WHO WILL DO IT?

01/29/12

       I guess there is just enough of the kid in me to enjoy a good fairy tale now and then, and one of my favorites is called The Little Red Hen.  It is the story of a little red hen who, in the course of scratching for food one day, managed to scratch up a grain of wheat.  Being the industrious and practical creature that she was, she immediately wanted to plant it and make it productive.  The little red hen had three friends, a dog, a cat, and a duck.  Knowing the old adage that “many hands make light work”, she asked if her friends would be willing to help her with the work.  Would any of them be willing to help her plant the seed?  They all said no, so she did the planting herself.  When the wheat had ripened, she again asked her friends to help her cut her wheat, but her friends again said no, so she cut the wheat herself.  She knew that she would need help with the threshing, milling, and grinding of the wheat also, but again, her friends were unwilling to help her, so, again, she did all the work herself.  Finally, she took the wheat, and baked up a beautiful, warm loaf of bread with it, and then she asked, “Who will help me eat this bread?  Since the work was all done, and all that was left was to reap the benefits of her labor, her friends were more than willing to help her.  Now, it was the little red hen’s turn to say, “No, I’ll eat it myself.”  And she did.

            This fairy tale, in some aspects, reminds me of some churches I have known.  A few people take care of most of the ministry work.  It has been said by some folks that in an average church, 20% of the people do 80% of the work.  That works out to one person working, and four people watching.  I don’t think that is what God had in mind when He put us into the churches we are in.

            The scriptures tell us that God has given every one of us gifts, or talents, to be used in His service.  The bible put it this way in I Corinthians 12:7, “Now to each one the [gift(s)] of the Spirit is given for the common good.”(Italics mine)  This chapter goes on to tell us that every gift is necessary, and should be used.  Even though some gifts may seem to be less desirable, or not as great as some others, each one has its place.  Whether we are the preacher, the janitor, the Sunday school teacher or the choir director, the church is much more effective when each one of us holds up his end of the work.

             Ephesians 4:16 says, “From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”(Italics mine)  Can you imagine how powerful the church would be, and how effective in getting out the gospel of Jesus Christ, if each one of us took these verses seriously?

             Don’t you think it is time that Christians, not one or two here and there, but every one of us, take the commandments of God seriously, and be the people God has called us to be?  We have a choice.  We can be the little red hen, the one who does the work, or we can be the dog, cat, and duck, who did nothing at all except want to reap the benefits without doing any work.  Which one are you?  Which one does God want you to be? 

On March 4, 1933, in his first inaugural address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt uttered the now famous words, "the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."  Sometimes, we are paralyzed by the emotion because we don't have all the facts.  There is a cute little store that illustrates this quite well.  It is called Pecans in the Cemetery.  It goes like this.

On the outskirts of a small town, there was a big, old pecan tree just inside the cemetery fence.  One day, two boys filled up a bucketful of nuts, and sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts.  "One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me." said one boy.  Several dropped and rolled down toward the fence.

Another boy came riding along the road on his bicycle.  As he passed, he thought he heard voices from inside the cemetery.  He slowed down to investigate.  Sure enough, he heard, "One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me..."  He just knew what it was.  He jumped back on his bike and rode off.  Just around the bend, he met an old man with a cane, hobbling along.  "Come here quick," said the boy.  "You won't believe what I heard!  Satan and the Lord are down at the cemetery dividing up the souls!"

The man said, "Beat it kid.  Can't you see it's hard for me to walk?"  When the boy insisted though, the man hobbled slowly to the cemetery.

Standing by the fence they heard, "One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me."  The old man whispered, "Boy, you've be telling me the truth.  Let's see if we can see the Lord..."  Shaking with fear, they peered through the fence, yet were still unable to see anything.  The old man and the boy gripped the wrought iron bars of the fence tighter and tighter as they tried to get a glimpse of the Lord.  At last, they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all.  Now, let's go get those nuts by the fence, and we will be done." 

They say the old man had the lead for a good half mile before the kid on the bike passed him!

That's a great story.  I'll bet that old man hadn't run that fast in a long time.  His fear of death and the devil provided all the energy he needed, even though there was really nothing to fear.  He was fearful because he didn't have the right information.

Lack of information or understanding is often the basis of our own fears too.  When confronted with an adverse situation in life, whether it be disease or some kind of injury or loss, our initial reaction may be one of fear, fear of something we don't understand, or fear of what the result of our situation may be.

The bible has given us the way to allay our fears.  It is a relationship with Jesus Christ.  The bible says in 1 John 4:18 that "...perfect love drives out fear."  When we realize how much Jesu loves us, and we love Him in return, there is no fear.  Fear gives way to peace.  In fact it is, as the bible says, a "peace ... that transcends all understanding."  (Philippians 4:7)

So, the next time something comes that causes you to fear, think about Jesus.  Understand how much He cares for you.  Trust Him, and let im turn your fear into peace.

1/1/11

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE

     Does the title of the Pastor's Podium this month look familiar to you? It should. Any woman who has ever been a bride will recognize it as a tradition handed down from one generation of brides to another. It is considered good luck for a bride to have something old, new, borrowed and blue with her as she goes through the wedding ceremony. If she has these things, it is supposed she will have a long and happy marriage.

     The tradition itself dates back about 200 years. It originated in England, probably during the Victorian Era. "Something old" symbolizes continuity with the bride's family and the past. "Something new" means optimism and hope for the bride's new life ahead. "Something borrowed" is usually an item from a happily married friend or family member whose good fortune in marriage is supposed to carry over to the new bride. It also reminds the bride that she can depend on her friends and family. The color blue has been associated with weddings as far back as the ancient Romans, where it was worn as a symbol of love, modesty and fidelity. It also symbolizes purity.

     As Christians, we don't believe in luck. We believe that God directs the lives of those He loves. In that light let's try to consider each of these things in a spiritual light as we look forward to a new year.

     When you think of "something old," look back on the year just past. How has this year been for you? Do you consider it a good year, or not? What have you learned? How much have you grown? We don't live in the past, certainly, but we can build upon it. What will you take from this past year to build on in the year to come?

     This next year will itself be "something new." We have never been this way before. We have no idea of what lies ahead in this next year for us. What will we do with it? How can we use this year to glorify God? What can we do to make sure that we will continue to grow more mature in Christ, and be more effective in the kingdom work? How can we help our church be more effective in evangelism and service? There is much to consider as we look forward to the year to come.

     "Something borrowed" may be a little more difficult to consider spiritually, but think of it as "borrowing" strength and help from your brother or sister. This is called edification. There are no "Lone Ranger" Christians. We need each other in order to make the body of Christ strong. We can't do it alone. What will you do this next year to build up the body of Christ through your fellowship with your brother or sister? Don't be a bystander. Be an active participant in the life of the body of Christ this next year.

     Remember that "something blue" symbolizes love, fidelity, purity, modesty. These are character traits that should mark the lives of every one of God's children. Are these traits present in your life? What can you do this coming year to become more like Christ in what you say and do? How can you be an example of Christ to those around you?

     We have much to consider. The Apostle Paul's commitment in Philippians 3:14 was to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." May that be our goal as well.

God bless you, and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

12/1/10

THE GIFTS OF CHRISTMAS 

 One of my favorite Christmas stories is a short story written by William Sydney Porter, otherwise known as O. Henry.  The story he wrote is called The Gift of the Magi.  The story centers around a young married couple, Jim and Della, who are long on love for each other, but are short on means to show it on this particular Christmas.

 As it was, each of them had something that was of special value to them.  For Jim, it was his solid gold pocket watch, which had been handed down from his grandfather to his father, and now to him.  He was particularly proud of his watch, and pulled it out often.  The only thing that troubled him was that he had no fob chain to attach it to his vest.  Della’s specially treasured possession was her beautiful head of hair.  It was straight and brown and flowed to her knees when let out fully.  It shimmered in the light, and she would let it down often and admire it.  She had often wished for a set of combs with which to adorn her beautiful hair, but alas, had no means to purchase them for herself.

 To make a short story shorter, Della decided to sell her beautiful hair so that she would be able to purchase a golden watch fob for her husband’s pocket watch, of which he was so proud.  While this was going on, Jim was out selling the watch of which he was so proud, in order to purchase the beautiful set of hair combs his wife had desired for so long.

 What wonderful acts of selflessness and love these were.  O. Henry says at the close of his story that “of all who give gifts, these two are the wisest.”  I think that I would agree with him. 

 There was another Christmas many years ago, and gifts were given then, too.  The story is found in Matthew chapter 2.  Magi, or Wise Men, from the East came to Jerusalem seeking one who had been born King of the Jews.  They came to worship and honor the One who had been born.  Eventually they found Him, along with His mother Mary, in a house in Bethlehem.  When the Magi found Him, the bible says that they bowed down, and worshipped Him with gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.

Much has been said and written about these gifts, but the important thing is that they were given in an attitude of worship.  The Wise Men recognized that they were in the presence of One greater than themselves, and they honored Him.

 When you celebrate Christmas this year, what will it be about for you?  Will it be about gifts, or family?  Or will you recognize that Christmas is about the eternal God of the universe entering into the world of mankind as a little baby named Jesus, and further, that the little baby grew up to become the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind in order that we might be able to have a relationship with the God who loves us.  This is the most selfless act of love that has ever taken place.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16).  As the apostle Paul put it in II Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Praise God, and Merry Christmas!

