Category Archives: Our Spiritual Process

Attempting to Appease God

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Luke, Our Spiritual Process

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You search the Scriptures

 

 

A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  Luke 18:18

 

This young ruler didn’t ask Jesus what “bad thing” or “bad sin” he needed to stop doing in order to get into heaven. He asked Jesus about what he needed to do next to ensure he inherited eternal life.  But Jesus met this young man on the grounds of the Ten Commandments. In fact, Jesus only mentioned five. Jesus alluded to all the horizontal commandments (commandments directed toward men)… but He didn’t mention the vertical commandments (commandments directed toward God).

Isn’t this what most people think about God, the Bible, and salvation. They believe it is mostly composed of a list of “do’s and don’ts“. Most are somewhat familiar with these lists and know which ones they have broken and which ones they have kept, even from a young age.

“Ah ha,” the young man replied, “I have already stopped doing all those wrong things. What else have You got good teacher?” He must have thought Jesus was letting him off the hook by only mentioning 5 of the 10 commandments. Lucky day!

Jesus said, “Well, if you are really serious about this whole business, if you really want to be perfect, why don’t you go out and sell what you have and fully serve your neighbor.” This response shocked the rich young ruler. He was expecting more negatives from the Lord… maybe even some new commandment… something exotic which no one else was performing.  He wasn’t let off the hook, he was pierced through the heart!

Jesus had directed the young man to search beyond the negative law to the positive law of love. This was, of course, more than the young ruler was ready to commit. Jesus knew by releasing his possessions (which had a grip on his heart) that this would cover all the commands and assure the young man a relationship with God.

This young ruler is like most people. He felt relatively comfortable with the negative law. We expect a certain negativity from “religion.” Religion is constantly watching and on-guard.  Religion has laws which keep everybody in-line.  Knowing where the line of black and white flows is a comfort. We can walk right up to it and continue to feel relatively safe.

The young man was good at not doing this and not doing that, but he was not ready for the unlimited reach of God’s love into every area of his life. By simply releasing his possessions… he would have been giving God everything and the Lord would have been able to give him everything in return.

I am personally uncomfortable with this whole concept of being a Christian as Jesus explained it. I am a Pharisee by nature. Most people are as well, whether they admit it or not.  We are more comfortable and content with the negative approaches to keeping the law and following religion…  because we like to know where the limits are. The scales are either tipped our way or they are not.

  • The negative boundaries remind us of when we are coloring outside the lines.
  • They remind us of when we go beyond the speed limit.
  • They remind us of where the dangers lie.
  • We all feel more comfortable when we can see the extent of our obligations and also understand where others are in their walk… because we love to compare!

Unfortunately, the young man walked away. He is the only person who ever came to Jesus seeking help and walked away in worse condition than when he first arrived. Thankfully our story doesn’t have to end like the young ruler. Jesus didn’t offer His life so that we might further follow a religion. He gave Himself so that we might have a relationship with Him. The choice is always ours.

Blessings – From God’s Incubator, 

Pastor

Is Faith Really a Secret Weapon?

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Kingdom of God, Luke, Our Spiritual Process

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Hebrews 11

 

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6

 
Almost every believer I have ever met felt like they needed more faith. They’ve prayed for it, attended conferences, read books, attended services to bolster their faith, and even prayed earnestly for increased faith. The twelve closest to Jesus sure felt the need for an increased level of faith. Evidently they looked at Jesus and concluded,”Hey, we are lacking!” Jesus basically told His small band of ruffians they were not lacking, but slacking. The faith they had was enough! They were simply not properly using what faith they did possess.

Has your spiritual gas tank ever run dry? You go to church, worship, or spend some time with the Lord to fill yourself up. While your spiritual life may resemble a gas tank which occasionally needs filling, your faith level doesn’t operate along these same lines. Faith is not like a gas tank which constantly needs topping. The church is not a gas station that merely exists to service your Christianity. Like Jesus’ disciples, we falsely conclude if we had just a little more of God, just a little more faith, just a little more spirit …. then we could accomplish all of the things the Lord requires. Our request for the Lord to “top off our tanks” or “increase our faith” is invalid. These types of requests will not make us better disciples or stronger followers.

According to Jesus, we don’t need more faith. Faith is such a powerful weapon, we only need a tiny amount of it to do incredible things in the Kingdom. Faith is like an atomic bomb. The energy released from a tiny mustard seed amount of faith can literally move mountains. If you are a believer, then you already possess some faith.

I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land a few years back. As our group was walking down the Mount of Olives I began to pick some of the branches and twigs from the trees along the path. I noticed some little pods growing from some of the trees and asked our guide about them. He told me they were mustard seeds. The pods were about the size of a pencil eraser. As I examined these little pods, the guide then instructed me to break one open. It was then that I discovered the real size of mustard seeds. Thousands of little ground pepper sized seeds burst forth from the little pods. They were minuscule. Jesus obviously used the smallest item known to his followers to explain just how little faith we need to see God move.

Faith is our secret weapon, but it is not used to destroy like the atom. Just a minuscule amount of faith brings about the impossible. Jesus used the example of mustard seeds because even though they are the small, they possess something a pebble, a grain of salt or a grain of sand doesn’t possess. Mustard seeds have life! The question is not whether there is life in the mustard seed. Each seed has an abundance of life. The question is have we planted our faith in God’s Kingdom so that He might do the impossible? Sized doesn’t matter. What does matter is action. Have we planted what faith we do possess?

