Faith for the Journey

Disciple?

2012-01-27T12:31:00.004-06:00

What does it mean to be a “disciple” of Jesus? Maybe it’s because of my upbringing. Maybe it is because of my love for learning. But I have often assumed that to be a good disciple, was to be a good student. I don’t think I’m alone in this. I believe that for many of us we see ourselves as good disciples of Jesus when we read the Bible through in a year, take good notes during the sermon on Sunday, attend our Sunday School class or small group with our Bible in hand, memorize our weekly Scripture verses, and pray before we go to bed.

These are all wonderful things to do, and we should do them. But is that the measure of a disciple? Recently, I did a study on what did it mean for a person in the first century to be a disciple. I found some interesting information. To begin with, a disciple in Hebrew is the word Tal’mid. This word carries much more weight that we commonly ascribe to it.

According to Jewish tradition, here is the process for a young boy to become a Tal’mid of a Rabbi (teacher).

* at age 5 – Read and begin memorizing the Torah = the first 5 books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).
*at age 10 – Begin studying the Mishnah = The Rabbi’s oral interpretations of the Torah. Talk about tough. How would like to be examined on every sermon ever preached?
* at age 13 – Have the Torah memorized and fulfill the Commandments with your lifestyle. For most in the Church, we probably can’t name the books of the Bible in order, lest of all, quote the first five books by memory.
* at age 15 – Ask a Rabbi permission to become his Talmid. Most young men were turned down. To be chosen meant that the Rabbi felt the young man had the intellect, moral, spiritual, and ethical character to become like him.
* age 18 – Take a bride.
* age 20 – Pursue a vocation. To be a Rabbi was a great honor, but it wasn’t going to provide for you and your family. Rabbi’s had to know a vocation.
* age 30 – Become an official Rabbi.

I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a pretty hefty system of requirements. The difference between how the first century Jew viewed discipleship and the way many of us view it is that a student simply wants to know what the teacher knows, but a first century Tal’mid wanted to be like the teacher, to become what he is.

This was how Jesus viewed being a disciple. This was how Peter, James, John, and the rest of those early followers of Jesus viewed being His disciple. Their desire was not simply to know what Jesus knew, but to become like Him. To lose their own identity and take on the identity of their Messiah, their Rabbi, Jesus.

In Luke 9: 23, Jesus said, “…If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Believe me, I am thankful that Jesus said, “If anyone…” That gives me hope. That gives you hope of being His disciple. With this one statement, Jesus tore down all those traditional requirements to become a Tal’mid (disciple). Jesus said, “anyone.” You who can’t remember your own phone number, lest alone, the first five books of the Bible. You who have the embarrassing past you don’t want anyone else to know about. You who have been less than faithful to God. You who think you are too old, too young, too ______ (you fill in the blank). When Jesus says “anyone,” He means ANYONE can become His disciple.

I’m glad He took away the requirements, but I don’t think He did away with the expectations. The goal for being His disciple is still the same as it was when He called His first followers. Jesus wants us to become like Him. To lose our life in Him is the only way we will truly find our life. We are meant for so much more than getting an education, building a successful career, making, saving, and spending money. We were made to be like Jesus. Our hearts yearn to be like Him. The world desperately needs us to be like Him.

God said that this is His predetermined plan for all us who come to follow Jesus. God wants us to be like Jesus.
Romans 8: 29, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,”

Fan or Follower?

2012-01-06T16:32:00.004-06:00

***click on the title and watch this week's video blog***

You should have seen the look on their faces when I took that shirt out of my shopping bag. I really caught my family off-guard. You see, in Kentucky, we have a saying that goes like this, “I bleed blue!” Of course, that is referring to being a University of Kentucky Wildcat fan. And I admit that I am a “fan.” But that is during basketball season. Now that I am living and pastoring in Missouri, well, let's just say that a few months ago during college football season, I came home with a Missouri Tigers shirt. You should have seen the look in my families eyes when they saw that shirt! It was hilarious. A few weeks later when my oldest daughter was visiting from KY, she gave me a silent stare and then finally asked what I was doing. She couldn’t understand her daddy!

I have learned that I am a pretty-good fan, but I’m not a very good follower of sports teams. I have my favorites, but I also catch myself turning the channel when the score isn’t what I want it to be, or the coach is running some plays that I disagree with, or if the players aren't performing up to my “expert” opinion.

There is a big difference between being a fan and being a follower. That’s true in our relationship with Christ too. Kyle Idleman has a great book out entitled, "Not a Fan." I was recommend it. It poses a great question for us to ask ourselves. Are we "fans" of Jesus, or "followers?" Being a "fan" sounds good on the surface, but when you really look at the differences between being a fan or a follower, the differences are many.

Fans love to go to the arena and soak in the excitment. Fans know how to talk the lingo and brag on their favorites, but fans also can be tempermental. Fans cheer as long as everything is going their way, but when they aren't, fans usually stay away.

We can easily become spiritual fans of Jesus too. We love to go to Church, enjoy of the music and preaching, get involved, talk the lingo and even brag on Jesus, but what about when God doesn't do things the way you want? When God doesn't make sense? What about when the Church doesn't do things just the way "you" think they should? What about when people laugh and mock Christians? Or when being a Christian isn't the popular position to take? It's at those moments we find the seperation from "fans" and "followers of Jesus.

Kyle Idleman makes the statement, "Jesus doesn't want fans." How true. Jesus wants followers.

As we enter into 2012, let's each take a good look in our spiritual mirror and make sure that we are following Jesus out of love and devotion, committment and trust. Let's follow Him not for what He can give us, or do for us, but simply because of who He is, He is God!

Light

2011-12-30T08:22:00.002-06:00

Click on the title above and watch the video blog.

I once heard darkness described as not being blackness that is overpowering the light, but rather, the absence of light itself. Perhaps that is why in His Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus gave these words to those who follow Him, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5: 14-16, NKJV).

Sometimes we get discouraged because of the “darkness” in our world. We feel powerless, overwhelmed, discouraged. But remember, light shines the brightest in the dark. That is why He calls those of us who are following Him to join together as a local community of faith. Together, we become a beacon of light for those in darkness. Together, we take God’s love and impact our communities. We take His message of forgiveness, grace, and mercy and spread hope. Together, we help the needy, serve the less fortunate, and bear one another’s burdens. Since the beginning of the Christian Church, everywhere the Church of Jesus Christ has been found; those societies have been made the better.

Join together with a community of faith this weekend and let your light shine for Jesus!

Gift Receipts?

2011-12-21T11:57:00.002-06:00

The other night, Lisa and I were trying to finish up our Christmas shopping. We unloaded our arms of gift items on the counter, (we should have gotten a cart!), and waited as the cashier rang up each item and placed it in a bag. As the store employee was finishing her task, she asked, “Do you want gift receipts?” Now, perhaps I was day-dreaming at that moment because when she asked the question, I paused. I was caught in silence for just a few moments, but they felt like an eternity. I have to confess, the question caught me off guard. Gift receipts?! Why would we need gift receipts? My mind couldn’t wrap itself around the idea that someone might actually return the gifts we are purchasing for them. Surely, no one would want to return these cool, radical, audacious, modern, trendy items we had searched so long and hard to buy?! Well, maybe I’m going a little overboard with that last statement! Lol.

In reality, gift receipts are a good idea. You never know when you buy a gift for someone if it is really something they will like or need, or if they already have that item or not. Gift receipts are a courteous item to include with your gift-giving. That is, unless you are referring to God’s Christmas Gift to us. That is one Christmas Gift that was never intended to be returned or rejected and yet, sadly, many people are opting to return, or simply to never receive. That precious gift given by God on the very first Christmas morning was, and is, His Son.

Lifeway (Southern Baptist resources) and USA Today/Gallop, have both recently released surveys in which they studied Americans and Christmas. The surveys revealed that 9 out of 10 Americans celebrate Christmas. 89% of Americans give gifts, 86% enjoy a meal with family or friends, 80% put up a Christmas tree and play holiday music, but only 58% say they “encourage belief in Jesus Christ as Savior.” The survey went on to state that only 47% attend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day worship and only 28% read or tell the Christmas story from the Bible.
Scott McConnell, the director of Lifeway research says that most people “give a head not to Jesus while they spend their time and dime pleasing themselves.” John Ed Mathison on his blog writes, “Most people who say that Christmas is religious, skip church, omit Jesus, and zero in on the eggnog.”

Let’s not add to the secularization of Christmas. We live in this world, but for us who are followers of Christ, Jesus called us to “come out” of the world. Jesus called us to be “salt and light” (Matthew 5: 13-14). As Christians, we are to influence the world, not the world influence us. we are to be reminders and reflectors of God's Love and His message of Hope and Salvation! This weekend, may you enjoy your family. Enjoy giving and receiving gifts. But don’t return the greatest gift, the only gift that really matters – Jesus! Make this a Christ-centered Christmas. Worship Him as a Family. Read the Christmas Story around the tree! Remind yourself and everyone around you whose birthday it really is!

Merry Christmas!

Find a Time to Kneel

2011-12-14T09:10:00.003-06:00

This week I heard a beautiful Christmas poem. It went as you imagine most Christmas poems do. In fact, I have to confess, I was only listening with half interest. That was until one line was read that challenged me. It was one line that played across the pages of my mind the rest of the day. It was just one little power-packed line that I could not shake. The line simply stated, “May we all find a place to kneel at the manger this Christmas.”
How easy it is to allow the “busyness” of the season to steal away the most precious aspect of Christmas, that quite, humble, peaceful time of personal worship before the King of Kings! A popular Contemporary Christian Christmas song by the group Downhere that is on the airwaves right now is entitled; “How Many Kings.” Here are some of the lyrics:
“Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts to romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me”
May we slow down and remember that no other religion in the entire world makes the claim of Christianity. Only the One, True, God of the Bible left His throne to be born of a young Jewish virgin that He Himself created. The Creator became a part of His own creation. He left the praises of the angels for the ridicule and rejection of man. He traded the pleasure of a throne for a rough, rugged cross. He exchanged tears of joy for tears of sorrow. Why? He did it all for You! He did it all for Me!

The King of Glory became our Sacrificial Lamb to offer us Eternal Salvation.
Your Christmas calendar may be busy, but I pray that it isn’t too busy to stop and kneel at the manger and give the King of Glory the love and adoration that He so deserves.

Keeping Christmas Real

2011-12-07T10:31:00.002-06:00

Recently my family and I enjoyed a wonderful evening strolling the streets of Cape Girardeau, MO. The night was cool. We enjoyed the Christmas lights that pierced the darkness. People were enjoying warm cups of coffee and Hot Chocolate,and the store owners were happy seeing all the shoppers coming in. My youngest daughter was so excited seeing the horse drawn carriage rides. I love Christmas in the city.
But what I loved the most about that night was listening to my teenage daughter, and the Student's Praise Team from our Church, singing carols and worship songs about our Savior as the crowds strolled by.

As people were busy traveling from one shop to the next, they would often slow down, or even stop as they would come upon these young Christ-followers singing about true meaning of Christmas. And for a minute, they were reminded to keep Christmas real. It's fine to decorate our houses and tress. It's fine to give and receive gifts. It's fine to have our family celebrations, just as long as we don't forget what it is all about. Christmas is all about the Savior who left Heaven's throne to come and take away the sins of the world.

The Prophet Isaiah proclaimed, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.." (IS. 9:2)

Merry Christmas

God Revealed

2011-11-09T13:07:00.003-06:00

How well do you really know someone? I mean, really, K N O W someone? You may know their name, their address, but how well do you really know them? Have you noticed that most of us walk around with “masks” on? At least part of the time. You ask someone, “How are you?” The normal response is, “Fine, how are you?” or they will say, “Doing Ok, thanks for asking.” And granted, often that is true. But sometimes, there is more going on in that person’s life and they are trying to hide behind the non-chalant, “Fine, thanks.”

All of us are good at wearing disguises, at hiding what is going on behind the skin. And generally speaking, we have come to accept this as normal behavior. We expect people to let us get close, to get to know them to an extent, as long as we stay at arms length. We accept the non-verbal,“I will let you get to know me as long as you don’t get to close.” Yep, we are good at wearing masks.

Unfortunately, I believe this mindset has filtered into our view of God too. If asked, I assume most people will say that they believe in God. It doesn’t take much persuading to comprehend that the world we live in, the complexity of life, the uniqueness of the Universe couldn’t have simply happened by accident. Romans 1: 20, declares that creation itself proves there is a God! In fact, the next time your faith is being attacked by the adversary, simply walk outside on a clear night and stare at the heavens. Stare at the amazing work of God's hands. Try to count the stars, go ahead and try, your spirit will be refreshed knowing that our God is great and awesome!

As I stated earlier, I believe that most people honestly believe in God. And many believe that He sent His Son Jesus to the earth, to die on the cross, and to rise again for us. They believe it, but it is merely intellectual acknowledgments to facts. They proclaim to know God, but they really don’t believe anyone can really K N O W God. I have found that to be true even with people who have spent their entire lives sitting in church pews. They believe in God, they believe in the Bible, but they don’t really know if anyone can truly KNOW God.

Does God wear a mask in order to conceal who He truly is?

No! I don’t think so. Now, don’t get me wrong. I fully understand that our 3 ½ pound brains cannot fully figure out the creator of the universe, or even comprehend the depth and richness of the Trinity. And I know, and believe, when the Bible says that we live by faith. But I also believe that God wants to “reveal” Himself to His children, not conceal Himself. God isn't wearing a mask, instead, He desires for us to know HIm, to truly, honestly, K N O W Him!

A good study of the New Testament teaches us that God has revealed Himself to us through the person of His Son Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1: 3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Jesus is the express imprint of the very nature of God. To truly KNOW the Father, we simply need to get better acquainted with the Son. We need to spend time with Him in prayer. We need to study Him, study His loves and hates, His likes and dislikes, how He handled persecution, His enemies, His friends, the crowds, the sick, hurting and lame. We need to open our Bibles and dig deep into the person of Christ. For when we study Jesus, we see the face of the Father.

I don’t want to be like Philip, and I hope you don't either. Here was one of the Lord’s first disciples. A man who witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the opening of blind eyes, the lame walking, demons fleeing, the feeding of the thousands with a little boy’s lunch and Jesus walking on water. And yet in John 14:8, he asks Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Philip has been living around and listening to Jesus for 3 years and couldn’t see who Jesus really was.

I don’t want to be like the Pharisees either. Those religious leaders whose very name meant, “set apart.” They were so holy in their own opinions. They professed to know the Word of God, and yet, when the Word became flesh and stood before them, they couldn’t recognize Him.

Jesus said to Philip, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Men has seen the Father.” (John 14: 9).

Do you know God? I mean, K N O W God? You can. You just need to get to know His Son. Look beyond the Jewish man you think of in the pictures. Look beyond His humanity, and see behind the skin. Jesus reveals the Father to us in everything He said and did. Go open your Bible to the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and start a wonderful journey of getting to know your Heavenly Father by learning and loving His Son.

Sweet Sound

2011-10-13T20:52:00.003-05:00

What sounds do you love to hear? Personally, I love to hear birds chirping on a relaxing Saturday morning, crickets on a cool Spring evening, the harmony of a choir, Bible pages turning in Church, my wife and children saying, "I love you." These are sounds that I love to hear.

Recently, I heard a sound that I believe God loves to hear. I was sitting in the bleachers of a large youth outreach event called Fields of Faith. Hundreds of teenagers had been singing praises to God. Multiple High School and College students walked up to the microphone and shared their stories of how they came to faith in Jesus. These were wonderful sounds. These were sounds that I am sure our Heavenly Father greatly enjoyed, but I don't believe they were the sweetest sound that night.

It was at the end of the service. It was when the guest preacher asked everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes. That's when it happened. The challenge was issued, "If you want to receive Christ by faith, come down on the floor." I sat there with my eyes closed and my hands grasped in prayer at my chin, that's when I heard it. Feet. One after the other. I heard them to my left. Then, I heard them to my right. I heard them on both sides of me. All headed in the same direction. One pair of feet after the other pouncing down the steps and onto the floor. Each pair of feet representing a life committing itself to Christ the King.

Is there a sweeter sound to the ears of the Father than the sound of a heart committing to Christ? I don't think so either. How about you? Have you taken the stroll? The stroll of faith?

"Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved." (ESV)

Hidden Treasures

2011-09-30T14:44:00.004-05:00

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field…”Matthew 13:14

Have you ever noticed how God often buries treasure in plain site? I have to admit. I often get busy and can easily overlook the precious jewels that God has placed right in front of me. How about you? Can you relate? Take today for instance. The Church office has been a buzz as we are gearing up for our October focus on the Family. Sermons are being written, videos are being designed, posters are being hung, bulletins are being stuffed, movie tickets are being sold for the film “Courageous.” Everyone is busy as we anticipate nearly 300 people gathering tonight at the Theater to watch the movie. Excitement weighs on us as we wait for God’s people to gather for worship and the start of a new sermon series on Sunday morning. Busy, Busy.

I went home for lunch and to gather up two of my daughters to bring them back to the office with me and produce my weekly video blog. When I arrived home, our five year old was captivated by Peter Pan flying around on the TV. We quickly ate our lunch and off to the office we went.

That’s when it happened. Back at the office I was racing from one task to another when something caught my attention. I believe it was a God-moment. In my haste I hadn’t noticed that my five year old had turned my office into Neverland. I paused for just a moment and low and behold, she was burying treasure, and drawing a map. I bet you can guess what happened next. She, smiles, giggles and cheerfully invites me to help find the hidden treasure. The truth is, at that moment, the Holy Spirit helped to remind me what the real treasure was.

The real treasure is taking a break from our business every so often so we can notice the little things in life that truly make us happy. Those precious jewels like the smile, giggle, and imagination of our children. Precious jewels like when our teenagers want to to tell us about their day, what happened at school, who they have a crush on and how they want to drive. Diamonds in life like when your spouse brings you a glass of tea and says “I love you” without any prompting. Or when you open the Bible and read a verse that speaks directly to the prayer of your heart.

Challenge:
Take time to look for the Hidden Treasures that God has placed in your life. They are often in plain site

Simple Life Lessons

2011-09-21T10:53:00.002-05:00

Recently, I have been reading through the book of Ecclesiastes. Written by an aging King who has seen his fair share of good times and bad, the writer simply refers to himself as the “preacher.” He is a man who has a message to share. So, for twelve chapters, the “preacher” proclaims simple lessons about life.

When reading the words of the "preacher," my mind returns to a dear man to whom I had the honor of preaching his Eulogy. I can only imagine how many changes he has seen over his 92 years. As I remember him, I celebrate a gentle farmer who was faithful to his wife of nearly 71 years, who loved his 4 children, 12 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and 9 great, great grandchildren. I believe he would agree with the “preacher” of Ecclesiastes and say, "These are some good points to live by."

Let’s take a quick survey of some of these “Life Lessons" from the Book of Eccelesiastes.

1. Don’t get too worked up. Everything will be ok.
“That which has been is what will be. That which is done is what will be done. And there is nothing new under the sun.” (chapter 1: 9)

2. Don’t get caught up in the “rat race” of life.
“And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven;” (chapter 1: 13)

“And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.” (chapter 1: 17)
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”

"Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun."
(chapter 2: 1-2, 11)

3. Enjoy your work. It is a gift from God.
"I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man."

"So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot."
(chapter 12-13, 22)

4. Take time to Love the people in your life.
"Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun."
(chapter 9:9)

5. Give everything your best effort.
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."
(chapter 9:10)

6. Keep your eyes on Jesus, live with integrity, and finish well.
"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." (chapter 12: 13-14)

"New" things...

2011-08-19T09:21:00.002-05:00

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

I have to admit it. I like the word, “new.” There is just something about “new.” New day, new clothes, new cars, new people, new places, new, new, new. There is something cool about “new.”