Pastor Chuck Poindexter

11/1/10

Pastor Chuck Poindexter        

         THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving season is here again.  A time when turkeys hide and footballs fly.  It’s a time when families gather and celebrate the season.  It is a wonderful time.  More than that, it should be a time when we remember what God has done, and celebrate Him.

The bible has much to say about thankfulness.  We, as God’s children, are to be a thankful people.  Throughout the Old and New Testaments many encouragements are given for God’s people to exhibit the attitude of thanksgiving.  Consider, for example, the scripture taken from Psalm 100:4, which says that we should “enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him, and praise His Name.”  As we come into the presence of God, we recognize His holiness and majesty.  He is not required to allow us into His presence, or even have a relationship with us, but He does, because He loves us.  In fact, God’s love is so far reaching that He chose us to be His even before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).  What great love!  We should be thankful for a love like that.

There is another reason to be thankful.  I Thessalonians 5:18 encourages us to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  That sounds OK when things are going well for us, but that isn’t always the case.  What then?  Are we to be thankful for not so good circumstances too?  The bible says we are, but how can we do that?  We can be thankful in all circumstances by knowing that God is not going to leave us when the going gets tough.  He will be there in an even greater way.  When we need Him, He is there.  His promise to us is that He will never leave us, or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  We sure have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we?  And we are not done yet.

We should be thankful for our God who supplies all our needs (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19).  We should be thankful for our God who gives to all men life, and breath, and everything else (Acts 17:25).  We should be thankful to our God for peace in the midst of turmoil, for joy in the midst of sorrow, for quality and abundance of life that far surpasses anything this world has to offer (John 10:10).
           
There is one more thing we need to be thankful for.  The bible tells us in Colossians 1:12 that we should be busy “giving thanks to the Father, who had qualified you to participate in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”  God has a place prepared for us once we exit this life, a place beyond earthly description.  The apostle Paul said that our earthly minds can’t begin to imagine what it will be like (I Corinthians 2:9).  Jesus, in the gospel of John, has said that He Himself will prepare a place for us, and further, has promised to come back and take us to it (John 14:1-3).  There is one more thing.  We don’t deserve this kind of love, but God loves us so much He gives it to us anyway.  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  That’s the way the bible puts it.  Though undeserving of it, we receive the outpouring of God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Should we not be thankful for such a wonderful love as this?

 Thanksgiving can be and should be a wonderful time of fun and celebration.  It can be even better when Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate.  Remember what He has done, and be thankful to Him this Thanksgiving.

9/1/10
Pastor Chuck Poindexter

LABOR DAY

     Labor Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the first Monday of September each year. It was established as a political measure to stem the unrest between government and labor during the Pullman Strike in New York City in 1894. Its original intent was to show the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations, but these days it has come to symbolize the end of summer vacation, the beginning of school, and the beginning of the college and professional football seasons. That's my kind of holiday. But, as children of God, we should look at the concept of "labor" a little more closely.

     The scriptures tell us that we are to "labor." One way we do that is to be industrious and projective people. Ephesians 4:28 tells us that we should do something useful with our own hands. We are to seek to meet our own needs and the needs of our family, and not depend on others to do it for us. In the current economic downturn it is sometimes difficult to do that. Unemployment is high, opportunity is low. The situation is difficult, but the promise of God is still kept. "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phillippians 4:19). When there is no place to turn, we turn to God. When we seek God first, and trust Him, He will supply what we need.

     As God supplies what we need, we then are able to "labor" on behalf of others by giving to meet the needs of others. Jesus admonishes us to give as it has been given to us. James, in his letter, asks what good it does if God has blessed us with the means to help and encourage others, and we don't do it. The very reason the Lord has blessed us with what we have materially is that we can be a blessing to others. We should labor to be that kind of person.

     Finally, we are to "labor" spiritually. Our greatest calling as Christians is to get the gospel out to lost people. We are called to "labor" in God's harvest field. Jesus' admonition to his disciples in John 4 was to "open our eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest." That admonition applies to us as well. The apostle Paul calls us Christ's ambassadors who bring the message of reconciliation to a lost world. God longs to be reconciled with those who have spurned His love, and we are His agents to accomplish that. That is our "labor" for Him.

     When you celebrate Labor Day this year, think also about our "labor" for our Lord. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:58: "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your "labor" in the Lord is not in vain."

LET FREEDOM RING!

     July 4, 1776 is the day celebrated as the birthday of the United Stated of America.  This year will be the 234^th birthday celebration for our nation.  There will be fireworks, barbecues, parades, and all sorts of other hoopla in honor of this day when we celebrate out independence and freedom. 

     America is the freest nation on the face of the earth.  We can travel from state to state without having to get permission or show paperwork.  We have the freedom to speak out against policies and people we disagree with, without the fear of reprisal.  We have the freedom to vote our leaders in and out of government as we see fit, and know that our votes will be counted accurately.  These, and many other freedoms, are freedoms many nations of our day do not have.  We have these freedoms because they were built into the founding documents of our nation by our founding fathers.  We should be thankful for their wisdom and insight.

   One thing we may want to take note of is that a belief in the God of the bible was the driving force behind the crafting of our founding documents.  Although there are no specific biblical references in our founding documents, the impact of the religious faith of the men who wrote them is everywhere present.  God is specifically mentioned three times in the U.S. Constitution.  God is alluded to as “Creator” and “Divine Providence” in the Declaration of Independence.  There is ample evidence in the writings of the founders of their reliance on God in their personal lives.  In my opinion, based on the evidence available, God is the author of the freedoms we enjoy in our nation.  Give Him praise, and LET FREEDOM RING!

     As great as the freedoms are that we enjoy as a nation, there is a far greater freedom that God is the author of, and that is the freedom from bondage to sin.  The bible says that, at one time, we have all been in bondage to sin.  As a result, we were lost, without God, and without hope of ever finding a way out of our bondage.  God saw our hopeless situation, and made a way out for us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  For those who have given their lives to Christ, there is freedom to live life the way God intended.  What a joyous thought that is, and what  wonderful freedom and life God has given us through Jesus Christ.  LET FREEDOM RING!

    As you celebrate our nation’s birthday this year, rejoice in the freedoms afforded you by being a citizen of The United States of America.  Don’t take these freedoms for granted.  Cherish them.  And don’t forget the spiritual freedom that God has given to you through His Son.  Cherish that even more, and celebrate the freedom and life God has given you through Jesus Christ.  LET FREEDOM RING!                

 WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THE RESURRECTION?

            This is the time of the year when almost everyone, especially those who are religious, begin to think about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the time when many will be found in church on Easter Sunday, when ordinarily they would be found elsewhere.  The exercise of religion is probably greatest at this time of the year than at any other. It is Easter, after all.

            Easter evokes this kind of response because of the kind of day it is. It is a day like no other. Something happened on this day that reverberates throughout the corridors of time. Jesus Christ, the prophet from Nazareth, rose from the dead. Such a thing as this has not happened before or since. It is on this occurrence that all of Christianity is based.  Christianity falls apart without the resurrection.  Even the apostle Paul admitted this in I Corinthians 15:17 when he said, “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.”

           There have always been those who claimed the resurrection was rigged. Perhaps He wasn’t fully dead and revived in the tomb.  When he revived, He rolled away the stone all by Himself, and escaped. His disciples kept Him hidden, and claimed He came back from the dead. Perhaps it was the disciples themselves who stole the body from a fully guarded tomb and buried it in an unknown location, and said He had risen from the dead. It is even possible that the disciples went to the wrong tomb, even though two days earlier the women had sat and watched as they had buried Him, and knew exactly which tomb He was buried in. Suffice it to say that people will go to great lengths, and tell fantastic stories, to cover up an uncomfortable truth.

           The truth is, Jesus Christ actually did rise from the dead. He is the only person to have ever done that in His own power. No other religious leader of any time can claim that distinction. Their bodies and/or graves can all be accounted for. They are dead. Jesus lives!  That is what Easter is all about.

            Since the resurrection is a verifiable fact, it forces certain responsibilities upon us.  First, we have the responsibility to believe it. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He proved that He is by His resurrection. It is through His resurrection that we have life. Because He lives, we will also live. Our faith is in a living savior. We must believe these things, or our faith is in vain.  Second, we have the responsibility to share this good news with others.  We live in a world greatly in need of some good news. There is so much in our world that is bad, and evil. The curse of sin is quickly casting a pall of darkness on our world. God longs to shine His light into this darkness. Sharing the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ will shine that light. It was so in the times of the apostles, and it will be so today. 

            People will be crowding into churches this Easter, but they will be crowding all around us every day.  Take the time to share with them the wonderful good news that we celebrate, not just on Easter, but all year round. 

            Jesus Lives!!    

Article from Lodi News Sentinel, contributed by  Christoper Larson, Escalon

The Scientific Challenge of Easter’s True Meaning

The chocolate eggs, plush bunnies and pastel flowers we associate with Easter sometimes divert our attention from what the event means.  Is the resurrection of Jesus a real event or is it a pointless story not worth celebrating?

