Most of us have heard people say "I was lucky" or "good luck". It is a pretty common saying. Not to long ago I was actually listening to a group of people talk about the certainty of heaven and one of them said "with God's help and a little luck we'll make it". I chuckled and got a strange look from the group of people. I looked at them and said I don't need luck to know for certain that I will be in heaven when my time here is done. Jesus Christ is a sure thing not a random series of events acted upon by an outside force.
I don't want to sound arrogant or self-righteous. I get what the guy was saying but it started a thought in my head. How many people feel like their relationship with God or it's failure hinges on one mess up or failure. To have that sort of view is so against what we read in scripture about the character and nature of God. Look at the disciples. Peter outright denied Jesus just like he was told he was going to do. Paul was constantly in rebuke and teaching mode but was quick to speak of God's mercy.
I have always said I don't believe in luck. I think random things happen and people benefit from them or are effected negatively by them. What seems so foreign to me is that when it works for us, we call it luck. When it fails for us we call it fate or life. When does the Lord actually get credit for doing special things for his people. The question then becomes, what about those random things that just seem to happen? Every good and perfect thing comes from above. So, if you nail that last second 3 pt shot thank God for it. If you miss it just roll with it and don't blame God for your lack of aim. If you win that election thank God for it. If you lose, thank God for the opportunity that is coming because he has great things planned for you.
No offense to Saint Patrick or slighting the four leaf clover, but luck is not required to walk with certainty with Jesus Christ. It is a simple matter of your heart. If you accept his free gift to you, salvation is there. His grace and mercy are with you every step of the way. From now until eternity he is there guiding you and loving you.
Happy Saint Patricks Day
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Sweeping The House
Have you ever lost something important? Maybe you didn't lose it but rather misplaced it. Not to long ago I lost my wallet. Thankfully it was not where I put it. I searched frantically. My mind played out scenarios of getting pulled over without my license or getting asked to show my minister's id at a hospital. My access would be denied unless I had those important things. I searched in places that were completely dumb. I searched in the freezer and other places like that. At last I found it on my dresser. I know I know it seems foolish right?
As I was reading in the book of Luke I read the parable of the lost coin. At first glance, I thought wow that is so amazing that Jesus searches for us like this woman searches for her lost coin. When she finds it she rejoices and calls everyone around her and they rejoice with her. Such a warm feel good story. When I was ready to move on, I felt impressed to read it again. This time something else hit my mind.
Are we seeking for the treasure as much as the treasure sought after us?
Honestly, for many the answer is no. I have noticed a very real danger in our walk with Christ. It is this. When we first accept Christ and invite him into our life, we are all about what he wants. He takes residence in our heart. We communicate with him daily. We feel connected to him. Then, time happens. Temptation happens along with the other parts of life. Our communication with Him becomes a little less and then we find that we have isolated him to particular rooms of our lives.
You can be in the kitchen Jesus because you are my provider, but don't come into my bedroom and mess with my intimacy. You can be in my kitchen Jesus, but don't come and mess with my entertainment. We eventually have him so limited that he is all but hidden in our dirt.
If you look at the parable, you see the woman does three things in order to find the treasure that has gotten lost.
1. She lights a lamp
I hate to insult your intellect, but many times we grope around in the darkness trying to put our hands on something lost. We forget to communicate with God and simply go to church as if that will make all things right. In order to find something you must light the lamp. If you have allowed your dirt to cover your relationship with Christ then you have to shine the light of Christ on the dirt so it can be dealt with.
2. She swept the WHOLE house
Now that the light is lit, we must sweep the house. Every corner of the house must be cleaned. The act of sweeping can only be done by the individual. We cannot sweep out someone else's house. Many of us have rooms that are easier to clean than others. I can vacuum pretty easily. Please don't tell my wife that. I can even scrub toilets. The chore I hate the most is dishes. I would eat on disposable any time. I know thats not being a good steward of the planet but just being honest. I hate dishes. I will clean almost any other room in the house except the kitchen because that means doing dishes.
We are that way spiritually as well. We have areas that are easily restorable but then there are those areas that require tough time consuming work. It's easy to ignore them. You even feel better when the other rooms are dealt with but as soon as you walk into that room dread starts showing itself. You have to press through and sweep the whole house.
