Category Archives: Our Spiritual Process

God Wants Us Filled… for Real

21 Thursday Jun 2012

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For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding… Colossians 1:9

 

Evidently, some are satisfied with just a little knowledge from God.  This is why Paul prayed in this fashion.  He knew God’s heart was to fill us with the total knowledge of His will.  Are you currently “being filled” with the knowledge of His will?

 
One day I discovered that our outside water faucet was busted. It happened during one of those cold winters in the South.  I really didn’t know where to start in the repairing process. But while picking up something at one of those Big Box stores, I decided to talk to someone in the plumbing department. I explained what I heard and saw. This guy knew exactly what I needed.  With so little effort he suggested the right parts and proffered step-by-step instructions to repair the busted pipe.  How was he able to do this with relative ease?  He was filled with knowledge and experience.  He had instructed a hundred others in the same area.  Since I sought him out, he transferred that knowledge and experience.  My new friend had the “know how” and I didn’t.  If I had pushed forward in my own “know how,” the job would have resulted in drips, leaks, and errors. It would have cost me more in time, money, and frustration.  He  knew a way to accomplish the task without soldering pipes.  All I had to do was tap into my new friend’s superior knowledge and gain his experience and knowledge.  It only took 5-10 mins to get the “know how.”

The word for “knowledge” in verse nine is “gnosis”.   In this text, the preposition “epi” which means “over” is added on to this word knowledge.   So the idea here is we can have “over knowledge” or “complete knowledge” not just partial knowledge about God’s will.  Does all this sound like something you wish to possess?

Every day we are invited to spend time with the Lord to learn how to get our job in the kingdom accomplished the correct way.  Jesus has the “know how.” We don’t.  The Lord doesn’t want us to possess a partial knowledge or simply a little knowledge about certain issues.  When we neglect giving ourselves adequate time with the Lord, we end up with drips, leaks, and errors.  Understand, our knowledge of the Holy ought to be as practical as it is theological.  In other words… our hands, feet, and hearts should be busier than our brains.  If our “complete knowledge” simply fills our heads with facts and figures about the Bible, then we haven’t really spent time with the Lord.

 

In my pastoral ministry, I have met people who have become intoxicated with ‘studying the deeper truths of the Bible.’ Usually they have been given a book or introduced to some teacher’s teachings. Before long, they get so smart they become dumb! The ‘deeper truths’ they discover only detour them from practical Christian living. Instead of getting burning hearts of devotion to Christ, they get big heads and start creating problems in their homes and churches.  Warren Wiersbe

 

Knowledge for knowledge’s sake is dangerous. It leads to pride. But the knowledge we gain is supposed to take us somewhere.  This is why the Bible always equates knowledge with “walking“.  If we are unable to walk-out what we have been taught…. then what we have learned is useless.  This is why verse 10 says, “…so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please Him in all respects…”   Walk refers to a lifestyle.  Our Father is concerned about our whole life!  Can you say your whole lifestyle is worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him? “All respects” is everything.  Is it your goal to please the Lord in all matters? I talk to lots of people who are interested in pleasing the Lord in most things. But I talk to very few who make it their goal to please Him in all things.

 

 

A lot of believers struggle in defending the faith.  Yes, they can quote scriptures and debate the issues.  But, the struggle we are in today demands more than intellectual prowess.   In fact, if this is all we have to offer, we will ultimately lose the battle.  There is no better defense of the truth in all the world than a person whose hope in God is so strong that they gladly deny themselves in order to meet the needs of others.  Somewhere along the lines the truth should become so real to us we choose to lay down our lives for it.

Real truth always bears the same fruit….love.  Yes, sometimes it looks like kindness, generosity, and patience.  In the end…it is love.  The big question is, if someone came along picking fruit from your life right now, will they want to be like you ….will they want to know the Lord Jesus Christ …. will they want to know His will for their own life?

Yes, we do need to possess the right knowledge.  This knowledge needs to be complete.  It is complete when the Lord has done such a perfect work in you, you willingly lay down your life for it.  Your conduct, your conversation, and your character are the fruits of your life. This is what people are seeing and hearing.  You can say you are a believer with the loudest voice possible, but know this ….people will check the fruit.  You can say that you don’t believe in fruit inspectors, but understand, they are out there. The whole world is checking out the fruit of those who call themselves “believers.”  In many cases they have rejected it… and I don’t blame them.

Blessings,

Pastor

We Need a God With Skin On!

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

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(Jesus) “He is the image of the invisible God.” Colossians 1:15

 

Marketing executives tells us “image is everything.” Images convey meanings to us way beyond what words can describe. They are like pictures, which elicit emotional responses.