                Christians see it as the public vindication of the claims of Jesus to be the Christ, or Messiah, who brings a new existence of joy and peace with God into reality.

                The Apostle Paul told a group of scholars what this meant, “God now commands all men everywhere to repent, … He has given assurances of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”  This truth points to two of the reasons people like to evade the meaning of Easter and focus on the eggs and bunnies.

                The first is the specific and historical emphasis – a physical body raised up from the grave is enough; it smacks of the dogmatic particularity of the Gospel’s claim that only here is God at work doing something specific that alone can save people.

                What we have here is a supernaturalism that directly contradicts our so-called scientific world view, as it did theirs.

                The second is in the fact of judgment; we are not offered a choice of religious perspectives, but told that God will do all the judging, and do so by His Man in His way.  In our pride, we think we can give a good account of ourselves and of reality.  That spiritual arrogance is overthrown when we learn, and see vindicated, the fact that God alone is competent to judge us.

                At Easter, Christians publicly affirm their trust in the validity of the things demonstrated by Jesus’ resurrection.  With the triumphant shout of “He is risen indeed,” we openly contradict the proud claims of humanity to understand the world and be at peace, or potentially so, in it.

                Easter is at the heart of Christian faith because here in one event the meaning and truth of all the events that Christians claim are spiritually important is vindicated.

                So enjoy the eggs and bunnies, but remember what it all means.

2/1/10

A HISTORY OF GRUMBLING

I try to make it a habit to read all the way through the Bible every year. I do this for a number of reasons. There is just so much in there that is interesting and exciting. There is also much that reminds us that people haven’t changed very much from that time to this. One of those places is the story of the children of Israel wandering in the desert after their departure from the Egyptian captivity.

As the story picks up in Exodus 16:1-3 we find that the Israelites have been out of Egypt for about 45 days. They have already begun to grumble about their situation. They grumbled about the lack of water. They grumbled about the food they ate. They were in such a state that they were even willing and wanting to go back to Egypt for the delicacies there rather than follow God to the Promised Land. My question at this point is, why?

Part of the reason may have been that they had forgotten what God had done for them. They had been in slavery for 400 years. God had preserved them and made them into a great nation of people during this time. Then He entered into battle on their behalf with the gods of Egypt, and won. Pharaoh had been forced to release his captives, and let them go. The people had forgotten this. They had adopted a "what have you done for me lately" mentality. We do that a lot, too. We sometimes (all too often) forget the ways God has worked in our lives to get us to where we are. God has kept us, cared for us, guided us and led us along the way He wanted us to go. He has loved us more than we deserve. I think it does us good to look back sometimes. Not desiring the things that are past, but remembering how God has been with us, and how He has blessed us. But it is a lot easier to grumble instead.

Another problem the Israelites had was that they focused on their perceived need rather than God's ability to provide. They focused on what they had left rather than on what lay ahead. God had promised them a land, a special land all their own. He had promised to lead them to it. He had promised to help them as they occupied it. All they had to do was follow and obey. Today, we fall into that trap, too. We read God's Word. We know the promises there are true. We know that God keeps His Word. And yet, we want to fall back on that which is familiar and secure and comfortable. A person, or a church, cannot grow without having a strong faith in God. Yet many of us are not willing to exercise that kind of faith in God. We would rather grumble about it instead.

Instead of grumbling about our current state of affairs, we need to remember that God has our best in mind, and He thinks in the long term. His work in us takes time, and sometimes takes us through rough territory, but He is faithful.

I'd like to leave you with two verses to remember. They come from Philippians 4. The first is 4:13 which says: "I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength." The other is 4:19 which says: "My God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Remembering these verses will keep us from grumbling and cause us to praise Him. That's what I'd rather do, anyway. How about you?

THE END, OR THE BEGINNING?

I don’t know about you, but I always look forward to the beginning of a new year.  For me, the new year affords opportunity for a new beginning, a fresh start.  There are things that have happened this year that I had rather put behind me, and there are things I want to do that the new year gives me a chance to accomplish. 

The apostle Paul said somewhat the same thing in Philippians 3:13-14 where he writes these words; “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  The apostle knew that it does us no good to dwell on the past, whether it was good or bad.  We need to look forward.

I understand what he meant.  I can look back on this last year and find many good things to praise God for.  There were trips taken and tasks accomplished.  Spending time with family and friends, celebrating special occasions together, are always good things, and we rejoice in them. 

There are also things that do not bring praise so easily.  I have suffered the loss of friends who have gone on to be with The Lord.  There have been other changes which have been unexpected, and sometimes not easy to bear.  These things happen, and sometimes we are glad, I think, when the old year is over and we can start again, and we hope that this next year is better than the last one.  

I want you to think about something.  Maybe it is better if we don’t think of our life as a series of endings and beginnings.  I don’t believe that life was intended to be a continuing process of running laps around the calendar year after year.  Paul had a goal in mind for his life.  In the verses listed above, he says he wants to win the prize for which God has called him heavenward in Christ Jesus.  To Paul, the Christian life was not a series of sprints.  It was a marathon, a long race run along a fixed course, with an ultimate goal in mind.  Paul’s goal was to be like Christ in all he did, and, one day, to be with Christ in heaven.  This goal set the course for Paul’s life.

What sets the course for your life?  What is it that drives you?  Are you running a marathon, or are you engaged in a series of stops and starts based on what the calendar says?  As I have watched marathons being run I have noticed that there are, sometimes, what I would call “refreshment stations” along the course.  The runner does not stop at these stations, but he receives water or Gatorade, or something to refresh him as he moves along the course.

As we approach the new year, let’s look at it as a spiritual “refreshment station”, an opportunity to look at where we are in the race, and renew our focus on the goal.  In any marathon, the one who wins is the one who keeps his eye on the finish line, and runs with that in mind.  It is no different in the Christian life. 

I pray that this next year will be a good one for you.  I pray that you will make it your goal to be more like Christ in all you do.  I pray that you will, as the apostle says, “press on toward the goal for which God has called [you] heavenward in Christ Jesus”.

 Happy New Year!           

11/1/09

REASONS FOR THANKSGIVING

There is an old hymn that we sometimes sing called Count Your Blessings.  In this hymn we are exhorted to take stock of the good things in life that God has blessed us with.  The song says that “when upon life’s billows [we] are tempest tossed”, or “when [we] are discouraged thinking all is lost” that when we take the time to count our blessings “it will surprise [us] what The Lord has done” for us.  The song is so true.

 Most of us are blessed with good health, a good home, a good family, and a good income.  We sometimes take these things for granted, but we need to keep in mind that we have these things because God has blessed us with them.  Count your blessings!  There are, however, even greater blessings than these that we should be thankful for.

First of all, I think we should be thankful for a God who is real.  So many in the world choose or are forced to follow a god that is made by man to suit his own needs.  These gods have no real power to help or deliver.  They are described in the bible in Psalm 115:4-8 and other places as gods which cannot speak, hear, or move.  We are also told that those who worship them become like them.  Don’t be like them.   I’m thankful that my God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)   He is real!  Count your blessings!

We should also be thankful for a God Who loves us.  He loves us so much that He made a way for us to be a part of His family.  We all know the bible verse that says that “God so loved the world (that’s us) that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever (that’s us, too) believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)  This verse means so much more when we realize that we didn’t and don’t deserve God’s love.  We are, all of us, sinners.  That means we don’t measure up to God’s standard of righteousness.  He had no reason to want to make us a part of His family at all, except that He loves us.  And He saved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).  I’m sure glad He didn’t wait for us to be good enough to save, because I would never have been that good, and you wouldn’t have either.  Our salvation cost God the life of His own Son.  No one will ever love you that much, or pay that high a price for you.  God really loves you a lot!  Count your blessings!

Finally, we should be thankful that God has made plans for us to spend all of eternity with Him.  We live down here on planet earth.  We are born, grow up, live life, and then we die, but that is not the end.  Because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, we will rise too.  He has gone to heaven to prepare a place for us, and He has promised to come back and get us and take us to be with Him in that place forever (John 14:2-3).  And what a place that will be!  No more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain, nothing of the negative, difficult things of this world.  Read about it in Revelation 21:4-5, and rejoice!  When this life is over, we will be ushered into the presence of the Living and True God where we will remain forever!  Jesus Christ has made it all possible.  Count your blessings!

When you sit down this Thanksgiving to carve the turkey and enjoy family and friends, take time to remember the things we have to be thankful for.  Remember God, and all He has done for you through His Son, Jesus.

Count your blessings, and Happy Thanksgiving!       
 

THE SELFISH CHRISTIAN

             I had an encounter the other day I would like to tell you about.  It was an encounter that made me think about who we are, as followers of Christ, and why He has placed us here on this planet.

            As my wife and I were shopping, we went down a particular aisle looking for an item. There were other people in the aisle, and one of them was a man who walked up to us, and asked us if we knew what the Christian symbol of a fish meant.  We told him we did, and he proceeded to tell us that he was part of an organization that was working to get our Christian “rights” back.  He felt, as many do, that the rights of Christians are being slowly eroded by government action and edict in this nation, and he felt that we needed to get them back.  Okay so far, for the most part, but then he made a statement that troubled me, and the more I think about it, the more it troubles me.  He said that those who opposed his agenda could go to the devil if they wanted, but he wanted his rights back.  Those were not his exact words, but that is the way I understood them.

