Thursday, January 31, 2013

Meeting with the Father

Father, thank you this morning for waking me from sleep,
Your glorious face to start my day all my heart to seek,
We fellowshipped under the soft glow of morning light,
In your word I meditated and ate truth with a tasty bite,
I love to be in your presence to delight and stay and linger,
To bask in your glory - to dance - to be a worship singer,
Nothing compares with the times I enjoy being with you,
Where I draw nearer to you getting a more intimate view,
Where I find peace for a troubled and oft tormented soul,
With you Father I am healed - you alone make me whole,
I would not trade the times we share early in the morn,
Where hope, peace, and joy are rekindled and reborn,
I love you Father with all my mind, soul, all my heart,
Reluctantly I have to get on with the day and depart.



Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Breaking Open the Word of Life

It is Wednesday evening about twenty minutes before the start of our mid-week bible study for our adults and students. What a privilege to open and expound the word of God. I can feel my pulse quickening with adrenalin as the time draws near. This is what I was born to do. This is what God created me to expend my days doing. It is good work. It is not easy work but it is rewarding work.

I know the Sunday morning crowds are always larger. I still love Wednesday nights more. I know these times on Wednesday nights we get to dig deep and we get to truly meditate on the scriptures. There is always great feed back and we are all challenged with questions and discussion related to the text.

I will not stand before a crowd of hundreds. There will be a few dozen people in attendance. It seems just like yesterday we gathered in a daycare greeted each week with the lingering smell of dirty diapers with half a dozen people to dig into the scriptures. Since that time we have grown. We now meet in a nicely refurbished room in our rent facilities with close to three dozen adults to break open the word of life.

There is no flash. There is not any other attraction than the presence of God and the Scriptures. We dig verse by verse through different books of the Bible. Currently we are working through the book of II Timothy. It has been a rich and rewarding experience. The text tonight is pointed toward me the pastor.

I am grateful for the opportunity to break open the word of life to hungry people. I have always enjoyed Wednesday night teachings more than Sunday mornings. These are sweet times. May all who enter the house of the Lord here and afar receive a fresh word from the Lord and grow in the knowledge of Him.

Pastor

Sir, you say God has called you to minister to preach,
To proclaim the gospel - the multitudes to reach,
You say God gave you a message one to be shared,
A voice crying in the wilderness truth to declare,
Your Bible remains closed behind the pulpit stand,
Because there is a famine for God's word in the land,
Do you diligently labor handling the truth of God's law,
Have you beheld the truth from the prayer closet you saw,
Do you shun the truth in favor of tickling itching ears,
Will you expound the truth consistent over the years,
Will you labor like a workman who is not ashamed,
The whole counsel of God expounded and explained,
Sir, will you enter the pulpit even with nothing to say,
Lost in current affairs and popular trends of the day,
Lord, we plead for fiery prophets behind the sacred desk,
Pleading prayerfully - declaring your truth at great risk,
May preaching with divine unction come from upon high,
Your book be opened let your truth take wings and fly,
That is the need of our times - the need of this dreadful hour,
Please anoint your pastors to preach again with divine power.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Surviving Afflictions

I have immersed myself in the theology and some biographical accounts of those who have been afflicted much in their service for Christ. It seems to me those afflictions can be put into four different categories. Some are afflicted through persecution or opposition. Others endure afflictions that relate to health issues. Some are afflicted with the loss of a spouse or child. There are some who are afflicted financially.

What I am discovering is that afflictions are the normal lot in life for all of us. Often when we suffer one of the first things we ask is, "Why me? Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this affliction?" I am convinced that at some point in life everybody is afflicted in one way or another. I am also convinced that faulty preaching about how God always wants to bless and prosper us has thrown people for a loop when they discover they have cancer, when the loved one takes their own life, when the job comes to an end as well as the finances, and when lives are beaten and savagely struck down all for remaining faithful to Christ.