Jesus knew that the quantity of faith is not as important as whether faith is present at all. It’s like being pregnant- either you are or you aren’t. There is no such thing as being a little pregnant. In the same instance, you either have faith in God or you don’t. If we do, then God will work amazing things in our lives. It serves no purpose to keep asking God for more of something we have never used in the first place. Faith, like seeds, must be planted. This is why James said, “Faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

Are you planting what faith you do possess today or are you still waiting for the Lord to give you more. Your faith will not increase until you begin to use the faith you possess. None of us will ever feel qualified enough, know enough, or have enough experience to feel comfortable in seeing God move in our life. He only requires we believe in His process.

 

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor

 

Ten Reasons Why Christians Go Bad

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use, Our Spiritual Process

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This is a repost from the good folks over at Credo House. Another great post by  with a great message to all of us striving to compete our race.

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor

 

one hundred years

 

One of the most discouraging (and blindsiding) things in life is to be one who has followed the Lord for some time, felt to be on the right track, been involved in the His work somehow, and to feel the definite guidance of the Holy Spirit only to find yourself, after much time, becoming a worse Christian. Sometimes we feel like we are going through sanctification in reverse. Our latter self seems more depraved and dispassioned than when we first picked up the Cross. Do you feel that way? Do you feel like you are a worse Christian now than you used to be?

Why do good Christians often go bad?

I write this post out of experience. So often I feel as if I am going backwards. So many times I have awoken realizing that I have less hope, faith, and love than I did the day before. It scares me. I know that “he who began a good work in my will perfect it” (Phil. 1:6), but why aren’t I being perfected? When I look back on myself twenty-years ago, I sometimes don’t see a progressive growth from better to worse, but a decline in the virtues that God is supposed to be working within me. I remember John Piper once said “When do I doubt God?  Not in tragedy, but when I see the slowness of my sanctification.” Not only is our sanctification often slow, but it sometimes goes the opposite direction.

Here is a list of ten issues that cause good Christians to go bad that are less obvious than the blatant sins that we often account for such a state.

1. Dried up Passion

When we first begin to follow the Lord, life is new and exciting. We are going to do great things for the Lord. We can’t wait to see what is around the corner. Our passions are high and our commitment is unable to stumble. However, at some point down the road we find ourselves tiring and slowly replacing this passion for what we believe to be the new “reality.” All the answers that we had at the beginning are not so simple. God’s hand is heavy and his movements at a crawl. We started the race sprinting, but now we are not that far down the track taking break after break. Our passion dries up and we begin to consider whether we need to run this race at all. We walk with our hands in our pockets kicking the dust up as we go.

Christ tells us that we can “lose our first love”: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place– unless you repent.” (Rev 2:4-5)

2. Entitlement for Sorrow

It is so easy to go through so many trials and troubles that we “cut ourselves some slack.” I feel as if this is something that I have done quite a bit over the last six years. Things have been so hard in my family (most of you know the stories). I held up great at the beginning, but at some point I began to feel sorry for myself. In doing so, I allowed myself to enter into self-destructive self-pity.

Unfortunately, this will often be the advice of others. “You got to start thinking about yourself [insert your name]. After all, not many people have to go through what you have been through.” If we listen to this advice, we will quickly replace our spiritual life for one of paralyzing sorrow. And, even though this sorrow does not help anything, it is addictive and counter-productive to all we know.

The Lord tells us: “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses?” (Jer 12:5). There is the ever present reality that our pains and sufferings may very well get worse. We must be weary of the advice that may come our way that we are entitled to sorrow. We are entitled to joyful suffering for the sake of Christ.

3. Wrong Companions

Don’t ever give up your kindness, love, and friendship with those who are in desperate need of life change. But keep in mind that bad company does corrupt your morals (1 Cor. 15:33). The companion of fools suffers harm (Prov. 13:20). If your Christian life has gone in the wrong direction, take a look at those around you. With whom are you surrounding yourself? Are they people who inspire you to greatness or pull you down to the base hopes of this world?

4. Overly Critical

I see this so often with apologists. So many times we seek to defend ourselves as those who are not naive. We want people to see us as those who seek rational justification for everything we do and believe. This gets unhealthy and destructive to the Christian life when we build a methodology which puts the Bible on the witness stand at every point. “I am not going to believe this verse until it is rationally justified on its own merits.” The idea here is that God is guilty of falsehood until proven innocent (although we would never put it that way). In doing so, we think we are doing God a favor.

However, after a while, this will tear our faith apart. We don’t need rational justification for everything we believe. Hang with me. Just think if you did this with your spouse. What if everything Kristie said to me needed to be questioned. “I am going to pick up the kids,” she says to me. “I don’t believe you unless you can prove it,” I respond. “Dinner is ready,” she says. “We will see about that,” I think to myself. At some point in our marriage, Kristie has earned the right to be trusted. I don’t need to critically evaluate everything she says. If I did, our relationship would fall apart.

Some of you have quit believing the Lord and the Scripture. You put everything in a queue of future belief. But there is a point when you decide that God and the Bible are trustworthy and you set aside the critique. It is not a matter of “just believing” for no reason at all. It is a matter of “just believing” because God is trustworthy. Some of you need to get back to reading and believing the Scripture.

5. Not Working Hard

Laziness is a companion of spiritual lethargy. God did not create us to be idle. One of the greatest gifts is that one can have is a job that is labor intensive. I have rediscovered this recently. I spend quite a bit of time everyday doing hard labor in the sun in my backyard. I have three and a half acres of land. The lack of rain over the years has cause about forty trees to die. I have logged quite a few hours cutting down and burning these trees over the last few months. I don’t know if there has been anything else as spiritually satisfying as this.

