Victorious

I just spent an incredible week in Louisville, Kentucky at the N.A.C.C. (North American Christian Convention). We studied the Message of Revelation, but I have to be honest – that was not the cause of the incredible week. The messages were right on and very powerful, but the overall unity of the worship service was out of this world, extraordinary and truly awesome. I am not sure how many were there, but the numbers were in the thousands. In each main session, you could feel the presence of God and hear each voice in unison singing praises to the King of kings who reigns on high. I wish everyone from Cleveland could have been there. It was a great thing to hear each night that because of Jesus, we are victorious NOW! We also heard testimonies at each main session from missionaries who are enduring suffering. It was humbling and a gentle reminder to keep my eyes off of myself and on HIS mission for us in life. To top that off, as a church family we just finished studying “gods at war” (idol worship). We learned that we (the god of me) get in the way of ourselves and that ends up holding us back from experiencing God’s incredible daily life. We are On Mission! August 11, 18 & 25 we will look at Matthew’s gospel specifically focusing in on “Being ready/Getting ready!” It is time to live out our victorious lives God has blessed us with. Come and worship with us and grow in Christ with us. Sunday mornings 10:30!

Why on earth do we live this way?

For the most of the month of July, we are learning about idol worship! It is probably something with which we believe we do not struggle. But an idol is anything that gets in the way of fully worshipping the Lord God Almighty! So as I have been studying for this I have seen in Scripture so many times how often we are warned about idol worship. I found an example of this in Luke 12 during my devotional time with the Lord! Jesus tells us to fear ONLY THE GOD. You might say - "I do", but you spend your time worrying about money and the lack of it for the bills you have. Then Jesus tells a parable about a man who stores up for himself (retirement? storage buildings? etc.) The destiny of the life of the man in the parable is death - his very life was taken from him that night. Jesus then says, (verse 21) "This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich towards God." Let me ask you a question...does you retirement look bigger than your giving to the Lord. (Why do I hear too many of you explaining how much of a good steward you are for saving for when you are old!? And many will back you up on this!) On a typical Sunday, we have very few regular giving/tithing people, the rest are crooks! Yes you heard me right, most of the people in the auditorium on a typical Sunday are thieves (see Malachi 3:8) and they don't care about it at all. But they are most likely to complain about their comfort while at 'church' (I say "at church" since they are not "being the church!") Their comfort has become their idol. And they never get enough! Why on earth do we live this way? Lord Jesus open our eyes to your Truth quickly lest we get further away from your love and truth. P.S. If you are not wanting to grow in your walk with Jesus, you probably better skip church until August! P.S.S. If you are willing and ready to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16), then I hope to see you Sunday!

Relief from the Storm!

It is the day after the tornado in Moore. Lives have been shattered. God has been questioned – again. We want answers, we want relief, but little is found. When we look at the storm (this just one of many in years past), we see the three D’s: Devastation, Destruction and Death. We zero in on our lives and can easily be tempted to think poor us, but every generation has seen the three D’s. The three D’s call us to question God’s existence when it should call us to stand in awe of the One who can stop the storm. God aches when HE sees HIS children, HIS little children, suffer. HE is not a killjoy. HE doesn’t delight in the three D’s. HE isn’t like an angry kid with a magnifying glass seeking to burn ants. The Bible describes God as All-Powerful, All-knowing, All-Places. It describes HIM as Compassionate, Slow to Anger, and Abounding in love. The Bible teaching that God is Our Comfort, Our Peace, and Our Deliverer. We are shown that God is a god that weeps with us, desires to encourage us, and longs to rescue us. This is the message that the Church holds in its hands, not to keep to our selves but to share with those who hurt. Relief from the Storm comes in the form of a body described as the body of Christ: Hands, Feet, Toes and Fingers – all help brings a little bit of relief even in the grandest of storms. Live on church! Live on. Be the difference.

Making disicples - the way of the chainsaw!