3. She finds the treasure
Once the cleaning happened, she found the missing coin. If you are feeling disconnected from God, then you have allowed some dirt to cover your treasure. A little bit of dirt on a silver coin makes it lose its luster. We cannot isolate our relationship with God to specific parts of our life. The relationship with God is our life. When you seek after the things of God, you find the things of God.
If you are missing the connection, try lighting the lamp. Read the word of God, pray and start trying to communicate again, and then sweep your house. The search will show you the true treasure once again. Get connected with him again.
As I was reading in the book of Luke I read the parable of the lost coin. At first glance, I thought wow that is so amazing that Jesus searches for us like this woman searches for her lost coin. When she finds it she rejoices and calls everyone around her and they rejoice with her. Such a warm feel good story. When I was ready to move on, I felt impressed to read it again. This time something else hit my mind.
Are we seeking for the treasure as much as the treasure sought after us?
Honestly, for many the answer is no. I have noticed a very real danger in our walk with Christ. It is this. When we first accept Christ and invite him into our life, we are all about what he wants. He takes residence in our heart. We communicate with him daily. We feel connected to him. Then, time happens. Temptation happens along with the other parts of life. Our communication with Him becomes a little less and then we find that we have isolated him to particular rooms of our lives.
You can be in the kitchen Jesus because you are my provider, but don't come into my bedroom and mess with my intimacy. You can be in my kitchen Jesus, but don't come and mess with my entertainment. We eventually have him so limited that he is all but hidden in our dirt.
If you look at the parable, you see the woman does three things in order to find the treasure that has gotten lost.
1. She lights a lamp
I hate to insult your intellect, but many times we grope around in the darkness trying to put our hands on something lost. We forget to communicate with God and simply go to church as if that will make all things right. In order to find something you must light the lamp. If you have allowed your dirt to cover your relationship with Christ then you have to shine the light of Christ on the dirt so it can be dealt with.
2. She swept the WHOLE house
Now that the light is lit, we must sweep the house. Every corner of the house must be cleaned. The act of sweeping can only be done by the individual. We cannot sweep out someone else's house. Many of us have rooms that are easier to clean than others. I can vacuum pretty easily. Please don't tell my wife that. I can even scrub toilets. The chore I hate the most is dishes. I would eat on disposable any time. I know thats not being a good steward of the planet but just being honest. I hate dishes. I will clean almost any other room in the house except the kitchen because that means doing dishes.
We are that way spiritually as well. We have areas that are easily restorable but then there are those areas that require tough time consuming work. It's easy to ignore them. You even feel better when the other rooms are dealt with but as soon as you walk into that room dread starts showing itself. You have to press through and sweep the whole house.
3. She finds the treasure
Once the cleaning happened, she found the missing coin. If you are feeling disconnected from God, then you have allowed some dirt to cover your treasure. A little bit of dirt on a silver coin makes it lose its luster. We cannot isolate our relationship with God to specific parts of our life. The relationship with God is our life. When you seek after the things of God, you find the things of God.
If you are missing the connection, try lighting the lamp. Read the word of God, pray and start trying to communicate again, and then sweep your house. The search will show you the true treasure once again. Get connected with him again.
Monday, February 23, 2015
About Change
In many articles you read today, you find the word change. For many change is necessity and for others change is to be avoided at all costs. What really spurred this blog post is something that I have been seeing. It is the ability for churches to do events and record lots of salvations and ten later on find out that although salvation occurred the individual is no longer there or involved anywhere because they didn't change.
Why do we see salvation and no life change? For the answer to that questions look no further than the Christian book section of Barnes and Noble. Located on it's shelves you find countless books on living a better life and experiencing the full ness of life. What you don't see are books that speak of transformation and authentic life change.
Christians have began the process of self medication rather than open heart surgery.
Don't misunderstand me. I would rather have medicine over surgery any day, but when it comes to my spiritual condition, I need surgery. Paul speaks of crucifying his flesh daily. David sings of a change that has occurred since he repented an honored God once again. Most people would agree that it is easier to treat symptoms than the problem, however those same people would say the only cure is to get to the cause of the problem and fix it. It is a dichotomy that has plagued mankind since the beginning. serve ourselves or serve others???