Many of us need to fill our idle time with sweat. Don’t underestimate how spiritually invigorating this can be.

6. Other Christians

Other Christians can be such a drain. I often get this on this blog. I can be brought so low as I see how mean Christians can be to one another. It sometimes makes me think “What is it all worth?” Some of you have had your worst experiences with those who profess Christ. Some of you don’t want to live the Christian life any longer because of other Christians.

As easy as it is to sympathize with this, realize that this is a counter-productive dead end. The answer for all of us is simple: Be everything that they are not. Every minute of every day, you surprise people by your kind and gentle spirit. You are a force for good. You are only responsible for yourself. You can inspire and change people with one comment, smile, and act of grace at a time. If other Christians are acting worse than heathens, you be Christ to them and be everything they are not.

7. Misreading God

It is so easy to misread God. We often interpret him one way when he is really going in the other. This can disillusion our spirituality causing us great hopelessness and a derailed Christian life. I have a friend who, a few months ago, was in serious trouble with the law. He had done something wrong and he got caught. He came to me in great sorrow and repentance, fearful of what was going to happen to him and his family if he went to jail. His repentance was sincere and heartfelt. He was broken beyond belief. We all entered into prayer for him. A few weeks later we get the word that no charges were being filed. He came to me and talked about all the blessings this difficulty had brought about in his life. It restored his family and caused him to be closer than ever to God. When he found out that the charges were not being filed, he rejoiced with tears, praising the mercy of God. I have never seen someone so happy. It has been like that for weeks. However, last week the bomb was dropped on him. They suddenly decided to press charges and it does not look good. His joy has been turned to the deepest sorry. And it is not just that he is being punished for a crime, it is that God seemed to, from his perspective, toy with him.

We must be careful about misreading God. We don’t really know which way he is going and he does not guarantee the type of deliverance we so often long for. When we go left and God goes right, it is important for us to quickly submit and adjust course. But the best is simply to wait to turn until we are certain that he has turned.

8. Liberty Leading to License

It is easy for those of us who believe so deeply in grace to fall into license. This can cause our faith to fall apart. We can sometimes keep from falling into serious sin, but it is the little liberties in which we indulge that can slowly erode our spirituality. When we give ourselves too much license, although lawful, they are not profitable (1 Cor. 6:12). One of the liberties I started giving to myself a few years ago was watching series on TV. Why not? There is nothing wrong with relaxing, taking a break to enjoy some entertainment. As well, much of this can be somewhat educational. But liberties are so easy to become addicted to. After a while, we don’t find any enjoyment outside of them.

The same could be said for Christians who enjoy alcohol, relief that comes by prescription meds, food addiction, sexual indulgence (even with one’s spouse), or rest. All of these, in and of themselves, can be good things and are gifts of God. However, it is so easy to give ourselves so much rope in these areas that we eventually find ourselves hung by this rope. Addictions are among the hardest sins to break and can prove to be among the most spiritually draining of all. The danger comes by way of their subtlety.

Heb. 12:1
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

9. Not Accepting God’s Grace

Just as dangerous as giving yourself too many allowances due to liberty is not accepting God’s grace every day. There will rarely, if ever, be a day when you don’t sin. Many good Christians struggle with so many issues including pornography, homosexual attraction, food addiction, and the like. Not only is the sin draining, but neglecting to accept our only hope—the unmerited mercy of God—is fatal to our spiritual life. I know how hard it is to accept God’s grace for the thousandth time in a week for the same sin. But if you don’t, not only are you cutting yourself off from your only renewal, but you are saying that Christ’s sacrifice is only for those things that are not too difficult or addicting. Christ died for all your sins no matter how many times you commit them. Learning to be a beggar for grace is learning to be a Christian.

10. Excessive Pampering

I have a little jewel of a book called A Knight’s Own Book of Chivalry written by Geoffroi de Charny in 1356. In it he gives advice, knight to knight, about how to be a knight of virtue. One of his contentions is that a good knight needs to guard against “excessive pampering.” This, according to de Charny, leads to an inability to be effective in life. His advice is to make sure that one does not get used to nice beds and soft pillows. We need to learn to sleep out in the heat and the cold. We need to make sure we don’t become to fond of pampering ourselves or we will find ourselves impotent in many opportunities the Lord may give us.

We can pamper ourselves in so many ways. The basic principle is to never get to the point where you think you must have something to survive. This can be something as small as giving up our morning coffee to something much great like giving up our savings account. The point is that when we structure our lives to take away all the stress that we need to engage, we can find ourselves slipping spiritually. This is why fasting and self-discipline are such important parts of the Christian life.

 

 

 

How to Get Straight in a Crooked Church

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in Luke, Our Spiritual Process

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broken places

 

10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” 13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. 14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath… Luke 13:10-14

 

This story from Jesus’ life was really about two bent out of shape people. Obviously, we see the woman who was bent over double for eighteen years. But another person was bent-out-of-shape as well…a religious rules keeper. The length of his torment was unknown. Both were crippled and attending this fellowship. One was crippled by a spirit of weakness and the other was crippled by a spirit of legalism and bitterness. Jesus could only help the woman. The man continued on in his crooked condition.

Dr. Luke specifically informed us that this woman’s suffering was more than a “medical condition“.  Instead of employing a medical word to describe her problem, Luke used the phrase “crippled by a spirit.” Then in verse 12 Jesus also used the word “infirmity“.  It’s the word asthenia, which doesn’t mean “sickness caused by disease” but “weakness“.