Right now, my family and I are experiencing a lot of “new” things. Some of them are more enjoyable than others, but still they are “new” things. This year we live in a “new” state, in a “new” city. I am pastoring a “new” church. We are making “new” friends (and we get to keep the old ones too!). This week my wife started teaching at a “new” school. My youngest daughter had a “new” experience as she started Kindergarten. My middle daughter is now driving an automobile, which is very “new” for me and her mom!

There is a lot of “new” things happening and not just for our family. Yesterday I held in my arms a precious “new” baby girl born to a precious young couple in our congregation. Looking in the eyes of that sweet, innocent baby, I can’t help but be reminded of the love God has for us. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus as our Savior the Bible says we become a brand new creation in the eyes of God. We become as clean to God as that adorable baby that I held. In Christ, we become “new.” That’s good news!

Not only do we become “new” when we receive Christ as our Savior, but life itself becomes “new.” Think about it. Here are some benefits to following Christ.
• Clear Conscience Romans 8:1
• Purpose Romans 8:28
• Power and Strength Philippians 4:13
• Life and Peace Romans 8:6
• Confidence Romans 8:31
• Fulfillment Philippians 4:19
• Help with Weakness Romans 8:26
• Security Romans 8:39
• Freedom John 8:32, 36

I have to admit, I like the word “new.” Don't you?

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." - Jesus – Gospel of John 10:10

Those Deserving of Honor

2011-08-06T14:32:00.001-05:00

One of the great joys I have as a pastor is training volunteers to do ministry. The Church is a beautiful organism, made-up of everyday people who have pledged their love and faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. A Church cannot function without these special people. No pastor can do all the work that is needed to be done. No staff member, board member, or deacon can do everything that is needed for the Kingdom. The load of God’s work must be carried by all His followers. And when they work in unison it really is a beautiful thing to behold.

The Apostle Paul picks up on this while writing to the Church in Corinth. The Church, the Ekklesia of God, is the called out assembly of Christ-followers. Christ Himself is the Head of the Church, not a man, but Christ. And Paul explains in the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians, that we as Christ-followers make-up the Body of Christ, the Church! Paul writes, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…For in fact the body is not one member but many.” (1 Cor 12: 12-14 NKJV).

Everyone is important in God’s family. Each of us as believers has an important role in making up the representation of Christ’ body on the earth. Paul goes on to inform the members in Corinth that we don’t all have the same function just as the foot is not like the hand and the ear is not like the eye. Sometimes Christ-followers judge their value to the Kingdom by their responsibilities within the local fellowship of believers (local church). Perhaps that was what was happening in Corinth and the reason Paul is addressing the issue. It’s easy to acknowledge the one out in the front, or on the stage and forget to acknowledge the one behind the stage or down in the nursery.

In verses 22 and 23, the great preacher Paul writes, “No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor…” Paul is saying, “Here’s one for all the folks in the nursery, the ones down in Children’s Church, the ones in the sound booth, the ones working the parking lots, the ones greeting and ushering at the doors and info centers, the ones who take out the trash, who sweep the floors, the ones who clean the restrooms. Here’s one for you! Your Are Valuable to the Kingdom of God! Way to Go! We applaud you!”

So let me take an opportunity right here and now and give a big salute to all of you who are serving Christ in the local church, to all of you who visit the elderly, the sick, the lonely. To you who share Christ with your neighbors, co-workers, classmates, we say “You are awesome!” To you who pay your tithes every week, pray for the needy, who are faithful week after week to worship our great God and King with your church-family, we honor you. To you who live lives of integrity, generosity, compassion, meekness, faith, we say, “The world is better place because of you.” It’s people like you that make pastor’s wake-up each morning and thank God that He has called them to lead some wonderful people.

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

the Great Invite

2011-07-27T23:56:00.002-05:00

"And He said to him, 'Follow Me.'"
(Matthew 9: 9, NKJV)

Have you ever went to the mailbox and found an envelope that had that certain look and shape? You know, that envelope that you had been waiting for? That envelope that contained the invitation to that event, that baby shower, that wedding, that graduation. Have you ever gotten an invitation?

We love the invite. The invite makes us feel special, feel welcome, feel wanted, feel needed! We love the invite! We need the invite! And when you read the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9 in the Bible, you find the most important of all invites that God gives to those who are following Him.

The passage tells us that Jesus is passing through an area and He sees a tax collector. One of the most hated men in all the Jewish world! A tax collector was viewed as the trash of society, a traitor to his own people. A Jew who had sold-out to the enemy, the Romans. He was charged to receive taxes for Caesar. For income, he was given the liberty to charge above and beyond the actual tax, the extra, he got to keep! Hated!

Can you imagine how Matthew felt? Then Jesus comes on the scene. Jesus only says two words to Him. Two words that would change his life! Two words that would take his low self esteem, his feelings of regret, anger, remorse, frustration, and bring complete and abundant healing and forgiveness. Two Words! Jesus said, "Follow Me."

He did not say, "Quit your job first." Jesus did not say, "Make amends with others first." Jesus said, "Follow Me." That's the great invite! Jesus is giving you that invite right now, as you read this blog! Jesus says, "Follow Me." Don't complicate it! Don't internalize it! Don't excuse it away! Jesus simply says to you, to me, to everyone person, "Follow Me." He loves you. He paid your sin debt on the cross. He died, was buried, arose from the grave, ascended to Glory all for you. He invites you to follow him. Just make the decision to turn to Him, love Him, follow Him.

Matthew did and he was never the same. He found what his heart longed for. So will you. After Matthew began following Jesus, the passage tells us the very first thing he did in his new faith was invite others to come to his house and meet Jesus. He invited all kinds of people. He didn't label them, there was no need too. Jesus looks beyond the sin and sees the person. It is the person He loves. It is the person He came to redeem, to heal, to invite to follow Him.

Are you a Christ-follower? If not, follow Jesus today. He is giving you the Great Invite. If you are a Christ-follower, follow the example of Matthew. Host a party at your house, talk to a friend, give the Great Invite to others. Invite them to Follow Him!

Beware of the Details

2011-07-07T10:55:00.005-05:00

“But when he [Peter], saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” Matthew 14:30 NKJV

Have you ever prayed, “God, help me make the right decision. I don’t know what to do” ? If we are serious about living our lives for Jesus we have. Often the decision is not really that difficult. You simply must decide which direction most lines up with the Word of God. Will the decision help you grow in your Christian faith? Will the decision give you more opportunity to glorify God? Or, will the decision require you to sacrifice your family, your faith, or your convictions?

Someone once said, “Most decision making is just gathering facts.” When we weigh the facts of our decision with God’s Word, what does the scale say?
The problem most of us have is not making the initial decision, it is that we get caught up in the details. One night Jesus came walking on the sea to the disciples who were fighting a terrible storm in their little boat. Peter saw the Lord and cried out to Him. Jesus told Peter he could get out of the boat and walk on the water to Him. The decision for Peter to get out of the boat was an easy one for Peter. He knew it was safer to walk on the water with Jesus, than to stay in a boat with the other disciples.

Peter got out, took a few steps and everything was grand. That is, until he took his eyes off Jesus and placed them on the details (the wind and waves). Peter forgot that the same Jesus who could walk on water, was the same Lord who could control the wind and the waves.

When you are making a decision, pray about it, and then weigh it against God’s Word. Once you make the decision, don’t get caught up in the details. Remember, when God gives you the direction to walk, He is still God over the details.

Proverbs 3: 5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV)

Stand Up for Liberty

2011-07-02T23:36:00.002-05:00

July 4, 2011 marks the 235th anniversary of this country’s founding and independence. Our fore-fathers put their life on the line so that these United States may be a country built on liberty! A country built on liberty against oppression by a government and liberty to worship God.

On July 3, 1776, following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his wife concerning what he had shared with Congress concerning the importance of that day:
“The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It out to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to he other, from this time forward forever."

You can feel the passion of John Adams as he wrote those words.
Friends,
1. Freedom should be Celebrated.
and
2. Freedom Isn’t Free.

Now, that is only the first portion of the letter John Adams wrote to his wife. In almost a prophetic tone, John continued to write in his letter…

"You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to maintain this Declaration and support and defend theses States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means; that posterity and will triumph in that day’s transaction, even though we [may regret] it, which I trust in God we shall not.”

Does our National freedom cost? Yes it does.Of those who signed the Declaration of Independence…
• 5 were captured and tortured before their death.
• 12 had their homes ransacked and burned.
• 2 lost their sons in the war.
• 9 either died from war wounds or the effects.

Since July 4, 1776, more than one million brave, American men and women have died defending the freedom of this dear country and the freedom of other countries.
We would do good to heed the words of the Apostle Paul and “Stand fast in our liberty.” (Paraphrase mine).

However friends, don’t ever forget, we are citizens of another land, other than simply America. We are the creation of Almighty God and for us who have given our heart to Jesus Christ, our citizenship is in Heaven. The Bible says we are simply Ambassadors in this land for Jesus.

In Galatians 5:1, the Apostle Paul challenges us to Stand upon is the Liberty we have in Christ Jesus our Lord!
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free,[a] and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (NKJV)

Our Freedom in Jesus should be Celebrated! And Our Freedom in Jesus Did Not Come to us Freely, It Required the Sacrifice of Our Savior, the Lord Jesus on the Cross!!!

1 Peter 1: 18-19, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

This independence Day weekend, please honor those brave men and women who have fought and those who continue to fight for our freedom. If you meet one, or their family, stop and say “Thanks.” But even more importantly, worship God, honor, and celebrate the freedom you have been given by Christ Jesus our Lord. Stand up for the one who died on the cross, paid your sin debt, was buried, and arose again from the grave to give you eternal life! Stand up for Him and proclaim His Salvation message with others! Remember this, Only Free People Can Tell Bound People Where To Be Free!

2011-06-25T22:16:00.001-05:00

Proverbs 22:6 “Point your kids in the right direction—
when they're old they won't be lost.” >(The Message Paraphrase)

When I was a boy, there were some on my School bus who had a unique gift. Back then, our report cards were written in by the teacher on a piece of paper. Now, if they were careful, they could often make certain changes to their report card. For example, if you had a “D,” they could often manipulate it till it looked like a “B.” But, the one most kids were interested in was when they had an “F” on their card. If they were careful, they could often manipulate that “F” to look like an “A.”

Now, what those kids didn’t realize was is that you can change the report card and pull the wool over your parent’s eyes, but the Teacher still new the original grade. Friends, one day, we are going to be graded on our homes and how we are raising our children.

Now, there are as many philosophies on how to raise children as there are parents in this world, but God gives us directions for parenting in the Bible. And if we will follow his instructions, we are sure to get an A on our heavenly report card.
Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” In the Message paraphrase of the Bible it reads, “Point your kids in the right direction— when they're old they won't be lost.”

Now, what does it mean to “train up” a child, or to “point” a child in the right direction? There is a difference in teaching a child and training a child. Many of us teach a child one thing and watch them do it completely the opposite. Far too often, we think that teaching is all we need to do, our job is done! Not So! Children are self-willed, and self-centered. The Bible says for us to “Train” our children. To train means, “To prepare for a contest. To instruct by exercise, to drill, to form to a proper shape, to discipline for use.”

Now, in what direction should we point our children? How shall we do that?
#1 –Point our children to Faith
Friends, did you know that the word used here for train is only used four other times in the Bible. Two of those times it is spoken of as a man dedicating his house, the other two when Solomon was dedicating the Temple to God. This word has the idea of “Dedicating.” To train up our children, we are to begin by Dedicating our children to God. We are to follow the example of Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 1 as she dedicates her son Samuel to the Lord.
Now understand this…

a) Start training early.
Why start when the child is young? That is when their Curiosity is very high. What is the one word you parents most often here from your toddler? “WHY?” “WHY?!” “WHY?!!!”

Starting early is important because a child’s Memory Factor is strong. Little children have an amazing ability to memorize. Just think about it. Before a child is out of diapers, they are learning the English language.
Then there is the Humility Factor. Children are still humble, their little hearts are soft and moldable. Jesus said to us adults, “Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

b) Be Creative.
This word “Train” also has been used to describe the putting something in the mouth to be tasted. In ancient times, midwives would take crushed dates and mix them with honey, or olive oil, put that on their finger and then rub the pallet of a baby to help teach the baby to swallow. Now, you cannot reach in the back of your mouth and touch your pallet without trying to swallow
Parents that is what God is saying we should do with our children spiritually. We are to be creative in training up our children in the faith. We are to create a hunger, a thirst in their little hearts to want to know God and His Word.
Be creative. Find teaching moments in everything. Do like Jesus. He picked up a handful of seed and taught the message “The Sower and the Seed” in Matthew 13:3

c) Begin at Home.
Now, faith in God is to begin in the home, not the church. The church is very important. It has a very important role in the spiritual development of young and old alike, but my friends, the first preachers of the Gospel a child hears and understands should be the mother and father, or the guardians of that child.
The Lord Jesus said, “Suffer not the little children to come unto me for such is the kingdom of Heaven.” Statistics are there dear friend, you give the devil 18 years to harden your child’s heart toward the things of God and the chances of your child coming to Jesus are very low. A child’s faith is to be nurtured beginning in the home and increased through the church.

Deuteronomy 6:6-8, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”

>#2 – Point your children to Responsibility
Don’t give them everything. Mold your precious ones to understand that everyone is equal in the sight of God. Train them to have a good work ethic, to be good managers of their finances, how to treat a lady, how to respect men. Train them to be responsible spiritually and with life in general.
How?

#3 – Point with Firmness
Now, I know you think your child is a little angel and it’s everyone else children that are little devils, but may I tell you, that the Bible says, “Foolishness is bound in the heard of a child” (Proverbs 22:15). The word “foolishness” means silliness. Children are children. And God has a proper method for us to discipline our children. Remember, discipline is one part of the whole of training.
Why should we discipline our children?

a) Because you love them.
Proverbs 13: 24, “He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.”
Some people won’t discipline their child and they will say, “O’ but I just love him so much I can’t discipline him.” Friend, if that is you, you are telling a lie. You don’t love him like you ought. If you that were true, then you are better than God. Listen to Hebrews 12:6, “For whom the LORD loves He chastens…” Whom the LORD loves…!

Now listen, the word “rod” in Proverbs 13:24, doesn’t mean to beat a child with a stick, it means a twig or switch. It is not intended to harm a child, simply to sting. And God has created a perfect spot for that on the human body too!
The Bible teaches that disciplining our children will keep us from disgrace. Listen to Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” Verse 17 says, “Correct your son, and he will give you rest.”

How should you use discipline?
Revelation 3: 19 says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.”
a) Discipline out of love…
b) Speak first…
c) Chasten last…

#4 – Fun
Friends, the home should be known as a place of joy, laughter, FUN! Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” Fun is a gift from God!
God wants our homes to be so marked with joy that those who are far from God will look at our homes and recognize the blessings of God. Read this wonderful verse, Psalm 126: 2, “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

Our Blessed Hope

2011-06-22T23:44:00.001-05:00
“ Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:13

On a rock island prison called Patmos, an aged preacher struggles through each day. He is surrounded by salt water and criminals. His hair and beard are white from his age, but probably just as much from his many trials and hardships. He has faithfully preached the Good News of Jesus for many years. He pastored a large church in Ephesus and has experienced the death of all the other original disciples of Jesus. He is weary and weak, but he has hope! What hope you ask? He is expectantly looking for the return of the Savior He so deeply loved and worshipped!

Of course, this is a description of the Apostle John, the only disciple of Christ to not die a martyrs death. At around 90 years of age, he was a prisoner on the isle of Patmos for preaching the Gospel of Jesus. In Revelation 22:7, the Lord Jesus appears to John and says, “Behold, I am coming quickly!” John becomes so moved by this wonderful message that he falls to the earth in a spirit of worship. I imagine he clasped his hands, let out an exhale of relief and then proclaimed, “Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).

The return of Christ is a popular subject these days. For some, it is met with skeptics, but the Bible says that for us who are Christians, the return of Christ is our “blessed hope.” Friends, the return of Christ is a message of victory, deliverance, and joy for us who have labored in service for our Lord, fought through the trials and tribulations that this life brings, and have longed for peace. The Lord Jesus tells us that this great day will usher in a time when God will wipe away all tears. When there will be no more death, no sorrow, no crying, and no more pain. No wonder churches everywhere sing, “What a day that will be.”

One great preacher once said, “This world is on a collision course with destiny.” The return of Christ is a realty. When the Bible calls the return of Christ our “hope” It doesn’t mean, “Something we long to happen but don’t know if it will.” Hope in the Bible is defined as a “certainty.” Friend, you can be as certain that Jesus is coming again as you are that the world is round, that the sun gives light, and that water is wet. It is a sure and certain hope!Are you ready? We don’t know when that day will come, but we can be sure that IT WILL COME! Don’t get caught up in the false teachers who set dates, or the mockers who long to ridicule. Receive the Lord Jesus. Accept Him into your heart. Love Him, serve Him, Look for Him. Three times in Revelation 22, Jesus says, “…I’m coming quickly.” Friend, don’t spend your life looking around…look up!

Riches

2011-06-16T15:23:00.001-05:00
Proverbs 23:4-6, “ Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”

Are you rich? Sadly, the motto of many is “Get all you can, and can all you can get.” But, is money true riches? The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance” (Is 55:2).

Now, the Lord is definitely not opposed to you making money, but He wants you to keep money in a proper perspective. Money doesn’t make you rich, it’s simply a tool for you to use. If you are looking for happiness through wealth, you won’t find it. As the writer of Proverbs tells us, “(riches)…they fly away like an eagle.”

I once heard of a man who had great riches. His one request when he died was that he be buried with all his money. When he died, they followed his request. His widow walked up to the casket, took the cash out, and wrote a check for the amount and placed it in his cold hand. Listen friend, you are not going to take the money with you.

The writer of Proverbs goes on and says, “He who trusts in his riches will fall.” Friend, don’t put your trust, your joy, or your sense of self-worth in your pocket book. It will let you down.

Let me ask you again, are you rich? Friend, you may be richer than you think. Take a stroll outside and gaze at the clouds in the sky. Listen to the birds sing their melodies. Feel the breeze brush gently against your skin. Hold a family member tight. Tell a child you love them. Listen to Jesus tell you that He loves you! Read the Bible and see that you are the apple of God’s eye. Read how Jesus left Heaven’s throne, came to this earth, died on the cross for you and arose again from the grave in order to give you eternal life. Hallelujah! The most valuable things in life are free!

1 Timothy 6:6 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”

Rubies

2011-05-10T23:52:00.002-05:00
Mother's day has just passed and yet here I sit posting a devotion concerning what God considers the traits of a holy and honorable woman. In fact, a whole chapter in the book of Proverbs is devoted to the traits of such a woman. Perhaps we have this enriching chapter to assist women everywhere to strive for these standards of excellence that surely touch the heart of God.

Why am I writing about this now? What is my inspiration you ask? Her name is Carmon Perry and tonight she has entered into the presence of Jesus. She is my wife's grandmother and for the past 21 years I have been priviledged to have her as a part of my life. Tonight, one verse in Proverbs chapter 31 keeps echoing in my mind. It's verse 10.

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies."

"Rubies?" you ask? "Why rubies?" You may be saying, "I always heard that diamonds were a girl's best friend, not rubies!" O' but how thankful I am that God had the writer of Proverbs to compare a holy, honorable woman to rubies and not diamonds.

You see, all a diamond does is reflect the light. O’ it sparkles, it glistens, but it is simply reflecting the light on its surface. Not rubies, friends, a ruby doesn’t reflect light, it absorbs light and then it gives off a subtle, gentle glow!

God doesn't want a bunch of diamonds walking around. He doesn't want shallow, surface only followers. He wants all of us, not just the women, to have a glow that comes from down deep in our souls.

Now, don't misunderstand the source of the glow.

John 1:4 says, “In Him (in Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 8: 12, “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Jesus is the light, the source of the glow. That is how it was with Grandmother Carmon, she gave off a subtle, gentle glow because she was filled with Jesus. She loved Him and served Him faithfully. And that is how it is with this woman described in Proverbs 31.