My wedding band represents the fact that a remarkable but unfortunate woman said “yes” to me! When Americans see the Statue of Liberty, something unexplainable takes place deep inside. In addition, when we see the American Flag flying over Ground Zero it ignites feelings of patriotism, sadness, and maybe even anger, over ten years after 9-11.

As powerful as these symbols are, they are simply representations of far deeper realities. My ring doesn’t make me married. Rather, it’s a symbol that I am married. The Statue of Liberty doesn’t in and of itself do anything. It stands for a nation that gives hope to the hopeless and honors freedom. Possessing an American flag doesn’t make anyone a citizen. But, when we wave it with pride, we do so knowing it stands for over 200 years of fighting for freedom at home and abroad.

Colossians reminds us Jesus is not just a symbol of God; He is God Himself. The word used here for “image” is “eikon”. Sound familiar? It refers to a “likeness, manifestation, or replica.” It is where we get our word “icon”. You are probably familiar with hundreds of icons on your computer and phone.

In the culture of New Testament, “image or eikon” was a die or stamp which enabled the creator to make exact reproductions of that particular object over and over again. Also, passports in Paul’s day had a section called “eikon” or “distinguishing marks”. Since passports couldn’t hold pictures, they had eikon sections which described something personal about the person which set him apart from everyone else.

This is why Paul used the word eikon in Colossians. Jesus is the visible eikon or image of the invisible God. He is the precise copy because He is God Himself. He both represents and manifests God to the world.

 

“No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” (John 1:18)

 

The phrase “made Him known” means that Jesus declares, or literally “exegetes” to the world what God the Father is really like. As the little boy said to his father during a lighting storm…”I need someone here with skin on.” Jesus is God with skin on.

The Father never intended for His children not to know Him. He sent His Son…the exact representation of Who He is to the world. If we are struggling with the actions and will of God, we need only to turn back to Jesus, in the purest, most basic sense.  In reality, this is what others are longing to see in us personally. I share a poem by Dick Alexander to remind us of what our lives should be like.

 
Dick Alexander, Raw

 
It’s a word I never liked
Raw carrots are too hard
Raw oysters too slimy
Raw humor is too dirty
Raw skin is too painful
In fact raw applied to anything human sounds painful
But we live in a world of raw human need
It’s all around us
Do you ever wonder how many people struggle with homosexuality in your church
How many alcoholics
How many families with incest
How many addicts, how victims of violence and abuse
Will they find help
With the raw human need touching us every day
The church can scarcely afford business as usual
In practice many traditional churches view their mission
As holding Sunday services
Satisfying the members and doing a little good here & there
Such churches are on the way out
Within a few years they will be dinosaurs
Not because their doctrine is bad but because they lost their mission
Only churches serious about rescuing the hurting will survive and make a difference…

Plan on being one of heaven’s eikons today, so that you can make a difference in the world around you.
Blessings,

Pastor

When We Make Ourselves of No Spiritual Reputation

21 Monday May 2012

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I’ve discovered no matter how much money people make in America, it’s never enough.  People will eventually spend it all trying to live up to their preconceived status. People want to impress people. We want people to be impressed with our accomplishments and our sacrifices. This is all a part of our sinful human nature– The Bible calls “the pride of life.” If you ever have the desire for others to see you and your acomplishments…understand, it is sin.

The problem is as believers, we know it is sin to seek praise from the world and other Christians. What we know and what we do about it are two different issues.  Unless you have purposefully crucified this area of your life, you desperately want other Christians to view you as a “Spiritual Somebody.”

I got some “Free To Be Nothing News” for you today. If God is not blowing a trumpet so that others notice you, then don’t consciously or unconsciously try to blow it yourself. In the church, the sin of pride and desire for spiritual recognition has reached epidemic proportions.

People often want others to know of their accomplishments in God’s Kingdom. Like the world, we want others to be aware of what we have given, what we’ve sacrificed, and how deeply holy we really are.   If you have another believer out there who actually believes you are a spiritual man or woman of God, and you know you are NOT walking the walk, you are not just a hypocrite, you are a prideful hypocrite.  Because what you really want accomplish is to give the appearance of holiness without actually possessing the integrity of it before God. If this is the case, you need to be setting the record straight.  It is not wrong for others to see a holy person in action. It must authentic holiness, not a sideshow. Jesus was free to be nothing and we should strive to live the same way.

 

“He made himself nothing (of no reputation).”  Philippians 2:7

Focus on the word “made” for just a moment. In other words, it was Jesus’ choice and He followed through with it to the cross. He didn’t empty Himself of His God likeness. We know when Jesus was on the earth, He was 100% man and 100% God.  The question is, of what did He empty Himself?  Jesus emptied Himself of His reputation.