When I was a kid, people used to refer to alcoholics as having a “weakness“. In other words, these otherwise strong people were weak when it came to alcohol. They were weak, when others were strong.

About 30-40 years ago, this all changed. Alcoholics were no longer considered “weak”. It was said they had a disease. This also helped because insurance started paying for their treatment. But, in one sense it is disease. The Bible says the sins of the father are passed down 3-4 generations. So, a disease it is. But, these same folks are weak as well.

It’s probable this woman’s weakness was caused by some demonic influence because Jesus says in verse 16 she had been “bound by Satan” for eighteen years. Demonic spirits can provoke physical problems, but not every illness or disease is caused by demons. There were twenty-six recorded miracles where Jesus healed someone of a physical problem and only seven of those were caused by demonic influence.

This particular encounter became a battle over truth. At some point eighteen years ago, a lying spirit had convinced this poor woman she couldn’t stand up straight any longer. From the language Luke used, it appeared she had no physiological cause for her affliction. When Jesus came along issuing “truth“, it became her opportunity to be set free from her affliction. All spiritual warfare starts in your mind. The mind is ground zero where most spiritual battles are won or lost. Praise the Lord – she believed Jesus’ words, after He touched her.

I know you may have heard this story before, but it fits well here. Have you ever seen a circus elephant tied to a small wooden stake outside a circus tent? The grown elephant could easily rip the wooden stake out of the ground. But when elephant handlers are training baby elephants, they use a strong, iron anchor bar and drive it deep into the ground. When the baby elephant tugs and tries to get away, he can’t do it.  He experiences the pain of the shackle on his leg. Eventually he gives up and stops pulling.

As the elephant grows, they replace the iron bar with a wooden stake. This is why the now grown elephant doesn’t pull away; he doesn’t think he can… so he can’t. It’s not the stake in the ground keeping him in place; it’s the thought in his mind that keeps him there. One of the devil’s greatest tools is to try to erect a stronghold in our mind to make us think we can’t do something God has told us to do.

I have a long list of lies about myself which I used to believe. These were all lies the demonic realm tried to use to keep me enslaved. I was no different than the baby elephant. It has taken a lot of scripture and revelation from heaven to pry the demonic junk out of my life. I don’t know of any growing believer who has not had to receive some kind of deliverance from the Lord. It is part of the process. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. It is the lies we continue to believe which enslaves us. It is only as we bring our brokenness to the Lord that He can heal us. We are who God says we are! It is only then that we can grow strong in broken places and truly minister to others.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

 

More Proof, Please!

31 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Why did John the Baptist request for more proof? He asked, “Are you the Expected One, or should we expect another?” This is a puzzling question at face value, coming from John, because of his earlier statements about Jesus.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Then John gave the testimony: I saw the Spirit of God come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. John 1:32

I have seen and testify that He is the Son of God.” John 1:34

 

So why did John ask for further evidence of Christ’s credentials as the Promised Messiah if he was previously convinced? Have you ever had such doubts? Do doubts mean we are not men and women of faith?

Some say John became discouraged while he was languishing in prison and needed assurance. In other words…he was experiencing the blues. Others have postulated that Jesus wasn’t carrying out His ministry the way John envisioned the Messiah should have. John’s mission had the distinct characteristic of judgment, while Jesus’ ministry had the distinction of mercy. Perhaps John was perplexed as to why Jesus ministry didn’t complement his ministry.

  • Why hadn’t Jesus called down the wrath of God on sinners?
  • Why hadn’t the King of Kings dethroned the despots of Roman tyranny?
  • Why hadn’t Jesus abolished the hypocritical religious establishment?

If you look closely at the content of John’s preaching and character of his lifestyle… this could be the reason he was having doubts. Everyone else misunderstood Jesus…so why not John. Thankfully, Jesus had an answer for John and he has an answer for us today as well.

Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.  Luke 7:4-6

 

Why didn’t Jesus just say… “Yes, I am the Messiah. Don’t worry John. Everything is on target.” Jesus didn’t take this approach, but the answer he gave John was even better. Jesus gave John evidence. Jesus gave John the same evidence to prove He was and is the Messiah as we have been given. Jesus reminded John of His mission and how He fulfilled scripture.

Yet still, some won’t believe in Jesus as the one sent from God. They say a skeptic is a person, who, when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it’s a forgery. You just have to wonder about some people – they think God is dead and Elvis is alive. The evidences Jesus listed in His answer to John were acts of compassion. It was what John needed to hear and it is what we need to hear some 2000 years later. The miracles of His public ministry were a precursor to His trip to the cross. There He would deal with mankind’s greatest problems – sin and death.

There is one more segment to Christ’s answer. “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Luke 7:6) The Greek word for “fall away” is “skandalizo”. It literally means “to trip up” or to “stumble“. Jesus is in effect saying to John, “John, don’t stumble over my willingness to heal, forgive, and have compassion on people. There will be a time for judgment, but now is the time for grace.” There are a lot of things we can get offended over in the religious world. People do a lot of crazy things in the name of the Lord. But Jesus Himself is NOT one of those issues we need to get offended over. If there is anything about Jesus’ ministry and life that offends you …change the way you believe.

This passage provides for help to those having doubts. It shows us step by step what to do for those having doubts.

1. Go to Jesus

The first thing John did when in doubt, he sent two disciples straight to talk to Jesus. Jesus didn’t chase them away or discourage them. He took their concerns seriously and gave them the evidence John needed to answer his doubts.