Jesus Christ's death was not for self help or to help you get through your day. His death was so that you would be redeemed by his blood that was shed for the remission of sins. Salvation is the reason. Then, we are instructed to make disciples. Followers of the way. How do I follow God now that I am saved? If we don't stick around for that how can life change happen? Following God goes agains the cultural norms of I do what I want. Following God is a pattern of life that must be developed and we as Christians and especially churches are supposed to be the institutions to make that happen.
When we accept Jesus the process of surgery begins. The great physician is the doctor but we are the surgical nurses keeping a close eye on what is happening and a close ear to hear what the doctor is saying. We are there for assistance not just a sudden jolt of energy when the heart begins to fail.
The self help books are nice to read. They make you feel better about yourself and give some inspiration and that is a good thing. However, if the only thing I am digesting is sugar won't I eventually develop diabetes? My body stops wanting protein and craves sweets. I concentrate on feeding my spiritual sweet tooth and my inner man begins to suffer because of it. I then become so jaded that I believe my sin is not sin at all and fall victim to creating an image of God that suits me and my beliefs.
It is time to lay aside the sugar and crave meat that comes from the word of God. It is time to allow God to use us to help others that are around us and ourselves as well to be disciples of Christ. Allow the spirit to convict us and allowing God to change us. It is then when we become recreated and defined in new terms set forth by God on us because we are his.
Why do we see salvation and no life change? For the answer to that questions look no further than the Christian book section of Barnes and Noble. Located on it's shelves you find countless books on living a better life and experiencing the full ness of life. What you don't see are books that speak of transformation and authentic life change.
Christians have began the process of self medication rather than open heart surgery.
Don't misunderstand me. I would rather have medicine over surgery any day, but when it comes to my spiritual condition, I need surgery. Paul speaks of crucifying his flesh daily. David sings of a change that has occurred since he repented an honored God once again. Most people would agree that it is easier to treat symptoms than the problem, however those same people would say the only cure is to get to the cause of the problem and fix it. It is a dichotomy that has plagued mankind since the beginning. serve ourselves or serve others???
Jesus Christ's death was not for self help or to help you get through your day. His death was so that you would be redeemed by his blood that was shed for the remission of sins. Salvation is the reason. Then, we are instructed to make disciples. Followers of the way. How do I follow God now that I am saved? If we don't stick around for that how can life change happen? Following God goes agains the cultural norms of I do what I want. Following God is a pattern of life that must be developed and we as Christians and especially churches are supposed to be the institutions to make that happen.
When we accept Jesus the process of surgery begins. The great physician is the doctor but we are the surgical nurses keeping a close eye on what is happening and a close ear to hear what the doctor is saying. We are there for assistance not just a sudden jolt of energy when the heart begins to fail.
The self help books are nice to read. They make you feel better about yourself and give some inspiration and that is a good thing. However, if the only thing I am digesting is sugar won't I eventually develop diabetes? My body stops wanting protein and craves sweets. I concentrate on feeding my spiritual sweet tooth and my inner man begins to suffer because of it. I then become so jaded that I believe my sin is not sin at all and fall victim to creating an image of God that suits me and my beliefs.
It is time to lay aside the sugar and crave meat that comes from the word of God. It is time to allow God to use us to help others that are around us and ourselves as well to be disciples of Christ. Allow the spirit to convict us and allowing God to change us. It is then when we become recreated and defined in new terms set forth by God on us because we are his.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
I Can Be Angry?!
Unless you have taken residence under a rock, you have probably experienced a time when an argument took place. It always seems to go that way. One person says something and then a snide sometimes cutting retort. Cue the bell. "Let's Get Ready To RUMBLE!" Back and forth the argument goes. Eventually, the argument gets you nowhere and you try to find some other way to win. Let me just start by saying this.
ARGUMENTS HAVE NO WINNERS ONLY LOSERS
Think about it. If you get into an argument with your spouse about the raising or the lowering of the toilet seat, is there a winner? If the husband relents and says sorry and then puts the seat down is it a win for the wife? Superficially yes, but what has happened in the process and progression of the argument? The husband has been compared to a child and therefor has had his manhood called into question. In the cutting remarks, the husband has also brought up the fact that his wife is just as guilty of offenses. Has anyone really benefitted? The answer is no. So, does this mean we don't ever say anything? Not at all but remember.
DISCERNMENT AND DISCUSSION DEFUSES ARGUMENTS
If we stop for a moment and avoid the red button, we can come away from a disagreement or just a mental slip with something that is truly great. UNDERSTANDING AND FORGIVENESS.
