Saturday, June 10, 2017

You Were Born To Do This

It was the last night at camp. I stood off the right side next to the wall deep in prayer in a room with a couple hundred of students and adults. The weight of the message God put on my heart moved me to prayer. All those students. All of God's truth. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all about collide  with the truth of His word and all the lives in that room.

For several minutes I alternated between singing the worship songs and more prayer for a real move of God. I silently prayed, "Lord please touch my mind so my thoughts will be yours. Please touch my mouth so you can speak through me. Please touch my heart so I can feel what you feel."

Then a familiar voice whispered in my left hear, "I am so glad you are here. You were born to do this." The words penetrated deeply. Tears trickled. The power of those words, "You were born to do this," coursed through my soul. In that moment I felt humbled that God would choose a nothing boy from deep east Texas to preach His word. Many thoughts crossed through my mind from growing up as a child, getting saved as a teenager, going off to college and all the places I have been allowed to preach over the years. And there I stood in Panama City Beach, FL as the Laguna Christian Retreat Center where I have preached numerous other times feeling unworthy yet resolved.

So many things went through my mind in those few moments after hearing that message. I thought of my first sermon at the Woodlawn Baptist Church in Lufkin, TX before about a dozen students. The whoever sermon lasted seven minutes. I thought of preaching before just a handful of people in my living room back in Hudson, TX, about preaching before several hundreds at different youth camps over the past two decades, and even those few occasions when God has allowed me to preach before over a thousand people. I have preached in backwood churches and metroplex mega churches.

Two things are still true after all these years. God does the work. God provides the opportunities. He opens the doors. He sends the invitations. He points out the messages and scriptures to share. He does the convicting, the encouraging, the saving, reviving, and restoring, I am only a vessel. The second true thing is I definitely was born to do this.

No matter what my emotions and mental state are when I have step up to teach and preach I come alive. It is supernatural. I get caught up in the moment. It is like I feel the truth of God's word deep in my soul. I am not just preaching information. I am not making speeches. I am preaching. I am teaching the life chaining messages from God's word. In those moments I get so caught up in the message I lose track of time, distractions, and my personal cares, all for delivering God's message to help people.

That message in my left ear was a clear word from God. It caught me off guard. I had not expected to hear from Him so clearly right before I stood one last time in front of those students. His message moved me deeply. Yet, that message came from Eric Adcock, my long time friend and college roommate. In that moment he might not have known it but his words were the words of God to my ears and heart.

What were you born to do? God had intentional purpose for creating you. You were intelligently designed. You were crafted with care. God put you on planet Earth to serve Him in some capacity. Some are nurses, EMT's, law enforcement officers, electricians, carpenters, welders, administrators, teachers, cooks, leather craftsman, jewelers, coaches, physical therapists, artists, musicians, and more. God put you on this earth for some reason. I hope you discover it. I hope you expend your days doing it. And when you are in the middle of that task I hope God whispers to you, "You were born to do this."

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)
10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Breaking The Yoke Of Bondage

Galatians 5:1 (ESV)
1  For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 



Last night I [preached the last night of camp here in Panama City Beach, FL. We talked a lot about bondage to sin from [John 8:31-36] as well as the Galatians passage. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy. Students and adults were somber because we dealt with a somber subject matter. I shared openly about some of my own struggles. 

I could see conviction fall on people as well as brokenness. I sought to be tender not to heap condemnation but trusted God to bring conviction. Many wanted to be free but did not believe freedom was really a possibility. I could see hopelessness in some. They have been down this road before and so had I. Conviction of sin followed by shame, a shattered heart, and a shallow commitment to change. A ritual performed hundreds of times in the lives of believers and unbelievers. It always ended in the same result. A yoke of slavery to sin. 

At some point the enemy comes with his twisted thoughts in our minds. He snarls with a scowl seething in condemnation, "You will never be free. You will never get liberated from this sin. You will wear this yoke all the days of your life. God is mad at you and is weary of your unfaithfulness." On and on he goes. He accuses night and day. 