In those moments you had better know God and your Bible or your life will seem like a person walking through a carnival of mirrors where everything seems distorted. Nothing in those moments makes sense and if you do not have a firm trust in God and His word it will be difficult to survive with your faith in tact. There are people everywhere who have gone through the bitter valley of affliction and come out on the other side angry, disillusioned, and very bitter. God wills that we come through these experiences with joy in Him and still trusting Him even when we do not understand. [Phil 4:4] [James 1:2-4] [Ps 16:11]

John Paton and Charles Simeon suffered much opposition in their ministries. John Paton served as a missionary among savages who once ate two previous missionaries who landed onto their island. They tried to kill Paton and his family too. One night Paton spent the whole night hiding up in a tree while the islanders sought to kill him. Charles Simeon suffered opposition from parishioners who did not want him as their pastor. For twelve years the pew holders kept the doors of their pews locked so no one could sit on them if they came to hear Simeon preach. Those who came to services were forced to stand or sit on the floor for twelve long years, yet Simeon stayed in that one church for fifty-four years.

I doubt any of you reading this have faced opposition like that in your life or ministry. Both men endured the affliction and did so with a reliance on God. Both men inspire me to press on through my afflictions. When someone asked Simeon, at seventy one years of age, how he had overcome the afflictions of his life and ministry Simeon responded with these sobering words, "My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ's sake."

David Cho knows about financial suffering. He started a church in an abandoned U.S. military army tent in South Korea. He lived in that tent gutting out the brutally cold temperatures under a thin blanket. He commented in his autobiography, Dr. David Yonggi Cho: Ministering Hope for Fifty Years,  how the offerings were less than $2.00 a week in U.S. currency. He ate the same meal three times a day of corn porridge and radishes as a side dish. He survived those early afflictions to now serve as the pastor of the world's largest church in South Korea.

David Brainerd knew about the affliction of physical suffering. He suffered from tuberculosis and died at the age of twenty nine after much suffering. He still labored as a missionary to Native Americans. It is by the providence of God we even know about David Brainerd. He spent the last weeks of his life in the home of Jonathan Edwards. After Brainerd died Edwards read his diary and worked to edit it and publish it for others to read. God has used David Brainerd to inspire many others who are enduring physical suffering as they serve God.

Both Adoniram Judson and Hudson Taylor knew the affliction of losing wives and children in their missionary labors. Both had to bury the ones they loved in foreign soil and yet they battled and continued to trust God to get them through each day. Sarah Edwards had to deal with the premature death of a her husband Jonathan Edwards. Her words in a letter about that loss stir me. "What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God, and there I am, and love to be."

So there we have it. Some choice servants of God have been mentioned above and all had to do work through and cope with afflictions. Should you and I expect any different? I love what Sarah Edwards communicated when she wrote her daughter, "But my God lives; and he has my heart." She referred to God as holy and good even in her grief.

Afflictions are part of the human experience. What will you do with that fact? Will you give up, give in, and shipwreck your faith? Will you dig deep for God's comfort and "kiss the rod and lay your hand on your mouth"? Others were afflicted and they survived. They found strength in God to carry on and I believe we can too if we walk the familiar paths those saints did in prayer and scripture reflection. Press on brothers and sisters. Press on in the strength and comfort of our Lord.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

My Sister

Lord I come to you to lift up my broken sister,
Who has been ravaged by an unexpected twister,
Her heart is broken and she prays amidst tears,
Wondering why you don't silence confusing fears,
Questioning why you do not give what she prays,
Why for all her faith she receives only more delays,
She weeps with a faith bruised, leaky and crushed,
While others near content for theology to discuss,
Your ways are higher and thoughts than our ways,
When we cannot see amidst the uncertainty of days,
You are sovereign though at times silent to our needs,
Let us not judge you by feelings but by your past deeds,
Faithfully you have ruled this world in all times past,
We can see tough trying times do not always last,
You move and work by your wise Sovereign design,
Never early, never late, you are always right on time,
My sister can't see you through her throbbing pain,
The ways seems obscure through the blinding rain,
Would you gently reach down - take her by the hand,
While unfolding your purpose and revealing your plans,
Would you reassure her broken, wounded, shattered heart,
Where her resources end -  that is when yours will start,
I ask you to comfort her in this awful pit of destruction,
While whispering to her words of peaceful instruction,
My sister needs you more than anything I have to say,
So please draw near to her and help her through today.