The toilet seat controversy or the toilet paper direction conflict are minor. What about the big deals? Those things that lead to more than just inconvenience that take your breath away and sidebar all rational thought. Does this still work? Yes it does. Scripture tells us that in our anger we should not sin. That is such a relief to me. I can be angry. It is easy for us to take anger to a whole new level. Anger builds like mineral deposits on shower heads.
If we don't discuss it, it will mark us and other people.
Shower heads become discolored first. We see a slight whitening. We are the same way. When we become angry and don't discuss it and just let it roll on past, we become slightly whitened. What do I mean? Your opinion changes about the person you are angry towards. You look at them and justify in yourself that you have done nothing wrong and are cleaner than they are. You take on self-righteousness.
No one wants to believe that but you can check it. Think about someone you were angry with. After the initial offense did everything they did seem to bother you? Could you find the good in them? That's self-righteousness.
The build up continues.
It could be days, weeks, or even years before you can actually admit it and see the amount of build up that has occurred. Every interaction you have with that individual leads to more build up. The interesting part is that you find yourself interacting with them more. Why? Because your flesh wants revenge or retribution. You will alter your patterns just so you can be there to watch them crash and burn. When they succeed, you will justify why they did and at whose expense they did succeed.
Eventually you blow up.
So the scale that builds up eventually leads to blockage and ultimately failure. It is an interesting parallel. The more blockage the less water. Streams of living water are supposed to be flowing out of us and the more we allow the anger to build the less of that water comes out. The flow begins to lessen and then ultimately stops. Pressure begins to build and then suddenly failure.
Cleanse the scale and let the water flow.
The anger that we experience is natural, but the solution for the anger cannot be a fleshly one or we get those results. If we discern the offense and then go to that person and discuss it with the intent of making it right not winning, we find ourself removing scale and flowing with living water free from deposits of doubt, anger, insecurity, or fear. Handle things the right way. Matthew 18 gives the formula for the proper way to deal with offense. Use it and watch how things change.
ARGUMENTS HAVE NO WINNERS ONLY LOSERS
Think about it. If you get into an argument with your spouse about the raising or the lowering of the toilet seat, is there a winner? If the husband relents and says sorry and then puts the seat down is it a win for the wife? Superficially yes, but what has happened in the process and progression of the argument? The husband has been compared to a child and therefor has had his manhood called into question. In the cutting remarks, the husband has also brought up the fact that his wife is just as guilty of offenses. Has anyone really benefitted? The answer is no. So, does this mean we don't ever say anything? Not at all but remember.
DISCERNMENT AND DISCUSSION DEFUSES ARGUMENTS
If we stop for a moment and avoid the red button, we can come away from a disagreement or just a mental slip with something that is truly great. UNDERSTANDING AND FORGIVENESS.
The toilet seat controversy or the toilet paper direction conflict are minor. What about the big deals? Those things that lead to more than just inconvenience that take your breath away and sidebar all rational thought. Does this still work? Yes it does. Scripture tells us that in our anger we should not sin. That is such a relief to me. I can be angry. It is easy for us to take anger to a whole new level. Anger builds like mineral deposits on shower heads.
If we don't discuss it, it will mark us and other people.
Shower heads become discolored first. We see a slight whitening. We are the same way. When we become angry and don't discuss it and just let it roll on past, we become slightly whitened. What do I mean? Your opinion changes about the person you are angry towards. You look at them and justify in yourself that you have done nothing wrong and are cleaner than they are. You take on self-righteousness.
No one wants to believe that but you can check it. Think about someone you were angry with. After the initial offense did everything they did seem to bother you? Could you find the good in them? That's self-righteousness.
The build up continues.
It could be days, weeks, or even years before you can actually admit it and see the amount of build up that has occurred. Every interaction you have with that individual leads to more build up. The interesting part is that you find yourself interacting with them more. Why? Because your flesh wants revenge or retribution. You will alter your patterns just so you can be there to watch them crash and burn. When they succeed, you will justify why they did and at whose expense they did succeed.
Eventually you blow up.
So the scale that builds up eventually leads to blockage and ultimately failure. It is an interesting parallel. The more blockage the less water. Streams of living water are supposed to be flowing out of us and the more we allow the anger to build the less of that water comes out. The flow begins to lessen and then ultimately stops. Pressure begins to build and then suddenly failure.