Jesus, though he had the opportunity to impress others, knew it was not the way of the Father or the cross. We do not deserve the glory of men, but many try so hard to impress others. Jesus was worthy of all glory and praise. Yet, He voluntarily set everything aside for the glory of the cross. How much more, we who do not deserve any praise, should set aside every fleshly impulse to impress people. If we would just be honest with ourselves, most would have to admit we have had problems in this area.  No one ever confronts us about it, because it lurks deep within our heart. Yet, the fleshly impulses to impress others is probably the number one unchecked sin in the church today.

We LOVE TO HEAR PEOPLE SAY…

  • “He/She just loves the Lord.”  (There is nothing wrong with people saying it.  The problem is you like to hear people say it.  It enhances your reputation and further complicates your inward deception.)
  • “He is always so faithful.”
  • “He tithes more that anyone in the church.”
  • “What would we do without __________ being here every service?”
  • “She is so modest.”
  • “He’s a Prayer Warrior.”
  • “She is so thin and beautiful.“

Again, there is nothing wrong with people saying these things, unless we relish it and  secretly want it stated about us.

A young woman asked for an appointment with her pastor to talk with him regarding a besetting sin about which she was worried. When she saw him, she said, “Pastor, I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin to look around at the other women, and I realize that I am the prettiest one in the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can I do about this sin?”  The pastor replied, “Mary, that’s not a sin, why that’s just a mistake!”

Listen to what Jesus said about this very issue.

“Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do–blowing trumpets in the synagogues and the streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone, don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4

Did you catch what Jesus was communicating to us?  Half the battle is found in not performing before others.  The other half of the battle is not performing our good deeds before ourself.  I know it sounds crazy.  You may do a good thing, but in reality it becomes worthless, because it was done with the wrong motive and attitude. We’re so influenced by a results oriented society, sometimes we forget God isn’t as interested in our results as He is in our hearts.

  • Trying to maintain a spiritual reputation places the emphasis in the wrong areas of life.
  • Trying to maintain a spiritual reputation takes the focus OFF Christ and places it on us.
  • Trying to maintain spiritual reputations causes us to view and treat people differently.
  • Trying to maintain spiritual reputations causes others to feel inferior.
  • Holding on to our spiritual reputations causes believers to emulate us instead of Jesus Christ, who made Himself of no reputation.

There is only One Spiritual Giant.  His name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus said of the church of Sardis, in Revelation 3:1, “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive–but you are dead.”  One commentator said it like this, “the church at Sardis was like a well-adorned corpse at a funeral, but God was not fooled!  We may give the appearance of life for a while, but it is not truly healthy.” You may succeed in fooling men that you are spiritual, but God is not fooled.

If everybody is so busy doing the things that will impress people, it doesn’t leave anybody to do those things that are truly important. And the body cannot be maintained unless all of it’s functions are carried out.

How much better it is to do something that nobody ever knows about, but will make an eternal difference for the Kingdom of God? How much better it is to never obtain the recognition of men, but for it to be said of you like it was of Noah, “But Noah found favor with the Lord“? (Genesis 6:8) Let your focus today be to find favor with God.  Forget about your spiritual reputation on earth.  Get a reputation in heaven.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Free To Be Nothing!

17 Thursday May 2012

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Are you free today to be nothing?  Or are you holding on to some items in your life that make you feel like you are a spiritual something?  Are you free to be a nothing?  You can actually live in the anointing of the Spirit or choose to fake it. We pretend to be a spiritual something by maintaining the facade of a “spiritual reputation.”

If I took a poll right now across the internet and asked, “How many people today are selfish?”  Few people would affirmatively agree.  Why… we are all self-deceived to some degree.

Every person I’ve ever met thinks he/she has sacrificed more than most.  Because of our sacrifices throughout life, we don’t view ourselves as a selfish person. Everyone believes they personally have had to endure more hardships than most of the general population.

The truth is you are selfish and the more you deny this fact, the more selfish you become. Unless you allow the Lord to get to the root of this issue, the self continues to flourish behind the veil of self-deception.  In addition, believers have unwittingly dragged our selfish behaviors into God’s House.  We know Christians are not supposed to be selfish, so we do not call ourselves selfish.

There must be a point-in-time when self is crucified! Has there never been a time in your life (after salvation) when God pulled you aside for a few days, weeks, and months to reveal your selfish nature? If not, then your ugly self is alive and well.

The first time (first of many) God spoke to me about my selfish nature I was about nineteen.  It was only when the Lord took the scales off my eyes that I began to understand what a jerk I was. In the beginning, I thought God hated me because He kept bringing up my selfish ways. I have had to continually go through the process of God revealing my fleshly ways and then choosing to crucify my flesh.  The same has been true of other ugly sins.