     Statements like that concern me for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, an attitude like that shows a lack of concern for the lost.  God has placed us here on earth, and called us to Himself, in order that we might take the good news concerning Christ to those that don’t know Him.  It doesn’t matter whether we like them or not.  It doesn’t matter who they are, or what they do.  We are here for them.  The apostle Paul, in II Corinthians 5:20, says that we are ambassadors for Christ.  To me that means we are His representatives.  Paul tells us we are to be reconcilers, not dividers.  God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).  Whosoever means whoever wants to have life can do it through Jesus Christ.  I think that means we are to care about the destiny of lost people, and not our own “rights”.

     Another reason I am concerned about the statement the gentleman made is that it was arrogant.  In saying what he said, he placed himself, as a Christian, on a higher level than those who do not believe in Jesus.  This is certainly not how God sees us.  Romans 3:10 makes it very clear that everyone has sinned and is in need of salvation.  Just because God has made us clean through the blood of Christ doesn’t make us better than those who have not accepted Him.  It is only by the grace of God that anyone is redeemed.  “…He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy (grace).” (Titus 3:5)  Because we are saved we have the greater responsibility to get the good news out to those who are not yet saved. 

     I would like to think that the gentleman we encountered is one of a kind, and that he will soon get his priorities back in order.  That is his responsibility.  Mine is to be sure that my heart doesn’t grow calloused, but remains tender toward the lost.  Concern about those Christ died for, and sharing the good news often and everywhere, is my responsibility, and my assignment as Christ’s ambassador.  I pray I will carry out my assignment well, for His glory.  

The Week That Changed Everything ~

"I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”   Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

As we continue to look at the passion week of Christ, we have come to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was a favorite place of the King, as He resorted often to this place to pray and meditate. 

Tonight was a little different, as He arrived with His disciples. Tonight, He would struggle. He would fight the battle of the will. He was determined to do God’s will, as He had already confessed in John 12:27-28. The King was determined to God’s will in spite of the obstacles. 

As He arrived in the garden, He acknowledged to His disciples that His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death, and why not? He was about to die for the sins of the entire world for all of time. He would suffer separation from The Father, something He had never felt before. He struggled with the thought of these things. 

He struggled to the point that Luke records that His sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood. That is severe anguish of mind and soul. Luke also records that angels were sent to minister to Him during this time. Not only that, those who were close to Him, those He counted on, couldn’t even stay awake and support Him. And finally, the one who would betray Him was one who had traveled with Him for three years. 

In spite of these things, the King was determined. The King was determined to do God’s will in spite of the outcome. He knew that He would soon be convicted unjustly, treated cruelly, and finally killed on a cross. He knew that He would suffer these things even though He had done nothing wrong. In all of this, the King was determined to do God’s will, to accomplish God’s purpose, because the souls of men were at stake. Your soul, and mine, hung in the balance. 

The King was determined that our souls would not be lost. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. It started in the garden, and it ended at the cross. He did it all, for you and me. The King determined to die for you. Have you determined to live for Him?

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.” John 14:1 (NIV)

Jesus The King knows He will soon accomplish the purpose God established for Him on earth, and He would be returning to God. He will leave 11 men behind to continue what He has begun. He tells two of His disciples to prepare for the dinner in an upper room which He points out to them.

This is a special meal. It is the Passover meal, eaten on the day the Passover lambs were sacrificed. (Please note here that Jesus is God’s Passover Lamb who will soon be sacrificed for the sins of all men.) Jesus takes the opportunity during this meal to establish the observance of the Lord’s Supper, one of the holy sacraments of the church.

Jesus also points out the one who would betray Him. As it is recorded in John chapters 13-17, Jesus used this time with his disciples to build some very important things into their lives. In John 13, he sets the example of service for them. Imagine a king washing the feet of his servants, but that is exactly what Jesus did, and then instructed them to do the same to others.

In John 14, Jesus gives his disciples a legacy of peace. People all over the world are searching for peace and can’t find it, but in Christ there is a peace that passes understanding.

John 15 tells about the strength Christ provides. In order to bear fruit for the kingdom each of us must be connected to the source of strength, which is Jesus Christ.

In John 16 the King tells us that even though he is going away, we will not be alone in this world because He is sending His Holy Spirit to be with us. He, the Spirit, will show us the truth of Christ, and how to walk in it.

Finally, in chapter 17, the King prays. He prays that He will be glorified as He completes the work God has given Him to do. He prays for His disciples, for their protection as they share the message of Christ, and for their sanctification as they serve Christ. He prays also for those of us who will know Him. He prays for our unity, because in our unity, the King is glorified.

Jesus The King has expressed the desire to “sup” with us, if we just open the door and let Him in (Revelation 3:20). Have you opened the door of your life to Him?

The Anointing of The King - Tuesday

“Then the Lord said, ‘Rise, and anoint him; he is the one.” I Samuel 16:12 (NIV)

Jesus, as King, has entered the city. He then left and went to Bethany, a city He is very familiar with. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha live here. He has been in their home many times. In fact, it hasn’t been that long ago that Lazarus had gotten sick and died, and Jesus performed probably the most notable of all His miracles by raising Lazarus from the dead.

It is now Tuesday of Passion Week, and we find The King having dinner in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper, who may have been healed by Jesus during one of His other visits there.

During the meal, The King is approached by a woman who has a bottle of expensive perfume. She breaks the bottle, and pours the perfume on Jesus’ head. She recognized Who He was, and where He was headed, and wanted to honor Him, so she anointed The King.

There are always those who will find fault, even when there is none to find, and this occasion was no different. These people replace the best with the good. They found fault with the woman. Why had she wasted the perfume in such a manner? Why wasn’t it sold for money and used for the poor? They totally missed the point of what she had done, but Jesus hadn’t.

He told those gathered there to leave her alone. She had anointed Him for His burial. She had recognized Him, and His purpose. Because of that, The King lifted her to a position of respect and honor. He proclaimed that her deed of service to Him would never be forgotten. He honored her, because she had honored Him.

Have you honored The King in your life? Have you installed Him on the throne of your life as Lord, and Savior? Now might be a good time for you to recognize The King, and honor Him.

The Week That Changed Everything! -

“…Shout, daughters of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you…” Zechariah 9:9 (NIV)

It is the week of The Passover. Everyone in Israel who is able has descended on Jerusalem for this, the greatest of all the feasts of the year.

There is much excitement in the air, and the anticipation of the presence of the rabbi from Nazareth only adds to the excitement. There are many who follow Him. Many are calling Him The Messiah, God’s Anointed One. They are calling Him the King of Israel.

The record of the entrance of Christ The King into Jerusalem is recorded in all four of the gospels. It is written in Zechariah 9:9 that The King will come riding on a donkey’s colt. Jesus, as He approaches the village of Bethphage tells His disciples to go there and they will find such an animal tied and ready for His use. The disciples find it, and bring it to Jesus.

They put their robes on it, and Jesus sits on the donkey. As He rides toward Jerusalem, the crowds follow Him, rejoicing, and throw their clothes on the road ahead of Him. Some grab palm branches and begin to shout Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in The Name of The Lord! They are proclaiming His Kingship. They are proclaiming Him as The Messiah.

There are those in the crowd who are not pleased with this display of rejoicing. The Pharisees have rejected Jesus all along, and they reject Him today too. “Teacher, rebuke your disciples,” they say. Jesus tells them that because He, The King, is present there, that if the people would keep silent the stones would cry out in rejoicing over Him.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He lamented over the city because, He said, they had not recognized Him as their King, and because of their ignorance they would be destroyed. Jesus is still King today, and He will return one day in another, greater, triumphal procession. Will you rejoice in His return, or have you rejected Him as your King? Are you loyal to Him? Is He your Lord, and King?

Of all the choices we make in life, there is one that is far more important than any other. That choice is whether we will make Jesus Christ the Lord of our lives -- or not. 

There are many voices out there that will tell us that this is not such an important choice. They tell us that Jesus is but one of many ways to get to God. They are the mocking voices of the world, and as we see in our scripture (Luke 23:35-43) for today, these voices were present at the cross too. 

They challenged Jesus’ deity, they mocked Him, and in general disregarded what He had said and done. The religious rulers, the soldiers and even the government were involved in this mockery. It seems that things haven’t changed so much over 2,000 years, have they? Even those hanging on the cross with Him were a part of it. 

Initially, both of the thieves spoke against Jesus, but then as one of the thieves listened to the rhetoric at the cross, he became convicted of his sin. His heart was changed, and he began to seek Christ. He confessed his own sinfulness, and asked to be a part of Christ’s coming kingdom. Jesus told him that that very day they would both be together in paradise. 

Jesus says, in John 6:37, that “whoever comes to Me I will never drive away.” How is your relationship with Jesus? Have you confessed Him as Lord and Savior? That is the right confession to make.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Proverbs 14:12; 16:25 (NIV)

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus tells a very short story about two gates.

One of the gates is wide, and the road that goes through it is broad, and leads to destruction. Jesus says that many travel that road. However, the travelers don’t realize that there are major consequences to be paid at the end of their journey.