A few years ago for Father's day, Bettina bought me my very own chainsaw! What a woman of God! She really knows what her man needs. :) The good thing is I knew how to run a chainsaw because a year or so earlier I was at my father-in-laws farm helping out and he, David, showed me everything about running a chainsaw: The best way to start it, how to hold it properly, how to stand, where to be when cutting a tree and how to properly fell a tree. (I gotta tell you - I get excited just typing the phrase "fell a tree" [insert "Tim the Toolman Tailor grunt" here] All of this leads up to our family devotion after breakfast this morning at my house with my wife and kids. We had just started going through 1 Timothy 1. I was talking about how Paul told Timothy - I left you in Ephesus to command people to not teach false doctrines. In verse 5, Paul says the goal of this command in "love"! Love comes from a pure heart (motive) and a good conscience (choosing what is morally right.) I talked about how we need to approach everything in love - the goal! Then in verse 8, Paul says, "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly." So I asked my children how does one use the word of God properly? Then came the chainsaw! Before they could answer, I said, 'if you had a chainsaw, how would you know how to use it?' Brenna quipped back, "I don't know how to use a chainsaw!" To which I said, then how would you use it. She said, "I guess, read the instructions." Good point, but not what I was thinking. I said, I have never read the instructions on how to run chainsaw. Then I said to Jalen, "Have you ever read the instructions on how to run a chainsaw?" He said, "No" (He grandpa, David, taught him this summer!) I said, "Grandpa taught Jalen and I how to properly do it." I think Paul's point is for Timothy to help others handle the word properly by showing them. And that is what we are supposed to do as well. We make disciples the same way, by showing people how to follow - leading them in love along the way! And that is how you make disciples - the way of the chainsaw!

The Way: Jesus' or mine?

I am working on my lesson for tonight's class (Wednesday) and I found another gold nugget in Scripture! We will be studying the familiar story of Peter confessing Jesus as the Christ (you know the one that we have methodically had people repeat for years when they accept Jesus, 'Repeat after me, I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God...'). Interestingly enough, the beginning of this section, this event (Mark 8:27) "Jesus and his disicples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the Way he asked them, "Who do people say that I am?" This little phrase "on the way" repeats 5 more times as Jesus begins his direct focus to going to Jerusalem to die. (Luke says [9:51] that as he "resolutley set out for Jerusalem." Mark's gospel show a differing tone in Jesus' ministry from here on out. It is all about the Cross! This word 'way' is seen 10X in Mark's account. Three of them are pictures of people going 'their way' which was contrary to Jesus' way. 1X is the first occurence of 'way' being used - John the Baptist prophecy - "Prepare the way". The other six (the first in Mark 8:27) are focused on Jesus' way. All that leads me to a question for myself (and maybe for you too!) Whose way am I on: Jesus' or mine!? HIS is about denying self, taking up a cross and following while I loose myself in HIM every day while gaining my soul for eternity. Mine is about me, taking up the easy chair (spiritually speaking), following my desires, living for self and gaining this world. Mine looks attractive from an earthly perspective. HIS looks wonderful from a heavenly perspective. Will I allow my life to be about HIM or me? Continuing the journey (way) for HIM...

The dynamite power of the Holy Spirit!

The book of Acts - wow! The more I read and study it, the more I am amazed at all that God did through the power of the Holy Spirit. Equally amazed I see a terrible difference in the First Church compared to the church of today. I hear different answers for the reason why. One, that frustrates me most, is that the church of today can't be like the first church! Another reason I hear is that I want too much for the church today. I can't help it, I get excited about the church when I read the book of Acts! I do want more for the church. I believe that the church today can be like the first church, but along with this belief I also believe that we don't want to really live like that. We don't want to give up this life! That is a very very sad statement. I believe churches are full of people today who would be content if Jesus DIDN'T come back until we all die of natural causes. How sad is this to see a longing for here more than a longing for eternity! I want to live different. I am not satisfied with where I am nor am I satisfied with where the church is today...something has to change. Maybe I am the something!

there are no words...

Easter celebration has come and the eggs are now gone...(hopefully, they are not lost indoors! If so, the smell will get our attnetion soon!) But the celebration of Resurrection continues on - Praise the Lord! For FC3, our Celebration definitely continues on. We have an incredible service (and that is not a comment about the sermon. I don't rate my sermons outloud!) Every pew was full which is always wonderful to see, but greater things than that occurred! Several times during the worship through song time, I heard hundreds of voices being lifted up to the KING of KINGS - an awesome sound. (That truly makes me wonder what John heard when he heard thousands upon thousands of angels singing to the Lamb!) We had a young crowd which is exciting. We took up our "Special offerring" (1 of 2 each year - the other being Thanksgiving.) Our goal was $28,400. This was our biggest goal since I have been here. We brought in almost $41,000 and it is still growing! Hallelujah!!! God was praised, honored and glorified. When God's people really worship the Almighty, incredible things take place, lives are changed and HE is left on the throne where HE belongs! All glory to HIM who sits on the throne, to HIM be glory and power - forever! Again, as the title says, there are no words...