Friend, are you glowing? Have you saturated your heart with Jesus? Place your faith in Him today. Commune with Him in prayer. Let Him speak to you through His Word and then apply that to your daily walk. Absorb yourself in Jesus and you will begin to glow!

Decisions Determine Your Destiny

2011-04-01T10:35:00.003-05:00
Dr. Adrian Rogers once preached a sermon that had great impact on my life. The sermon was titled, “Decision Determines Destiny.” Friend, life is about decisions. You cannot go through life without making decisions. In fact, your life will be remembered by the sum total of the decisions you have made. In Genesis chapter 13, we learn about two men. The first is Abraham, the Father of the Jewish people, a man who loved God and whom the Bible refers to as a “friend” to God. The other man is his nephew, Lot.

Both of these men were followers of God, they were saved men. 2 Peter refers to Lot as a “righteous” man, a “justified” man. However, at a deeper inspection of this passage of Scripture you find that even though Lot was a righteous man, he was also a very carnal man. For our purposes today, we are going to see Abraham as a “spiritually minded” man, and Lot as a “Carnally, fleshly minded” man. And friend, this is important, because even if you are a Christian, you have both voices speaking in your mind every-time you have a decision to make.

Understand this dear one, Decisions Reveal Your Priorities! In this chapter, God reveals the land that He is giving to Abraham. In turn, Abraham turns to Lot and offers him a piece of the land. Lot could choose any piece of land he wanted. Lot made his choice, but friend, his choice was based on selfish priorities. He chose that piece of property that would give him the quickest return on his money even though it placed him and his family near the wicked city of Sodom.

Now Abraham made an unselfish decision. He was the patriarch of the family. He could have chosen what he wanted and gave Lot what was left. He didn’t do that, he humbled himself because he wasn’t looking for a quick return on his investment. No, he was looking for something greater.

Hebrews 11: 8-10 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Abraham had his eyes set on God. His priorities were not about himself, but on what God would want for him. Here is the challenge you and I face when we are at the crossroads of a decision. Do we make our decision based on our selfish wants and desires, what we think would benefit us the most, or do we stop and consider God in the equation. What choice does He want us to make.

Friend, God has given us some sound advice when it comes to decision-making. First of all, God says for us to Seek Wise Counsel.

Proverbs 1:5, “A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,”

Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise.”

Proverbs 15:22, “Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.”

Second, God has given to us the Holy Spirit and His Holy Word to help guide us in making decision.

Psalm 119: 105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.”

Proverbs 3: 5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.”

Friends, remember your decisions determine your destiny. Therefore, take God’s advice and make wise decisions!

The Dash...

2011-02-25T10:09:00.004-06:00

As a child I thought life was a destination. My destination included going to college, getting married, having children, and driving a red BMW. I thought that once I arrived at the "destination" I would lean back, prop my feet up, smile and simply enjoy life! Man, was I wrong!

I'm sure you have learned by now that life is not a destination, but a journey. And you know what, I'm glad its not a destination. Think about it, how boring life would become if it was a "destination." The life we live is to be an awesome, exciting, up and down, melting pot of various experiences, relationships, educational ventures and emotions. Even Jesus taught us that when we dedicate our life to Him and allow Him to be LORD over us that then we will experience "...life, and... have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

Someone once said, “Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!”

When you look at a grave marker you see the persons "begin" date and thier "end" date with a "dash" in between. Both dates are important. The "begin" date because of our beginning. The "end" date is important because no one really has an end date. Death is simply a door to either eternity with Christ or without Christ. And that is why, it's the "dash" in the middle that is Most Important! The dash in the middle is your life! How did you live the dash? What decisions did you make in the dash? Who's lives did you touch in the dash? What did you do with Jesus in the dash.

How are you living the "dash"? St. Augustine once said that everyone has a "God-shaped hole" in their heart and nothing, and no-one can ever fill that space. It is reserved only for God! My hope for you is that you invite Jesus Christ, God's Son, to fill that space in your heart. Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship. Religion will leave you empty, confused and frustrated. But a relationship with God through Christ will leave you at peace, fulfilled and full of joy!

Invite Christ into your heart. Live for Him in the "dash." Get into a strong, loving, Bible-preaching, praying church and surround yourself with other believers. Then, make the most of the "dash" you have by touching others, sharing the Good News of Jesus with those far from God and leaving a legacy that will long be remembered when someone walks up to your tombstone and examines your "dash."

Living on Mission

2011-02-04T12:37:00.002-06:00

Do you enjoy sitting down with a nice cup of coffee and a newspaper? I do. Often on Sunday afternoons I will relax in my favorite recliner, sip on a hot cup of joe and skim thru the pages of the newspaper seeing if anything pops out at me.

In Acts 5, we see a highlight, a sort of newsreel that gives us a vivid picture of the early church living on Mission for God. It’s an interesting passage that displays the early church being the hands and feet of Jesus to the world.

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Acts 5: 12-16

Through the actions of the church, people were Converted to Christ, Compassion was shown, Needs were met and Hope was birthed. And as a result, God was glorified and the community respected the work of the Church. This is how the church of Jesus Christ was known then, and should be known today! Amen?!

Now understand this, God’s plan is not for one individual to try and be the world’s superhero. God’s plan is and has always been that the world is to be impacted by His CHURCH! And friends, the Church is not a building…the Church is a Body, a body of people who love Him and have surrendered their Life to Him through faith in Jesus Christ His Son.

God chooses to use people to (1) Share His message of Salvation through Christ, (2) Reach out to others with a heart of Compassion, (3) Meet Needs, and (4) Love and Support one another! . This has always been God’s mission for His Church.
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you are to live your life on Mission! Think about this. God has chosen you for His Mission, the most important mission anyone could ever be given. Do you know how special you are to God? The Bible refers to you in Zechariah 2:8, as the “apple of His eye.”

One of my personal favorite verses is Zephaniah 3:17. I often sign this verse along with my name on correspondence. It says, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Our Lord Jesus reemphasized this in the book of John15:16 when He said “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”Again He said, “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” John 20:21

God has chosen you for His Mission! So, go! Go and bring glory to our great God by sharing His message of Salvation with those far from God, by meeting the needs of others through a heart of compassion, by birthing hope to those around you! Go in the Name of Jesus and make an impact in the world around you! God loves you! God had chosen you! God will be with you!

As White as Snow

2011-01-21T09:10:00.003-06:00

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.Isaiah 1: 18

There is one terminal disease that everyone is born with. There are no exceptions. It's been a part of humanity since the day that Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden. It is a three letter word that people don't like to talk about much. It is SIN.

Just the word causes you to squirm doesn't it? The Bible says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Think about it for a minute. Don't you find it easier to do wrong sometimes, than to do right? That's because sin is not so much an action, as it is our very nature. We don't do wrong so we can sin, we sin because at our very nature we are sinners. Ouch!

Why do we sin? What actually is sin? Sin is rebellion. We sin when we rebel against God , His Word, and His Lordship over our lives. In essence, sin is like us shaking our fist in the face of God and declaring that we want to do life our own way. Why do we do that? Because at the root of our rebellion is PRIDE. We want it our way and we don't want anyone telling us we are wrong. You may be feeling that even as you are reading this, right? Come on, be honest!

The Bible tells us some startling facts about what sin does for us. First, sin separates us from God. Just read Isaiah Isaiah 59:1-2. God will not fill a dirty vessel with His precious Holy Spirit. Nothing breaks the heart of God more than the separation He feels from us when we are acting out in sin.

But friend, this is where the bad news gets good. You see, the bad news is that we are all sinners and that our sins separate us from God, but the good news is that God has a solution for the sin problem. The solution is Jesus Christ!

One of the most popular verses in the Bible is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."Romans 10: 13 says, "For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Saved from what? Saved from separation from God! When we turn to Jesus Christ by faith and ask Him to forgive our sin and to become Lord of our lives, God cleanses us from all sin! This is the good news of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8-9 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Praise the Lord!

I love the promise recorded in Isaiah 1:18. God promises to take us, cleanse us from our sin when we turn to Him. In fact, He paints a beautiful picture for us. God not only forgives us, but He takes our blackened, sin-stained soul and makes it white as freshly fallen snow! Wow! No wonder we can sing, "Hallelujah What a Savior!"

You Never Know When...

2011-01-14T09:41:00.007-06:00
"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whol house where they were sitting."
Acts 2:2 NKJV

I'm sure you have heard his story by now. The homeless man who became an overnight internet sensation. A true, "Rags to Riches" story. Ted Williams, an out of work, ex-radio personality is now the most wanted voice in radio and television. Sadly, in the past few days he has admitted going back to alcohol abuse and is now off to rehab. When you watch the videos of Ted, you can't help but pull for him. His, is a wonderful story of grace and second chances. We should each pray for him to be delievered from the demon of alcohol.

Although, Ted is getting all the media attention, this story would not have been possible had it not been for the Website designer from the Columbus Dispatch who placed the initial video of Ted on Youtube. As the story goes, the web designer was with his family on their way to Church when they saw Ted asking for money on the side of the road. He stopped his vehicle and handed him $20.00. One week later, he came back and videoed Ted and the rest is history. What a great story! A man, on his way to church, surrenders to the leading of the Holy Spirit to reach out to someone in need and God gives a man a second chance!

When you read Acts chapter 2, you find the account of when God poured out His Spirit upon His followers. I love the beginning of verse 2, "...and suddenly..." That's how the Holy Spirit comes upon us some times, "suddenly." You and I don't know what God has in store for us each morning as we roll out of bed, but if we will surrender our lives to the power of the Holy Spirit, He may just come upon us "suddenly" and use us to make a difference in someone's life! Who knows, you may be the one to touch the life of the next "Ted Williams."

Will you surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit and let God use you to Impact someones life today!

New Year...New Beginnings!

2011-01-05T09:28:00.003-06:00
Goodbye 2010, and “Hello” 2011. If you are like most of us, you felt a little strange writing 1/1/11 on Saturday. Just think, that won’t happen for another hundred years. But with every new year, comes change. Some of the changes will be good, some not so good, but you can be sure, there will be change. It’s been said that “change” is as sure as death and taxes.

As I write this, my family and I are experiencing some of those changes. At last year’s New Year’s celebration, I had three daughters still living at home, this year I have two at home and a new Son-in-law ( a wonderful young man I love like my own son…Thank you God!). Various family members begin this new year with precious additions. Let me take this opportunity to welcome to their first New Year celebration, Grayson Christopher and William Kevin. You have been blessed to be given to wonderful parents.

Last year, I began the new year with a Kentucky address and this year I begin the year with a Missouri address. And after eight wonderful years with the great folks at Cool Springs Church in Morgantown, KY, my family and I made our debut on January 2nd, as the new pastor and family at the exciting Jackson First General Baptist in Jackson, MO.

Change is inevitable. But there is one truth that never changes, the truth that our God Never Changes! Just think about it. With all that changes in our world, we can take comfort knowing that God never will. The psalmist said, “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’” (Psalm 91:2 NKJV). God said, “For I am the LORD, I change not…” (Malachi 3:6). The writer of the book of Hebrews says in chapter 13:6, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

Not only is God a strong foundation on which we can stand, but His Love will Never Change either. 1 John 4:16 says that, “…God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him.” If you ever need to be reminded of how much God loves you, just go back and read John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God never changes, His love for us never changes, and His Purpose for you Never Changes! God told the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God has a plan for your life and when you surrender to His plan for your life, He receives the glory. Think about it, you can put your trust in God because He never changes. You can rest in His love, because His love never changes. And you can rejoice that His purpose in your life never changes. And when you live out His plan for your life, you have the honor of putting a smile on the face of God!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

2010-12-13T19:43:00.007-06:00

As we drove down the interstate, my wife said, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" She's right. It's cold outside, snow is on the ground and there is Christmas music playing on the radio. You know the saying, "It's the most wonderful time time of the year!"

And it really is. However, with all the hustle and bustle of the season, it's easy to sometimes forget what it is really all about. So let me tell you a story. The other day, my five year old came home from preschool and asked to have her own Christmas tree in her room. It just so happened that my wife had a small tree up in the attic. When I turned on the tree's lights, I don't know what was glowing brighter, the tree or the joy in her eyes.

She lit up. Then, she asked if we could make some oranaments for her tree. You should have seen me cutting out little trees, squares, diamonds, and circles out of red construction paper with a little blond girl climbing over my back to watch. The last ornament I cut out was a cross. Then, my precious little girl said something I hope to never forget, "You know what daddy, now every morning when I wake up and see that cross on the tree I will remember that Christmas is all about Jesus!"

You know what Clarissa, you're right, Christmas is all about Jesus. May each of us remember to celebrate the real meaning of the season!

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." Luke 2: 1-7 NIV

To See Jesus, Look Into His Word

2010-11-05T12:33:00.005-05:00

In Luke 24: 13-32, we find a fascinating account of the resurrected Jesus walking down a dirt road with two of His disciples. What makes this event even more interesting is that not only is this the same Jesus who just arose form the dead hours earlier that day, but that the disciples didn’t recognize Him. Jesus is walking with two of His disciples and yet Jesus did not reveal His identity to them while they traveled side by side.

Why? I believe a quick study of the passage will identify at least 4 very good reasons.

I. Jesus was teaching that He is Present with us, even when we can’t see Him. Read verses 13-24

Here are two disciples walking a lonely, discouraged path. Everything they had believed in and held on too was gone. They are confused. Trying to put together all the teachings Jesus gave them with all the events that had happened over the last few days. Have you ever been like these disciples? Confused, troubled, burdened, and wondering where God is in all the pain?

Look again at the verse 15, "So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them." Jesus was there walking with them, they just didn't recognize it. The same is true for us as His followers. We sometimes have to walk lonely, discourged, burdonsome roads, but Jesus is there with us all the way!

And second,
II. Jesus wants us to see Him through His Word. Now read verses 25-29
Imagine the scene. The two disciples of the Lord are brokenhearted. They are burdened and mourning. How does Jesus encourage them? Through quoting the Old Testament and how they prophesied of Him. Imagine that two hour Bible Conference where our Lord showed every Old Testament prophecy concerning Himself and how He fulfilled it. Wow! What a great stroll down the road that must have been!

But, why the Word? Because God wants us to live by faith!

Rev. Shawn Sales said, “Seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing.”

Hebrews 11:6, >“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” NKJV

Romans 1:17, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." NKJV

Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” NKJV

Dr. Rogers once said, “The key to understanding the Bible is to look for Jesus in the Bible. Jesus is the hero of the Bible. If you read the Bible and you don’t find Jesus, re-read it! The Bible has one Hero, His name is Jesus; one villain, that is Satan; one problem, that is sin; one solution, that is Salvation. That is what the Bible is all about.”

One preacher said, “There is a scarlet thread running from the book of Genesis to Malachi telling of a coming Saviour who would deliver His people from their sins. His name is Jesus Christ. From the time of his birth to His ascension into heaven (as recorded in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we see the fulfillment of these Old Testament prophecies. From the book of Acts to Revelation, we continue to see the name of Jesus with all of His glorious attributes beautifully interwoven into the passages of Scripture.”

From all 66 books of the Bible (39 from the Old Testament and 27 from the New Testament), we can clearly see what the apostle John recorded in Revelation 4:8: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty which was, and is, and is to come"

III. The Word of God Gives Life to our Soul Read verses 30-32The Word of God comes alive in us when it is mixed with faith! Did you notice what the men said, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Jesus is the Bread of Heaven and Living Water…
a) When you need Guidance
Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” NKJV

b) When you need Hope
Hebrews 13:5-6, “For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" NKJV

c) When you’re in Tough Times
John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. “ NKJV

d) When you need Victory over Sins
Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” NKJV

e) The Word of God is like a Surgeon
Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. “ NKJV

IV. Satan Cannot Conquer the Word of God!
Ephesians 6:17, “And take… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” NKJV

Remember Jesus in the wilderness being tempted of the Devil. How did Jesus defend Himself? He said, “It is Written…”

“A physician went to hear D.L. Moody. Although he had not thought of such a result, he was converted. When asked the reason for his change of heart he said, “I went to hear Mr. Moody with no other idea than to have something to laugh at. I knew he was no scholar, and I felt sure I could find many flaws in his argument. But I found I could not get at the man. He stood there hiding behind the Bible and just fired one Bible text after another at me till they went home to my heart straight as bullets from a rifle. I tell you, Moody’s power is in the way he has his Bible at the tip of his tongue.”

Fullness of Joy!

2010-10-25T21:43:00.002-05:00
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11, NIV

My friends, what brings you joy? Answers to that question are as numerous as there are people. The answer literally changes with each individual because we all are different. What brings me joy and what brings you joy may well be two totally different things. Yet, we all search for joy. Dear one, I have some good news for you. Jesus Christ has told us how to have fullness of joy and it is the same for every human being on the planet.

Are you ready? The answer is found in John 15:10-11,
Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (NIV).

To know the fullness of joy, we must obey the commandments of Jesus. Those commandments have been summed up into two commands found in Matthew 22: 37-39. The Lord Jesus tells us, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When you and I give our heart completely to God and then serve Him in caring for others, Jesus said that He would fill us with His Joy! Now friends, I believe you can agree, there is no greater joy in the world than the joy that Jesus can give!

Let me illustrate this to you. I recently read an article about a church in Knoxville, TN. The Church is located in the northern suburbs of the city. While on a mission trip to Ft. Lauderdale, members of the church ministered to a group of Haitians there. When they returned, the worship pastor remembered a letter he had received in the mail from an orphanage in Haiti that was asking for help. He had filed the letter away on his desk with the rest of his mail.

Shortly, the Holy Spirit began to move upon his heart about ministering to those children at the orphanage. He later shared that burden with the congregation, and in short, for the past seven years, White Stone Church has become an active part of the Coq Chante girl’s orphanage in Haiti. In fact, many of the members have adopted some of those beautiful children. They have found a joy in serving the Lord by ministering to others.

Peter wrote, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” 1 Peter 1:8 (NIV).

You can have fullness of joy if you follow the outline our Lord Jesus has given to us. If you will love God with ALL YOUR HEART, if you will love your neighbors AS YOURSELF, if you will obey what God is calling you to do, the joy of the Lord will fill your cup to overflowing!

Praying for Lost Souls

2010-09-13T09:28:00.006-05:00
Below is a condensed version of the Sunday morning sermon I preached on September 12, 2010. I only preached part of this sermon and told the congregation they could read the rest on this blog. So here we go 

1. We are to Pray for Spiritually Lost People to be Saved.
Romans 10:1,4, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved...4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” NKJV

Notice Paul’s prayer, he prayed that Israel would be saved. This is one prayer that you and I do not have to ask if it is God's Will. We know it is His will to save those who are spiritually lost. Paul's desire was that they would receive Christ in their heart, not simply in their mind. The orthodox Jew knew the Scriptures. I have heard that the average Jewish child knew the first 5 books of the Bible, the Torah, by memory by age 12. However, Paul's brokeness was due to the fact that they couldn’t recognize Jesus as God, even though He fulfilled the Scriptures right before their eyes!

Evangelist David Ring once said, “You can miss Heaven by 18 inches, the distance from your head to your heart.” Paul was praying that people not simply have a knowledge of God, but to grasp a hold of God down deep in their heart!

2. Salvation is not simply learned, it is also experienced!
Romans 10: 8-10, “8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” NKJV

Our world has been greatly influenced by the actions of Alexander the Great. His lasting legacy may not be his military genius however. It is stated that he believed he could change the world with 4 aspects of civilization, (1) education, (2) sports, (3) Theatre, and (4) religion.
Alexander was a Greek and when he would conquer a land he would divide it into 40 acre sections and give it to one of his generals. Each new city had a school, a sports arena, a theatre and a temple for the Greek religion.

The Greek philosophy was to place the human experience on the top of life's Totem Pole. Simply stated, the goal was to remove God and replace Him with the human experience. Today, that is called, humanism.