2. Remember The God of Your Youth

After Jesus had performed miracles, He answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see.” This reminds me of Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth.” Sometimes when we are plagued by doubts, we need to think back to the simple days of our youth. This was a time when we knew and believed that God made the Sun, the moon, and the stars. There is nothing wrong with returning back to a time when faith was simple.

3. Remember Your Salvation and Blessings

When we begin to doubt, we need to remember that we were once like the blind man, we were once walking around in darkness, we were as the leper, we were unclean and dead spiritually.

When you doubt, you need to think back to the day when you as a sinner maybe hooked on alcohol or hooked on drugs, living a life of adultery, living a life with no purpose, full of sin….. But you came to an altar and God Almighty delivered you, and cleansed your soul. Back in those days you had no doubt that there was a God because you felt His presence.

Several years ago a newspaper in Biloxi, Mississippi ran an article about an attempted suicide. A young woman apparently thought her life held no meaning so she jumped off a bridge into the waters of the Mississippi River.

A man nearby saw her jump, and without thinking, jumped in after her. It didn’t occur to him until after he was in the water that he couldn’t swim! Now there were two people in the water facing death. His screams for help and flailing limbs caught the attention of the young woman who pulled the drowning man to safety.

The writer of the newspaper article finished with this thought: “It wasn’t the gentleman who saved that woman’s life that night; it was purpose. No doubt, the man meant well. But what he provided for her was one moment where life offered meaning: the opportunity to save a man’s life. She had a clear purpose and objective… She tapped into the energy that was inside all the time when she finally linked up to a mission.”

Like John the Baptist, like the woman in the river, there will be times in our life when we too forget our purpose and reason for being. It is usually in these dark moments we begin to doubt and question God. If you find yourself in a dark place, return to the Lord and allow Him to restore your life. He loves you.

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Is Jesus Christ Enough?

30 Tuesday Oct 2012

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As a kid, did you ever want something for Christmas so badly, you swore you’d never ask for anything again if you simply received that special gift? Then, when you got what you wanted, you said to yourself, “this is not what I expected.”

As a teenager, you’ve heard so much about the prom or graduating and what it was going to be like. You spent all those years waiting, only to conclude afterward… “This is not what I expected.”

As an adult, you couldn’t wait to get that new car or that home, or even to get married. Then when you finally achieved those goals you thought to yourself, “This is not what I expected.”

Here is the point…. Life is going to be full of situations which are not going to turn out the way we hoped they would. Many times in life we may end up saying… “this is not what I expected.” Not only does this happen to us in the normal flow of life, it occurs in our spiritual lives as well. Anyone who has made a serious commitment to follow God is going to run into situations in which they say, “God, this is not what I expected.”

John the Baptist was sitting in jail one day and began to think these same types of thoughts. “God, this is not what I was expecting to happen to my life. Serving You and introducing the world to Jesus is not what I thought it would be.” Listen to his request.

 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are You the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Luke 7:18-19

 

Maybe John thought he would live a long and prosperous life. Even before he was born, an angel had told his father, “He is going to be a great preacher and will lead many back to the Lord.” As the boy grew, he kept hearing the stories about how his father could not speak from the moment he first received news he would have a son.

I am sure people would look at John and say, “One day that boy is going to be somebody. Do you remember his birth?” But even though his father had been a priest, John did not follow his father’s footsteps. Time passed and people had pretty much forgotten John’s so-called miraculous birth and his alleged mission from God. He was in his twenties now, and now when people saw him they would say, “now there’s one life that did not turn out the way I expected.” John was living in the desert, dressed in clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food consisted of locusts and wild honey. All this didn’t sound like the prophecies of old.

BUT, THE DAY CAME –

But then one day, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, the Bible tells us that the word of God came to John in the desert. God must have said, “John, I’ve heard your prayers time and time again, but the time was not ripe. But now it’s time to do what I promised your parents you would do.” It was about 25 years ago that God had made a promise to his parents.

Let me parenthetically say, part of the reason we do not get what we expect from God is because we think in terms of praying today and getting answers tomorrow. When God gives us a word it may take years for it to come to fruition. Our job is to get ready so God can make it happen… not make it happen ourselves.

People came from all around to hear John preach. They would fall on their knees in repentance before God. After repentance, they were baptized by John and his disciples. The size of the crowds kept getting bigger and bigger. John baptized so many people that they started calling him John the Baptist. Nothing like this had ever happened in Israel. Some were thinking John might be the Messiah. John said “No, I’m not the Messiah. Not me!”
One day John the Baptist saw Jesus, and he said, “There He is! This is the lamb of God. He’s the one I was telling you would come after me.” John’s disciples even began to leave him and follow Jesus.

BUT THE DAY WENT –

Even after Jesus began His ministry John continued to preach, but the crowds were getting smaller because the people were following after Jesus. One day, one of John’s disciples was a little upset by this and he told John, “You know teacher, that guy you pointed out as the ‘Lamb of God’, well everybody has started going to Him to be baptized. What are we going to do about this? This is not what we expected to happen.” John said, “I didn’t come to compete with Him. I came to prepare the way for Him. I’m glad. ‘He must increase, and I must decrease.‘”

John kept on preaching. He preached a message one day on marriage and divorce. Herod and Phillip came up in the sermon. John was arrested, thrown in jail, and almost forgotten. After being there for a month, I’m sure John was thinking, “This is not what I expected.” There he sat looking at the cold, damp walls of his prison cell. The first month turned into two, the two into four, and the four into eight. The large crowds he had preached to were only a memory now. He kept hearing reports about what Jesus was doing.