King David went through this gate. In II Samuel 11 we read about David’s trip down the broad road. It all started with him being where he should not have been, and God confronting him about his sin through Nathan the prophet. It ended with his family being thrown into turmoil, and his most loved son usurping his throne and then dying in the battle to regain it. David suffered major consequences for making a wrong choice, and going through the wide gate.

Ananias and Sapphira chose the wide gate, too. In Acts 5 we read their story. They had an opportunity to honor God, but instead they lied to God. They suffered death because of their choice to travel the broad road.

The other gate Jesus tells about is a small gate, and the road that goes through it is narrow, but it is the road to life. He says that there are only a few who go that way. Travelers on this road experience great blessings from The Lord.

Noah was one of those. He was one man against the world, but God was with him because Noah walked in obedience to God. When all life on earth in his day was destroyed, Noah was saved.

Matthew the tax collector could have chosen the wide gate of riches and prestige, but he chose the small gate of following Christ, and His eternal riches.

Which gate will you choose? Jesus said about Himself, “I am the gate,” in John 10:7. That’s the gate I want to go through.

Do you believe in God?

Not that many years ago, that would have been a no-brainer. These days you will likely be asked: "Which one?" Our present culture is filled with many objects of worship that take the place of the One True God. As I Corinthians 8:4 says, there are many “gods” and many “lords.”

So that leads to the question, which god do you choose? We can choose to follow the gods of our family. We make choices about many things based on what our family has done in the past. If they were democrats we will be, too. If they worshipped in a certain way or in a certain place, we may choose to do that, too.

Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, was raised in an idolatrous culture and could have chosen to follow that culture, but when God called him out of it he chose to follow God rather than the gods of his family.

Another option is to choose to follow the gods of our society. There are many objects of worship our society puts in the place of God. Power, status, riches, just to name a few. Society makes these things look awfully attractive and looks down on those who do not choose to pursue them. We can choose to follow the crowd, or we can choose to follow the road less traveled, the road that leads to God.

We might even choose to follow the gods of our circumstances. Sometimes it is hard to go against the crowd. If we find ourselves in a tight spot we may try to accommodate the crowd, or be tolerant, instead of choosing to stand for the truth and stand up for God.

The thing is, these types of gods cannot defend or provide for those who worship them. They don’t compare with the God of the bible. In Joshua 24:1-14 we find God described as Sovereign, All-powerful, and able to provide for His people. He had a plan for His chosen people, and He accomplished it. He needed no help, and He needed no permission. He just did it.

God has chosen us, and He has made the ultimate sacrifice, death on a cross, for our sins, so that we would have the opportunity to choose Him. I don’t know about you, but I agree with Joshua. I choose the true and living God. Joshua 24:15 gives us Joshua’s choice “…as for me and my household, we will serve The Lord.” I pray you will make that same choice.

“Blessed is the man… [whose] delight is in the law of The Lord…” Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV)

Life is filled with choices for all of us. We choose what we will eat for dinner, and where we will eat it. We choose which type of car we will drive, and where we will drive it. We choose where we will live. We choose which church we will attend. We make choices every day of our lives. It is just the way life is, filled with choices.

The matter of making choices rolls over into our spiritual lives too, but the ramifications of our spiritual choices are much more far reaching than those of the day to day choices of life.

One of the spiritual choices we must make is whether to obey God’s commandments, or not. In Deuteronomy 28 we find the nation of Israel ready to enter the Promised Land. Moses is about to give way to Joshua as leader of this nation, so he impresses upon the nation the extreme importance of obedience, and the consequences of disobedience. He spends a short portion (14 verses) on the blessings the nation will receive for obedience, and a lengthy portion (54 verses) on the consequences they will endure if they choose to disobey. He hinges it all on the first verse of chapter 28, which says: “IF you fully obey The Lord your God and carefully follow ALL His commands…” It starts and ends right there.

The choice is ours. God has done so much to bring us to the place of understanding Who He is, and what He has done for us. Now, will we obey Him, or not? The blessings for obedience are many: fruitfulness in service, abundant living, victory in our spiritual battles. There are many more.

Disobedience of God’s word carries penalties too: barrenness, fear, sickness, failure, just to name a few. Given this evidence, I think the right choice would be to obey God’s commandments as He has given them to us in the bible, don’t you? The choice is yours.

How Can I Express My Worship to God? Part II

“…see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” II Corinthians 8:7 (NIV)

We began last week to look at worship, and some of the areas where we can express our worship to God. We saw how expressing worship for God through love for His word, communication with Him in prayer, and sharing Him with others through witness, honors Him.

There is another area of life in which we can express worship for God, and that is through our giving. The bible talks more about finances than it does any other subject, by far. Finances are always a sticky issue with people. We don’t want someone telling us what to do with what is ours. We need to understand, though, that all we have comes through the blessing of God.

We are simply stewards of the funds that God has given us. God has invested these things with us, and one day He will expect a return on His investment (read Matthew 25:14-30).

There are four laws that govern the effectiveness of our stewardship of God’s resources.

The first is THE LAW OF INVESTMENT. We reap only IF we sow. This law speaks for itself. Nothing planted, nothing harvested. If we do not give, we do not receive, and God gets no return on His investment in us.

The second harvest law is THE LAW OF IDENTITY. It says that we reap only WHAT we sow. Galatians 6:7 tells us that we will reap what we sow. II Corinthians 9:6 carries it a step further and says that if we sow sparingly we reap sparingly, and if we sow generously we will reap generously. Your love for God is reflected in what you give.

The third harvest law is THE LAW OF INCREASE. We reap MORE than we sow. Luke 6:38 says to give, and it shall be given back to you in good measure. In Malachi 3:10 we are challenged by God to test Him by bringing our tithe into the storehouse, and He says He will in turn bless us so much that there will not be room for us to receive it.

When that blessing comes brings us to the fourth law of the harvest, THE LAW OF INTERVAL. This law tells us that we reap LATER than we sow, which simply means the return on our investment may not be immediate. Galatians 6:9 says for us to continue to do good because at the proper time we will reap, IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP. Catching the vision means to see the goal and work toward it. Eventually, the goal will be reached, and the blessings will be great.

Giving to The Lord may seem difficult, especially in these rough economic times, but the challenge of God is to try it. Make the effort. Give cheerfully and generously. If you are up to the challenge, I believe God is, too.

How Can I Express My Worship to God? Part I

“…worship The Lord in the splendor of His holiness.” Psalm 29:2

Worship is the most vital part of our Christian stewardship. Our understanding of who God is shapes the way we respond to Him and act toward Him. Worship by its very definition means to ascribe “worth” to God. If God is worthy of our worship, and He is, how can we express our worship to Him?

There are four areas of our Christian lives I want to look at with regard to this. We will look at three of them in this writing.

First, we should WORSHIP THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD. We are encouraged in II Timothy 2:15 to make every effort to be able to correctly handle the word of God. If we consider God worthy of our worship then His words will be important to us. If His word is important to us, this is how we will handle it. We will READ it regularly, STUDY it diligently, MEMORIZE it consistently, MEDITATE on it daily, and OBEY it always. I trust you are doing these things. Treasuring God’s word shows our worship of Him.

Second, we will WORSHIP THROUGH PRAYER. We should be in an attitude of prayer at all times. I Thessalonians 5:17 encourages us to pray continually. God wants us to talk to Him. He wants to talk to us. Prayer is simply communication with God. Communication produces Relationship, Relationship produces Understanding, Understanding produces Intimacy, and Intimacy produces Worship. Do you have a consistent and meaningful prayer life? The better we get to know God, the more we will talk to Him, and worship Him.

Third, we should WORSHIP THROUGH WITNESS. The great commission of Matthew 28:19-20 tells us to Go, Reach, Baptize, and Teach the world about our Savior, Jesus Christ. If we love Him, we will want to share Him with others. Our witness will be carried out in three ways. We will use words to tell others. We have a message of love to share. Others need to hear it. We must tell them. We also witness by our acts of love. Jesus said that as we have shown love to others we have shown it to Him. Our acts of love are an act of worship. Our lifestyle is also a witness of Christ. What we say, what we do, where we go, how we spend our time, speaks volumes about our relationship with Christ.

How is your witness these days? We should seek to exalt Christ is all we do as an act of worship. Remember, worship of God is not just about sitting in church and singing songs. It is a total lifestyle that reflects Christ in a positive way to those around us. Worship God!

How Can I Best Serve God In My Church?

“…God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be.” I Corinthians 12:18 (NIV)

God has done an amazing thing. He has taken people from all walks of life, from differing cultures and ethnicities, from different social and economic backgrounds, and put them all together into something He has called “the church”. We are indeed a peculiar people. Only God could have done something like this, and made it work.

Those of us who are Christ’s are a part of the church, with particular gifts and responsibilities. In order for the church we attend to function effectively, we must do certain things.

First, we must SERVE OTHERS inside and outside the church. Ours is a servant ministry. We follow the example of our Lord who came “not to be served, but to serve”. A “me first” mentality has no place in the church. Others will judge Christ by what they see of Him in us.

Second, we should SEEK UNITY with other members of the church. There are certain things that are important in the church (see I Timothy 3:16) and we should have unity in those things. The problem comes in when we add the words “to me” to what is important. Disunity is rampant in a selfish minded church. We are a part of the church for each other, not for ourselves.