The Greeks wanted to place the mind on the throne. It appears he did a pretty good job doesn’t it? Today, we think analytical, always in search of more knowledge. We can send men to the moon, invent the internet, cell phones and High Def TV, but many cannot recognize that there is a God! Look at what Paul wrote to young Timothy, “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7 NKJV)

The Easterner, such as the Hebrews, doesn’t think that way. The Hebrew thinks concretely, in pictures or symbols. The next time you are reading the Old Testament or the words of Jesus, notice how much of it is pictures and/or symbols.

And the Hebrew takes possession of the picture or symbol. For example, when referring to God they may say, “He is My Shield, My Rock, My Fortress, My Shepherd.” Their faith is real and personal. You can feel this in Paul’s Words to the Galatians. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)

This is the heart of Paul's prayer. He is teaching us to pray that people recieve Christ, not simply in their mind, but in their heart. That they lose their identity in Christ. Jesus said, "...he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10: 39 NKJV)

Practical Steps for Us as we pray for lost souls:
A. We need to pray that people will hear the preaching of the Gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”This is why inviting people to attend a Bible-Preaching Church is so important!

B. We need to pray that God will call People into the Preaching Ministry!
Romans 10: 15, “ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Reports suggests that many churches are closing because their simply isn’t enough people going into the ministry. I fear that we have become so saturated with power, fame and wealth that we no longer encourage our young people to prayerfully consider going into the ministry. Only God can truly call and empower someone for the ministry, however, I believe we can plant the seeds by encouraging young people to at least pray about it and then let God move on their heart.

C. We need to Pray that God will use us to Share our Testimony and our Faith to others.Romans 10: 17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. “ NKJV

Remember the woman at the well in John chapter 4. After she had an encounter with Jesus she went back into the city and told everyone who would listen what Jesus did for her!
John 4:29-30, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.”NKJV

What to do at Midnight!

2010-09-07T12:50:00.004-05:00

Acts 16:25, "But at midnight Paul and Silas..."

Have you ever had a “midnight experience”? Sound like a strange question? Some have said that midnight is more than simply when the clock strikes 12 a.m. it’s when life comes to you in its darkest form. When everything you were holding on to begins to crumble and you are powerless to stop it.

– It’s at midnight that fear begins to creep in. It’s at midnight when doubts begin to creep in.

The question that each of us must answer is, “What do we do in our midnight experiences?”I want you to imagine with me for just a few moments. You are walking down the street. You are overjoyed with the Spirit of God in your heart. You have been sharing Christ, people have been placing their faith in Jesus and you are simply beside yourself with the Joy of the Lord! You are headed to a prayer meeting and you are coming up on a stretch of the neighborhood where a young lady, a psychic has her business and she is not the least bit happy that you have been telling people about Christ. In fact, for days she has been mocking you when you walk down the street.

And just like the days before, as you approach her corner, there is she is and she begins to mock you. Your joy turns to frustration. A few minutes ago, you felt like you were walking on air, and now you feel like you have concrete in your shoes. Your laughter has turned to a sigh and just then, without any warning or hesitation, you turn to her and say, “In the Name of Jesus, come out of her!” and before your very eyes you see this young lady’s countenance change, the devil looses his hold on her heart and she is set free!

You shout, Hallelujah! Just then, two big, burley men grab you from behind and take you to prison for disturbing the peace. They charge you with a “hate-crime” for pushing your views and values on the young lady.

Think this is a fictional story? It’s not, it happened just like that to the Apostle Paul and his friend Silas and is recorded in the 16th chapter of Acts. Verse 25 tells us how Paul and Silas responded, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…”

They cried out to the God of Heaven and sang songs of inspiration. Often, hymns are testimonies or sermons placed to music. They are not generally sang to God, but about God. For example, “Victory in Jesus.” It’s not a song of praise to the Lord, but rather a song to fellow believers encouraging them to celebrate the one who gives them the victory!

I can just imagine Paul lifting up his voice in prayer and Silas singing of the God who gives them the victory! I love the next line in the verse, “…and the prisoners were listening to them.” People are watching to see how we respond when we experience those dreaded midnight moments in our lives. They want to see if we truly believe and trust in the God we profess.

Here are some good quotes I found: “Prayer is the only omnipotence God grants to us.”And: “Pray and believe and you will receive, pray and doubt and do without…”

Not only do we need to pray and encourage ourselves through singing the hymns of the faith, but we need to remind ourselves that if need be, our God can literally shake the foundations!
Acts 16:26, “Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.”

This is why we pray…God can shake the very foundations! He is not limited to the physical world! Friend, He created the physical world! Remember Genesis 1:1, John 1: 1-14

When we pray, we must remind ourselves that we are praying to the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of all things and that He and He alone has power over every situation! What is your situation? In what way do you need God to move on your behalf? God is Able!!!

Great Quote: “Prayer moves the hand that moves the world!”Prayer is our greatest privilege, but far too often it is also our greatest failure. There are many wonderful things we can do, but there is no substitute for prayer!

Shaped to Serve

2010-07-01T11:29:00.001-05:00
A few years ago, we as a Church went on a spiritual journey together entitled, 40 Days of Purpose. It was a discipleship program designed by Rick Warren and Saddleback Church.

One of the key elements in the program was an acrostic of the word SHAPE. We learned together that God has uniquely shaped each one of us to serve Him. There is not a human on this planet that God doesn’t love, doesn’t have a plan for, and who isn’t gifted to serve Him in ministry.

Rick Warren defined SHAPE as:

S- Spiritual Gifts
When we come to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 gives us a detailed list of many of the gifts of the Spirit. It is our responsibility to seek God and unwrap our gifts.

H- Heart of Passion
Everyone is passionate about certain things. God made us that way. As Christians, God wants to use us in the areas that we are passionate about that are pleasing to Him. It was He who put those desires in our heart.

A – Abilities
Here is a great truth, not only do we receive spiritual gifts when we are saved, but God has given us natural abilities. Some people are naturally artistic, some are craftsmen, able to do great things with the work of their hands. Some people are gifted in leadership or administration. What are your natural abilities?

P- Personality
Everyone has their own personality. God will use us in areas that best fit our personality.

E- Experiences
God never waste an experience. Often our experiences are training blocks for what God is wanting us to do in service for Him.

Our God-given SHAPE is nothing new. The Apostle Paul taught this wonderful truth nearly 2000 years ago when writing his letters to the churches in Corinth and Rome.

Romans 12:4-8, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. “ (NIV)

1 Corinthians 12:14-20, 27, “ Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
27) Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (NIV)

Dear one, God has uniquely shaped you to serve Him, together, we make-up Christ’ body on the earth. When any of us are not serving Him in the areas that He has gifted us, we are handicapping His body. Let me ask you, how has God shaped you to serve? Has He gifted you to teach?, to sing? to work with children? to work in landscaping? to do administration or work in the sound booth? to share the Gospel with those far from God? ‘There is so much to do for Him.

May I challenge you to take a few minutes to pray, read the Word of God and let God reveal to you the areas He wants you to serve Him. Then, Get Involved!

2010-06-26T09:19:00.001-05:00
The day has finally arrived, in 4 hrs I walk my precious daughter down the aisle.

Staying Strong

2010-06-10T15:51:00.002-05:00

At the height of His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus was in great demand. When reading the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you read over and over again how the multitudes would come bringing the sick, disabled and tormented to Jesus. He would have compassion on the multitudes for they were “like sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9: 36).

In Mark 1: 32-37, we read how Jesus spent an entire day healing the sick and delivering the demon-possessed. Verse 33 says, “And the whole city was gathered…” How did the Lord Jesus keep from “burning out?” How did the Lord Jesus keep from becoming fatigued and frustrated? The answer is in verse 35, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

If the Son of God needed alone time with the Father to keep Himself refreshed and His spirit energized, how much more do you and I need to spend a daily quiet time alone with God? Think about it!

How do you have a daily time alone with God?
1. Set an Appointment with God Every Day!
Follow the example of Jesus. Get away with God and let nothing distract you. This is a special time to feed your spirit. Remember, God walked with Adam in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden and God wants to do the same with you. (Gen. 3)

2. Pray and Ask God to Speak to You Through His Word.
James 1:5, “ If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” NIV

3. Read a Passage of Scripture and Meditate on it.
Get on a daily Bible reading plan or take a book of the Bible and systematically read through it. Be careful not to read to large of a portion of Scripture or you might miss some wonderful truths. Instead, read a paragraph (8 to 10 verses) or one chapter at a time and then meditate on the passage and listen for God to speak to you. Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God…” (NIV).

4. Ask these Questions

A – What can I learn about God through this passage?
S – Is there a Sin to avoid?
P – Is there a Promise to claim?
E – Is there an Example to follow?
C – Is there a command to obey?
T – Is there a Lesson to learn?

5. Praise the Lord for the Opportunity to Commune with Him.
Psalm 119:97-99, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.” (NIV)

6. Write in a Journal what God has said to you during your Quiet Time.

Dr. Adrian Rogers used to say, “The weakest ink is better than the best memory. Study with pen in hand.” As you write in your daily journal, you will be amazed at how quickly you develop a wonderful Bible study journal that you can go back too and refresh your spirit over and over again.

Celebrating Marriage!

2010-05-06T11:40:00.006-05:00

Matthew 19:4-6

And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?" So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. NKJV

This week, Lisa and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. I truly feel blessed to spend my life with a wonderful Christian woman. She is my helper, my lover and my dearest friend. Like any relationship, there are ups and downs, blessings and trials, but I have learned that God has placed her in my life to make me a better me! As Proverbs 27:17 says, "...iron sharpens iron."

Marriage is one of God's great gifts to us. Just take a close look at the verses above.

1. We see the Priority of Marriage. "...a man shall leave his father and mother..." (vs. 5).
For most children, God's plan is for them to eventually leave the home, to leave the "family nest" to make a home for themselves. This places great responsibility on us as parents. We are given these precious children to raise them in the love and fear of the Lord, to equip them to be strong, stable and caring members of society. We are to instill in them the values of a good work ethic, responsibility and find a Christian spouse and begin a family of their own. I must admit, the temptation as a parent is to keep them in "my nest." But that is not God's will. Just think about it. I would not have my own children if I had never left the nest myself.

This truth is especially "real" to me at this stage in my life since I will be walking my first-born down the aisle and placing her hand in the hand of another man in just a matter of weeks. As a dad I have mixed emotions. Sad that my "little" girl is leaving "my" nest, but happy that she is starting her own and that God has given to her a wonderful Christian young man.

2. We See the Permanence of Marriage. "...and be joined together..." (vs. 5)
To be joined is to be "welded, glued" together for life! As I meet with couples before their wedding day, I tell them to be successful, they must remove the word "divorce" from their vocabulary. Yes, the Bible gives some allowances for it, but our society has made divorce way to easy. The results are devastating. Today, nearly 40% of marriages in the church end in divorce. This was never God's intention! Marriage is one man and one woman, committing themselves to God and to each other for LIFE! The vows we exchange must hold value.

3. We See the Purpose of Marriage. "...and the two shall become one flesh." (vs. 5).
What does it mean to become one flesh? Jesus is referring to more than just the sexual union of the new husband and wife. He is referring to a welding together of the whole person - body, soul and spirit. In God's eyes, you are no longer two people, but ONE!

Why is marriage so important to God? From His perspective, marriage is symbolic of a greater union, the union of a Christian and the Lord Jesus Christ. One day, all believers will be invited to what the Bible calls, "The Marriage Supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9). Then, for all eternity, Christ-followers will enjoy the presence of our Lord in His Glory!

Over 20 years ago, Lisa and I agreed to never let the word "divorce" be a part of our vocabulary. We also agreed that Jesus would be FIRST. He would be our BEST FRIEND and that one another would our NEXT Best Friend. After 20 years, I can say that I believe God's outline for marriage works pretty good!

2010-04-13T10:35:00.003-05:00
1 Peter 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, (NIV)

Recently I visited with a dear friend. He is a member of a former church I pastored. He and I used to spend hours driving around and visiting, sharing the Good news of Salvation and praying with members of the community. He would get so excited as we traveled together and talked about Jesus. He would often burst out in song, slap his knee and let out a "Whoo-hoo!" as the joy of his salvation would roll over him like warm summer breeze. O' how I loved those moments with my friend.

A few weeks ago I received a phone call from this dear friend. His voice was weak and crackled. Sickness has been a constant companion to my friend the past few years, along with grief at the passing of his dear wife. His phone call was not what one looks forward to receiving. He was calling to talk about his funeral arrangements. As we talked, I fought to keep my voice from breaking. I didn't want him to know that tears were filling my eyes as we discussed this future event.

A couple of days after the phone call I took an afternoon and traveled to visit with my friend. He no longer can stay by himself and now lives with one of his children. That afternoon was one of the most precious experiences I have had in a great while. I sat next to my friend and listened as he shared his love for me, his family, his friends, and most of all, his love for Jesus and longing to see Heaven!

I've thought much about that evening since then. Here was a man who has always been active, independent, ministering to others. Now, he is sickly, living with his children and missing the bride of his youth. And yet, there is not one ounce of anger, frustration or regret in him. He still smiles, he still laughs and he looks up in great anticipation of the day that his faith will become his sight!

I believe my friend has the "Living Hope" that the Apostle Peter said we as believers could have. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord for His Living Hope!

Our Response to the Bible

2010-03-26T17:06:00.002-05:00
OK, if you were in our services last Sunday, I know this outline is a few days later than I said it would be. But here we go. Below is the outline with Scriptures from last Sunday’s sermon on the Christian’s Response to the Bible.
God Bless!

• The Bible is a Timeless Book.
Ps 119:89, “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven.” NKJV

It has been said, the Bible is not the book of the week, the book of the month, or even the book of the year. The Bible is the book of the ages. It is an amazing, unchanging, accurate, timeless book.

Ps 119:160, “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” NKJV

The Word of God is a timeless book. These Scriptures are as relevant for our generation, as it was hundreds of years before us, and if Jesus tarries, these Words will be relevant for every generation that will come after us.
Civilizations have changed, Empires have risen and fallen, Science and technology have increased, and yet the Bible stands as true today as it did to those who first read these precious words.

1 Peter 1: 25 says, “But the Word of the Lord endureth forever.”

Emperors have decreed the end of the Bible, atheists have railed against it, Agnostics have mocked it, liberals have tried to change it, but the Bible stands true. It is forever settled in Heaven!

Voltaire said, “Another century and there will not be a Bible on earth!”-
Voltaire expected that within fifty years of his lifetime there would not be one Bible in the world. His house is now a distribution center for Bibles in many languages. --Corrie Ten Boom

The famous Baptist preacher, Dr. R.G. Lee said,
“All of its enemies have not torn one hole in its holy vesture, nor stolen one flower from its wonderful garden, nor diluted one drop of honey from its abundant hive, nor broken one string on its thousand stringed harp, nor drowned one sweet word in infidel ink.”

• The Bible is a Truthful Book.

Ps 119:142, “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.” NKJV

Ps 119:151, “You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.” NKJV

In John 18: 38, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Jesus had already answered that question in chapter 17:17 when He prayed to the Father and said, “Thy word is truth.”
• The Bible is a Treasured Book.

Ps 119:72, “ The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.” NKJV

My friend, can you say that? Can you say that your love is for the Word of God?
Illustration: A pile of gold on one side of the platform and a Bible on the other. You are given a choice of one or the other, which one would you choose?

Look with me at Ps 119:103, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” NKJV

Ps 119:127, “Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold!” NKJV

The Saints of old loved the Word of God. They loved it, lived it, practiced it, trusted it and obeyed it. There are stories of how great Saints have held to the Word of God as they faced the chilly waters of death. Martyrs who died for the witness of the Lord Jesus Christ would hold the Bible close to their chest as the flames would creep around their feet.

What should be our response to the Word of God?
1. We are to BELIEVE IT!

A) The Bible has Divine Authorship
2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”

That word inspiration is used only once in the Bible, but what a magnificent word it is. In the Greek, the word is theopneustis. It means, “God breathed.” Theo means, “God.” Pneustis means, “ the breath of God.”

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

B) The Bible has Amazing Accuracy
Yes, God used man to pen the words, but it was God breathing the words to the hands of the men.

2 Peter 1:20-21, “ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” NKJV

The Bible is a collection of 66 books, written by as many as 40 authors over a 1500 year period. The Bible has one theme, the Love of God, one problem – sin, one villain – the devil, one hero – Jesus, one solution – Salvation through faith in Christ alone!

There are over 24,000 hand written ancient manuscripts of the Bible. That’s more than Homer’s Illiad, 40 to 1. There is more historical proof of the Bible than there is to say Julius Ceasar ever lived!

We are to Believe it!

2. We are to READ/STUDY IT!

Do you ever read a Newspaper? Do you believe every word of the newspaper is true? No one believes that if they have any sense about them. Now, do you believe the Bible to be true? Every word of it? YES! Yet, do you spend more time reading the newspaper than you do the Word of God?!

A wise man once said, “These hath God married, dust on the Bible and no man shall part, dust on the Bible and drought in the heart!”

Psalm 119: 81-82, “My soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your word. My eyes fail from searching your word.”

3. We are to PROCLAIM IT!
a. People are Encouraged by it.
b. People are instructed by it.
c. People are convicted by it.
d. People are saved by it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” NKJV

Romans 10:14, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?”
Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” NKJV

4. We are to APPLY IT!
Ps 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”
NKJV

Jesus said, John 14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." NKJV

Why is it imperative that you Apply the Word of God to your life?
a. Your salvation depends upon it.
1 Peter 1:23-24, “ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,” NKJV

b. Your sanctification depends upon it.
John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” NKJV

Ps 119:11, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” NKJV

c. Your usefulness for God depends on it.
2 Tim 2:15-16, “ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” NKJV

d. Your assurance depends on it.
1 John 5:13,
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” NKJV

Never Give Up!

2010-03-15T14:14:00.002-05:00

OK friends, whether you are a Kentucky Wildcats fan or not, you have to admire their overtime win against Mississippi State for their 26th SEC tournament championship. The Bulldogs of Mississippi State gave the wildcats every thing they had. They hit big shots, they rebounded, they played tenacious defense, they blocked shots, they did everything possible to win the ball game. As the seconds clicked off the clock, I’m sure most fans in blue thought the game was over. Then it happened, with 0.1 seconds to go, DeMarcus Cousins scored on a missed shot to send the game to overtime. When the buzzer sounded, it was Kentucky holding up the SEC trophy. Why? Coach John Calipari said it well when he said, “They have a will to win.”
The Apostle Paul had a “will” to win too.

In 1 and 2 Timothy, the man of God continually encourages believers to remain faithful to Christ till the end. Historically, many in the early church renounced their faith in Christ due to religious persecution from the Romans. Prophetically, according to Scripture, many in the last days will also turn from their faith in Christ. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4, “…in the latter times some will depart from the faith…” (vs.1). In 2 Timothy 4, Paul writes, “…and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.” (vs. 4). In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul states that the Lord Jesus will not return until there is first a “great falling away.”

A minister friend recently wrote a note that said, “I know that the apostasy is coming, Lord, don’t let me be a part of it.” My prayer for me, for you, and all believers, is that like the Apostle Paul, we have the “will” to hold to our faith until the final buzzer sounds and Jesus takes us home. Remember, it was from a Roman prison cell, awaiting his own execution for his faith, that Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Until All Have Heard

2010-03-03T10:20:00.003-06:00

Matthew 24:14
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." NIV

We know that Jesus is coming again, but when? With all the pain and suffering in our world, not to mention the rise of immorality, the question looms in our mind, "when Lord"?

The Saints in the day of the Apostle Peter also wondered. They were under great persecution for their faith and they looked up daily, hoping, longing for the Lord's return. "When Lord?" was their question too.

In 2 Peter chapter 3, we find the Apostle writing words of encouragement to the burdened church. Scoffers had risen and they were making a mockery out of the church's preaching of Christ return. "Where is the promise of His coming?" they would ask. The church became disheartened. Then Peter gave them a precious Word. He reminded them of the heart of God and of His integrity, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3: 9 NKJV)

There it was! Words of comfort to the discouraged church. In essence he said, "God is suffering long with you in the midst of all the wickedness of this world because He wants men, women, boys and girls to be saved!" Surely Peter remembered the words of our Lord in Matthew 24:14. Jesus said that He would not come again until His Gospel (Good News of Salvation) was preached among all nations.