I have been in a lot of churches over the years.  I have met 1000’s of Christians.  It only takes a few minutes of talking to people to discover whether they have allowed God to crucify their flesh. You hear it in their words. You see it in their actions.  You notice it in their reactions. A BELIEVER KNOWS WHEN ANOTHER BELIEVER HAS BEEN TO THE CROSS!  Uncrucified flesh stinks to the high heavens. Crucified flesh is dead and the owner is the Lord.

Have you forfeited your rights?

  • You do have the right to think of yourself first before anyone else.
  • You do have the right to provide for your family and accomplish certain things.
  • You do have the right to seek out pleasure and fulfillment.
  • You do have the right to order your life as you please.
  • You do have the right to speak, hear, and involve yourself as you please.

Can you do all those things, be crucified, AND still accomplish what God has planned for you?  When you finally realize YOU CAN”T, you have a responsibility to voluntarily give up your rights, as Jesus did, and embrace the plan of God. Christianity is not about self, but about others.

 

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Philippians 2:5-7

 

I picture Jesus in heaven “disrobing” Himself of all His glory, authority, rights, and privileges and saying to His father, “I’ll go.”  God in turn says, “Son, in order to accomplish all I have planned you to have to lay aside all privileges and rights.”   Jesus says, “Daddy, I love You and I love them more than I love Myself.  I will be a servant to the point of death.”

This is why the Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched at our pettiness, selfishness,  need for reputations, and need for glorification.  Anytime we actively seek or even entertain in our minds selfish acts, we grieve the Spirit of the Living God out of our midst.  I have given out more plaques, certificates, and pats on the back than you can imagine.  Not once did anyone ever say, “Don’t give me this honor.  I did it only for the glory of the Lord. My reward is in heaven.”  The more we honor people, the more starved they become for fleshly attention.

If you have stuck with me so far, you are a candidate to completely crucify your flesh. Let me give you the biblical definition of being “emptied of self.”

“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near.” II Timothy 4:6

 

Paul is referring to the Old Testament “drink-offering” here, which was an offering in which wine was poured out onto the ground as an offering to God.  This “poured out wine” may seem like a waste, especially to people like us, who are so careful not to waste. But it’s not a waste at all, because it’s an offering to God. Could there be a more noble use for the wine than to be poured out as an offering to God. Even if it was used to quench a thirst, clean a wound, kill bacteria, or any of the other use, it could not have been as glorious than when poured out to the Lord. You must believe this!

And so it is with our lives. There are so many things that we can accomplish with our lives. There are so many levels of “success” we can try to attain. It’s interesting to me that the Greek word for “poured out” used here is “spendo” which is the root of our English word “spent.”

  • What if we became a doctor and found a cure for cancer.
  • What if we became an engineer and solved some great problem.
  • What if we became a real estate broker and owned a hundred properties.

Could that life be as well spent as a life that was lived to glorify God? It may appear to the flesh that the person poured out to God never really accomplished anything. It may seem like a terrible waste.

The point is not that those things are wrong, but that the measure of a life well spent is not what great things you’ve accomplished or how much success you’ve had. What’s important is whether or not your life was spent for yourself or for God and his purposes. Did you pour yourself into your ambitions, or did you use the things like your career and your success to pour yourself into God’s Kingdom?

 

 

The truth is most people want both.  They want the flesh to thrive and they want to “satisfy” the Lord at the same time. We give our tithes and offerings to God, but we ultimately neglect to spend it on Him.  We think we are being thrifty, but in reality we are being stingy.  This is why people would rather “pad pews” than send missionaries. Our spending habits divulge our heart’s motive.

There was a knock at the back door of a certain parsonage.  The pastor answered the door.  A church member was there with a cake in her hand.  She said,  “Here is half a cake.  We have eaten all we wanted and we thought you and your family would want the rest.”   He graciously received the half-eaten cake.  He shouldn’t have, but he did. In other words, the lady was communicating, “We did not think you worthy enough to bake a whole cake and give it to you.  Our leftovers are good enough for you but not our best.”   Listen, we do the same thing to God.  We do not give God our sacrifices of praise.  No, we give God leftovers from our gluttony. When you only give to God because it is a “left over” or “used up”, you haven’t really given anything to Him.  You have only proven how truly selfish you are.  When we allow the Holy Spirit to crucify our flesh, God and the Kingdom come first.  God doesn’t want your leftovers.  He wants your first-overs.  Are you hearing me?