Written after a painful phone conversation I had with a sister in Christ going through an awful time and about to lose hope. May God comfort and strengthen her for the battles of today.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Jesus is Sweet

Jesus is sweet. When people really hear about His love, compassion, mercy, power, and grace He is attractive. I have experienced this in my own life and in the lives of others.

As I read in the scriptures sinful people were attracted to Jesus. Yet in our day sinful people are often repelled from the churches that gather under His name. Too often those gripped in sin find judgment, condemnation, and rejection in the sanctuaries of the Savior. When Jesus walked the dusty roads in His day He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He had a prostitute was His feet with her hair. He counseled and consoled a woman caught in the act of adultery and yet firmly called her on her sin. He talked to a woman who had many former husbands and lived with her current lover outside of wedlock leading her to truth.

Jesus is still sweet but do we as the people of God truly reflect the love and nature of Jesus? We can turn people off with our legalism, conflict in congregations, power moves, manipulation, and downright hypocrisy. How many people have felt the icy stares and heard the behind the back whispers when they courageously tried attending church in the past.

Many years ago I had a conversation with a man who did a lot of street ministry. He often dealt with drug addicts and prostitutes. With tears in his eyes he said, "Those people are attracted to Jesus but they can't get to Him because of some people in the church."

May we not be the reason people are repelled from Christ and His church. May His life in us make Jesus all the more attractive to the sinner, downtrodden, hopeless, and the wounded. May they discover like millions of others have that Jesus saves, forgives, redeems, heals, restores, and rescues people from all economic levels, backgrounds, and pasts. Jesus is sweet. Salvation is sweet. The abundant life is sweet.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Sleepless Night Prayer Watching

For the past several weeks I have had difficulty sleeping all the way through the night. After two to three hours of sleep I wake up and cannot go back to sleep from anywhere from one to three hours. This morning I sat in my chair praying. I prayed for people and situations in our church. I prayed for burdens and for direction. I prayed and prayed.

If I have to be awake I might as well use that time profitably. Prayer is the greatest work I can engage in during those sleepless nights. Though exhausted from weeks of not getting sufficient sleep God keeps sustaining me and opening His word to me.

I would prefer to sleep through a full night and get up early as has been my habit for years. During this season that does not happen. If God is indeed waking me after two to three hours of slumber I have to use that time during the wee hours to pray and seek God. I am not sure if He wants to tell me something, just wants to commune with me, or is calling me to a life of intercession like Evan Roberts who often awoke to spend time in prayer for the revival sweeping his nation and then went back to bed for a few hours.

My days are His days. My nights are His nights. If I have to be awakened to pray even more then so be it. I want to stand my watch on the walls of Paradise. [Is 62:6-7] I hope you will take your appointed shift on the walls of your community as well.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Fueled By a Dream

I am a dreamer. My kids are dreamers. With Taylor only one year away from graduating from high school we are prayerfully seeking God's direction for college and for Taylor to live out his dream to play football at the next level.

I firmly believe God makes dreams come true. Many of mine have come to fruition but there are so many others that I continue to work toward. Most of my dreams are ministry related. I know this. Dreams do not come true except through a lot of prayer and hard work. The temptation is to focus on one or the other. Many people sit around and pray and pray. They do not do the things necessary to make their dreams come true. They want God to make it happen without their involvement. Others simply focus on the work. They labor, plan, make connections and think through their sheer effort and determination they will make their dreams come true.

I know for Taylor, Tanner, Tucker, and Turner to realize their dreams they are going to need God's help every step of the way. I also know they are going to have to be willing to work. They are going to have to be willing to sweat, sacrifice, and discipline themselves in addition to seeking God's help. If they do these things, and if their dreams are in accord with God's plan for their lives, nothing is impossible.

My dreams are still out there. I still dream of writing and publishing books that will be distributed all over the world. I dream of a world wide publishing ministry. In some respects that is already coming true through this blog. People have read these blogs from several countries like Saudi Arabia and Singapore. I still dream of the day when you will be able to walk into a bookstore and get a copy of a book I have written. My latest book Sitting With the Savior can be purchased on line at Barnes and Nobles and Amazon.