Several weeks ago I learned of an amazing research project called "The Joshua Project." The goal was to identify the people groups of the world who have yet to hear the Name of Jesus. They published that there are still 6642 people groups who have not heard the Gospel.

Now here is where this gets exciting. There seems to be a moving of the Holy Spirit among believers everywhere to get serious about spreading the message of Jesus. In fact, mission groups are now targeting these "unreached" people groups to give them the hope of eternal life. My friends, when all nations have a witness of the Gospel, there will be nothing left holding our Lord back from coming for His Church!

Join me in prayer that the Holy Spirit will move upon me, you and every Christ-follower on this planet. Let's pray together that God will give us a burden to share Jesus with every soul possible. May we spread the message of Salvation in Christ alone to every ear who will listen. Until all have heard, may Jesus find us busy, working in His fields!

You can learn more about the Joshua Project at www.joshuaproject.net

Pray the Word of God over your children

2010-02-10T11:18:00.006-06:00

I recently had the opportunity to be in a service with Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God. His insights on prayer and personal revival are amazing. During the service, he made a comment concerning his children and grandchildren. He said there is a passage of Scripture that he reguarlly prays over them. This intrigued me. He went on to testify that each of his 5 children are now serving in ministry for Christ in some fashion and that his two oldest grandchildren are now in Seminary.

The first time I ever heard someone praying Scripture was about ten years ago when a man challenged me to pray a passage from Ephesians over a non-Christian who I was praying to receive Christ. It was such a simple concept, I wondered why I hadn't thought of it before.

2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (NKJV)

Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword..." (NKJV).

Think about it. When you and I pray the Word of God over our Children, we are praying the most powerful words ever penned on paper. We are praying God's Words!

So, what is the verse that Henry Blackaby prays over his children and grandchildren? It was Isaiah 59:21:

Isaiah 59:21
"As for Me," says the LORD, "this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants," says the LORD, "from this time and forevermore."
NKJV

Take a moment right now and pray this verse over your children and grandchildren. Pray that the Spirit of God and the Word of God will not depart from their heart!

Christians Living out their Faith!

2010-02-04T12:14:00.004-06:00

There are times in your life when God places you in the midst of people who exemplify what it means to be a Christ-follower!

Each year I travel south to get refocused on my calling from God. For 5 days I worship the Lord and learn from His Word at the Pastor’s Conference at First Baptist, Jacksonville, FL. A wonderful church led by Dr. Mac Brunson.

At this conference the preaching is powerful, the music is inspiring and Jesus is lifted up and glorified! Yet, it is the precious members of the Church that volunteer up to 12 hours a day serving the visiting pastors and hosting them in their homes that makes this one week a year, a week to encounter God without any distractions!

Let me share two examples with you. Their names are Richard and Elaine Gills and Kenneth and Ina Dobbs.

For the past 5 years, Richard and Elaine Gills have opened up their home to me and my staff. They are our “host family.” And family is the key word. After just a few minutes with this sweet, godly couple, you feel like you are part of their family. They have prayed for us, taken us to Elaine's favorite Chinese restaurant, introduced us to their friends and simply loved us with the precious love of Jesus! O’ how Richard and Elaine have showed us the heart of Jesus! Praise God for this couple. Richard and Elaine own and operate a container company and they send packages to missions around the world! What a precious couple!

Then there is Kenneth and Ina Dobbs. (pictured, sorry Richard and Elaine, I didn’t get a chance to take your picture!)

Kenneth is a retired US Postal service worker. He serves First Baptist Jacksonville as an Usher. The story of how our lives crossed is amazing and nothing short of the Sovereignty of God. For clarity, First Baptist Jacksonville has over 27,000 members and the Sanctuary seats over 9000. A couple of years ago, my Executive Pastor, Harold and me were finding a seat on the right side of the Sanctuary before the evening service. The usher working that section that night was Kenneth. A conversation started between us as we waited for the service to begin. Then, Kenneth went on to do his duties. Harold and I knew that Kenneth would greet hundreds of pastors that night and therefore, we put no thought to the idea that Kenneth would remember a couple of preachers from Kentucky.

Several months later, I was dealing with a difficult situation in the ministry. Normally, if I am having a difficult day my secretary will protect my time so I can pray and read the Word of God. However, on that day, she came into my office and said that there was a man from Florida on the phone and that he was insistent to talk to me. You may have guessed it, it was Kenneth Dobbs! When I answered the phone he said, “You may not remember me and you may think I am crazy, but I have been praying for you for the past few days and God told me to call you today and tell you that.” Needless to say, I was humbled and exhilarated in the Holy Spirit all at the same time. God knew the struggle that I was going through and had a man 1000 miles away to pray for me and call me. What an awesome God we serve!

Since that day, Harold and I have become very close to this godly couple, as we have with Richard and Elaine. The Dobbs look for us at the conference each year; take us out to breakfast or dinner or both! We have been in their home, they have prayed over us and this year we were blessed to meet their daughter Lisa and her husband Bob.

Friends, let me encourage you to love the way Jesus loves and to share that love with those you come into contact with. Each one of us can be a Richard and Elaine or a Kenneth and Ina to others if we will love people with the love of Jesus!

When I think of these two couples, I remember the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church in Philippi,

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from this first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in your will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”
Philippians 1: 3-6 NKJV

The Value of Your Testimony

2010-01-18T11:51:00.006-06:00
Have you purchased any cologne or perfume lately? If you haven’t, you better prepare yourself before you go on your next shopping spree for your favorite body fragrance. Depending on your choice, you could spend around $60.00 for just a few ounces. Though it may be expensive, most of us would agree that spending a little extra for the “good stuff” is better than the alternative. There’s not much more appalling then no cologne, except maybe some cheap cologne that comes from a convenience store bathroom. When it comes to body fragrance, you either attract or appall others by your choice and the amount you use.

Did you know that your Christian witness is like a cologne or perfume to God? It really is. Notice this verse, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2: 15 NKJV).

When studying the books of First and Second Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writing to a young church who loves the Lord Jesus, but in many ways, their lifestyle is not measuring up. Paul is encouraging them to take an honest examination of their life and not allow anything to hinder their testimony of God’s Saving Grace.

A Christian’s testimony becomes evident in two ways.

First, there is the public profession of faith and baptism. What a beautiful picture is painted in the hearts of men and women in the Church when they watch a person who has confessed faith in Christ be immersed in baptismal waters. To everyone watching, that person is proclaiming that their “old” self has been crucified with Christ and now they have been made “new” by the grace of Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).

Second, there is the daily walk of the believer. As a child growing up in church I remember the frequent testimony of Ms. Mossie Long in our small church. With her walking cane waving in the air she would announce to all listening, “you may be the only Bible some people ever read!” How true her words are. James, the half-brother of our Lord, never denied that we were saved by grace through faith, but he did admonish Christians to remember that it is through our “works,” our lifestyle, that the world will believe our confession of faith. “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18)

So, how valuable is your Christian testimony? It will either be like an expensive cologne purchased at a fine department store, or it will be like cheap bathroom cologne out of a quarters only machine. The decision is up to you.

In his letters to the Corinthians Paul said,
1. Remember who you are!

You are “called to be saints”:
1 Corinthians 1:2

You are His “Temple”:
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

2. Don’t let your lifestyle hinder your testimony.

“Be Holy”:
2 Corinthians 6:16-18,
2 Corinthians 5:9-10,

“Be sensitive to the conscience of others:”
1 Corinthians 8: 1-13

"Let Christian love be your guide."
1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

Keep watch on your faith.style="font-weight:bold;">span>
2 Corinthians 13: 5-6

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. “

Keys to a Churches Success!

2010-01-15T15:29:00.003-06:00

Here is an amazing fact. A team can have the most generous owner, the most intelligent coach, the most trusted assistants and still lose the majority of their games! A team can have a less than desirable owner, a less than competent coach and immature assistants and still be productive in a game situation.

Why is that? It is because the overall success of the team depends in large part, not on the owner, or even the staff, but on the players themselves! The key to a team’s success is the players on the field!

Let me give you a recent example. Just south of where I live and pastor is the city of Nashville, Tn. There is a professional football team there, the Tennessee Titans. Last year they won an astounding 13 games in a row. There was great expectation coming into this season. Yet, they started the season with a 6 game losing streak! They had the same owner, they had the same head coach and they had many of the same players. Surprisingly, midway through the season, they changed quarterbacks and all of a sudden they went on to win 8 of their last 10 games! The players began to play with an expectation to win!

The local church is very similar, we have the greatest Head, the Lord Jesus. We have a clear mission, to go into all the world and make disciples for the Lord Jesus. Churches can have wonderful pastors and ministry leaders, but for the Church to be successful, each player, each member of that local Church must get involved in the game. Each believer in a local fellowship must work through their Church in building the Kingdom of God!

An outstanding pastor and leader whom I have been blessed to become friends with is Dr. John Ed Mathisson. John Ed is the retired minister of Frazer United Methodist Church.
He said; “The most effective churches will be those who use the gifts and talents of the lay people.”

Here are some truths we need to remember.
1. Every Member is a Minister.

1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” NKJV
Eph 2:10, “ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” NKJV
Why is this important? One of the keys to the protestant reformation was the belief in the “Priesthood of the Believer.” Priest = “servant” we are called to serve.

2. It is Biblical for Members to serve.
1 Corinthians 12:

a) Each member is Gifted by God (vs. 4-11)
b) Each member is vital to the Church’s success (vs. 15-24)

3. Members serving in Ministry is the Cure for Burnout among pastors and ministry leaders.
According to some statistics, as many as 1500 pastors leave the ministry every month due to sin or burnout.

4. Members serving in the Ministry is the antidote to the financial burden of the Church.
A church can never hire enough staff to do all the ministry that the Church is called to do! When all the members serve, the church can operate with a smaller paid staff and no one gets burdened down with too many responsibilities!

5. There is a Great Paycheck for those who Serve!

First of all, there are the Temporal rewards. Few things will ever bless a Christian more than hearing someone say, “You have made an impact on my life, thanks!” You can’t put a dollar value on that. It’s like the MasterCard commercials; “It’s priceless.”

Then, there are the Eternal rewards. The Lord Jesus said in Matt 10:42, “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." NKJV

Dear friends, get involved in the work of the Kingdom. Let’s strive together to reach people with the wonderful love and message of Jesus Christ. And as you serve, serve willingly, serve joyfully, serve with expectation that God will bless, serve with excellence to bring glory to God.

Share the Joy of Christmas!

2009-12-23T12:40:00.005-06:00

I love Christmas! I love the lights, the songs, the smell of fresh cookies and candies in the cool air. I especially love the glow in a child’s eyes as you begin to talk about opening gifts on Christmas morn. But greater than all these, I love the message of Christmas and I want to share that message with all who will listen!

When you read about the first Christmas in Luke chapter 2, have you ever thought about the joy in which the Angels proclaimed to those unsuspecting shepherds? The Scriptures say that with great joy they proclaimed, “Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth, Peace, Goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

This is a most interesting passage, for you see, angels are not sinful creatures who need redemption. They were created holy and in the presence of God. Friend, why then were they so excited? Oh, how wonderful, they were not excited for themselves, they were excited for us! Our sins have separated us from God. It is humans who need redemption, for we are sinful creatures. And the angels proclaimed with great joy that the Savior had been born to save sinners from their sins! Now, if the angels could get that excited the night our Lord came to this earth, then my friend, you and I ought to be ecstatic with excitement to go share our Faith this Christmas!

How can we share the Joy of Christmas?
Psalm 105: 1-5 tells us how to share the joy this Christmas!
1. Be Joyful at Christmas! Vs. 1, 3
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name!...Glory in His Holy Name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!”

To share the joy, we must be joyful. The old Christmas Carol, Joy to the World, should be our theme song.
Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Why should we be joyful? The Psalmist says we should be joyful because of what God has done!

2. Tell People what God has done! Vs. 1,2, 5
“make known His deeds…Talk of all His wondrous works…Remember His marvelous works which He has done…”

Everyone loves to be bragged on. Enter a room where a mother is telling her friends about some funny or cute thing their child said or did and just watch the faces of those listening. Something amazing happens.

Friends faces light up as they hear the stories, they start imagining how the events unrolled. Watch the reaction of men when a father is telling them about their child’s accomplishments. The joy becomes contagious!

The same is true when the followers of Jesus start bragging on Him. The joy becomes contagious. And believe me, Jesus has earned some bragging rights.
The Apostle Paul summed it up well when writing to young Timothy.
“God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV)

C.S Lewis said; “If Jesus had never been born, then it would always be winter and never Christmas.”

Larry King has made his living by interviewing famous people. He was asked once, “If you could interview any person throughout history, who would it be?” Larry King said; “Jesus Christ.” “I would ask Him is he indeed really was virgin born. Because the answer to that question would define history for me.”

Jesus was born, lived, died on the cross for our sins, buried and arose from the grave with this promise, that someday He is coming again to receive all those who trust in Him.
Jesus has bragging rights!!!
Bragging on Jesus creates excitement and then we can Sing praises to Him!

3. Sing Praises to God! Vs. 2
“Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him…”

During this season, we can sing Carols of our faith.
For example, the carol, Silent Night

Silent Night was written by a young Austrian priest, Joseph Mohr, in 1818. Listen to the message in the lyrics.
"Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright; Round yon virgin, mother and child; Holy infant so tender and mild; Sleep in heavenly peace; Sleep in heavenly peace."

This carol holds such an amazing anointing of God’s blessing that it has literally stopped fighting in two world wars. In World War I, British and German soldiers temporarily stopped fighting on Christmas Eve and together sang this carol. In War World II, fighting was suspended while people around the world watched Opera singer, Ernestine Schumann-Heink sing Silent Night.

The Temptation is to sing Christmas Carols out of habit, and not pay attention the message. Carols such as; Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and O’ Holy Night, tell the Good News of Jesus.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Christmas is a wonderful time of the year for us to Share our Joy and Faith!

All around the world, groups are trying to take away the true meaning of Christmas. They don’t want people to know that Christmas is about God sending His Son to take away our sin, for to acknowledge that, one would have to acknowledge that they have sinned. It's important for you and I to unashamedly proclaim the message of Christmas and to do so with great joy!

Share the message, share your faith, share it with Joy this Christmas!

Worshipping our Creator

2009-12-14T11:05:00.005-06:00
Psalm 104: 31
"May the glory of the LORD endure forever; May the LORD rejoice in His works."

As an undergraduate in college, I was majoring in Biology. My childhood goal was to become a Cardiologist. Little did I understand back then that God had called me to spend my life trying to heal the "spiritual" heart, not the physical. On one particular night in one of my classes, the professor leaned over his podium and made this amazing statement. He said; "More Scientist have converted to Christianity over the study of the human heart than for any other reason that I know of." He went on to explain how the human heart was simply a muscle with four chambers in it. And yet, the function is so complex. The heart beats 72 times a minute, 60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for the average of 70 to 75 years. All while beating in the same rhythm and without getting fatigued.

This past weekend I preached on how Christmas is a wonderful time to remember God our Creator. As I was preparing for the message I came across a fascinating article in my most recent edition of Acts & Facts magazine. The article identified the amazing miracle of the human heart in the unborn child and the how it goes through a transformation at birth.

Let me give you the highlights. In adults, the Right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs with low pressure. The Left side pumps blood to the body under High pressure. However, in an unborn child, the opposite is true. The baby is living in a sack of water and fluid. The baby's heart pumps with High pressure out of the right side and with Low pressure out of the Left side. The reason is that the Mother sends Oxygen-rich blood to the baby through the Umbilical cord. Another amazing fact is that the Umbilical cord attaches to a vein near the baby's liver to send blood to the heart.

AT BIRTH, the Umbilical cord restricts blood flow to the baby from the Mother. Then sensors in the blood vessels pick-up that there is increased Carbon Dioxide in the blood. Next, sensors in the skin detect temperature change as the baby is being born. All of this stimulates the Nervous System to cause the baby to take it's First Deep Breath! As the baby begins to take it's own breaths,the heart reverses it's process. Now, the Rights side switches from High pressure to Low pressure and the Left side switches from Low pressure to High pressure. How amazing! Only God could have created us in such a wonderful and complex manner!

Romans 1: 20,
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." NIV

Serving in the name of Jesus

2009-12-10T21:27:00.003-06:00

Matthew 10:42
And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
NKJV

You should have seen them. They were beautiful. Volunteers like this sweet girl walking through the crowd at the Morgantown City Christmas Parade. They braved the cool air and spent their Saturday handing out FREE cups of hot chocolate in the name of Jesus!

I am especially proud of these giving, serving Christians because they are members of Cool Springs Church where I serve as Sr. Pastor. In about 45 minutes, these servants gave 600 cups of warm sweetness to the parade watchers.

Why did they do this? Simple, Christmas is when we celebrate the greatest gift ever given, the gift God gave the world when He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus to take away our sin. If God could give to us His own Son, the lest we can do as His followers during the Christmas season, is to serve others!

I hope you will open your eyes and your heart during this Holiday season and find ways to share the love of God in the name of Jesus. Even if no one is around and watching, you will know in your heart that God is watching and He will be smiling!

Share the Gift of God's Love this Christmas Season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T15:28:00.002-06:00
I can't say it any better than the Psalmist did! Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
NKJV

The Christian's Glory

2009-11-18T11:11:00.003-06:00
On Wednesday evening, November 11, 2009, Taylor Swift made Country Music history as she became the youngest singer to ever win the Entertainer of the Year award.
By night’s end she had won all four categories in which she was nominated. She won, “Album of the Year,” “Music Video of the Year,” “Female Vocalist of the Year” and “Entertainer of the Year.”

When she was awarded the Entertainer of the Year award, she called to stage her band, gave them a big hug and said; “I’ll never forget this moment because in this moment everything that I have ever wanted has just happened to me.”

On Wednesday evening, Taylor Swift experienced the highest glory a Country artist can experience.

But for Christians, our glory is not an award or the recognition of an accomplishment. Our glory is far more precious. Our glory is so special that it is literally supernatural. Let me explain.

In Acts 16: 16-34, you find the Apostle’s Paul and Silas. They had been traveling from city to city preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ and now find themselves in a Philippian Jail. What was their crime? Preaching the Gospel and casting a demon out of a young slave girl. It’s important to note that not everyone in this world gets excited when you and I share Jesus with them. The slave girl’s owners had Paul and Silas thrown into prison.

There they were, two great men of God, cold, beaten and bloodied, chained like common criminals. But God was with them. At midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing hymns to God. They encouraged themselves in the Lord and God moved mightily upon their stand of faith. The foundations of the prison were shaken and the chains fell off their feet. God had delivered them.

If we were there we probably would have shouted; “Let’s go!” “Let’s get out of here!” But Paul and Silas did not leave. They had a bigger picture in their mind then simply running from the prison. The guard came in and would have killed himself because he thought he prisoners had all escaped. Yet, Paul yelled to the man and told him they were still there. The man trembling, fell to his knees, convicted of his sin, believing that the God Paul and Silas preached about was strong and mighty. The man cried out; “What must I do to be saved?”

That is what Paul and Silas were waiting for. The Christian’s glory is not an award or the recognition of some feat. The Christian’s glory is when God uses the experiences and testimonies of our lives to bring another person to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior. On that day for Paul and Silas, the jailer and his family were their glory.

Someone once said that we cannot take anything to Heaven with us except the souls we led to Jesus while here on earth.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20:
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy. NKJV

Because He Lives!

2009-11-11T15:07:00.008-06:00

There are few songs that seem to stir the hearts of a congregation like Gospel songwriter, William Gather’s, Because He Lives. Read the beautiful words of the first verse and chorus:

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

My friends, the great hope in this song is the truth that Jesus is Alive! For Christians, we are not serving a dead deity! We serve the Living Lord Jesus Christ! All our hope and faith is in the resurrection of Christ.