Ralph Neighbor, the guy wrote the Survival Kit and other materials was speaking in chapel where I went to college.  He shared the most significant spiritual event of his college life.  Like most teenagers, he spent his first years in college messing around with no purpose or direction. He goofed off, made friends, and majored in having a good time.  Even though he attended a Christian College, his knew his devotion to Christ was not as deep as it should have been.  He admitted so.  He spent the first 10-15 minutes confessing how he was the quintessential “good ole boy.”  As his class graduated, they had a party afterward to sign annuals and say good-bye.  One of his friends was a guy named Jim Elliott.  He was leaving for Ecuador with four other friends immediately following graduation.  They traded annuals and Ralph and Jim signed each other’s annual.  Just a few months later he received the news that all five of his college friends had died on the mission field.  What a waste, he first thought.  All of that time training only to die on the first few days in the field.   Immediately, Ralph Neighbor thought about his annual.  He never read what Jim wrote.  He opened it to learn Jim Elliot had written these words.   “Only one life, twill soon be passed.  Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Ralph Neighbor was shocked.  He decided right then to fully dedicate himself for God’s service.  It was a life changing moment.  He knew while he was selfishly living for himself in college, there were other young people giving their all for Christ. From the Lord’s perspective… We are all in or we are all out!  There are no compromises when it comes to the flesh.    By the way, this one event in the early 1950’s caused a mass flood of men and women into missionary work.  They saw how SELFLESSLY these young people had dedicated themselves to Christ and wanted to do the same.

The truth is some die to themselves early in life, some die late… just don’t be one of those believers who never allow the flesh to be crucified at all!  Don’t let the grave be the date when you finally crucify your flesh.  It simply doesn’t work this way.  Let the date you crawled upon the cross of Christ and died be today!

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Can God Trust You With His Presence?

16 Wednesday May 2012

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Can God really trust you with His presence? You are probably answering in the affirmative.  We should want it.  If He can trust you with His presence, then where is it?  You see, the Anointing is the presence of God.  It is not a vague reality that only certain “spiritual people” can discern about you.  No, the Anointing should be a matter of fact about us. God’s presence can become so THICK in your life that people can’t help but be affected by it.

It is all about the relationship we have with the Lord.  Our relationship with God’s Holy Spirit is of primary importance. You might get away “stiffing” God for a few weeks.  Some neglect to pray for weeks and months.  They put their whole relationship with God in neutral. Afterward they seek and receive forgiveness and are gladly welcomed back into the family of God.

But when you neglect and “stiff” your relationship with the Holy Spirit, He is not so easily found on the back side.  It is not that He will never come back. It is not that He will stop filling you.   But you have offended the Spirit of God.  The Holy Spirit takes your neglect personally. You are the one who sought a relationship with Him and now you have bailed out of the relationship.  The Bible exhorts us to not “grieve” or “quench.”

 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  Ephesians 4:30

 

Do you think the Holy Spirit is going to continue to leave Himself in a vulnerable position so that you can continue to walk in and out of a relationship with Him. It is a dangerous thing for a believer, church, or organization to grieve and quench the Holy Spirit .  In many cases, the Holy Spirit has left the building and we do not even know it.  This is why many have had to place their trust in “man-made” programs.  The Spirit departed long ago.

The Holy Spirit desires a continuous, harmonious, enduring relationship with each believer and each church. “Quench and Grieve” are words no one would want to use in talking about a relationship they might have. Think about the things we have done to other believers that have absolutely grieved the Holy Spirit. Think about the things we have done in churches that have absolutely grieved the Holy Spirit.

The primary question we need to ask before doing any activity or church business is not, “What will old Uncle Harry think?” No, we should be asking, “Will this course of action quench, grieve, or invite the Holy Spirit’s work in my life and the church?”

When I was a mere lad (8-9 yrs. old) I had an old battery in one of my toys go dead.   It was a “C” or “D” sized battery.  I desperately wanted my toy to work once more.  I knew that electricity ran through batteries.  I also was aware electricity flowed in the wall plugs.  I figured out a plan to get electricity from the wall socket into my battery.  My mother was a beautician and had bobby pins all over the house.  So I made a V out of the bobby pin and stuck the two ends into the socket while connected to my battery.

REJECTION —- I learned that day there were certain principles that needed to be applied to harness the power of electricity.  No matter how I might want to cheat, shortcut, believe, or somehow get around those fundamental laws governing electricity — THE LAWS WERE STILL IN OPERATION AND I MUST ABIDE BY THEM.  I eventually learned, if you fail to abide by these laws you can be shocked, caught on fire, or destroy an otherwise working appliance.  I was blown across the room and sparks flew all over the place.  Those sparks politely burned holes in my bed spread.  I FELT THE POWER!  The problem was I did not want this type of power.  I was trying to invent the battery charger before there were battery chargers.  If I had just been a little more persistent, I could have been a millionaire by inventing the first battery charger.

The truth is God wants us to experience and share His power.  You must believe this truth.   Jesus said, “You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you.“

He is not trying to keep us from power, God is trying to get us to use His power.  But there are Fundamental Spiritual Laws at work in the spiritual realm concerning the power and anointing of God.  It shouldn’t surprise any of us that the Lord only shares His power with those who can be trusted with it.  Can God really trust you with His presence and power?