Cleanse the scale and let the water flow.
The anger that we experience is natural, but the solution for the anger cannot be a fleshly one or we get those results. If we discern the offense and then go to that person and discuss it with the intent of making it right not winning, we find ourself removing scale and flowing with living water free from deposits of doubt, anger, insecurity, or fear. Handle things the right way. Matthew 18 gives the formula for the proper way to deal with offense. Use it and watch how things change.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Sticking Our Heads In The Sand
With all the different things that have been happening in the news over the past few weeks, the church has become virtually silent. It is almost as if it is afraid to make a stand. Even on issues that directly fly in the face of scriptural precedents and precepts they are still quiet. Why? Is it easier to stay silent and say nothing. Sure it is. Is that what we are supposed to be doing? Nope. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying use the pulpit for a propaganda machine. I am simply saying, the world needs the message of hope that is contained in scripture.
Sticking your head in the sand is easier.
This may be true, but do you know what happens when you stick your head in the sand? The waves come up and takes your feet out from under you. We experienced this as a nation a few decades ago. We laughed as churches when someone took a case to the US Supreme Court and said we should not have directed prayer in school. Then the ruling happened and almost instantly we saw a pillar of the founding of education removed.
Just ignoring a problem is easier and for a while you will not even be effected by it. Many years ago, I had a vehicle that shuttered when I started it and shifted it into gear. I drove it for several years with the same thing happening. I would tell myself I gotta get that checked and still never do it. Then one day I could not drive forward anymore. I could drive backwards but not forward. My laziness to deal with an issue cost me a transmission. It also put my family at risk and caused extreme hardship on us for several months.
Looking the other way is easier but we have to remember that there is someone that is being hurt because of our inactivity. Loves response is not apathy. Loves response is action. Just because I choose to ignore domestic violence does not change the fact that daily it happens and the countless victims of it are increasing in number. We must unbury ourselves.
It is time we shake off the sand
We have fallen asleep standing up. The United States is still a Christian nation, but now more than ever before it is in name only. Christians have never been children of inaction. We serve a God of action that responds to the calls of his children. We are supposed to have his nature in us, so that means that sitting idly by is NOT EVER and option.
The church has to dig out but how.
1. Realize that Christianity is bigger than you are.
Our message is a global one. We cannot stop and just be concerned about ourself. Church has became about the consumer rather than the prospective consumer. We got to have the lights right, the sound right, the look right, and the coffee has got to be just so or the church people with get upset and leave. Doesn't that seem backwards. Why do we set the lights and have the coffee just so? It is for them not you. I know that flies in the face of common practice but the sick need the physician. The message of Christ needs to be preached. The delivery can vary and that is good but when I realize that the guy off the street needs to hear this message and it is my responsibility to get him there. My place becomes obvious. "I AM SECOND"
2. We cannot compete with the world and assume we will not become like it.
You must have protocols in place to keep the message of Christ the center of the ministry to the lost. Many churches have tried their best to make their Sunday worship encounter/experience/conclave/gathering/lifegroup/community/collective be like a U2 concert with a little Jesus and a lot of bass. Don't get me wrong I love bass. The more the better but I will take live change over experience any day. I have never been to a concert and walked away and said that concert changed my life. I have been inspired by what I have heard. The first time I ever heard the bass player for a heavy metal band that will remain nameless rip a bass solo for 2 minutes it made we want to go home and grab my guitar. There are some churches that you cannot tell where the world ends and the church begins. You see leadership of the ultra mega churches dilute the message to make it tolerable to the lost but in the dilution the conviction is diluted as well. A light design will not save anyone from hell. A 100,000 sound array will not draw anyone to Christ. It is what is coming out of it that does. The message of Christ must be forefront in all we do.
Am I against theatrical lighting and sound. Absolutely not! If you can provide the quality go for it. Just don't allow your quest for the bells and whistles overshadow you desire for the sinners hung the thorn bushes and thistles. The world desperately needs the message of Christ because they are toiling in the thorn bushes of life and it is gripping them so tight they are getting choked out.