It was in this prison cell John began to have doubts. He just had to know…”Was Jesus the Christ, the Expected One?” John had given his entire life to prepare the way for the Messiah. Now, he was in jail for his efforts. The prophecies didn’t mention jail. The prophecies didn’t mention that John would be forgotten. How could John continue to prepare the way for the Lord if he spent the rest of his life in jail? It was here in this dark place that John had to ask and answer the question every follower of Jesus Christ has to ask and answer… Is Christ Enough?

 

 

Is Christ enough for you? Do you have expectations of the Lord which are not being met? I will address this more in the next few blogs, but suffice it to say, there is nothing wrong with asking these types of questions. If we neglect to address our doubts, they will eventually eat us up from the inside out. John took his doubts to the Lord, Himself. If John took this course of action…so should we. The Lord knows exactly what we need to hear.

There is a story of a philosopher who took a stroll one evening to ponder the meaning of life. With disheveled hair and dressed in ragged clothes, he wandered in the rain through dimly lit streets in a state of deep reflection. The police noticed him and thought he looked suspicious.  They abruptly cornered him and asked, “Who are you?” and “Where are you going?” To which the philosopher replied, “Those are the very questions I’m trying to answer. Can you help me?”

We do not have live like this puzzled and bewildered philosopher. Christ is enough. We only need to go to Him and allow Him to speak to the issues of our life.

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Developing a Ministry of Availability

10 Monday Sep 2012

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Whenever Jesus has an encounter with us, He wants us to be more concerned about spiritual things than physical things. This is the way Jesus reaches us in our blindness and busyness of life. The Lord takes the physical things which usually trap us and turns them in such a way that it becomes a lesson about spiritual things. In the New Testament a simple discussion about food turns into a lesson about spiritual food… clothing becomes a lesson about wearing clothes of righteousness… fishing becomes a lesson about fishing for men. Jesus turns what we are concerned about into eternal matters.

The Lord is always striving to take us from shallow water into the deep. It is in these deep waters we begin to grow in faith and learn to trust Him more. The question becomes are we appreciative for the Lord’s attempts to move us into deeper waters? Do we view deeper waters as troubles or opportunities to grow.

Here is my invitation to you. Don’t be afraid when God attempts to move you from one place to another. He has a purpose and there is no need to be afraid. God has your best interest at heart. It is true…”If He led you to it, He will lead you through it.” Deeper water is always an opportunity to express faith and please the Lord. Peter’s response to Jesus at the shore should be our response as well. Listen to his response to the Lord.

Simon answered and said, ‘Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.’ Luke 5:5

Peter basically said, “Lord, I really don’t want to do this again…but because You suggest I should…at Your command, I will do it.” This needs to be our response to the Lord as well. We may not be totally excited about every word the Lord speaks to us. In fact, some of those words may actually give us shivers. But because the Lord speaks… we are obedient.

I believe there is a “ministry of availability” ready for each of us today. Obedience is the most important ingredient to our success in living the Christian life. The question becomes are we available to the Lord? There is an old quote which says, “God does not ask for your ability or for your inability. He asks only your availability.” I am sure you know your own abilities and inabilities. In fact, you may have already told the Lord about them. The truth is God is not interested in what you think you can or cannot do. He is only interested that you avail yourself to Him. Every believer is called to the ministry of availability.

In this story in Luke, Peter’s boat was available to Jesus, his net was available to Jesus, and ultimately his life was available to the Lord. The end result of all this availability was….”And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men. When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” (Luke 5:10-11)

Peter did become a fisherMAN. Three years later He would preach a message after Pentecost in which three thousand people came into the Kingdom. Now all this didn’t happen at once, but it began on this day by the shores of Galilee.  Many life altering events begin at inconspicuous moments.

I am reminded about the petite Japanese lady who was on a bus touring Iceland. At one short bus stop she got off and went into the bathroom to change clothes. While she was gone it was reported that a person was missing from the tour. She returned, not recognizing it was her personally everyone was looking for…and joined in on the manhunt. It is difficult to find someone when they are not missing. So for a whole day everyone was looking for a small Japanese woman who wasn’t lost.

I know a lot of people are looking around church and the kingdom for someone to step-up and give themselves to the Lord’s work. They have never considered that the Lord is actually searching and calling for them. They only see their inabilities…. never their availabilities. I believe there is a boat with your name on it and it is ready for deep water.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Which Boat Are You In?

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Jesus is worthy! He is not just worthy of our affection and or our attention. He is worthy of all our entire life. Jesus is worthy of our fanaticism. When the Lord moves us from the fan level of faith to the fanatic level of faith, we soon discover how dangerous real faith can be. So lets answer this question… Which boat are you in today?

  • Are you staying in the boat close to shore or are you in the boat floating out in the deep? 
  • Are you in the safe boat… the place where you are comfortable simply listening to the teachings of Jesus?
  • Or, are you in the boat which is encountering the miraculous way out in deep waters?

Which boat are you in today?

The boat out in the deep is the one where you either pass or fail faith’s tests. This is the one where you are challenged and ultimately changed into Jesus’ image. No one else may even detect you are out there in the deep, except those out there with you. In fact, those on shore may even deny there is a “deep water experience.” The mild-mannered Jesus they know would never suffer His followers to undergo such a trial.

There is no challenge when you stick close to shore. Yeah, you hear Jesus’s teachings and you get to watch what is going on, but there is no action in your own life.

Which boat are you in?