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Three Doorways to Discernment

15 Tuesday May 2012

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There is an axiom I live by in my life.  God is not trying to keep information from me… He is trying desperately to get revelational knowledge to me.  I believe this with all my heart.  God is a good God and desires to share Himself with those that love Him.

Having said this, sometimes it is difficult to discern the will of God, especially when the matter is not black and white. You have probably discovered that some issues in life are not mentioned in the Bible as sins or activities to be avoided.  But as you discover afterward, you have actually grieved or quenched the Holy Spirit’s work in your life. Now the presence of God has faded from your life.  Ouch!

How are we to know if it is ok to participate in certain activities?  The anointing will help you.  This scripture from Romans paves the way and reveals three doors for discerning God’s best for us.

 

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.  Romans 14:17-18

 

First Door: Righteousness

Before pursuing a course of action ask yourself, “If I do this activity will I lose my righteousness?”  Your righteousness is your standing before God. In other words, if you choose to participate in this activity will it cause you to forfeit the righteousness you have in Christ Jesus?  Will doing this violate your conscience, cause guilty feelings, and bring conviction from the Holy Spirit?

I am sure you know by now that some activities are not necessarily sin for most people. But God has already personally talked to you about those same activities.  It may have been two or three years ago, but you already know that God does not want you personally involved.  When you choose to participate anyway, your righteousness (right standing) before God is gone. There is a great verse in James which addresses this issue.

 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17

 

(If you can make it through the first door without losing your righteousness, then move on to the next door.)

 

Second Door: Peace

Ask yourself honestly, “If I participate in this activity will I lose my peace?”

Your peace is the certainty that your relationship with your brothers and sisters is intact.  In other words, if you participate in a certain activity will it hurt your relationship with other people.  It might be ok with God, but others may have difficulty with you enjoying it.

I have been around certain Christians who thought playing cards was a sin.  So while I was around them, I did not play cards.  I personally felt it was alright to play cards. God had never convicted me about it. (Now I am not talking about gambling or strip poker, etc)   But if I continued to play cards in front of other fellow believers knowing they believe it to be sin, then I will sin as well and lose my peace.

Peace is very important when visiting other cultures.  While in I was in Israel visiting the Holy Sites, it was required for women to wear dresses and men to wear kappa’s (domes or skull caps).  I would have lost my peace and caused others to stumble if I had just burst through and visited the sites without regard to their customs.

Someone once said, “It may be permissible for you to do it, but it may not be beneficial.”   You can do it and be alright with God, but the saints will suffer.

(If you can make it through the first and second doors without losing your righteousness and peace, then move on to the next door.)

 

Third Door: Joy

The question to ask yourself here is, “If I do this activity will I lose my joy.”  Your joy is the relationship you have with you.  “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10

Here is how it goes…You may get an ok from God and other believers may not care if you participate in this certain activity, but as you pray about it you feel the joy of the Lord depart from you.  Why?  Because inwardly you know it will not build faith in your life.

The Bible says, “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”  Romans 14:23  In other words, the activity you are questioning is permissible.  You can do it before God and man; but the problem is it will ultimately NOT build your faith. You may not realize it at the moment… but the activity will probably deter your faith, at least briefly.

For instance, in the past I have wanted to watch certain movies.  It was ok with God and did not bother friends and family, so I went forward and viewed that movie.  When it was all said and done…my joy was gone.  Why?  Because I just wasted two hours of valuable time.  The whole activity did not build my faith.  On other occasions, the issue was not about the time wasted.  I discovered my joy was depleted and I just couldn’t put my finger on what exactly happened.  Each believer must determine the activities in life that are neither good nor bad… but are simply “joy thief’s.”  If you are a discerning Christian you will understand this issue.

Am I just being overbearing and picky about everything or is there some bigger picture here?  We all must understand that if we want to grow deep in the things of God there is one word we are going to have to get accustomed to knowing and experiencing.   The word is SENSITIVITY.   The goal is to grow more and more sensitive in the knowledge and ways of God.   Walking with the Holy Spirit is a very sensitive issue. Because He is sensitive, we are to be sensitive.

As we continue to grow in the Lord, all three doors can be summed up in one phrase, “am I sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life?”  The more mature we become the more important your righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit will become.  His flow and presence will become your primary importance.

When I was in college I hung a homemade sign over my desk.  It read: “Others may, but I can’t.”   That little phrase sums up all three of these points.  When it is all said and done, we are all at different stages.  In order for you to continue to grow in the things of God, YOU WILL HAVE TO LEAVE SOME FOLKS BEHIND.  They are not currently ready to be this sensitive to the ways and movements of God.  It is not that they are bad and you are good.  It is about you and the Lord, nothing more. I used to love to play “patty-cakes” with my kids when they were young. But I was ever so thankful when they moved on to bigger and better things. You and I cannot continue to play patty-cake with God. We must move on to deeper issues in the Kingdom.