3. Prayer cannot be a part-time activity.
The church must be in communication with God. It is not just about leadership praying. If the church is not agreeing in prayer with the leadership, the church will spin it's wheels and eventually blow out it's engine. A frightening statistic has emerged in the realm of evangelical Christian leaders. It was asked how many minutes a day do you spend in prayer. The common answer was 15 minutes a day. Do we really expect to hit the throne room of God and truly connect through 15 minutes a day? What if you talked to your wife 15 minutes a day? How strong would your marriage be? You more than likely would not have a marriage. We have to be quick to pray. We also have to be intensive when we pray. Put away the distractions. Leave your cell phone or iPad somewhere else and just pray and talk to God and ask for direction and how to speak.
The church has lost credibility because we have stopped getting results. The lack of prayer and connection to God is the reason we have stopped getting the results the world is looking for. We have what the world is seeking. We have a real supernatural God who is in control and still wants a relationship that is intimate and lasting with us. Unless we put the time we will still only get sporadic results.
I have always heard the church called the sleeping giant. It is time for the giant to get up, wipe the sleep from it's eyes and strengthen what remains.
Sticking your head in the sand is easier.
This may be true, but do you know what happens when you stick your head in the sand? The waves come up and takes your feet out from under you. We experienced this as a nation a few decades ago. We laughed as churches when someone took a case to the US Supreme Court and said we should not have directed prayer in school. Then the ruling happened and almost instantly we saw a pillar of the founding of education removed.
Just ignoring a problem is easier and for a while you will not even be effected by it. Many years ago, I had a vehicle that shuttered when I started it and shifted it into gear. I drove it for several years with the same thing happening. I would tell myself I gotta get that checked and still never do it. Then one day I could not drive forward anymore. I could drive backwards but not forward. My laziness to deal with an issue cost me a transmission. It also put my family at risk and caused extreme hardship on us for several months.
Looking the other way is easier but we have to remember that there is someone that is being hurt because of our inactivity. Loves response is not apathy. Loves response is action. Just because I choose to ignore domestic violence does not change the fact that daily it happens and the countless victims of it are increasing in number. We must unbury ourselves.
It is time we shake off the sand
We have fallen asleep standing up. The United States is still a Christian nation, but now more than ever before it is in name only. Christians have never been children of inaction. We serve a God of action that responds to the calls of his children. We are supposed to have his nature in us, so that means that sitting idly by is NOT EVER and option.
The church has to dig out but how.
1. Realize that Christianity is bigger than you are.
Our message is a global one. We cannot stop and just be concerned about ourself. Church has became about the consumer rather than the prospective consumer. We got to have the lights right, the sound right, the look right, and the coffee has got to be just so or the church people with get upset and leave. Doesn't that seem backwards. Why do we set the lights and have the coffee just so? It is for them not you. I know that flies in the face of common practice but the sick need the physician. The message of Christ needs to be preached. The delivery can vary and that is good but when I realize that the guy off the street needs to hear this message and it is my responsibility to get him there. My place becomes obvious. "I AM SECOND"
2. We cannot compete with the world and assume we will not become like it.
You must have protocols in place to keep the message of Christ the center of the ministry to the lost. Many churches have tried their best to make their Sunday worship encounter/experience/conclave/gathering/lifegroup/community/collective be like a U2 concert with a little Jesus and a lot of bass. Don't get me wrong I love bass. The more the better but I will take live change over experience any day. I have never been to a concert and walked away and said that concert changed my life. I have been inspired by what I have heard. The first time I ever heard the bass player for a heavy metal band that will remain nameless rip a bass solo for 2 minutes it made we want to go home and grab my guitar. There are some churches that you cannot tell where the world ends and the church begins. You see leadership of the ultra mega churches dilute the message to make it tolerable to the lost but in the dilution the conviction is diluted as well. A light design will not save anyone from hell. A 100,000 sound array will not draw anyone to Christ. It is what is coming out of it that does. The message of Christ must be forefront in all we do.
Am I against theatrical lighting and sound. Absolutely not! If you can provide the quality go for it. Just don't allow your quest for the bells and whistles overshadow you desire for the sinners hung the thorn bushes and thistles. The world desperately needs the message of Christ because they are toiling in the thorn bushes of life and it is gripping them so tight they are getting choked out.