I also dream of seeing God build a church that truly impacts a community and a region along with dreaming of a multi decade ministry in such a church. Both dreams require God. Both dreams require work. These blogs and books do not write themselves. To impact a community requires a lot of prayer and labor of love. To remain in a church for multiple decades means staying the course Sunday after Sunday when you feel like God is using you and even on the Sundays when you feel your life and ministry are having no impact. I have held this latter dream for a long time. I thought it would happen at FBC Paradise and then at FBC Seminole. Such was not the case. One lady even told me years ago I would never stay in one church too long because God wanted to use me on a broader scale. My heart has been to invest in one church and give my life to a community and a flock for a long season. I still hold this dream prayerfully.

Dream the dreams of God deep in your heart. Pursue them with prayer, passion, and persistence. I still believe God makes dreams come true for Taylor, for me, and yes even for you.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Still Trusting in the Trials

On July 14, 2011 I wrote a blog titled, "Trusting in the Trials." I wrote that just eight days before I left Seminole to start Faith Community Church.  I wrote about not having sold our house. I wrote about not knowing where we would live in Paradise. I wrote about following God in faith and how God had called us to do that in the past.

So what happened since July 14, 2011. Well our house has still not sold. Someone is leasing it until the end of March. We anticipate putting it back up for sell. We currently live in a rent house where we have been for the past year. Faith Community Church has grown from 14 in a living room attendance of 130 this past Sunday meeting in a warehouse. We celebrated the miracle and salvation through baptism 22 times last year in a hot tub or swimming pool. We started 2013 with four more students professing faith in Christ and celebrating baptism this past week. Glory to God!

In that time God has tested us many times as a family and as a church congregation. God has also showed up in powerful fashion over and over again. We are still facing trials. Some of them are old and there are plenty of new ones.

As a church and as a family we are still trusting in the trials. Somedays are extremely hard. Others it feels like we are being carried on the prayers of God's people. This has been a great day. We are still trusting God to come through for us like He always does. There are always going to be trials associated with life on this planet. There will always be opportunities to trust Him.

Going back and reading that blog moved my heart. There are things the Lord did for us in the past I had forgotten about. It made my heart glad to be reminded of His doings in our life. I also can rejoice in the work He is doing now. Yes, the Edwards family still have trials. We are also still trusting in the middle of them.

Thank you for all of those who supported us in prayer. Another thank you to all of you who have been used of God to send provision in the most timely fashion when we have faced critical needs. The trials will not always last but the gratitude in our hearts for all of you who love us and have stood with us will. We do not take you for granted and we love you beyond words.

May we ever live to trust Him in the trials. Both yours and ours. May His testimonies always be on the tip of our tongues and the glory of God promoted through your lives and the lives and ministry of the Edwards family.

The God of the Unknown

This morning Brenda was sitting in her car praying and enjoying some time with the Lord before she went into work. As she prayed about holding onto God's ray of hope she looked up and a ray of sunshine peered through the overcast clouds. She sensed this to be encouragement from God that He is present with her all the time.

God is the God of the unknown. There are many days when life looks cloudy and gloomy. There are days when we wonder if God will ever show Himself on our behalves again like people wonder if the sun will shine again after several days of rain. The truth is the sun is still shining behind those clouds. All you have to do is hop on board an airplane and lift off the ground above the clouds to see the sun is indeed shining like it always is.

Today God is still present, in fact He is not only present, but a very present help in times of trouble. [Ps 46:1] On the day of trouble we can call out to Him and He will be there for us. [Ps 50:15] Therefore we have nothing to fear for God will not only uphold us but He will also strengthen us and help us in our time of need. [Is 41:10]

Many times I have started my day in prayer saying, "Lord, I do not know what this day holds but I do know you hold this day." He is the God of the unknown. We plan and form strategies but unexpected things happen all the time. I was hit square between the eyes this week with one those of un-expectancies. I never saw it coming but God did. God knows all. He is aware and since He never slumbers I can trust that He will handle it.

He will do what He always does. He will come through. Now some of you reading this will take issue with that last statement. From your perspective it looks like God failed. It looks like He did not show up nor did He intervene when you most needed Him. It appears to you God did not help at all. The grave marker is the proof. The loss of job is your evidence. The foreclosure on your home tells your heart and mind a different story than the one I am proposing.