 

 

Maturity in the Holy Spirit is when you stop living off of a “do’s and don’t” list.  A spiritual person learns to flow in the things of God.  God allows you to choose what is right and wrong.  The Lord wants you to learn to choose on your own the right, Godly, and wholesome choice.  He doesn’t want you to continue to reference a list.  Lists are for the immature.

Some of you today need to move from the “made to do” stage of spiritual growth to the “let it flow” stage.  If God or God’s word doesn’t clearly state “don’t do it”, you will ultimately do it.  Why?  You didn’t see it written somewhere. Believers usually state this phrase in the positive.  “Well, God didn’t tell me I couldn’t, so it must be ok.”  This is knuckle-headed faith.

When you talk to people, are you constantly telling others about the things you “cannot do”, instead of the flow of what God is doing in your life?  There is a big difference.  I am sure you love God, but in your mind and heart is God still a “made to” type of God to you?  Are you ready to grow past all this?

Understand… Intimacy with the Lord is something you must pursue. Read my lips…It will not happen unless you get hot-hearted.  God is not going to chase you down and force intimacy on you. This is why the Holy Spirit is grieved when we faint in our pursuit of the Lord.  If you truly love someone, you will go after and pursue that relationship.

When I started to date my wife I thought she was pretty good gal to be around.  In fact, it wasn’t long before she was just head over heals in love with me.   No, I was in love.  I constantly wanted to be around her.

Now what if……….

  • my parents had to make me go over to her house to visit;
  • my friends had to convince me to go out on dates with her;
  • I never offered to pay for dates, but made her pay;
  • (some of you ladies are saying you married that man;)
  • I never held her hand;
  • all I ever talked about was myself; and
  • I rarely told her how I felt.

Do you think she or anyone else would have I believed I was in love with her.  I doubt it.

Is there any doubt today that you love the Lord?  Intimacy is intimacy… whether it is physical or spiritual.  You cannot be intimate in a robotic way.  Intimacy is a flow.  God desires not only our obedience but our entire hearts as well.  Our pursuit of Him reveals how much we truly love Him.  The great thing about pursuing the Lord is that occasionally He lets us catch Him… This is glory!

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

If You Get the Chance, Wash Your Mother’s Hands on Mother’s Day

12 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in Illustrations/Cartoons/Etc., Our Spiritual Process

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One young man went in to apply for a managerial position at a large corporation.  He passed the first interview with ease and the department director was enlisted to make the last interview.

The director discovered from the resume that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way from his early educational experiences to his postgraduate research project.  He didn’t have a year without excellent marks.

The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?”  The young man answered “none“.   The director asked, “Was it your father who paid for your school?”  The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old.  It was my mother who paid for school.”   The director asked, “Where did your mother work?”  The youth answered, “My mother worked in a laundry.”

The director requested the youth to show his hands.  The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.   The director asked, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?”   The youth answered, “Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.”

The director said, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.”

The young man felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he sheepishly requested his mother let him wash her hands.  His mother felt strange, but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her boy.   The youth cleaned his mother’s hands slowly.  Tears fell as he performed the menial task.  For the first time he noticed his mother’s hands were wrinkled and covered in bruises. Some of the bruises were so tender his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the young son realized it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes to enable him to pay for school. The bruises on his mother’s hands revealed the price she had paid for his graduation, academic excellence, and now his future.  After he finished cleaning his mother’s hands, he promptly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.   That night mother and son talked for a long time about her work in the laundry.

The next morning, the now grateful son went back for the remaing interview.  The Director noticed the tears in the young man’s eyes. He asked, “Can you tell me what  you have done and learned yesterday at your mother’s house?”   The appreciative son answered, “I cleaned my mother’s hands and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes.”   The Director asked, “Please tell me your feelings.”   The man said, “I learned several important truths.”

  1. I know now what appreciation is. Without my mother, I would not have become the successful man you see today.  
  2. By washing my mother’s hands and washing her laundry, I discovered the hard life my mother had to endure to put me through school.  I now realize how difficult and tough it is to get some things done.  
  3. I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationships.  My mother loves me.”

The director said, “This is what I am looking for to be my manager.  I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.”

Mother’s Day is a great day to truly honor your mother.  Don’t just give her a card.  Look at her hands!  Love on her for the sacrifice she made to afford you the opportunity to be successful in life.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Keep Growing. Do Not Quit!

25 Sunday Mar 2012

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When you think about giving up, remember the Lord has not given up on you. It takes the Lord more time to develop some us.  Listen to the story below.

 

 

One day I decided to quit… I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.  I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God“, I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?” His answer surprised me…

“Look around“, He said.. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?” “Yes“, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.   But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.  And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.”