Thirdly, we need to STRIVE FOR MATURITY as an example to the church. God’s church will not grow if we settle for less than His best for us. If no one leads, no one grows. We should continually seek a deeper level of relationship with Jesus. As we set the example, others follow, and the church will show the power of Christ more and more.

The fourth thing we should do is to SOW LOVE toward other members of the church. This may be the most important point of this writing. People will respond to the way you act toward them. If you are angry or hurtful toward others, you will receive the same from them. If you sow love in your relationships, that is what you will harvest. God’s church should be filled with teddy bears, not porcupines. God is manifest, and glorified, when we love one another.

Finally, we should SUPPORT WHOLEHEARTEDLY the work of the church of which we are a part. God has placed us in our particular church for a reason. Our particular gifts and talents are needed in our church to effect the growth and outreach of the gospel message. Being a part of the body of Christ, the church, means more than simply being present at the gatherings. It means that we give ourselves-time, talent, treasure-to support and empower the church to be effective in showing the love of Christ to the world around us. You are a part of God’s plan for your church. Do your best for Him.

How Can I Grow In My Relationship With God?

“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:12 (KJV)

The focus for many people at this time of the year is on change. We look back on the year that has been and look at changes we can initiate to make this next year a better one than the last. It is my hope that your focus will be on your relationship with Jesus Christ, and how you can make that better.

The apostle Paul, in Philippians 3, gives us five steps that, if followed, will help us to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with our Savior.

The first step is to GET RID OF THE EXCESS BAGGAGE of life. Rather than sit and moan about what might have been, or what should have been, we need to let those things go. It does absolutely no good to dwell on those things. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “lay aside every weight” that will hinder us and look to Jesus.

That is the second step, FOCUS ON FINDING CHRIST. We often try to fill our lives with other things that we think will satisfy, but the only thing that will satisfy is Jesus Christ. Matthew 6:33 says for us to “seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness”. When we do that, everything else falls into place. We will have what we need if we put Him first. Then, BE FOUND IN CHRIST. Paul says that we need to relate to Christ by faith. Our own good works are not sufficient. God does not accept them. We will be found in Christ when we submit our will to Him, and accept Him as Savior and Lord by faith.
But then that leads us to the next step, which is to KNOW CHRIST INTIMATELY. This implies more that just attendance on Sunday morning and/or Wednesday night, which is good for a start. An intimate relationship with Christ means we put Him first in our lives, we seek to know Him as well as we possibly can, and we strive to honor Him is all we do.

And we continue to do this throughout our life, which brings us to the fifth and final step to spiritual growth, CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. The apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:13 that he had not yet attained the level of maturity that Christ wanted for him, but he continued to strive for it. He uses the expression “I press on” to indicate that he continued to seek an ever closer walk with Christ in his life, and so should we. None of us has gotten so close to God that we can’t get a little closer yet. Our spiritual maturity depends on our willingness to continue to seek God, and move forward in our relationship with Him. I pray that you are doing just that.

Unshakable Faith Luke 1:5-20, 57-64

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1 (KJV)

It’s the Christmas season once again. We will hear again the wonderful story of how God entered this world as a little baby, and all that means to us. Sometimes I wonder if we hear the story so often that we just gloss over it without really hearing what God has to say to us in it. I hope not, because there are many valuable lessons we can learn from the Christmas story.

In fact, the passage of scripture we are examining today gives us a very valuable lesson from the lives of Zechariah and Elizabeth. They show us the importance of an unshakable faith in our relationship with God.

UNSHAKABLE FAITH IS NOT BUILT ON MERE WORDS AND PROMISES. Unshakable faith begins with a steadfast belief in the existence of God (Hebrews 11:6). If God does not exist, nothing else matters. There is no point to a life of faith if the object of our faith is not real. But God is real, and Zechariah and Elizabeth knew that.

UNSHAKABLE FAITH PUTS FORTH POSITIVE RESPONSES. Because they believed in God, Zechariah and Elizabeth lived their lives in a righteous manner. They were blameless in their obedience to God’s commands, and they trusted God in prayer.

They also demonstrate to us that UNSHAKABLE FAITH PERSEVERES IN THE FACE OF IMPOSSIBLE OBSTACLES. God made a promise to Zechariah and Elizabeth that they would be parents, even though they had not been able to ever have children, and were past the point of life when such a thing would be possible.

They kept their faith and trusted God though, and found that UNSHAKABLE FAITH RECEIVES THE PROMISED REWARD. At the appointed time, Elizabeth gave birth to the son that had been promised. Even though at first Zechariah had doubted that this would ever take place, he now acted in obedience to the command of God to name his son John. This child grew to be the forerunner of God’s own Son, Jesus, who would be born about six months later.

These things happened just as God had said they would. Unshakable faith believes in the promise of God even when it seems impossible. How is your faith in God? Is it UNSHAKABLE?

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise;give thanks to Him and praise His Name.” Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

As we finish our series on the theme of Thanksgiving, we will be looking at the last of the “Hallelujah” psalms, Psalms 149 and 150. In the past three weeks, we have looked at many things which should cause us to give thanks to God. We have not exhausted the list by any means. We are blessed, indeed!

In the psalms we will look at this week, we find two overriding themes, victory, and joy.

Psalm 149 points us toward the theme of victory, that there will be a time when God’s people are victorious over their enemies. As we consider this, there are three areas of victory we should look at.

First, we should be thankful for God’s help in past victories. When we look back on our life, we can see where God has helped us through difficult times. Whatever the situation, God was there to help us, and get us through them.

Secondly, we should be thankful for God’s hand in present victories. The enemy of our souls continues to battle us every step of the way, but God’s hand is on us, and He will guide us to victory in the day to day battles we wage as His children.

Finally, we should be thankful for God’s promise of future victory. In the book of I Corinthians, chapter 15, Paul writes concerning the resurrection of the believers. He says that nothing can hinder the accomplishment of this. He culminates this passage with this great promise, “…Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Verse 57) The victory is ours, and we are thankful!

Psalm 150 is a great crescendo of joy. This psalm gives to us the where, why, how, and who of praise to God. This is a most joyous psalm. The joy that we have in Christ is a joy that passes understanding. It is a joy that is unspeakable, and full of glory. It is a joy that transcends life. It is a joy that reveals Christ. People who don’t believe in God don’t understand the joy we have.

It is more than happiness, because happiness does not last. Our joy lasts, because it is based in the eternal, not the temporal. Isaiah said it well in chapter 61, verse 10; “I delight greatly in The Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.” We are thankful for the abundant and overwhelming joy God has given us through Christ. Being thankful is a choice we make. Considering who God is, and what He has done for us through Christ, should make the choice an easy one. Choose to be thankful people. Happy Thanksgiving!

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.”

Psalm 19:1 (KJV)

Have you ever just taken the time to muse about the world around you? I don’t mean the bad things that are going on. I mean the created things of God, the sky, the clouds, the flowers and trees, the good things He has given us to enjoy. Sometimes I think we just need to “take time to smell the roses”, as the old saying goes, and be thankful. 

Psalm 148 tells us to do just that. The first six verses of the psalm give us the opportunity to THANK GOD FOR THE GLORY OF THE HEAVENS. When you consider all that God has made, the sun, moon, and stars, it is vast and immeasurable by our standards. And yet, there is much beauty and glory in them. I like to go outside and enjoy a moonlit night, or just gaze at the stars. I am thankful to God for His creation of these things for me to enjoy. It is important to note here that God has also placed boundaries in His creation of these things.  He has perfectly and precisely placed these things in the universe for our best good. 

We should also THANK GOD FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH. Verses 7-12 tell us of the beauty of the things God has created upon earth. He has made all creatures great and small. He has initiated the forces of nature, and controls them. He has made humankind with all of it’s diversities of color and language. He has created the scenery and the oceans and the deserts. God’s creative hand is evident in all that He has made. I look at all these things, and I am thankful. 

I’m thankful for something else, too. I THANK GOD THAT HIS GLORY SURPASSES ALL HE HAS MADE. We read in verses 13-14 that God’s Name alone is exalted. His name is above every name. His name signifies power and authority. The psalmist also says that God’s splendor is above the earth and the heavens. He is glorious in His person and work. Psalm 19:1 tells us that all He has made glorifies Him. Finally, and most importantly, God has raised up a horn for His people. A horn in scripture signifies strength, or power. The strength, or power, God has given us is Jesus Christ. In Him we have strength for life, and power to resist sin. We could not have done that for ourselves, but God has done that for us. We should be very thankful for the God we have, the only real and true God, the God who loves us. 

 We are entering in on the season of Thanksgiving, and we have much to be thankful for. Most of us will have a Thanksgiving filled with good things: family and friends, good food, fun and games, and we should be thankful for these things. More than that, though, we need to be thankful to the God Who has provided all these things for us.

Psalms 146 thru 150 are sometimes called the “Hallelujah” psalms because they begin and end with the encouragement by the psalmist to “Praise The Lord!”

As we look at Psalm 146 we find three bits of information that help us to praise, or be thankful, to God.