3. Prayer cannot be a part-time activity.
The church must be in communication with God. It is not just about leadership praying. If the church is not agreeing in prayer with the leadership, the church will spin it's wheels and eventually blow out it's engine. A frightening statistic has emerged in the realm of evangelical Christian leaders. It was asked how many minutes a day do you spend in prayer. The common answer was 15 minutes a day. Do we really expect to hit the throne room of God and truly connect through 15 minutes a day? What if you talked to your wife 15 minutes a day? How strong would your marriage be? You more than likely would not have a marriage. We have to be quick to pray. We also have to be intensive when we pray. Put away the distractions. Leave your cell phone or iPad somewhere else and just pray and talk to God and ask for direction and how to speak.
The church has lost credibility because we have stopped getting results. The lack of prayer and connection to God is the reason we have stopped getting the results the world is looking for. We have what the world is seeking. We have a real supernatural God who is in control and still wants a relationship that is intimate and lasting with us. Unless we put the time we will still only get sporadic results.
I have always heard the church called the sleeping giant. It is time for the giant to get up, wipe the sleep from it's eyes and strengthen what remains.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Be Still And Know
I have 3 amazing kids. One of the things I notice at my house is the absence of noise when they are at school. I can hear every electrical sound. I can hear the sump pump kick on and off. I can hear the washer and dryer cycling and a wide variety of other noises that I never hear when my kids are home. There is a lot of noise at my house. Most of it is fantastic. Kids playing together and other noises that make me know my family is healthy and happy.
As I stood outside today, I noticed exactly how noisy it was outside. Sounds that many times I just stop paying attention to and accept as normal. Then, I went to go vote at our county auditors office. What I saw and heard made me know even more that the world is even more noisy. I saw 6 employees on their phones frantically texting and saw others in the office on phones and tablets as well. It really hit me then because my phone dinged and I immediately reached to check who was texting me. That text was followed by a Facebook notification dot that appeared on my Facebook icon. Then, my mail app refreshed and suddenly I had 9 email messages from different people. My life is noisy. Everyone of us could attest to that fact.
Our busyness and our need to be continually in the loop has caused something to happen in our spiritual lives as well. We are placing our same expectations of instant information from God. We are looking to God the way we look at our phones. We want that text tone followed by a cleverly worded message. We want God to answer our Facebook status or our tweets and then we become disappointed in him because he is not answering us as fast as we think he should.
There is a scripture Psalms the 46th chapter and 10th verse that says Be still and know that I am God.... When was the last time we actually took the time to do this? To quiet ourselves and put away the phones and the iPads and just be still and understand that God does not need our help to run the universe and he will do just fine without us for 5 minutes.
I was asked the other day why do I think that we do not see the miracles of the past occurring in church today. My response was this. We have forgotten the art of tarrying. We are so quick to stop and just accept no answer as the answer. God has called us to be vigilant in prayer and wait on him. Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. We have to get to the point of being still and knowing that he is God. We cannot understand him or his ways unless we ourselves are connecting with him. God is not superficial so he does not honor superficial things. He cannot take on things that are not his nature. We have to learn to be still again. So the question is how.
1. Force the issue: You have to be intentional about getting still. Set the time and keep to it. Leave your phone somewhere you cannot hear it or see it. Don't keep it with you and say I will turn it on silent. You know you will put it on vibrate and if your phone is like mine vibrate is louder than most of my ringtones.
2.Get accountable: Many times we do not even know how much we are under the mastery of our technology. We find ourselves sleeping with our phones. If it dings, we have anxiety until we see what it is. We need someone to ask us the hard questions. Then, they can work with us to develop a strategy for victory.
3. Use it as a tool for becoming more like HIM: In becoming more like him, I am not saying turn into super stalker and know everything about everybody. Use your phone to honor God. Read the scriptures instead of playing Candy Crush or Pearls Peril. Use it to send words of affirmation when REAL interaction is not possible for whatever circumstances. Master your technology do not let it master you.
I realize it may sound simple, but while you were reading this post, you got distracted by the banner at the top that flashed you had a Facebook or text notification. When was the last time you spent 5 minutes quiet before God without your tech? Set that time everyday. 5 minutes just being still. God will justify the time. Let him work and watch what he will do. He wants to reveal himself. The best things in life are worth waiting for. How would your cake be if you just kept opening up the door to the oven every 1 minute. It might eventually get done but it more than likely would look done but be raw and unfit to eat. We need to spend the time, see it as an investment, and reap the benefits of a true relationship with God.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Like It Is Our Last
Now that the planes of the US and France are on bombing runs in Syria, I have started seeing and hearing individuals talk about the prophecies of Isaiah as it relates to Damascus. You can read scripture and see remarkable parallels and sign of the end of the age. It is remarkable how accurate the term and even timelines are. There is however one thing that I must say.