One day with Jesus changed Peter’s whole life. He had been washing the nets while keeping one ear listening to Jesus. He had other responsibilities and duties to do. He had to fish in order to make a living. His family relied on him to bring in a good catch to eat and sell. So he thought he couldn’t give up what he was doing in order to spend a whole day with the Lord. But, Jesus had other plans for Peter. He has other plans for us as well. Listen as the story continues in Luke.

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. Luke 5:4-7

 

This movement from the shallows into deeper water is an analogy of what Jesus was going to do in Simon’s faith life. Jesus was going to move Simon from his superficial, half-hearted and casual attention to Jesus and turn it into a deeper, more personal and real commitment. While Peter’s baptism didn’t turn him into a radical believer…while watching Jesus heal his mother-in-law didn’t make a fanatic out him. One day in the deep water did change Peter’s life forever.

Resistance is Futile! Jesus was not the leader of the Borg collective, but Simon couldn’t resist. Peter tried to counter Jesus’ suggestion, but quickly caved. I don’t know about you but I don’t like starting over on task when I have already cleaned up and put my stuff away. When I conclude my business…I am finished.

Here is what you and I need to know. Just how does Jesus take us from where we are to where He wants us to be? Jesus pushes us, that’s how! The Lord pushes us, ever so gently. Sometimes He uses words and sometimes He moves us with actions. He encourages us to move from one level of stability, as symbolized by the shallow water near the shore, to a place where we are more dependent on God than even before as symbolized by the deeper water.

We might mildly argue with him, saying, “Lord, I’ve already been there and done this several times. I’ve already tried reading the Bible, I’ve already tried praying, and it hasn’t worked. I’ve already done what others have attempted numerous times.” Hopefully we won’t stop at this point. Like Peter we need to say, “Lord, if this is what you want me to do, I will move one more time from where I am now, and be obedient to Your word.”

Which boat are you in today?

Now I personally wouldn’t want to get into a boat with Peter. Every boat he gets into begins to sink. Twice storms ravaged the boats Peter takes to cross the lake. Jesus doesn’t seem to care. On one occasion, Jesus is asleep and the other He is walking on the water attempting to sneak pass the boat. On this venture the catch of fish begins to take the boat under. Why would anyone want to get into boat with Simon Peter or any other disciple? It is going down! Who wants to purposefully undergo a near death experience every six months?

It is tough being in a boat with someone who needs to learn their faith lessons. Invariably, the boat begins to sink and they have to exhibit faith. It is tough to watch your own self or other believer struggle in faith. Why? Everybody has to go under two or three times before they learn. I know…I have been there and got two or three (actually 5-6) wet t-shirts to prove it. How about you? All Jesus will say during these failures is…”Where is your faith?” I have absolutely hated those words at times in my life. I thought, if I have to continue hearing that phrase I will scream and pull out what little hair I have left. For some of us, our hair isn’t falling out on its own…we are pulling it out because we struggle with faith.

But there is a reason why I kept hearing those faith words…. I wanted out in the deep with Peter and the boys. I didn’t want to remain close to the shore with most of the other fans. I wanted and still want to “walk on water” with the Lord. I don’t want to just see Jesus exhibit faith…I want to exhibit faith too! I have always wanted to be a fanatic. In fact, those fans on the shore drive me crazy too. They always talk about great faith but have never left the shore. If you stay there long enough they will chain your boat to the bank and convince you Jesus doesn’t operate this way. Tell this to Peter.

Pass or fail, sink or swim… I wanted to go to the deep. Anyone who really wants to grow must go out into the deep with the Lord and learn what real faith is all about. No one can do it for you. No one can help you. Your faith lessons are not my faith lessons. My faith lessons are not your faith lessons. I don’t know how God does it, but He personally tailors each person’s walk of faith.

Have you see the “Footprints the Sand” poem?  Have ever noticed how neatly the tracks are in the sand?  Well, my tracks are not like the poem’s.  My shoreline looks like “D-Day on Omaha Beach.”  I have left tracks all over the beach where I fought with the Lord, rolled on the ground, and kicked sand all over the place.  I’ve cried, wallowed, and basically thrown fits.  The only thing I can hope for was the Lord wasn’t recording during the melee.  Learning to walk in faith is not pretty.

Your greatest blessings will always be out in the deep. Yes, it is a little scary, unstable and unfamiliar out there. But it is also where most of the fish live. Fishermen never catch many fish from the shore. They have to go out into the deep water to catch larger and greater numbers of fish,  unless you want to catch them one-at-a-time with the rest of the fans hugging the shore. You might still have your hair, but will not have grown in faith.

Which boat are you in today? Jesus wants to take you from your comfortable shoreline to a deeper place where you will find more food for your soul and discover your dependence on Him. Are you ready to go! The Captain of Our Souls is calling.

Blessings,

Pastor

Are You a Fan or a Fanatic?

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

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I know I may have told this story before, but it is one of my favorites.

A middle-aged woman has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she has a near death experience. During that experience she sees God and asks if this is the end. God says no and explains that she has another 30 years to live.  Upon her recovery she decides to just stay in the hospital and have a face lift, liposuction, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, etc. She even has someone come in and change her hair color. She figures since she’s got another 30 years, she might as well make the most of it.

She walks out of the hospital after the last operation and is killed by an ambulance speeding by. She arrives in front of God and complains, “I thought you said I had another 30 years.”
God replies, “I did, but I didn’t recognize you.”

I know and you know God always recognizes us. This story is usually the other way around. We don’t recognize God. We fail to recognize what He is doing in our life. We fail to recognize what He is doing in other’s lives and in general we miss what He is doing in the world around us.