I. Because He Lives You Can Have HOPE!

a. You don’t have to live a life dominated by worry

Matthew 6: 25-31
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (31) "Therefore do not worry, NKJV

b. You can be forgiven of your sins!
1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." NKJV

1 John 2:1-2:
"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." NKJV

II. Because He Lives You Can Face LIFE!

Hebrews 4: 15-16: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
NKJV

We are victorious in life because He was victorious in life. When we come to Jesus, He understands. What a great truth!

III. Because He Lives You Are NEVER ALONE!

Matthew 28:20: Jesus said; “…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. NKJV

IV. Because He Lives You Can FACE DEATH!

1 Corinthians 15: 55; 57
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

James S. Hewett once said: “What death did to Jesus is nothing compared to what Jesus did to death.”

V. Because He Lives You Can Go To HEAVEN!

John 14: 1-3:
"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." NKJV

What about you? Can you face your concerns? Your fears? Can you face Life? Death? Are You Prepared for Heaven? If not, you can be. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive your sins by faith. He is alive and you can face life, death and eternity when you follow Him!

Who do you say Jesus is?

2009-11-06T10:20:00.005-06:00
In the Old Testament, the Israelites had at least 12 different Hebrew and Aramaic names for God. Each of the names had a specific meaning.

I. The most Holy name for God in the Bible is Jehovah
• Jehovah = “Self-existent, eternal God”

In the New Testament, the angel told Mary that she was to name her baby…JESUS! Matthew 1:21
• Jesus = “Jehovah Saves” – God had come down to man!

II. The Jesus in the New Testament is the Jehovah in the Old.
When the Lord Jesus asked the disciples whom men said He was, various answers came back. Just think if these people were asked…
1. Blind Bartimaeus: He would have said that Jesus was…
i. Jehovah – Rophe – “The God that heals me.”

2. The boy with the sack lunch: He would have said Jesus was…
1. Jehovah-Jireh: “God my Provider.”

3. The Woman caught in Adultery would have said that Jesus was…
1. Jehovah-Tsidkenu: “God is my Righteousness” “Forgiver”

4. The Apostle Paul would say that Jesus was his…
1. Jehovah-M’Kiddish: “The God who Sanctifies me, makes me Holy”

5. The man called Legion would say that Jesus was his…
1. Jehovah-Shalom: “The God who gives me Peace.”

6. Lazarus would say that Jesus was his…
1. Jehovah-Shammah: “The God who is Always with Me.”
Even in death, Lazarus was not alone!

7. Andrew and Peter could have said that Jesus was…
1. Jehovah-Rohi: “God is my Shepherd” He leads me and guides me.

8. John the Baptist could have said that Jesus was…
1. Jehovah-Nissi: “God is my Banner” He is my Victory!

Oh! But there’s more….If you were to ask…
9. The disciples on the boat during the great storm they would have said that Jesus was…
1. Adonai: “Master of All”

10. Paul and Silas in the Philippians’ jail would say Jesus was their…
1. EL: ‘Strong One”

11. The birds of the air, the animals of the land and the fish of the Sea, they would say He is…
1. Elohim: “The All powerful Creator”

Let me give you just ONE MORE!!
If you were to ask Barabbas, he would say… HE IS MY SUBSTITUTE!
He is Heaven’s Sacrificial Lamb!!!

III. Jesus is All These Wrapped into One!
Jesus said unto them, “But whom do you say that I am?” And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Matthew 16:15-16

He is the Christ! The Messiah! He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings! He is all the Old Testament Names wrapped into One!

Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." NKJV

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Giant Slaying

2009-11-04T10:33:00.004-06:00
This week I am preaching a Revival at Antioch General Baptist Church just outside of Leitchfield, KY. As I was praying, studying and pondering as to what the Holy Spirit wanted me to begin this series of meetings with, the Lord led me to 1 Samuel chapter 17. Here is a short summary of the message I preached on Monday night. God wants you to slay the Giants in your life!

1 Samuel 17: 20-24:
David had no clue as to what awaited him on this fateful day as he crawled out of bed. The day began like any other ordinary day. Yet, shortly after getting up, his father, Jesse, told David to take some bread and cheese down to his brothers who were fighting with King Saul against the Philistines. Shortly after arriving at camp, David heard the voice of Goliath the giant as he stood in defiance of the army of Israel and against God Himself.

A day that seemed to be an ordinary day, turned into a day that David would have to face a Giant. How about you? Have you ever experienced a day when you thought everything was normal, everything was o.k. only to find yourself face to face with a giant? Giants come when you lest expect them. Friend, what is your Giant?

1 Samuel 17: 25-29:
As David heard the giant defy God and the Israelites, David noticed a troubling condition in the hearts of the soldiers..."FEAR!" The armies were at a standstill, they were in array. No one was fighting and when the giant spoke, the men trembled.

Friends, that happens to us too! The Bible teaches us that we are in Spiritual Warfare. Ephesians chapter 6 tells us to put on the whole armor of God. Yet, many of us are no longer fighting, we are standing around, abiding our time and allowing the giants in our lives put fear in our hearts!

And until we get mad at the devil, Nothing Will Change!!!

1 Samuel 17: 25:
David learns a valuable lesson. David learns that whoever kills the giant gets riches, gets to marry the King's daughter and that his family will be free from taxes. David says; "Man! There are some things worth fighting for!!!" (paraphrase mine).

Friends, do you know that there are some things worth fighting for?!! Let me give you a few examples. When you know the freedom Christ gives from your sin, you will never again be satisfied with unconfessed sin in your heart! When you know the joy of a happy relationship, you will never be happy with trouble in the home. When you know the peace of God, you will never be satisfied living a life of worry! Friends, whatever your giants are, freedom from your giants is worth the fight!!! Jesus came that we may be free from the giants of the enemy.

You can't run from your Giants, You Must Face Them!

1 Samuel 17: 34-37:
I am sure David was nervous about facing Goliath. However, he found the courage to fight his giant. Where did he find strength and courage? He found it in reminding himself of the past victories that God had given him. He remembered how God delivered the lion and the bear into his hands and he said; "...He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."

Where do you find courage to fight your giants? You find courage in the past victories God has given you!

Spiritual Trees

2009-10-27T10:38:00.006-05:00

Let me ask you a very important question, “How did you come to faith in Jesus Christ?” Each of us have a “Spiritual Tree,” a heritage we can trace back and see how God used various people and events to get us to Christ.

As believers, the Apostle Paul taught that God wants to use each of us in building the spiritual trees of others. Paul said that some of us “plant the seeds” and some of us “water the seeds” but it is God using us to grow new Christians (1 Cor. 3:6).

I found this account of a spiritual tree very interesting and wanted to share it with you…
“It was July 1, 1885 when Edward Kimball felt the tugging of the Spirit to share his faith with a young shoe salesman. Kimball was nervous, but he finally mustered his courage and went into the shoe store. There Kimball found the salesman in the back room stocking shoes, and he began to share his faith with him. As a result, the young shoe salesman prayed and received Jesus Christ. That shoe salesman's name was Dwight L. Moody, and he became the greatest evangelist of his generation.

The story doesn't end there. Several years later a pastor and well-known author by the name of Frederick B. Meyer heard Moody preach. Meyer was so deeply stirred by Moody's preaching that he himself embarked on a far-reaching evangelistic ministry. Once when Meyer was preaching, a college student named Wilbur Chapman accepted Christ as a result of his presentation of the gospel. Chapman later employed a baseball player to help him prepare to conduct an evangelistic crusade. That ballplayer, who later became a powerful evangelist himself, was Billy Sunday.

In 1924 a group of businessmen invited Billy Sunday to hold an evangelistic campaign in Charlotte, North Carolina, which resulted in many people coming to Christ. Out of that revival meeting a group of men formed a men's prayer group to pray for the world. They prayed for Charlotte to have another great revival. God sent another evangelist named Mordecai Hamm. Hamm went to Charlotte in 1934 to hold a crusade. Ham's crusade went well, even though it did not have many converts. On one of the last nights under the big tent one tall, lanky young man walked up the aisle to receive Christ. That man's name was Billy Graham.

Talk about a chain of events! And it all started with an ordinary Christian named Edward Kimball, who reached D.L. Moody, who reached Wilbur Chapman, who reached Billy Sunday, who reached Mordecai Ham, who reached Billy Graham.

Billy Graham’s spiritual tree goes back to one man sharing Christ with a shoe salesman. My friend, you have no idea what God can do with your witness. When you are faithful to share Christ with your family, friends, co-workers, classmates, or even a stranger on the street, you may just be sharing Christ with the next Billy Graham.

As we come to the final months of 2009, I want to encourage you to finish the year strong for Christ. Keep your focus on Him and share your love for Him with others.

Prettiest girls in the Pumpkin patch

2009-10-26T11:08:00.001-05:00

New Sermon Series starts this Sunday!

2009-10-23T09:22:00.002-05:00

Jesus came to break the yokes of bondage in our lives. Get ready for God to give you a breakthrough. Invite your family and friends and join us at Cool Springs Church starting this Sunday for the new series of messages entitled: Prison Break!

If you can't be with us, you can listen to us online at www.coolspringschurch.net

Luke 4: 18-19
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

The cherry on top!

2009-10-20T13:08:00.003-05:00
Recently, I was invited to Michigan to preach and teach at a Church Growth conference along side one of the great Christian leaders of our day, John Ed Mathison. This kind, southern gentleman has been used by God to encourage and equip thousands of believers and Church leaders of all denominations. I was truly humbled and honored to share the Word of God with him to our fellow laborers in the North. Leading and equipping church leaders is a passion of mine. One I hope to be able to do more of in the future.

For two days we shared with gracious church leaders, toured their facilities and listened to their visions, dreams and desires. These were exciting, fulfilling moments. However, they could not be compared to what I experienced at the end of the trip.

After an eventful trip back to Kentucky, I pulled into my driveway. Before I could get out of the car, my oldest daughter ran out the door, "Hi Dad!" When I came in to the house, my youngest daughter ran in and jumped on my lap. After a few hugs and a big smile, my four year old says, "Dance with me daddy!" You should have seen us. Gliding across the Family room floor, me and my blue eyed four year old. Then it hit me. I love preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love being a Pastor to His people. I was honored and thrilled to work alongside a great Christian leader at a Growth Conference, but the cherry on top of my weekend, was dancing with my children at home.

Friends, enjoy all that life brings your way. Serve God and strive to achieve all you can. But in all you do, don't forget to enjoy the ride and don't take for granted the blessings you already have.

The Witness of a Transformed Life

2009-09-16T15:41:00.002-05:00
Acts 4:13,
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. NKJV

Let me tell you about a recent encounter that touched my heart and challenged my spirit. I believe it will yours’ too.

For protection I will call her Ossel. This past week I was walking out of a department store when I saw a woman who has attended here at various times. We stopped and was making small talk when Ossel, a South Korean lady came up and began talking to the woman I was speaking with. It was then that I was introduced to Ossel.

She was bubbling over about Jesus. I was in awe as I listened to her tell me her story. Born and raised in South Korea as a Buddhist. She was a young lady when the Korean War began and most of her family was killed in the war. She met a man, married him and moved to the United States. She had a son. And when the boy was just a toddler, he was killed in a house fire at the babysitters. She told me that her life was in total darkness. That many times she wanted to commit suicide and just end it all. Buddhism offered her no hope, no peace, no answers.

Then, in her middle thirties, someone told her about Jesus and she was gloriously saved. She said for years she had lived in her soul. Her life revolved around her mind and emotions. Living in the “soul” left her filled with sorrow, grief and pain. But when Jesus came in, she began to live in the Spirit and joy, peace and contentment filled her life. Light rolled back the darkness.

1 Peter 2:9-10 says,
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. NKJV

Ossel said that when she gave her life to Christ, she did a 360 degree turn-around. Now, she shares Jesus every day, with every customer and co-worker she comes into contact with.

Ossel is a Life that has been transformed.

If you and I are going to be effective in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeing the lives of men, women, boys and girls transformed by His Grace and Love, we too must be lives that have been transformed!

The Secret Ingredient

2009-08-31T17:18:00.003-05:00
I’m going to go ahead and say it before you do. “Baptist preachers like Chicken!” I thought about that this week as I was preparing my sermon for Sunday. As a child growing up, for special occasions my mother and Grandmother would always want to go out and eat Kentucky Fried Chicken. Strange, I never figured out that God was going to call me into the ministry after eating all that chicken. I guess God has a sense of humor.

Whenever you sitting around eating a bucket of KFC, you know what somebody is wondering; “What are those 11 herbs and spices that make this chicken so good?”
Since I’m talking about food and making you hungry, let me go on a little longer. What about the world famous Big Mac? What makes it sooo good? The special sauce, right? Can you sing the Big Mac song?

KFC has their secret 11 herbs and spices, McDonalds has their special sauce and you know what? It seems that some Christians have a special ingredient in their lives that make them stand out in a crowd and work a little harder for Jesus than others. Have you ever wondered why some believers seem to be used more by God than others?

Is it that they are more talented? Are they more favored? What is it? I believe it can be summed up in one word. I believe the secret ingredient in some Christians is “PASSION!”

Passion is the Difference Maker!….And I believe it is two-fold: 1) Passion for God and 2) a Passion for the Unsaved!

If we are going to be used by God…
I) We Must Possess a Passion for God.
When you study the early church in the book of Acts you will be convicted and challenged as you learn of their great passion for God.

After the birth of the Church on the day of Pentecost, the Apostles became very visible in the streets preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Acts 3, they preached the Gospel and were persecuted by the Religious leaders. The Religious elite threatened the Apostles and commanded them to not preach in the Name of Jesus anymore in Jerusalem.

That’s very important for us to understand. I fear that many Christians today would bow their head and walk away quietly if they were told they could not tell others about Jesus in the community. Think about it. Often, in large gatherings, Christians are asked not to pray in Jesus name because it may offend someone of another religion.

But the disciples didn’t quit. In Acts ch. 5, the Apostles are back on the streets preaching about Jesus. Even after the Religious leaders threw them into prison, they went right back to the Temple and started preaching again. When questioned as to why, they said, “We ought to obey God rather than men."
God was first on their heart and in their life! And that passion for God lead them to have a passion for the unsaved!

II) We Must Possess a Passion for the Unsaved.
Census experts tell us that there are now over 6 billion people on Planet Earth. 1/3 of them claim to be Christian. And I dare say that is a liberal number. But even if we give them the benefit of a doubt, that still means that 4 billion people on planet Earth are lost! Without Christ and will spend a Christ-less eternity.
According to the statistics, every second, three people die. If they die without Jesus, they will spend a Christ-list Eternity. That is Hell. Friends, it was for the Lost that Christ came to this world! Luke 19:10: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The Good Shepherd is out on a search for His lost sheep.

But He does not work alone, He has called US! Those of us who have already called on Him, He has called us to go in His name and share His message of Salvation. This is the Mission He has called us to dedicate our Lives too! This is Living Life on Mission. This is being a Life Transformer!

And without a Passion for the Lost that fuels us past the frustrations, discouragements, heartaches and heartbreaks, We Will Fail!

C. H. Spurgeon said; “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

May we have a Passion for God and a Passion for the Unsaved so that God can use us to make an eternal difference in the lives around us.
Amen.

Life Transformers

2009-08-23T16:39:00.006-05:00
;">The following is an excerpt from a sermon Series I began today at Cool Springs Church. Join me the next four weeks for this exciting Sermon Series entitled: “Life Transformers.” You can also listen to the sermon by clicking on the link to the right.

Introduction:
Let me ask you a question. What do you believe is God’s ultimate desire, His ultimate plan for your life? Do you believe God’s ultimate plan and desire for you is for you to be wealthy? Healthy? Prosperous? A person of influence? Some people measure their value by their titles or their net worth. So, what do you believe is God’s ultimate desire for your life?

Friend, I can tell you according to the Word of God, His grand desire for you is that you be transformed! My friend, God wants you and I to be transformed into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. NKJV

This is why the Lord Jesus came from heaven, died on the cross, was buried and arose three days later. Jesus is all about Life Transformation.
Everyone that ever came into contact with the Lord Jesus who was open to Him, their life was transformed. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the mute spoke, sinners were forgiven. Jesus is all about Life Transformation!

After His resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus gave this wonderful responsibility to the Church in a passage called the Great Commission: Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." NKJV

This command so impacted the members of the first church that they went to Jerusalem, locked themselves in an upper room and began a 10 day prayer meeting. They knew that if God didn’t go with them, they would fail! They needed the power of God to empower them to be Life Transformers!

I. Who are Life Transformers?
Some churches believe that the pastor should do the ministry and the congregation should be feed and cared for. If that church is too large for the pastor to do the work alone, they hire staff to help do the work of the ministry. Friends, that is not a Biblical Church!

According Ephesians 4, the Church Leadership is to Lead, Feed and Equip the congregation to do ministry! Every Christian is expected by God to do ministry, to help transform the lives of men, women, boys and girls for Jesus.
God did not call a select few to serve and others to relax. God has called every born again believer to use the gifts and talents that He has given to them to serve in the ministry of His Kingdom!

So, who are the Life-Transformers?
a. Every Christ-Follower is to be a Life Transformer!

When you read Acts 1:12-16, you will see the names of the Apostles recorded, but not just their names. You will also find that in the upper room was women, the Mother of the Lord Jesus and His brothers. In total, there was 120 believers in the upper room all seeking God to help them transform the lives of others.

II. What do Life Transformers do?
a. They Proclaim the Gospel!
As the disciples were praying in the upper room, God baptized the church with His Holy Spirit. We call this the Birth of the Church.

The great event of Acts ch. 2 was not the Gift of Tongues, although it gets much of the attention. The great event of Acts ch. 2 was that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached to everyone within listening distance. Barriers were broken that day. Social, economic and the language barriers were all broken.

In the crowd were the rich, the poor, the educated, the uneducated, the young, the old, the married and the single. Even those from other countries who spoke other languages and yet each of them heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached!

Read the report of the crowd.
Acts 2:11-12: …we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God." So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "Whatever could this mean?" NKJV

i) What is the Gospel?
The Gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ! The Gospel is the message of how God so loved this world that He sent His only begotten Son. That Jesus left the glory of the Father, came down to this earth, was born of a virgin, lived 33 years of sinless life, died on the cross to pay for our sin debt, was buried and three days later arose from the dead. The Gospel is that you are a sinner and without God, and yet, God offers to you forgiveness and grace if you will receive Him through His Son the Lord Jesus.
This is what we do as Life Transformers, we share the Good News of Jesus with people!

III. Where do Life Transformers go?
a. To where the People Are!!!
Now remember where the disciples had gone at the beginning of the book of Acts, they had gone into an upper room for prayer. But when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they couldn’t stay in that room. God wanted them to preach the life-transforming Gospel and the people were not in the four walls of the upper room, NO! the people were out on the streets. So, where did Peter Go??? To the Streets!!!
Acts 2:14: But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. NKJV
Where was Peter, surely he was in the street were the people were.

IV. How Do Life Transformers Live?
a. They live with their priorities in order!

In Acts 4: 31-35 we read of how the members of the first church sold their possessions, brought their money to the apostles and divided out their resources to those in need. Why did they do that? Because the members of the early church were not caught up in materialism. They knew that life is temporary and that souls hang in the balance. They had eternity on their mind, not the things of this world.
Friend, let me ask you; “Do you know that life is temporary?”

An Indiana cemetery has a tombstone over a hundred years old that says,
Pause, Stranger, when you pass me by, As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be, So prepare for death and follow me.
An unknown passerby read those words and scratched his reply below: "To follow you I’m not content, Until I know which way you went."

One final question…
V. Are Life Transformers Effective?
Are they effective? They were in Acts chapter 2. In verses 37-41, we read of how Peter stood and preached the Gospel to the crowd. They were so pricked in their heart that they asked what they must do. That day, Peter lead about three thousand people to faith in Christ.