From your perspective the skies look dark and it appears the sun has quit shining. It appears God failed you. That is your perspective but let's look from a different point of view. True your loved one did die. Did God fail them from their perspective. I am thinking of several people now rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. They have a different perspective than us. They have it better than we do. Death proved to be gain for them. Though we suffered loss they experience gain like we could never imagine this side of Heaven.

Maybe you did indeed lose your job and you are finding employment difficult to gain now. With one spoken word God can open a door on a new career. What looks ominous could indeed turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I lost a job as a pastor once and learned more about prayer and God's love in the next eighteen months than I had ever learned before. Some of the things I learned then are helping me now as I pastor this new church plant. God knows what He is doing.

God knows the future. Now, Paul's future included prison and martyrdom and yet he wrote, For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Paul trusted God with his future even when the outcome seemed unsure. Even in prison he could write about the peace of God that surpasses understanding. [Phil 4:6-7]

You may not know what is ahead or if and when what you are currently going through will ever end. It may appear the sun is not shining and God is no longer ruling. I assure you the sun still shines even on this overcast day in Wise County and God still sits firmly in control on the throne of the universe.

It comes down to a choice. Will I trust God whom I cannot see with the outcome I cannot know for sure except by faith? I am comforted knowing I do not have to know the answers to all of life's un-expectedancies. God does and I will rest in that truth. He is still the God of the unknown.

Remember What the Lord Has Done

While reading my Bible this morning I read [Ps 143:5] I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands. 

I did a little mental rewind and retraced some of the steps of my life since I met Christ. I went through the whole process of how I ended up at Howard Payne University I thought to play football but God brought me there to study for the ministry and to meet my wife. I relived how the Lord used those days of education in my life.

I thought back on the past churches where I have served as a youth minister and a pastor. Over and over we watched God save the lost and work in our midst. The doings of God are too numerous to recount. I thought back all the way up to the present day and can say with certainty I have seen God work through my life and ministry.

I gathered the boys this morning and we recounted some of the ways God has worked in our family. Taylor gave God thanks for his truck and the success he has had as an athlete. Tanner thanked God for the season he had in football and our home in Seminole. Turner gave God thanks that he and his friend Pacer got to be in the same class again this year.

I enjoyed those moments with the boys. As I prayed this morning I felt satisfied. Satisfied in God. Don't get me wrong. I am staring at several major problems but those no longer mattered. I know God has worked in the past and I confidently believe He will work again in the present. I felt satisfied like you do after finishing a great meal. In those moments nothing else mattered. I could say with [Ps 16:11] there is joy in the presence of the Lord.

Litte did I know I would literally stumble across His work again this morning as I opened my office door. I found an envelope on the floor with my name on it. I opened it and found a letter with some cash. Let me quote the anonymous letter.

Dear Matt, 

You have made a major impact in my life. I'm closer to God now more than ever. I used to dread going to church, it was a chore more than anything. Now, I look forward to Sundays, I hate missing it now. I'm involved too, I go to camps and other stuff the church does. My main point Matt, is that you have changed my life so much and I feel God is calling out to me. So in this envelope there should be $120, use it for anything. I just keep getting a feeling that I need to give this to you. I've been a Christian since I was little but you made it mean something. You answered my prayers when you came back. Thank you so much. 

From: a changed teen

Wow. I know I did some change that student's life. God did that. God worked in that heart.  I am humbled that God uses me. I am even more humbled that God moved on a teenager to give me money. I am not worthy. What a gift of encouragement.

Several times this week God has used someone to encourage me in my ministry here. I am not alone. I serve a God who is aware of my every thought, attitude, act of service, and sacrifice. None of it escapes His notice. He has always been at work and in a very powerful way He once again reminded me that He is at work here. Here in Paradise, TX in the little congregation known as Faith Community Church. Praise His name.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

My Shelter

O, God, I find shelter under the shadow of your wing,
Where I find protection - peace - as I both sob and sing,
I sob with a heart broken torn by the trials of this life,
I sing by faith - worship offered as a fragrant sacrifice,
The storms blow against the foundation of my home,
I come earnestly, humbly and boldly before your throne,
To obtain mercy and find help in my present time of need,
To receive comfort from the pages of the Bible that I read,
You shelter me from the howling swirling storm that rages,
You are my God - my only hope - the blessed Rock of Ages,
You offer safety - peace that goes beyond understanding,
In your refuge I retreat and find shelter in Your landing,
In Your shelter I find new strength to climb to soar for flight,
Above the tumultuous storms left behind beneath my sight.
- M.E.
- 1-09-13

Finding Refuge

It has been raining a lot. It rained steadily all day yesterday, all night, and is supposed to rain all day today tapering off something late this afternoon. We rejoice for such a gentle soaking rain and pray others get it as well.

