. We are expected to:

Preserve the Scriptures
Propagate the Scriptures

GOOD NAME

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Finally, we are expected to be a steward of the good name we have been given. Unfortunately, many people’s name brings up images of anger, gossip, and hard-heartedness. Our family name will only become and remain a good name when we raise and teach our children the truths of God’s Word and the expectations of faith. The same holds true for the church. What kind of family name – church name – are we leaving for the next generation?

Are you a faithful steward of what God has given you?

Book Review: Time With God For Fathers

2011-04-11T18:35:00.003-04:00

Book Description

A Scripture-led devotion to encourage time between fathers and the Lord.

Time with God for Fathers contains ninety devotions that encourage fathers to spend time on their relationship with the Lord in prayer, thanksgiving, and praise. Devotions are topical and include: forgiveness, wisdom, comfort, guidance, and strength. A Quick Scripture Reference Guide is included to help fathers in their day-to-day walk with God and fatherhood. Subjects consist of "Father's Prayers", "God's Promises for Fathers", "God's Blessings for Fathers", "Responsibilities for Fathers", and "God's Dynamic Examples of Fathers".

I was interested in receiving and reviewing this book because I am a fan of small, daily devotional books to end my day with. This one was not bad, but not great either. Maybe it is because my standard for comparison is My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and that is probably not fair to any other writer of devotional material. But this was not bad, and a very easy read. It does not get too “meaty,” so it would probably do all right for a newer Christian. A few entries seemed “forced",” but others were very insightful. One really cool aspect of the book was the binding/packaging. It was a nice, small, hard cover, which makes it very durable for a book that I would read and keep on my nightstand. But the most unique, and maybe best feature, was the black elastic band that you see on the picture above, very much like a Moleskin. A really cool feature that I used as a book mark and wished more books would do so. All in all, a good, but not great, devotional book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

SWEEPING STORMS, SOLID STONE, & SINKING SAND–Part 3 of 3

2011-04-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: (25) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. (26) And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: (27) And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

SINKING SAND – 7:26-27

In this post, we will look at the foundation that faltered. There are three truths that we notice about those who build on sinking sand.

First, foolishness is seen in the BLUNDERING of the fool. One of the definitions of the word “Blundering” is, “deaf".” We see here in these two verses that those who build in sinking sand are spiritually deaf – they hear, but they don’t listen. Hearing is merely the ability of the ear to sense sounds around one. But listening is more of a conscious effort to interpret the sounds, requiring concentration of mind.Simply put: Hearing is the sensing of sounds; Listening is understanding the meaning of sensed sound. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_hearing_and_listening#ixzz1EQRwykW9

We notice that they received the same warning but ignored it. We can think about it in this sense - Just because you brought someone to church, or that they even grew up in church, does not mean that they listened. You can hear what is said, and even regurgitate what is said, but that does not mean that you listened. Listening leads to application, and when there is no fruit of application, it points to a lack of listening.

Secondly, foolishness is seen in the BUILDING of the fool. No one truly in their right mind would build a house on sinking sand. One of the first things you do is inspect the foundation of a building. Since house was built without any problem, he assumed everything was good. But just because you don’t see many problems in your life right now, that does not mean that you have the right foundation. Faith is tested in the trials of storms – and if you are not in a storm now, it will be coming soon.

Finally, foolishness is seen in the BROKEN PIECES of the fool. The Bible tells us in Matthew 21:44, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” What a shame to live a full life – only to lose it all in the end. Matthew 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The house did not fall because of a faulty roof, bad siding, or leaky windows – but because of a weak and improper foundation. Everyone sees the building, but God sees the foundation.

As we wrap up these three post, understand that just because you are going through a storm, that does not necessarily mean you are living in sin. Everyone goes through storms at some point in your life. They key is to have the right type of foundation that will stand the test of the storms.Which type of foundation do you have? If your salvation is not built upon repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ, it is sinking sand that will not stand the test of eternity.