First, BEING THANKFUL IS A CHOICE. In verse 2 of this psalm, the writer makes the conscious choice of his will to praise the Lord all of his life, as long as he lives. There are many things that can cause us to not be thankful, but that is usually because we have taken our focus off of God and put it on the things that are troubling us. We need to be careful to keep our focus on God and choose to be thankful.

Second, in verses 3 and 4 we are discouraged from putting our trust in worldly things. WE CANNOT FIND ANY HELP IN THE WORLD. The psalmist tells us that the world cannot be trusted, and it’s help does not last. There is no security in the things the world has to offer us, but in God we have ultimate security, comfort, blessing and rest. He is eternal, and His help is everlasting. We can be thankful for that.

Finally, the psalmist tells us that WE ARE BLESSED WHEN WE LOOK TO GOD FOR OUR HELP. He mentions a number of attributes and qualities of God for which we can be thankful. Our hope is in God (verse 5). God is sovereign over all (verse 6). God’s faithfulness is eternal (verse 6). God’s care for us is unlimited (verses 7-9). God reigns forever (verse 10).

Wow! We sure serve an awesome God, don’t we? Considering those things should raise up a thankful spirit in us. As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, make God the center of your celebration. Praise The Lord!

“…a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 12:15 (NIV)

The final installment in our series of “Stories That Should Make You Think” is a story Jesus told about the danger of a greedy heart. Jesus told this story to illustrate the fact that a person should not base his or her life on the amount of stuff they are able to accumulate. A man in the crowd that day asked Jesus to become a lawyer and arbitrate over the division of an inheritance. He wanted his share. Jesus instead chose to warn this man about the danger of having a greedy heart. He tells the story of a rich man whose crops had given him a great deal of wealth. 

THE RICH MAN HAD A DILEMMA. He had worked long and hard to get to where he was, and now he had more than he knew what to do with. He asked the question, “What shall I do? (v. 17)” 

THE RICH MAN HAD TO DECIDE what he would do with all his wealth. He made the wrong choice. He chose to keep it for himself. In fact, he decided that he would build bigger barns so he could accumulate more of it. He said to himself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.” (v. 19) 

He thought he had it all figured out, but he had forgotten one thing, God. The rich man had planned for tomorrow, but tomorrow would never come for him. God had decided that THE RICH MAN HAD TO DIE. He had never planned on this. All his planning was in vain, because he had not made God the center of his planning. 

The book of Proverbs says that “a man’s heart [plans] his way, but The Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 KJV) The rich man was a very foolish man indeed because he had left God out of his life, and had lived for greed instead. A very rich man was asked at one time how much money it would take to make him happy. His answer was, just a little bit more. That is the answer most of us would give. Is that the answer you would give? Jesus warns us not to lay up treasure down here where it can decay or be stolen. We are encouraged to lay up our treasures in heaven. We do that by “sharing the wealth” down here. Be sharers of the good things that God has shared with us. The rewards are eternal.

“…it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” I Corinthians 4:2 (KJV)

What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars and asked you to invest it for him until he came back from a trip?

Given the current climate of our economy you would probably be tempted to hide it away somewhere rather than risk it in an investment venture. So would I. But that wouldn’t be what the person wanted you to do with it, is it? Our story today is about just such a situation.

Jesus tells the story about a nobleman who was going away to receive a kingship, and then would return. Before he left, he gave each of his servants the equivalent of three months wages, and told them to “put it to work” for him while he was gone.

Upon his return, he found that most of his servants, because they loved their master, had been faithful and obedient to his command, but one had not. He wasn’t willing to take the risk. He, instead, had hid his master’s money, and was punished for it. The faithful servants were commended for their faithful stewardship.

Jesus is our King. He has gone away for now to receive His Kingship, but He will return. We, as His servants, have been given a stewardship, a portion of The Master’s goods to take care of. We have been given life, a life to be lived for Him. We have been given a message about Him, a message that is to be shared. We have been given spiritual gifts and worldly goods, these things to be used in His service.

One day soon, upon His return, He will ask us to give an accounting to Him of our use of these things. What will we say? Has His investment in us borne any fruit, or have we, as the disobedient servant, hid from the responsibility? Will we hear commendation from the lips of The Master, or words of judgment? There is much to consider as we read this story. May it cause us to take stock of our lives before The Lord, and if there is a need for us to step up and get going in our service for Him, that we would do so, and not bury the good things He has invested in us. May we bring glory to Him in all we do, today, and always.

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)

Jesus was a great storyteller. He told all kinds of stories to illustrate all sorts of spiritual truths. The stories Jesus told were called parables. A parable is a story with an underlying spiritual or moral teaching which is not always apparent immediately. They were stories that make you think. 

Today’s story has been recorded for us in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is about farming, which would have been familiar territory to those listening. As Jesus tells it, a farmer went out to sow his seed. The seed fell on different kinds of soil, which brought about different kinds of results. It was a simple little story, but with a very deep meaning. Jesus told the story in response to those who were trying to put an end to His ministry. They are the ones who are represented by the first three types of soil in the story. Jesus Himself is the farmer in this story. The seed He is sowing in the Word of God. The different soils are the different types of hearts into which the Word is sown. 

The first type of soil had been trampled down and was hard as a rock. This is representative of those hearts who care nothing about God. They are hardened against Him and will not receive His Word. Satan comes and takes out the seed that was sown in their hearts. 

The second soil was rocky. This is the heart that is excited about what God can do for him, but the excitement wears off quickly, and this person leaves God and goes back to the way they were. There is no fruit gained from this heart. 

The third type of soil is infested with weeds. This is the heart that tries to mix God in with the things of this world or, as Jesus said, tries to serve two masters. This never works, and no fruit is borne out of this heart either. 

The fourth soil is the good, fertile soil. These are the hearts that really want to know God and understand His Word. They receive what they hear, and are obedient to it. This heart bears much fruit for the kingdom. 

As God’s people, we can learn much from this story. The first thing we learn is the importance of sowing the seed. Sow it as far and as wide as you can. The more you sow, the more chance there is for a good harvest. Second, don’t worry about the response of those upon whom you sow the seed. It is our responsibility to sow, it is God’s responsibility to bring in the harvest, and He will. Finally, make sure your heart is right before God. Let God make your heart fertile ground for the seed that is sown. As James tells us in his epistle (1:25), don’t be a forgetful hearer, but be a doer of the Word. You will be blessed in what you do.

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done.” Psalm 40:5

The hymn we look at today, Count Your Blessings, is a happy little ditty. It was written by a Methodist minister, Johnson Oatman, Jr., who wrote over 5,000 gospel songs. He was a bi-vocational minister, working in the retail and insurance industries when he wasn’t ministering to the local church of which he was pastor. He wrote this particular hymn in 1897 and it was published in a volume entitled Songs For Young People.  The song encourages us to count our blessings. It is all too easy to complain or bicker or get “down in the mouth” about life. Our focus is all wrong. All we can see is the bad in life. This song tells us to look at Christ, and the good things we have because of Him. These are the things that lift us up, and give us joy. 

In verse 1 of this hymn, we find that COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS BRINGS RECOGNITION. We recognize two things. First, we recognize the presence of God. He is with us, no matter what. We also recognize the reality of Christ. In a world that does everything it can to get rid of Christ, we experience the reality of Christ as we count the blessings He has given us. 

Verse 2 tells us that COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS BRINGS REJOICING. We rejoice in the burden bearing Christ. The burdens of this life are not meant to be borne alone. Jesus has invited us to cast all our cares on Him (Matthew 11:28-29). We rejoice in the cross bearing Christ. The greatest burden any of us bear is the burden of sin, but Jesus took that burden to the cross with Him (John 19:17), and we don’t have to ever bear that burden again. What joy! 

COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS BRINGS REMEMBRANCE in verse 3. We remember the reward that is waiting for us from Christ at the end of the journey. It is sure and it is eternal (see I Peter 1:3-4). We remember the eternal home that Jesus has prepared for us, and He will come back and take us to that home someday (John 14:1-3). 

Finally, in verse 4, we find that COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS BRINGS REST. We don’t have to worry or fret. Our soul can be at rest in the assurance that Jesus is present to help and comfort us through all of life’s journey (John 16:33 and Psalm 28:6-7). We don’t travel alone. We have a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Count Your Blessings! You will find it to be a wonderful, blessed experience, and God will be pleased as you thank Him for what He has done.

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul”

Christian hymns are written out of a variety of circumstances. A sense of joy, contemplation, need, sorrow, just to name a few.

The hymn we will look at today is surrounded by tragedy. The man who wrote the music for this hymn, Philip P. Bliss, died tragically in a train wreck, along with his wife, shortly after he wrote this song. The man who wrote the hymn, Horatio G. Spafford, suffered great financial loss from the great Chicago fire of 1871, and shortly thereafter lost his four daughters in a shipwreck. Mr. Spafford wrote this hymn out of the tragedies of his life. It is the only hymn he ever wrote, but what a great hymn it is. He saw through the tragedies to the God who gives peace and comfort in trying times, the God who keeps His promises.

The first verse tells us that JESUS IS OUR CONSTANT COMPANION. He is with us at all times, good or bad. He is the God who promises us in Isaiah 43:1-3 that He has called us, and we are His. He will be with us no matter what we go through.