Yesterday I got busy at the office and never even thought about Tucker or Turner walking home in the rain until I headed home too late to pick them up. We live only a short distance from their school, literally across the street from Turner's school. I knew they would still get wet but I left the office too late to get them.

One teacher, bless her heart, gave them an umbrella for refuge on the walk home. They found shelter from the rain under that umbrella. This morning I meditated on the truth that God is our refuge. As I sat in my chair thinking and praying, I thought about how our home provided refuge or shelter from the rain all night. I slept in a dry bed and sat down in a dry chair this morning. God is like that. He is the place we are to turn to find shelter in the storms of life. Sometimes we see the storms coming. This heavy rain had been forecasted for a week and we all knew to be prepared for it. There are other times when the storms come unexpectedly like a tornado wreaking havoc on our lives.

In both instances God is still our refuge. He is the first place we should turn to for protection. As I sat down with the boys this morning to discuss God being our refuge Turner thought of all the parents in Newtown, CT who lost their children. He knew that God would always be there for those parents where they can find shelter. God has been and will continue to be a refuge for those who turn to Him.

Turner also had a bad dream last night. He could not remember the details of the dream but he could remember he was scared. I found him on the love seat this morning. When he told me about the bad dream I called him to sit in my lap and I held and rocked him for fifteen minutes praying over him, hugging him, kissing him, and thanking God for him. I wanted him to feel protected and safe. That is what God does for His children. He pulls us up into His lap and comforts us in the nightmares of life.

Growing up I remember my grandmother often commenting to me when I chose to play in the rain, "That boy does not have sense enough to come out of the rain." Sometimes we choose to stay in the storm and in harms way rather than to pull away to find refuge in God. I need God's refuge. I have no other hope. I need shelter, protection and comfort on this day. I choose to seek safety under the shelter of His wing. [Ps 91:1, 4]

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Lord, Do it Again

I am reading an interesting book on the revival of 1858. God moved across the nation and gave people a spirit of prayer. Prayer meetings sprang up all over the place. One pastor commented that those prayers meetings ushered the people to an open gate to Heaven.

Thousands and thousands were saved. One church reported six hundred people responding to Christ for salvation in less than six months. Other churches saw hundreds saved where they ministered. This same story repeated itself across the nation and into churches of all denominations.

I wrote in the margin of the book a simple prayer to the Lord. I asked Him, "To do it again." On two levels I want to see God do it again. I want to see a day where people feel called and compelled to pray. The prayer meeting remains the least attended service if they are held at all in most churches. I also want to see the days when spiritual awakening comes again to the United States and spreads across the globe.

We have reserved Sunday nights for prayer meetings at Faith Community. This past Sunday we only had five adults and few students and children gather for prayer. People cannot be guilted into praying. Only God can truly move in the hearts of people to WANT to pray. That would be a sure sign of revival when numbers of people began to get the supernatural desire to want to pray for lost, the nation, and revival again.

If and when that happens the floodgates of evangelism will be opened. The masses will turn to Christ for salvation in mass. Hundreds of thousands will be saved. The entire morale climate of the community and country will be changed. Impossible you say. I cry out, "Lord, do it again!"

Lord, I ask you for an open gate into Heaven for new power to preach and share the gospel. I pray for the power of the gospel and power of your Holy Spirit to draw people to repentance and salvation by the masses. I also pray you would stir up a desire in Christians everywhere to pray. You have done it before. I ask you to do it again in this day and time. Not just one or two here or there. I ask you to fill up your church with prayer warriors. We need an army of prayer warriors assembled to fight the good fight. We need you to open the gate of Heaven to turn the heart of this nation back to you. You did it in the past and we ask you to do it again in this day Lord.