Listen to the story from Luke as Peter has a personal encounter with Jesus one day by the Sea of Galilee. Even in this story Jesus was already working in Peter’s life… he just didn’t know it yet.

 

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. Luke 5:1-3

 

Jesus was teaching and the people were listening to Him. Apparently, He felt a little crowded and wanted some space. He saw two boats near-by and asked to use Simon Peter’s as sort of a stage or platform.

But I believe there was clearly another reason why Jesus wanted to speak from the boat. Later on, He wanted to talk to the owner of the boat, Simon. Jesus is not only interested in crowds, He is also interested in you individually. Sometimes we need more than classroom instruction. We need individualized tutoring. The Lord knows when we need more personal attention and arranges life so that we get His undivided attention.

If we believe the Lord’s instructions cease after we leave the church pew, we are mistaken. If we believe the Lord’s instructions conclude when our Bible’s are closed, we are deceived. These events are merely the beginning of our journey. The real test arrives when we are called to apply what we have learned. How much one-on-one time have you received lately?

Why does Jesus change His approach for just one person? Why would Jesus change His focus from a crowd to a single person? Most ministers are trying to climb out of the single digits, not move towards them. Evidently Jesus recognized a hunger in Peter He didn’t see in everyone else. So, He rearranged His schedule to help Peter move from a shallow type of faith to a deeper faith. I don’t believe Jesus wastes His time. If you are receiving one-on-one attention, then He believes it is time for you to move into deeper waters as well.

There was an Episcopal pastor who was having a cup of coffee in the restaurant across the street from his church. He was reading his paper when the fellow next to him noticed his clerical garb and asked which church he led. He pointed across the street to the Episcopal Church. The fellow eagerly piped-up and said “Why that’s the church I go to myself!” At this the pastor perked up and said “That’s strange. I’ve been preaching there for five years and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you.” The man responded, “Come on now, preacher. I didn’t say I was a fanatic.”

Peter was a “fan of Jesus” at this point, but he wasn’t a “fanatic for Christ” either. He had been baptized by John the Baptist and witnessed Jesus being baptized as well. He had witnessed Jesus performing a few miracles including the healing of his mother-in-law. But until this point, he had yet to commit himself fully to Jesus’ teachings.

For many Peter’s type of committment would have been enough to give them security. Jesus knew the difference and so should we. Jesus wants to move each of us from the “fan” level of faith to the “fanatic” level. The only question is are we personally willing to go with the Lord to deeper waters?

– More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor

Sanitizing Jesus

22 Wednesday Aug 2012

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There was a brief moment in Jesus’ ministry when He was loved and adored by all. Listen to these words.

 

14 And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. 15 And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. Luke 4:14-15

This lasted only a few days… until Jesus went back to His hometown. Everything was “ok” until Jesus uttered a few prophetic words about His own life and ministry. It was if He dropped a bomb shell. He said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21) It is tough when something of God is actually fulfilled in your hearing. You either agree with what the Lord is doing and saying, or you disagree. Why is God always putting us on the spot? Why are we made to discern His will? It is like when someone says…”The Lord spoke to me” or “I heard the Lord say.” We either believe it or disbelieve it. Believe or not, I know some Christians who find it easier to believe in alien abductions than God speaking to someone.

All this might appear to be a bit controversial but Jesus did this over and over again in His ministry. Every time the dust settled and the crowds grew… Jesus thinned those same crowds by saying or doing something controversial. The crowd had to choose to continue believing without getting offended. Jesus didn’t believe in easy believism.
In Luke 6 Jesus purposefully heals a man on the Sabbath. He didn’t have to work a miracle on the Sabbath… but He wanted to heal this man on this day. Over and over again Jesus purposefully hung around sinners, drunkards, tax-collectors, and prostitutes. In reality, how many of us want to hang around this type of crowd. Yet, if we want to raise the standard of the type of people Jesus hangs with, then we should join Him.

Jesus also cleansed the temple on two occasions. He didn’t clean out the local honky-tonk, skid-row, houses of prostitution, or the corrupt court system. He willfully went after the temple and the temple court. Jesus even inferred Gentiles would receive greater blessings than the Jews. How dare He?

In addition, Jesus allowed Himself to be touched and ministered to by women. The gall of this Man! If all this was not bad enough, Jesus made a pointed visit to a grave yard to deliver a man of evil spirits. For commerce sake, the people begged Jesus to leave. The demons, upon exiting the man, entered a herd of swine and plunged themselves into the sea.

All these events and more were a publicity nightmare for Jesus. Dale Carnegie couldn’t have helped Jesus. Maybe we can help the Lord out in our day by eliminating some of these types of activities. Lets restore Jesus’ tarnished reputation by eliminating….

  • Prophetic utterances. Lets refrain from saying the Lord spoke to us. Lets keep our prayer life quiet.
  • Healing on the Sabbath or any other day.
  • Certain types of people. Lets upgrade Jesus’ social networking and getting the right type of people to “like” His Facebook page.
  • Cleaning or correcting religious institutions. I am sure they will be fine without any intervention from the Lord.
  • Demon extractions. If they don’t bother us, we will not bother them. Lets let sleeping dogs lie.

How does all this sound? Maybe we have already been guilty of sanitizing and sterilizing Jesus. Here is the problem. If we don’t sanitize and sterilize Jesus, then we will become offended by His message and ministry… just like His hometown. Lets purpose to follow the real Jesus and accept His message and ministry. If Jesus impacted and changed His followers lives 2000 years ago, He can change our destiny today.

 
Blessings,

Pastor