And I can say, that they were when I was a little boy. I heard the Gospel of Jesus and at fourteen years of age, I walked the isle of a one-room church, repented of my sin and was saved by the power of Jesus Christ. Since that day, God has been working to transform me into the image of His Son.

How about you my friend? Are you a Christian? Are you saved? If so, praise the Lord. Now, are you working for Jesus? Are you working to transform other lives? You should be.
How about you my friend? Are you not a Christian? You can be. Jesus died so that you would be. If you will come today and repent, turn away from your sin and open your heart to Jesus. He will forgive you and save you today.

Passion for the Non-Christian

2009-08-05T11:07:00.007-05:00
I'm back after a few days off following the General Baptist Mission and Ministry Summit. God moved in a mighty way upon the hearts of those in attendance. It was awesome to see believers energized about reaching those who are far from God with the greatest message the world has ever heard ...The Gospel!

Below is an excerpt out the sermon I preached at the Summit.

God Bless,
Chris

Simple Instructions for Multiplying Disciples:
Key passage: Matthew 28: 19-20

Simple Instruction #1: Evangelize: Go and make more of what you are! Take the Gospel message of Christ and lead those far from God, the Spiritually Lost into Salvation in Christ.

Go to the unbeliever and proclaim that God sent His Son, that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried and three days later arose from the grave! And don’t stop telling them after you reach one! Don’t stop after you get uncomfortable or when the Church is full, keep on telling them!

Evangelism is not an option…It is not simply a good idea or a suggestion. It is a Command! Our Lord, our Commander-and-chief, the Lord Jesus has entrusted to us the duty of populating Heaven!

It’s not complicated – Go make disciples, multiply disciples! It’s like the Nike Slogan; “Just Do It.”

Simple Instruction #2: Incorporating New Believers into the Local Family of God.
Baptizing them! What does it mean to baptize? Baptism is an outward expression of an inward confession! Through baptism a new believer confesses to the body of believers that their old man has died and they are new in Christ!
We bring them into the Family of God so they can declare; “I Am Changed!” In Christ there is Life-Change!

Simple Instruction #3: Mature them with Sound Biblical Teaching.
Jesus said to teach them all things! Teach them so they can become like Jesus!
The Word of God speaks to every issue of life and faith:
2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” NKJV

These instructions are simple. They are not complicated. In fact, for many, they may be too simple. These instructions are simple to understand, but not simple to accomplish!

Why? What is the reason it is so hard for us to make and multiply disciples for Christ? The reason? Because there is an adversary who does not want you to accomplish the mission that the Lord Jesus has given. John 10:10 says that this adversary has come to steal, kill and to destroy every soul he can.
He does not want you to be successful in Multiplying Disciples for Christ. He doesn’t want you to lead men, women, boys and girls to live and act just like Jesus.
He is constantly trying to lull us to sleep through discouragement, distraction and discontent so we don’t fulfill our mission. That adversary of course is the devil – Satan.

We must possess the right ingredient in order to be successful. An ingredient that will be a fuel to light a fire in us.
We must possess an ingredient that will give us the edge we need to fight against the forces of Hell with a determination that refuses to fail.
That ingredient is Passion….Passion for the non-believer! The type of passion Paul had when he said; “Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)

Ability is not enough to enable us to reach our potential. Opportunity alone will never get us to the top. Knowledge is a great asset, but comes up short helping us “be all that we can be”. Even putting together a good team is not sufficient.
Passion is the Difference Maker!!!

I) We Must Possess a Passion for the Spiritually Lost
Census experts tell us that there are now over 6 billion people on Planet Earth. 1/3 of them claim to be Christian. And I dare say that is a liberal number. But even if we give them the benefit of a doubt, that still means that 4 billion people on planet Earth are spiritually lost! They are without Christ and will spend a Christ-less eternity if someone doesn't reach them with the Good News of Salvation.

Without a Passion for the Lost that fuels us past the frustrations, discouragements, heartaches and heartbreaks, We Will Fail!

Let me ask you a very pointed question…When was the last time you lost sleep over a person because you knew they did not know Jesus Christ as their Savior?
If you want to judge the passion that most Christians have for the lost, just attend the average Baptist prayer meeting. We spend the bulk of our time praying for the sick, not the unsaved. We don’t just pray for the sick, we pray for sick Saints! Now think about it. We spend more time praying to keep Saints out of Heaven, then Sinners out of Hell.
We need a Burning Passion for the non-believers!

A) A Passion for the non-Christian will change how we See People.
D.L. Moody was preaching in London. He was approached by a British companion who wanted to know the secret to his success in leading people to Christ. Moody directed the man to His hotel window and asked; “What do you see?” The man looked down on the square and said; “Crowded streets.” Moody said; “Look again!”
This time the man mentioned seeing people – men, women, boys and girls. Moody was still not impressed. He urged the man to look a third time. The man became frustrated because he could not figure out what Moody wanted him to see.
With tears in his eyes, the great evangelist walked to the window and said; “I see people going to Hell without Jesus and until you see people like that, YOU WILL NEVER, EVER LEAD THEM TO CHRIST!”

Friends, we don’t have time to waste. God has invited us to get involved in the work of building His Kingdom, one soul at a time and it will require a Burning Passion for the Lost in our heart!

Someone once said; “If we become keepers of the aquarium, instead of fishers of men, we might start to stink.”

B) A Passion for the non-Christian will Motivate us to Go Make Disciples.
Read again verse 19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”
The key word is “Go”! A passion for the lost will force us to action!

In Luke 14:23: the Lord Jesus said; “Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” NKJV

2 Peter 3:9: “ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” NKJV

In John 4, we find a Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. She, an outcast in her society for the embarrassing lifestyle she had lived – ran back into her city and cried; “Come see a Man who told me all things that I ever did, could this not be the Christ?”
When was the last time you saw someone with that kind of passion?

In Acts chapter 4, the passion for the lost motivated the disciples, even after being imprisoned, even after being threatened to continue to tell the unsaved about Jesus.

Illustration: A country church was holding a Revival. The services were packed each night, the preaching was soul-stirring and the choir was majestic. On the final night of Revival the choir seemed to sing with a fresh anointing of God’s presence. The choir finished out the service with the hymn; “Rescue the Perishing.” When the choir came to the final verse and sang:
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.
The young man leaped to his feet. He was ready to tackle Hell with a spit-gun. After the service, he approached the evangelist and asked; “When do we go forth to rescue the perishing?” The preacher put his arm around the boy and said; “Son, that’s just a song.”

O’ may that not be just a song to you and me. May we not be that cold toward the Lost. May we be like the young man and Go Forth!

C) A passion for the non-Christian may cause us to change our Methodology.
The Message must never change, but methods can. There is no cookie cutter method of evangelism. The greatest tool of Evangelism is an excited Christian who is willing to do whatever it takes to win one more soul for Christ.

In reference to Methodologies, the Apostle Paul said; “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9:20-23 NIV

The Mission is Simple – Multiply Disciples
The Instructions are Simple – Evangelize, Incorporate, Mature
But it is a Passion for the Lost that fuels us into action, Without it we will fail. I don’t want to fail and I don’t believe you do either.

C. H. Spurgeon said; “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”

That is my prayer for us in Jesus Name, Amen!

The Blessing of Unity

2009-07-19T22:31:00.002-05:00
Ps 133:1

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity! NKJV

When did God move in a mighty, explosive manner in the early church? On the Day of Pentecost right? Right! But have you ever thought much about how the Bible describes the members of that first Church on that day? Acts 2:1 syas they were of one accord, in other words, they were Unified! They had come together for one purpose, to pray and God moved!

When God's people come together in unity of purpose, God always moves! At Cool Springs our mission statement is simply; "Guiding people to faith and to devotion to Jesus Christ." That is what we want to be about. Fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ to the best of our ability using the gifts and talents that He has given us. And no is off the hook when it comes to taking the responsibility to fulfilliing our mission. It is our mission that Unites us!

This weekend has given us glimpses of how beautiful the Church can be when the people are unified in the mission. Saturday morning my family and I rolled out of bed at 4:00 a.m. and I do mean rolled out of bed, I only like to see one 4:00 per day and it's not followed by "a.m."! We rolled out of bed and loaded the church van full of sleepy, yet anxious teenagers and drove them to the airport in Nashville. They were following God's call to take a week of their summer vacation to travel to a country they had never been, to minister the Gospel of Jesus to a people they had never met all because they had captured the mission! To say that I am a proud pastor is an understatement.

How could God follow that up? How could He make Sunday as powerful as Saturday? As only He can do, He did! My Executive Pastor got a late night call on Saturday to preach at a community venue at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. With a heart for the mission, he accepted, preached and 8 people responded to God's invitation.

Tonight, God put the icing on a great weekend of what He can do when His people are united in the mission. A testimony service broke out in our evening worship service. Now, I have to admit to you that I get nervous when a testimony service breaks out unplanned! You just never know what you are going to hear. But Thank God it did break out tonight. For twenty minutes one tear-filled testimony after another broke out from people, many of whom have been a part of our church family for less than a year. They each shared how God had used the people of the Church to minister God's love and grace to them. They shared how they had came to faith in Christ, left a life of addictions, fears and scars and now have a peace that passes understanding. Each of them had finally found a Spiritual Family! I once again sat as a proud pastor.

The psalmist wrote: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!" Ps. 133:1 Dear Lord, may we at Cool Springs, and may all your children wherever they are, always be a united people, united in your mission!

2009-07-06T15:47:00.003-05:00
The Following is the Scripture references and notes from my sermon of Sunday, July 5, 2009. I was not able to cover these points in depth due to time constraints and shared with the congregation that they would be posted on this blog. If you want to listen to the sermon in it's entirity, simply click on "Listen to sermons" in the navigation bar to the right or go to www.coolspringschurch.net Thanks.

Sermon notes………………………………………...

In Acts chapter 13, we find a Church meeting and operating in the Grecian city of Antioch. Notice the wording of verse 2:

“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said; ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” NKJV

We are in a series of messages concerning the Holy Spirit and what it means to live under the power and influence of the Spirit. The series is titled; “The Anointed Life.”

In this passage, we see that Saul and Barnabas were…
1. Called by the Holy Spirit
2. Empowered by the Holy Spirit
3. Gifted by the Holy Spirit.

Just as these men of God were called, empowered and gifted, all Christ-followers are called, empowered and gifted by the Holy Spirit that we may fulfill the Mission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the Mission of our Lord Jesus? It is the Great Commission our Lord gave to the Church in Matthew 28:19-20. His desire is for us to go into all the world making disciples for Him. Baptizing these new believers and teaching them to be fully devoted followers of Christ!

That is what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. But there is a key found in verse 2. Do you see it? Before the Holy Spirit called, empowered and gifted these men for the work before them, the Scripture says; “…they ministered to the Lord and fasted…”
How do we Minister to the Lord?

A) Through Worship
a. Psalm 29:2: “Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. NKJV

b. Psalm 95:6-7: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. NKJV

B) Through our Giving
a. It has been said that you are never more like God than when you are giving. John 3:16; “For God so love the world that He Gave His one and only begotten Son…”

b. Jesus said in Matthew 6; that you cannot serve both God and mammon (money). When you support the work of God through your Tithes and Offerings, you are saying to God that you trust Him and value Him more than you do Money!

C) Through Studying and Receiving the Word of God
Psalm 33:4: “For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does. NIV

Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.” NIV

Psalm 119:16: “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” NIV

Psalm 119:28: “My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.” NIV

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” NIV

2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” NKJV

D) Through Prayer
a. Jerermiah 29:11-13: “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” NKJV

b. It was midnight when Paul and Silas began to pray in the Philippian jail and God sent an earthquake and set them free.

c. It was in a House Prayer Meeting that God heard the prayers of the Church for the Apostle Peter and God sent an angel to loose his chains and lead him out of the prison.

d. It was in the Garden that our Lord Jesus prayed so earnestly that his sweat became great drops of blood and the Father sent angels to strengthen His Son so He could go to the cross and take away our sins.

It has been said that; “Prayer is our Greatest Privilege.” No one likes a one sided conversation. In prayer we talk with God, we commune with God and God will commune with us!

E) Through Complete Surrender:
a. Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.” NIV

b. God is not looking for ability, He is looking for Availability.

c. When we assemble together as a Church, we assemble many different people, with different likes, different tastes, different needs, different gifts, but we come united in one purpose, to minister to our Lord and one desire; to Hear from Him!

i. Acts 2:1 says the Church was gathered in “one accord” before the Holy Spirit came down on the Church.

ii. Jesus taught us to leave our gift on the altar and be reconciled with our brothers and sisters then come back and offer our worship (gift).

The Holy Spirit has called you and empowered you for His purpose. God will complete His mission and He wants to you in the plan, but He will not use you without complete dedication to the Lord on your part.

Our community, our Nation, our world are in desperate need for the Saints of God to come boldly before the Throne of Grace, yield to God, minister to Him and Listen to what the Holy Spirit has to say to us!

A Tribute to a Godly Woman - My Grandmother Ruby

2009-06-26T22:39:00.002-05:00
Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits Psalm 103:1-2 NKJV

It may seem strange to use this passage of Scripture to begin writing about a loved one who has departed, but everyone whose life has been touched by my Grandmother, Ruby Tinsley can Proclaim with the Psalmist; “Bless the Lord, O my soul for the Benefit of having Ruby Tinsley as a part of our Life!
Ruby Tinsley was born in 1925. In her 84 years, she was a daughter, sister, devoted wife and widow twice over, she was a mother of five of her own and five step-children through her second marriage. A Grandmother to 20 and Great-Grandmother to 25 more.

She was a true Mother-Hen. She said to me once; “You never stop being a parent, no matter how old your children are.” She lived by that motto. And she didn’t stop at being a Mother-Hen to her own children and Grand-Children; she also was a Mother-Hen to her neighbors and fellow Church members.

She was also a Prankster. She had a mischievousness streak. She loved to play a good prank on somebody. As a child I would listen for hours at her telling stories of walking Ethel, her sister, through mud puddles on their way to church, or pulling practical jokes on her other sister Ider. She told me a story once of when her children were young and a new family moved into the community. The new neighborhood children would come over to play and were not allowed to eat meat. Mamaw thought that was awful. So can you guess what she did when those kids came back over? That’s right! She fed those kids bologna and Ham and Cheese loaf. She said those kids gobbled it up. No wonder that family moved shortly after that.
But most importantly, she was filled with the Love of God. She knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

A true witness of a Christian is not how loud they shout, but how much they Love others with God’s Love. A tree is known by their fruit and a Christian is known by the fruits of the Spirit – the first Fruit that the Bible lists for a Christian is LOVE.

1 Cor 13:1-3: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 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, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. NKJV
Ruby Tinsley lived by this passage. In everything she did, she did with the Love of God.

For me, my memories are many – and they are wonderful. But to give you a snapshot of how she helped mold me to be who I am today, let me share with you just one of many things she did. Mamaw had a good sized Dogwood tree beside her house with a patio table and chairs sitting under its shade. Mamaw would often sit at that Patio table with me and simply share how Jesus loved me, that He would always be there for me, that He wanted to be my Best Friend, Helper and Guide and how I could talk to Him any time I wanted as if He was sitting next to me. Long before I went to Seminary and learned Theology, Mamaw taught me to have a relationship with the Lord Jesus. I am truly grateful for that.

This week I was blessed by my Executive Pastor and his wife as they purchased a Dogwood tree and gave it to me in memory of my Grandmother. Today, I planted that tree in my front yard. As it grows and produces shade of its own, perhaps God will give me the opportunity to continue my Grandmother’s legacy and share Jesus to my Children and Grand-Children under the Dogwood.

As I was driving home on the Interstate Friday after learning that Mamaw had just gone home to see Jesus, I began to think of the one song that she sang in Church as a Special. That song was… “Highway to Heaven.” And as I thought back to her singing that song a smile crossed my face and I hope it will yours too. She would sing;
“I’m on the Highway to Heaven; Nothing can go up there, but the pure in the heart; It’s the Highway to Heaven; walking up the King’s Highway.”

On Friday, June 19th, Jesus took Mamaw Ruby’s hand and together they began walking down the King’s Highway.

Are you walking down the King's Highway? You can, if you too receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Storm Lessons from our Heavenly Father

2009-06-18T19:35:00.002-05:00
We seem to have had our share of Storms recently. The other day during one of the storms, Clarissa, our three year old, was watching a cartoon in the Living Room when a loud clap of thunder rolled. She ran into the other room where I was and wanted me to go into the Living Room with her.

Clarissa wanted me in the room with her because she was scared and took comfort having her Father in there with her. We have many storms in life and not all of them deal with thunder, lightning and rain. If we are honest, we all want to feel our Heavenly Father near us during those storms. Someone has rightly said; “You are either in a Storm right now, You are just coming out of a Storm, or you are about to enter a Storm."

In Acts chapter 27, the Apostle Paul has been arrested for preaching the Gospel of our Lord and he is being placed on a ship with many other prisoners. He is being sent to Rome to stand before Caesar. He was in a storm, but nothing like the storm he was about to encounter.

Lesson #1: Our Heavenly Father will Warn Us of Approaching Storms.
Have you ever heard the Alarm of the National Weather Service? That has to be the most annoying series of beeps mortal man has ever composed. Today Meteorologists and Weather Service Alerts can warn us of approaching weather, In like manner, God warns our heart of approaching spiritual Storms.

In verse 10, Paul has an unsettling in his heart. The Holy Spirit burdens him, takes away his peace concerning the trip. Storms are out of our control, they are going to come. 1 Peter 4:12; “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;”NKJV Storms are coming and God warns us that they will.

Lesson #2 – Our Heavenly Father Will Extend Mercy During the Storm.
The shipmen did not heed to Paul’s warning of the storm and thus they put all 276 onboard in danger. However, God showed mercy even in the midst of the storm to those who messed up.
In verses 21-23, Paul says: “... "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

How often do we not heed the warnings of God and find ourselves in the midst of circumstances that could have been potentially avoided? Not all storms can be avoided, but there are times that we face more than we had too due to disobedience and sin.
But even then…
A) God Often Extends Mercy Because We are His Children. (vs. 21-22)
B) God Will Send a Word of Encouragement. (vs. 23)
C) And we must Face the Consequences (vs. 22)
a. “…but only of the ship”

Vs. 38 says they had to throw all the wheat off the ship – their food. And by the time you read through verse 44, you find that the entire ship has been destroyed and the men are swimming to shore and floating on boards.

Our Heavenly Father will Warn us of Approaching Storms, He will Extend Mercy During the Storm and He Will…

Lesson #3 –Teach Us Valuable Principles in the Storm.
The other night when Clarissa wanted me to stay in the Living Room with her because she was afraid of the storm, you know what I did? I did what most every dad does, and I did it without even thinking about it, I began to teach her about storms. Most dads try to find teaching moments in just about every situation. I believe it is engrained in our DNA.
When you and I are in the midst of the Storms of Life, Our Heavenly Father Will teach us Principles that we may not ever learn any other way.
Such as…
A) The Importance of Listening.
a. What do you think those men who did not listen to Paul back in verse 10 were thinking as the ship was being torn apart by the wind and waves?

B) The Value of Trusting Him.
a. You never truly understand “Trust” until your life in on the line.
b. These men had a choice to make when Paul in verse 22 stood up and told them that an Angel of the Lord said no man’s life would be lost. All the circumstances around them said that they were going to die. These men did not see the angel that Paul referred too. To believe Paul was going to take a “Risky Faith.” They were going to have to Trust God.

C) The Necessity of Obedience.
a. What would have happened if they soldiers and ship crew had of obeyed the Word of The Lord? The ship would not have been lost!
b. 1 Sam 15:22: “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,” NKJV

Luke 11:28: “ But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" NKJV

John 14:23-24: “ Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. “ NKJV

The Anointed Life

2009-06-09T08:02:00.002-05:00
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” NIV

Do you live the “Anointed Life?” The anointed life is a life lived under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit. Take just a moment and think about the parallel Paul makes between being drunk with wine and being filled with the Holy Spirit.”
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 NIV

A man drunk on alcohol doesn’t get that way by watching their snazzy commercials on television. No, he gets that way by taking the first drink – that leads to another – that leads to another until his body because saturated with the alcohol. The more he drinks, the more the liquor takes control of him. Finally, the person becomes; “Under the Influence.”