“In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.  I would not quit..”

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.   Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant… But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.   It had spent the five years growing roots.   Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He said to me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don’t compare yourself to others ..” He said.  “The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern … Yet, they both make the forest beautiful.”   Your time will come,” God said to me. ” You will rise high! ”

“How high should I rise?” I asked.   “How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return. “As high as it can? ” I questioned.   ” Yes. ” He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.”

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Conditional Love verses Unconditional Love

15 Thursday Mar 2012

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“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)

 

At some point-in-time in our walk with the Lord we must come to understand that God’s love for us is unconditional.  If God’s love had conditions, certain sins would “knock” us out of favor with Him.  Jesus’ blood wouldn’t be available for certain behavior and sins. This simply is not the case. You see, we are not accepted by God because of what we have done or what we are going to do.  We are accepted because of what Jesus has done and continues to do for us.  Therefore, we are accepted unconditionally.

A certain boss approached his employee and said, “I’m planning a salary increase for you.”  The excited employee replied, “and when does it become effective?” The boss said, “Just as soon as you do!”

God loves me. He has accepted me. The same is true for all believers. There is nothing we can do for God to make Him love us more. There’s also nothing we can do for God to cause Him to love us less. God doesn’t change us so that He can eventually love us; He loves us in order to change us. It is His love that changes us. Surrender to that love. Bask in it. Rest in your relationship in Christ.  In Christ we are secure. In Christ we are accepted.   In Christ we are significant. In Christ we are sufficient. In Christ we are secure. You can say it another way. In Christ we are righteous. In Christ we are rich. In Christ we are received.

 

 

We are blessed with every spiritual blessing, so learn to rely on these resources. We are accepted in the Beloved, so learn to rest in that relationship.

These are truths we cannot live without.  When we are armed with these truths, we are truly set free.  You can’t behave right unless you believe right. Proverbs 23:7 reminds us as a person “thinks within himself, so he is .” If we continue to believe what the devil says about us, we will fail. In fact, we will probably not even try. If we choose to live based on what others say about us, we may or may not be any better off. But if we live based upon who God says we are, then we can hold our heads high. We are somebody because Somebody lives in us. In Christ we have all we will ever need. And in Christ we are totally secure. Nothing can ever take that away from us, unless we allow it.

Watchman Nee tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I’m losing my salvation.” Nee said, “Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ’s heir because it is for you that He died.” We are Christ’s heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace.

How do you see yourself today?

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Obeying Commands Verses Obeying the Word

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

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 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:3-5)

 

Do you see the word “commandments” in verse 3?  Then in verse 5, John appears to repeat himself.  He talks about keeping God’s “word.”  Sometimes John talks about keeping the commandments of the Lord, and at other times he refers to keeping the word of the Lord.  We might walk away thinking these two phrases are interchangeable. But this is far from the whole truth.

Jesus separated these same words in John 14. Note the difference.

 

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

“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 abode with him.” (John 14:23)

 

Once again we might simply conclude Jesus is referring to the same issue because “commands“and “words” are similar.  The truth is there is a difference between wanting to fulfill the commandments of God and wanting to do the Word of God.

Remember obeying a command calls for repeated obedience.  For example, the Lord doesn’t want keep telling us over and over again to go to church for worship and fellowship.  He gives a command to attend church.  In order to fulfill this command we must repeat our obedience for the rest of our lives.  We do not have to ask the Lord each week if it is His will to attend church.

Now a “word” from God is more personal. Like a command, it too must be believed and obeyed as well.  Unlike a command, it may apply to other believers or it may not.  Jesus is referring to the “logos” word.  A word which is written or spoken. Commands apply to everyone, but words are only given to those who ask, seek, and knock.

 

 

Why do both Jesus and John make a distinction between commands and words?  I am glad you asked.  One pastor shared this illustration to note the difference.

Suppose a young man comes home from school and his father says to him, “Bob I want you to take out the garbage and wash the car.” These are the specific commandments of his father and the young man performs them. But suppose young Bob overhears his father tell someone else that he is not feeling well and wishes someone would mow the yard and rake the leaves. So Bob does that, not because he is commanded to, but because he loves his father and wants to do not only his commandments but also his word.

Some things you do because you are commanded and some things you do because you love.  This is should be the attitude of our hearts towards God. Because of our love for the Lord, we should want to keep His word with all our heart.  We read specific commandments in the Bible but also we learn some of the desires of the Lord concerning our lives and we will want to obey these in addition to the Lord’s commands.

The difference between obeying the commands of God and the words of God reveals our tenderness of heart.  I am sure you are obedient to many of the commands of the Lord.  But how is your personal obedience?  Is your heart ready to go above and beyond the call of duty to obey even the desires of God?

Blessings,

Pastor