The second verse lets us know that JESUS IS OUR EVER PRESENT HELPER. There is a spiritual battle going on around us every day, and we have an enemy that is out to destroy us, but we have a Friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Our soul is protected by the blood of Christ that was shed for us.

In verse three of this hymn, we see that JESUS IS OUR ALL SUFFICIENT SAVIOR. We are sinful people, and our sins are many, but Jesus’ work on the cross is totally sufficient to take away our sins, all of them. What a blessed thought that is.

Finally, the last verse speaks of the great hope of those who trust in Christ. JESUS IS OUR SOON COMING KING. One day, as He promised, Jesus will return to take us to be with Him where He is (John 14:1-3). This world, with all its difficulties and heartaches, will be behind us. We will be in the presence of Christ forever. Our soul can rest in anticipation of the fulfillment of the promises of God.

Mr. Spafford fully trusted in the promises of God, as his song shows. After he wrote this song, he was blessed with the birth of two more daughters. He and his family moved to Jerusalem where they started a mission to help the poor. This endeavor was immortalized in a book, Jerusalem, which won the Nobel Prize. As it says in Romans 8:28, “…in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” That was true for Horatio Spafford, and it is true for you, too.

“For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?”

Today’s hymn is Take The World, But Give Me Jesus. The hymn has great meaning, but when you consider who wrote it, it takes on even greater meaning. This hymn was written by Fanny Crosby, probably the most prolific hymn writer in Christian history. She wrote over 8,000 hymns, and she wrote using almost 100 pseudonyms, both male and female.

She was born in 1820, and at the age of 6 weeks an incompetent doctor bungled her treatment, and she was made blind for the rest of her life. Although she was blind physically, her spiritual vision was very sharp. Instead of being bitter, Fanny acknowledged God’s hand at work in her life. She said that “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.” It is out of this attitude of heart that this wonderful hymn was written.

In VERSE 1, Fanny writes about the incredible Love of Christ. She recognizes that the joys of this world are temporary at best, but the love of Christ abides forever. She knew the truth of Romans 8:39 that tells us that nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In VERSE 2, she writes about the Comfort of Christ. She recognizes that life is not always pleasant, but Jesus is always there to comfort us. He watches over us. Psalm 34:15 says that the eyes of The Lord are on the righteous.

VERSE 3 tells us about the Presence of Christ. Fanny says that all along our pilgrim journey we can experience the joy of Christ’s presence, and walk in the light of Christ’s presence. Jesus said in John 8:12 that He is the light of the world. The person who walks with Him shall have the light of life.

Fanny writes in VERSE 4 about the Faithfulness of Christ. In this life, we trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and His resurrection. One day, though, our hope will be realized, and we will rejoice in His presence. We shall see Him face to face. She certainly was looking forward to that, and so should we.

The CHORUS of this hymn talks about the Measureless Mercy of God, the Unending Love of God, the Fullness of Redemption that God has given to us, and Life without End that is the promise to all who love and follow Jesus. What a great hymn! May our spiritual sight be as keen as Fanny’s was, that one day we, too, will be found rejoicing in His presence.

Not many churches sing hymns any more. That is sad to me because there is a richness and depth of meaning to the old hymns that the music of today, with rare exception, just does not convey. Even in those churches that do sing the old songs, we often pass over the message of the songs that we are singing.

Consider the hymn, The Church’s One Foundation as an example. There is so much to be gained from the lyrics of this song that we cannot consider it all in this short space. The author of this song, Samuel J. Stone, was an English clergyman of the late 19th century. He served the church, and loved the church, and his heart for the church shows in the words he has penned for us.

In VERSE 1, he talks about the foundation of the church, Jesus Christ, and about Christ’s great love for the church, a love that brought Him from heaven to earth, and to the cross, where He shed His blood, and died to give His church life.

In VERSE 2, he talks about the church being one family, taken out of all the nations of the world. The church has one Lord and one faith. The church partakes of one food, God’s Word. The church has one hope, a hope that is secured through Christ’s resurrection. The church is indeed “one”.

In VERSE 3 the writer speak to us about the persecution of the church and how that through patiently waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled the church will ultimately be rewarded with the promised rest of God.

VERSE 4 speaks about the journey of the church, and that God is with us all along the way. The example of those who have preceded us in this journey of faith enables us to continue, and one day we will be with them in the presence of God. What a great old song this is! As you sing it, or just open an old hymnal and go over the words, really listen to what the writer is saying to you. Jesus Christ is The Church’s One Foundation.

We have looked at the POWER of the Great Commission, which is the authority of Jesus Christ over all things, and we have also looked at the PASSION of the Great Commission, which is the overriding desire to spread the message of the love of God and the good news of what Jesus has done for us as far and wide as we possibly can.

I guess the question now is, why don’t more of us carry out the Great Commission which our Lord Jesus has given us? If there were a one-word answer for this question, I think it would be fear. We are afraid because we have failed to understand the final part of the Great Commission.

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus promises us that He will be with us ALWAYS, even to the end of the age. We think we have to do this work alone, and it makes us afraid. But the good news is, Jesus is ALWAYS with us. Hebrews 13:6 tells us that God has said that He will NEVER leave us, or forsake us. ALWAYS and NEVER are pretty powerful words. We can understand that JESUS IS WITH US AT ALL TIMES. Good times and bad, sick times and well, happy times and sad, Jesus is with us. When we are fearful, Jesus is with us. No matter what, He is with us.

JESUS IS WITH US IN ALL PLACES, too. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 139 that there is no place we can go that God has not been there first, and is there still. No matter where He may call us to go, or what He may call us to do, He is with us.

JESUS IS WITH US IN ALL SITUATIONS. No matter what life may hold for us, we can be sure that God’s hand is on us. Most of us know that life is not always good. There may be financial reversals, or physical suffering, or emotional crises, or something else. No matter what it is, it has been by the throne of God first. God knows all about it, and He is with us as we go through it. We can trust Him. So, be a Great Commission person. Do the work of the kingdom, knowing that we are NOT ALONE. Jesus is ALWAYS with us. Remember what Numbers 14:9 says; “…The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid…”

We’ve begun to look at the great commission given to the church by Jesus Christ as found in Matthew 28:18-20. The first thing we found was that this commission is based in the authority of Christ. He received this authority from God through His resurrection from the dead. That is the power of the great commission.

The passion of the great commission is found in verses 19-20. There are four parts of this passion that we will look at.

We are commanded, first of all, to GO OUT WITH THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST. The message of Christ is that salvation is free to all who would receive it. We are to take this message to our families first of all. Then to our neighbors, and finally we are to get the message out into the entire world through our giving and prayers.

Secondly, we are to REACH MANY WITH THE LOVE OF CHRIST. Remember in John 3:16 that we are told that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…” We are to get that message out to as many as we possibly can. That means we make every effort and take advantage of every opportunity to share Christ with people. It may be a vocal witness. It may be a written witness. It may be a lifestyle witness. Whatever the means, the witness must be given.

When our witness begins to bear fruit, we should BAPTIZE NEW BELIEVERS INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST. We want these new believers to enjoy and be a part of the family of God. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change. The new believer’s heart has been changed, and baptism is a sign of that change. Baptism also shows our allegiance to Christ. We are identifying with Him by being baptized.

Finally, as a part of our great commission, we are to TEACH NEW BELIEVERS THE COMMANDMENTS OF CHRIST. Sometimes we forget this part, but it is maybe the most important part of all. Christians need to study and know the word of God. In II Timothy 2:15 we are told to correctly handle the word of God. James 1:22 tells us not to just listen to the word, but to do what it says.

Believers in Christ should study the word, obey the word, and live out the word each day. That is how we become faithful and fruitful followers of Jesus Christ. So, be a great commission person. Share the message of Christ, and teach it to others who can share it as well.

Ambassadors are those who go forth on behalf of someone else, either a nation, or state, or some other sort of organization. The ambassador represents the desires and interests of the entity who has sent him or her. The ambassador has the full authority of the parent organization at his disposal.

The bible says, in II Corinthians 5:20, that we are ambassadors for Christ. We are His representatives in this world in which we live, representing His desires and interests for this world. We have His authority behind us as we conduct His affairs. That is why Jesus, in sending forth His disciples, begins the Great Commission with these words; “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18 NIV)

It is all important that we know this as we go out in His Name. We cannot do the work He wants us to do without His authority behind us. The opposition to Christ is strong in this world. There are nations, religious groups, and just a bunch of folk who don’t want to hear what we have to say, but we say it anyway, because we have the command and the authority through Christ to do it.

Ephesians 6:12 gives us another view of the battle we wage. We are told there that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against a world of spiritual wickedness we can’t see. Jesus has authority here, too. The evil spirits know Jesus, and they fear Him. They are subject to His authority. One good example of this is found in the bible in Matthew 8:28-34, the encounter of Jesus with two demon possessed men. We see that the demons recognized Him (verse 29) and they were subject to His authority (verse 32). When Jesus told them to go, they had to do what He said.

So, as you go about in this world, and are faced with the opposition of forces both physical and spiritual, remember that we have the power of Jesus with us. Rest in that knowledge, and don’t be afraid. The authority of Christ is irresistible, and that authority is ours in Him.