It’s amazing what alcohol can make a person do. It can take a quiet, gentle man and make him loud, abusive and boisterous. I remember watching a family member who had a drinking problem when I was a small boy. When drinking alcohol, he often thought that he was Superman. It seems that most of my childhood, this loved one was either in a caste or in the hospital. The alcohol coerced him to ride on top of moving cars and even jump out a third story window. Alcohol can and will take control. Never forget this; Alcohol will control how you think, how you talk, how you act and how you walk.

Now understand this; what alcohol is to the Body negatively, the Holy Spirit is to your Soul positively!

When you allow yourself to be filled up with the Holy Spirit, He will take control! He will change the way you think, the way you talk, the way you act and the way you walk. He will make you more like the Lord Jesus. Instead of spending our time trying to change who we are, we simply need to concentrate of being – and staying – filled with the Holy Spirit! That is living the Anointed Life!

Jesus said; “it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you”( John 16:7). After Jesus arose from the grave and ascended back to His throne in Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us - who have received Christ as our Savior and Lord. The power of God lives and abides in the life of the believer. May we let Him take complete control!

Blessings to You,
Pastor Chris

How Will You Respond?

2009-05-07T11:09:00.004-05:00
Wow! I can't believe it has been over three weeks since my last blog! I apologize. My schedule has been slammed and time has flown by. I'm doing a verse by verse teaching through the book of Matthew on Wednesday nights at the Church where I pastor. It amazes me how often the passage of the week deals directly with issues that I, or someone in the congregation, is dealing with. God is the master composer and it is at times like this that I can see He is still in control. It's beautiful.

Last night the passage of the week was Matthew 10: 16-23. Now, you may need to stop and go read that passage, but in a nutshell, it is the words of our Lord and He tells us that as Christians, we are like sheep and He is sending us into a world of wolves. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what wolves do to sheep! Right?

If anyone ever told you that serving Jesus and living a "holy life" was going to be easy, they mislead you! As Christians, we do have a peace that passes understanding (Phil. 4:7), and we do experience an inner joy that only God can give to us (1 Pt.1:8). However, the various seasons of life we experience, also bring us seasons of spiritual warfare and persecution. Not everyone wants to hear the "Good News" of Salvation in Christ! Not everyone is open to discussing spiritual matters! Not everyone wants to attend a prayer meeting or worship service with you! In fact, some will label you a "fanatic" or even a "heretic" depending on their own personal views.

So, what do you do? Do you simply keep your faith quiet and surrender to the ideology that spiritual matters are personal matters? Do you get angry and lash back, get into a war of words and allow your emotions to control you? What do you do when you are laughed at, called intolerant, cursed or slandered by others because of your love for Jesus? Jesus has the answer.

In Matthew 10:16, Jesus says; "...Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." What does that mean? Well, have you ever seen a "goofy" snake? No! they project a sense of control, a sense of knowing their surroundings, a sober-minded state. Jesus is telling us to be aware that we are not in Heaven yet. To not allow ourselves to be caught off guard by those who persecute you and your faith. We must be sober-minded, in control, aware that persecution can, may, and eventually, will happen. Dr. Adrian Rogers used to say; "If you are not experiencing persecution and trials from the devil, it is because you and the devil are going in the same direction. Turn around, and you are sure to come face to face with the devil."Second, Jesus tells us to be as harmless as a dove. To understand this, we simply need to look at the Lord Himself.

Isaiah 53:7 speaks of Jesus being oppressed and afflicted and yet like a lamb led to the slaughter, He was silent before His shearers. How did Jesus respond? Jesus did not curse back or even use His great power to fight back, Jesus was meek and gentle like a Lamb.

The Word of God is amazing. Over and over again, God teaches us to be ruled by the Holy Spirit and not our human wants and desires. In the flesh, we want to retaliate when we are being attacked, but the Bible teaches us to "love our enemies..."(Matt. 5:44). When we are cursed, we want to curse back, but Proverbs 15:1 says; "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." When someone does evil to us, we want to do evil back and yet Proverbs 25:21-22 teaches us; "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you."
The question of the hour is not how you have responded in the past during times of spiritual warfare and persecution, but how will you respond from this moment forward? Will you respond like the rest of the world, or will you respond like Jesus? You will have days of blessings and joy, but you will also have days of persecution for your faith. How will you respond? The Choice is Yours!

Only by the Holy Spirit

2009-04-17T21:44:00.003-05:00
Each week our Worship Teams at the Church I pastor get together to seek the Lord concerning the next week’s Worship Service. From their time of prayer and Bible study they put together "our order of service.” Now, I have a question; "Do we too often trust that the 'order of service' will bless and move people towards God?"

Good singing might bring people to our church but only the living Spirit of God can change their lives.
Good preaching might cause folks to come back again and again but only the power and demonstration of the Spirit can meet the needs of this world.
Friends may we never rely only on "our order of service" but depend on His Spirit to make our services what He truly wants them to be; a life changing event in the lives of the lost in our community.

Pray with me that we might always remember that it is "not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord!" Zec 4:6. Pray with me that because of His Spirit and His power we might come to our services expecting Him to manifest Himself in power. The signs and wonders of the New Testament church are still available to us today! “ Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever” Hebrews 13:8. As we call on Him He will show Himself strong: Jer 33:3; “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” KJV

If you agree, then pray this prayer with me…
Dear Jesus, forgive us for relying on ourselves to try to 'have church'. Indeed if we do only what can be accomplished in ourselves all that we will do is 'have church'. Lord, help us to expect great things from you and to call on your name and believe by faith that you will move mightily in our midst.

2009-04-10T22:38:00.001-05:00

Check the Scoreboard

2009-04-07T10:58:00.003-05:00
Well, it's final. The 2008-2009 NCAA Basketball Champ has been crowned. North Carolina defeated Michigan State, 89-72 in a fast paced, exciting basketball game. Both teams came in energized, excited and playing outstanding basketball through-out the tournament. Both teams had a "game plan," a strategy that they believed would give them the edge to be the victor when the buzzer blew in the end. Yet, the scoreboard revealed that only one team's game plan was successfull.

This morning in my devotional time, I read the following from John Maxwell.
"Every 'game' has its own rules and its own definition of what it means to win. Some teams measure their success in points scored; others in profits. Still others may look at the number of people they serve. But no matter what the game is, there is always a scoreboard. And if a team is to accomplish its goals,it has to know where it stands. it has to look at itself in light of the scoreboard. Why? Because the game is constantly changing. You see, the game plan tells what you want to happen. But the scorebaord tells what is happening."

How are you doing in the "game" of life? Check the scoreboard and see. If you don't like what you see, Ask God to give you the wisdom to change your "Game Plan."

Don't forget the Fertilizer

2009-04-02T15:56:00.004-05:00
Oh, how I wish my Grandfather was here. He was amazing. As a child, I remember watching him eat an apple or a piece of watermelon, spit the seeds into a cup, put the cup in the basement and the next Spring he would be planting a new fruit tree or vine. He could grow anything. I miss him, especially on week's like this one. I spent the week doing those 'honey do's' that I have let build up all winter. The past two days have been spent sowing grass seed in my yard. Sounds easy right? Maybe for you, but I didn't inherit my Grandfather's green thumb. You see, the truth is I planted grass seed in this same yard last year and it didn't grow any grass. So, here we go again.

But I got a good feeling down in my gut that this year is going to be different. Why? Because this year I did what I did not do last year, I Did Research! And I learned that I left out a very important ingredient last year, FERTILIZER. Who knew? O.K. maybe you did, but remember, I'm not good at this sort of thing. So this year, I waited till right before a rain, sowed the grass seed, fertilized it and even laid down straw. This year will be different, I can feel it. Soon, I will be gazing at my yard and looking at new, green blades of grass growing where there was once bear spots. Oh man, that's exciting! Well, maybe not that exciting, but it does feel good.

As I finished sowing the seed, I began thinking on a subject that really does get me excited, and not me only, but I believe excites all of Heaven. That is sowing the Good News of Jesus in the hearts of those who are Far from God. Jesus said in Matthew 13 that when we share His message with others, we are like a man sowing seed. But is spreading the message all that we need to do? When we are sowing the Word of God in people's lives, do we not also need to "Fertilize" the seed? I think so.

What is the fertilizer for the soul? To begin with, I belive it is to apply the "Love" of Jesus as we sow the Word. There's a saying, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." People can pick-up on us when we are fake. They know if we are sharing the message of Christ with them because we geniunely care for their soul, or if we are simply trying to fill our quota.

I believe we should fertilize the message with a "Holy Walk" too. Have you ever had someone who is far from God tell you that they are O.K. with God because they live just as good, if not better, than the people in the Church? People are watching us. They are watching us even when we don't think so. They are watching to see if our "walk" backs up our "testimony." Our lifestyle either supports our message or it tears it down.

One more. I believe we should fertilize the seed with "Hope." The unchurched are dealing with the same issues that we in the church are. They are concerned as to what is going to happen with the economy, about the rising cost of Health care, about cancer, about what kind of world their children and grandchildren are going to grow up in. The difference should come in how Christians handle these concerns. As believers, we know that God has the final word, that He is in control. That knowledge should give us a sense of peace and hope. Those far from God need to see that we still have hope as we share the Gospel with them.

We are coming up on Easter, the greatest time of the year for you and I to spread the "seed" the message of Jesus in the hearts of others, but as you go sowing, don't forget to apply the fertilizer.

God Bless,

2009-03-30T21:23:00.003-05:00

"Look at all these people. I wonder if they know Jesus?" Those were my thoughts on a recent shopping trip to Nashville with my wife and daughters. It was Spring Break and we were looking for some new outfits for Easter.

I love Easter, and not because of new threads. I love Easter because it is the Christians "Independence Day" celebration. The day when believers gather to honor and worship our Great God who sent His own Son to pay for our sins on the cross, then arose from the dead to give us Eternal Life. What an Awesome God. And because the message of Christ is the only hope for someone who is far from God, Easter is the perfect time for believers to be sharing their faith with unchurched family and friends.

Dr. Ed Stetzer and the team at Lifeway recently released one of the largest surveys on American's receptivity to different methods of church invitations. The survey included over 15,000 adults. Look at the chart.

This chart shows that the greatest tool of evangelism is still a personal invite. 63 % of the unchurched surveyed said they would be open to information about attending a local church from a family member and 56% would be open to information from a friend.

Jesus said in Luke 19:10 that He came to seek and to save the lost. As Christians, we are to be like our Lord. I challenge you to be like Jesus, take time to pray about who God wants you to invite to Church this Easter. Then pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the strength and courage you need. Then....GO! Invite someone to Church so they can hear about Jesus.

Do you have the Heartbeat of Jesus?

2009-03-14T01:06:00.004-05:00
Matt 9:12
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. NKJV

The Houston Chronicle once showed a picture of a woman with her ear pressed against a man's chest. Kind of an odd picture, odd until you read the whole story. This woman's son had died and donated his organs. His heart had been placed in the man's chest in the picture. So, what was the woman doing? She was listening to the heartbeat of her son.

Have you ever wondered if God hears the heartbeat of His Son in you?

In Matthew chapter 9, Jesus shows us His heartbeat. He calls Matthew to follow Him and then goes into a house for supper, the religious Pharisees are there, then comes in the other invited guests, sinners, outcasts and the Pharisees have a fit. I'm talking, a royal tantrum! Complaints began, questions were whispered to the disciples, not to Jesus, but to the disciples. Does that sound familiar? The self-righteous always have a complaint when sinners show up. They had lost the heartbeat.

What is the heartbeat of Jesus? He tells us in vs. 12; He came to heal the sin-sick, to Save Sinners!

We are coming to the greatest time of the year for the Church...Easter! It's only weeks away and it's the time we will celebrate our Risen Savior. To celebrate the purpose of His Coming...To continue on the work He has called us to do. As believers, we have been called to share the wonderful story of how Christ came, died for the sins of every man, women, boy and girl, Arose from the dead and offers eternal Salvation to all who believe on Him as their Lord.

Is that your desire? Do you have the Heartbeat of Jesus? Does your heart break for those who are far from God. Go ahead, check your heart. Listen closely. If you do, then go share the message of Christ with someone far from God.

Thump, Thump.

Thank you Lord for Mercy.

2009-03-02T20:44:00.003-06:00
The Psalmist declared;
“He has not dealt with us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103: 10-14 NKJV).

O’ praise the Lord for His mercy towards us. Romans 3:23 declares that we all have sinned. There has only been one perfect, sinless man to ever walk this soil, the God-man Jesus, and they hung Him on the cross. You and I are not perfect, we are not sinless, but He is. God could deal harshly with us due to our sins, and yet, He has chosen to extend to us Mercy! Just think about it, the sinless Son of God left the glory of Heaven with the praises of the angels to come to this earth and to take our sins and nail them to His cross (Colossians 2:14). When we receive Christ as our Lord, we receive peace with God (Romans 5:1).

Dr. Adrian Rogers once said that man only has 3 problems; Sin, Sorrow and Death. And in Christ, all three are defeated and we receive the victory.

· Victory over Sin: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NKJV).

· Victory over Sorrow: “…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NKJV).

· Victory over Death: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” ( Philippians 1:21 NIV).
o “ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV).
o “…Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:54 KJV).

Priase God who gives us mercy and victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Love God with All Your Heart

2009-02-20T11:44:00.000-06:00
Someone once wrote:
“I love Thee, I love Thee and that Thou doest know; But how much I love Thee, my actions will show”
My friends, the Lord Jesus knew that the great Apostle Paul loved Him. You see, Paul served the LORD with a Pure Heart. He did not simply confess that He was a Christian, a follower of Christ, HE LIVED IT. The Bible book, 2 Timothy, was written by Paul to a young preacher named Timothy. Paul is in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. His days are numbered. His death sentence has already been signed and he is waiting for the executioner to come and take him to his death. Paul is suffering, Timothy is suffering, the Church is under great persecution and they are suffering. In verse three Paul says to this young preacher and his young church… “I have served God out of a Pure Conscience.”
Webster’s dictionary defines Conscience as: “..the sense of moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character…” You don’t hear people talking about their conscience much, but you do hear people talk of their heart.
Dr. Billy Graham wrote: “When the Bible speaks about the heart, it refers to more than a source of strength and physical life. Metaphorically, the heart refers to a Person’s inner spiritual life. It encompasses your understanding, feelings, and will. It signifies the core of your personality.”
With that understanding, Paul could have written, “I serve God with a Pure Heart.” You see, the terms are interchangeable.
Why was Paul encouraging young Timothy? He knew that sometimes thru difficult days, we will hold to our beliefs, our convictions, but loose our passion and love for the Lord Jesus. Young Timothy was the pastor of the Church in Ephesus. This was a great Church. A church that was on fire for Christ, they were changing their city with the Good news of Jesus. Yet, 50 years later, we find the Lord Jesus sending a message to that church thru the Apostle John. The message is found in the Bible book, Revelation chapter 2. The Lord Jesus begins by bragging on them. He lets them know that He sees their good works, their labor , their patience. He lets them know that He sees that they cannot stand those who claim faith in God and yet don’t live it. He brags on them for their stand on the Word of God against those who teach false doctrine. However, in verse 4, the Lord Jesus says an alarming statement. Jesus says; “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
It is possible to go to church, read your Bible, do good deeds to others and yet do them out of religion and not out of a passion and love for Jesus. My friends, don’t let that happen to you. But what do you do if you realize you are just going through the motions? In verse 5, the Lord Jesus says; “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…” In other words, ask for forgiveness and fall back in love with your Savior! In 2 Timothy 1:6; Paul says to; “…stir up the gift of God which is in you…” Get off by yourself and stir up your faith and love for Jesus.
C.S. Lewis once wrote: “On the whole, God’s love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for him.”
My friends, let’s love Jesus with all our heart and our actions will show it.

Just Like Jesus...

2009-02-04T21:17:00.003-06:00
OK. I'm guilty. I'm guilty of being the guy who walks into a room, flips the switch and "bam!" I expect the lights to come on. I sit down at my computer, click "Internet Explorer," and "Whah-lah," I expect the world to open its portal to my laptop. I expect the air conditioner to keep me cool in the summer and the furnace to keep me warm in the winter. I'm spoiled, I know, but if you were honest, I bet you are too!

However, 10 days ago I learned the lesson of not taking these pleasures for granted. Most of Kentucky, where I live, along with several other states, were devastated by a huge ice storm. At one time in my fair state, over 500,000 people were reported "out of power." With temperatures in the teens and twenties most nights, the power outage has been life-threatening for many. My family and I were blessed, we were only without power for a couple of days, phone and Internet service was out for about a week. In the midst of the outage I began to notice some very important attributes about my fellow man.

I have noticed Utility company linemen, Phone company linemen, Road Department workers and Rescue employees working around the clock since that Monday night to restore power, heat, safe driving conditions and for some, survival. These brave men and women are facing harsh weather conditions and great fatigue. But that's not the worse thing they are facing. Unfortunately, hard times bring out the worst in some people. There have been many reports of rudeness and impatience from the folks who are struggling. They are taking out their frustrations on the very people trying to help them.

And yet, it is during these moments that we also see the very best in some people.

Many people are stepping up to the plate and reaching out to their friends and neighbors. I for one have been on the receiving end of the good in people during this disaster. My family never had to go cold during those couple of days we were without power. Why? Because one man brought us two loads of firewood for our fireplace and another brought a propane heater. Over the past few days I have personally witnessed people opening their doors to those in need and going out of their way to extend a helping hand. They have reminded me of the words of Our Lord Jesus who said; "Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). The true measure of one's love for another is when they are willing to sacrifice themselves for them. I believe that we never show the love and character of Our Savior any clearer than when we sacrifice ourselves, go out of our way to "bless" someone else.

I have learned that if you want to bless someone, all you have to do is open your eyes. There are needs all around you. And when you extend a helping hand, give a smile, a handshake, write a card just to let someone know you were thinking of them, take fifteen minutes and go visit someone who is lonely or hurting and most importantly, share the good news of Salvation in Christ with someone far from God. When you sacrifice a little of yourself for others, you become; "Just Like Jesus."

Faithful

2009-01-24T11:40:00.002-06:00
Today, I will preach the funeral of an 87 year old saint. She was a member of a church I used to pastor. If there was one word I could use to describe her to you, it would be "Faithful." Her loving husband went into eternity nearly 20 years ago. Since then, this dear lady stayed faithful to his memory as his widow. Always looking forward to the day they would be reunited in Heaven. She was faithful to her two sons. She was faithful to her friends. She was faithful.

She reminds me of the words the Apostle Paul penned to a young preacher named Timothy. The words of a faithful witness for Christ, sitting in a Roman jail knowing that his execution papers had already been signed by the Emperor.
2 Timothy 4: 6-8 records: "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." NKJV

Like the Apostle, this dear lady had been Faithful to the Faith; Faithful to the Fight and Faithful to the Finish.

* Faithful to the Faith.
She knew in whom she believed. As her pastor I did not have to wonder if she would fill her seat each Sunday. She would come in with her Bible in hand, smiling and greeting everyone she met. If she wasn't there on a Sunday, there was always a good reason.

*Faithful to the Fight.
Anyone who says living for Christ is easy hasn't been a Christian long. Serving our Lord is a fight. Why? because there is a real devil out there attacking the Children of God at every turn. The Apostle Paul taught the Church in Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God, (spiritually speaking of course), so they could withstand the attack of Satan. (Ephesians 6).

*Faithful to the Finish.
A preacher once said; "A faith that fizzles before the finish was faulty from the start." This week that dear, faithful lady left this life to be absent from the body and to be present with her Lord.

"Dear Lord, Help me, help my family, friends, congregation and all who follow you be Faithful to the Faith, Faithful to the Fight and Faithful to the Finish until the day comes that you call us into your presence. Amen."