I ask you to open the gates of Heaven once again that our prayers may reach your ears and your power be poured out on our churches and communities. Nothing but a true spiritual awakening will spare this nation from the impending doom hanging around our necks. Please lead us to repentance and let the rivers of revival flow once again.

In Jesus' name,  amen.

Monday, January 7, 2013

My One Goal for the New Year

In years past I have sat down on New Year's Eve and prayerfully set goals for the new year. This year  I only set one goal. In years past I set goals to read a certain number of books, to write books, and goals for the churches I have served to increase in baptisms and attendance. I would go back and reevaluate at the end of the year to see how I did staying focused on achieving each goal.

This has proven to be a good discipline for me. It has helped me to stay focused and disciplined through out the year. This year though only one goal surfaced. It will be the hardest to achieve not only for 2013 but for life. Here it is. My one goal for 2013: TRUST GOD! That's it.

We had a great Sunday to start off 2013. We had great attendance and baptized four students. I made some personal vows to the Lord and one of them being I want to trust Him during 2013. A few hours later God gave me the first opportunity to truly trust Him in this new year. The circumstances are not important. Suffice it to say it took me by shock and immediately I had to remind myself to trust God. Better should I say I had to repeatedly remind myself to trust God well into the night and early this morning.

On the surface that might seem like a simple goal. I know better. I know how easily faith can fade into doubt in my life. This year I am determined to become stronger in prayer and to trust God more than I ever have before. No doubt God will give me ample opportunities to live this out. I choose trust. I know what my ears hear and what my eyes see. I also know what my feelings dictate. All these combine to tempt me to doubt, worry, and lose hope.

I am resolved to combat that this year like never before. Trust me, the trials are only increasing. So are the opportunities to trust God. With my head constantly buried in the scripture I find peace like this morning from two verses in Psalms. [Ps 118:5] From my distress I called upon the Lord, the Lord answered me and set me in a large place." [Ps 119:165] Those who love your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.

I can honestly say today I am not stumbling. I see the mountains I am up against and I have laid them at the Lord's feet. I have found comfort and strength from His word and I press on. I will trust God today. I will seek to trust God tomorrow and all the tomorrows of this year.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Heaven is Rejoicing

God has certainly done amazing things in the life of this church. I am awed that once again we have seen a number of students saved. We had three saved recently on a Wednesday night when I preached about the second coming. Those three will celebrate baptism this coming Sunday.

I have been with our students on a youth retreat the past couple of days. We just rolled back into town a couple of hours ago. Last night we had our last session at a scenic overlook on the grounds of Mount Lebanon Baptist Encampment. We gathered around a bon fire. While it burned next to me I talked about hell and presented the gospel. A young man prayed asking to be saved at the end. We all celebrated his profession of faith.

This young man has come to mean a great deal to my family. He is a close friend of one my boys. He comes to our home after school with my son on Wednesday nights and eats dinner with us. He goes out to eat with us on Sunday afternoons after church. He is like part of our family. We love him and have prayed that he would be saved. Last night he was the young man who trusted Christ for salvation. How our family rejoiced along with the rest of the youth group.

When someone gets saved I am always reminded of what Jesus said in Luke 15:7. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. 

I like to say that the angels in Heaven are having a party because someone else has been added to the kingdom of God. If Heaven rejoices shouldn't we?

I am humbled that God has used this church to draw multitudes into the Kingdom of God. We are not a large church and we have limited resources. We do not even own our own facilities. We gather in a warehouse on Sunday mornings and our students use the warehouse on Wednesday nights. We have limited resources but God continues to save the lost. Over and over again I get to step into the balmy waters of a hot tub or in the cool waters of a swimming pool as our church celebrates baptism again and again. It never gets old.

The gospel is preached and God uses it to draw people to the Savior. We have no gimmicks. No tricks. No slick presentations. We just have the gospel message. Like Paul I am not ashamed of this message. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. [Rom 1:16]

Heaven is rejoicing but not just because of what happened in our student ministry last night. Heaven is rejoicing because people are being saved all over the world. It never stops. The Kingdom of God K
keeps expanding and increasing. I am grateful to play a small part in that. While Heaven rejoices I rejoice too.