IF YOU KNEW THE EXACT DATE OF THE RETURN OF THE LORD, HOW WOULD THAT CHANGE THE FOCUS OF YOUR MINISTRY?
Christ has never called us to be on the defensive. Why, because his truth can hold it's own. We are called to be on the attack ever pressing forward not biding our time until we see some great cataclysmic sign and know that the end is near. We have got to live and minister each day like it is our last. There are people dying and going to hell every minute and every second that we spend trying to figure out who is right about the blood moon or what eschatological timeline is correct, we are wasting precious minutes that we could be using to tell someone about the love a Christ and introducing them to the savior.
To me it seems like we are firemen who instead of running in a building and rescuing people are simply standing outside the inferno shouting "hey that building is on fire" "you need to get out" In the end, the fire still burns and the people still are trapped and eventually perish. Is there value in eschatology? Yes there is. It needs to be the warning sign that we as Christians need to get off our laurels of self righteousness and get to work about the King's business. The time is short. The end is approaching. The signs are all there. Shortly, the rapture will occur and when I stand in front of God, I am sure he will NOT ask me "Hey Dave, how close did you get to the date I was coming back/" I am sure he will ask me "what did you do with the time I gave you?" and also "who did you share my gospel with?" and "what did you do with my son Jesus?" Then, as I stand there in front of him awaiting his reply, I will know exactly where I stand with him. All of my best efforts here on this planet fall drastically short of worthiness to enter heaven. It is simply the grace of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection that seals me.
It's not that I don't think prophecy is unimportant because it is important. I really just feel that we have gotten so caught up in trying to figure it out that the enemy has used it to make us lose focus of what will reduce perishing souls from hell. Prophecy can direct people to Christ and it does so importance is there definitely. Just simply live each day like it is our last. You will love ministry more,. Just go for it. Many times the reason we don't really feel like we have won is because we have strived for second place not to win the race. The time for pacing yourself is over. It is time to flat our run for the mark that Jesus Christ has set for us. All we have to do to win is finish.
IF YOU KNEW THE EXACT DATE OF THE RETURN OF THE LORD, HOW WOULD THAT CHANGE THE FOCUS OF YOUR MINISTRY?
Christ has never called us to be on the defensive. Why, because his truth can hold it's own. We are called to be on the attack ever pressing forward not biding our time until we see some great cataclysmic sign and know that the end is near. We have got to live and minister each day like it is our last. There are people dying and going to hell every minute and every second that we spend trying to figure out who is right about the blood moon or what eschatological timeline is correct, we are wasting precious minutes that we could be using to tell someone about the love a Christ and introducing them to the savior.
To me it seems like we are firemen who instead of running in a building and rescuing people are simply standing outside the inferno shouting "hey that building is on fire" "you need to get out" In the end, the fire still burns and the people still are trapped and eventually perish. Is there value in eschatology? Yes there is. It needs to be the warning sign that we as Christians need to get off our laurels of self righteousness and get to work about the King's business. The time is short. The end is approaching. The signs are all there. Shortly, the rapture will occur and when I stand in front of God, I am sure he will NOT ask me "Hey Dave, how close did you get to the date I was coming back/" I am sure he will ask me "what did you do with the time I gave you?" and also "who did you share my gospel with?" and "what did you do with my son Jesus?" Then, as I stand there in front of him awaiting his reply, I will know exactly where I stand with him. All of my best efforts here on this planet fall drastically short of worthiness to enter heaven. It is simply the grace of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection that seals me.
It's not that I don't think prophecy is unimportant because it is important. I really just feel that we have gotten so caught up in trying to figure it out that the enemy has used it to make us lose focus of what will reduce perishing souls from hell. Prophecy can direct people to Christ and it does so importance is there definitely. Just simply live each day like it is our last. You will love ministry more,. Just go for it. Many times the reason we don't really feel like we have won is because we have strived for second place not to win the race. The time for pacing yourself is over. It is time to flat our run for the mark that Jesus Christ has set for us. All we have to do to win is finish.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)