At some point the temptation surfaces to give up. To give into the sin and to quit trying to fight it. You feel helpless and hopeless. That is exactly what Satan wants. He wants us to believe his lies rather than God's truth. 

There is freedom in Jesus! We don't have to give into temptation. We don't have to fall into his snares or have to surrender to our carnal desires. There is freedom in Jesus. He can break the yoke of bondage. His death and resurrection purchased our liberation and breaks the chains of sin, addiction, and religion that bind us. 

In Jesus we have freedom. In Jesus we have victory. It is already available. We sometimes do not believe it or receive it. It is ours. All Satan says and does to enslave us is a lie. He has bluffed us. If we just take hold of and stand firm in the freedom Jesus gives us we will have victory. 

One of the strategies of Satan is to keep our struggles with sin private and in the shadows. On rare occasion somebody throws all that aside and opens up about their struggle with sin. They bring their shameful deeds from out of the shadows into the light. Those watching applaud the courage but shrink back deeper in the shadows hiding yokes of bondage fearing what others will think if they knew the truth. It is a trick of Satan. Others are struggling with sin also. We don't want people to know the truth but God wants truth in the inner parts of our hearts. He wants us to confess sins to one another so we can pray for one another. 

Few Bible believers I have ever met practice [James 5:16]. 

James 5:16 (ESV) 
16  Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.


When do people openly confess their sins to one another. In Sunday School, Bible study, or small groups? Do they do it in corporate worship? Do they do it over lunch with trusted friends, with family, or with anyone in our faith family? We prefer to hide in the shadows in our yokes of bondage. It is pathetically tragic. 

This was the focus of the message last night. To openly confess some of my worst sins is humiliating, embarrassing, and shameful. I choose to believe what God says, [Ps 103:12] and [I Jn 1:9] along with [Rom 8:1]. I am forgiven. I am a child of God. I am also learning to walk in freedom. It is wonderful. 

During the invitation some of those students bravely went to their leaders, their friends, their student pastors, and a few even to me. Sins were confessed. Prayers for deliverance were offered. I even prayed with an adult woman suffering from a decade long struggle. Outside the chapel others prayed on picnic benches, many tears flowed, and I believe some were set free last night. The work of God persisted late into the night. What a beautiful sight. This is the way it was always meant to be.

I want to spend my remaining days pointing people to the freedom they have in Jesus. The yoke of slavery is broken forever. Hallelujah!

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Champion The Undesirables

There are undesirables all around. They suffer from poor self images. Some are short and pudgy. Others are tall and skinny. Some have bad complexions, bad hair, bad teeth, and bad morale failures. These people feel unloved, unwanted, and undesirable.

I just walked out of a service with hundreds of such students. While I preached tonight I saw a girl weeping openly on the second row. Her friend seated next to her reached over to comfort her. I saw another weeping back in the middle of the room. It became obvious the word of the Lord connected with student's lives.

Jesus championed undesirable people. The focal point tonight was Jesus championing and touching the leper in Matt 8:1-3. A social outcast, unclean, an undesirable who summoned the courage to approach Jesus for healing but also found a champion and a healer.

I watched students all over the room mesmerized by God's truth. They were not mesmerized by a preacher. I don't have that kind of ability. Jesus put the word on my heart, connected it to hurting people, and then He went to work. He did and continues to do what He does best. He helps hurting, broken, sinful, and undesirable people. He champions them.

A beautiful scene unfolded at the end as both adults and students went around the room praying for people who felt undesirable. I stood in the back of the room pleading for Jesus to become real for people and to touch them like He touched the leper.

As they exited the building later one girl walked up to me tearfully and hugged me. She did not voice words. That hug said volumes. So did her tearful eyes. In her eyes I heard the message, "Thank you. I am one of those undesirables. Thank you for telling me my worth is found in Jesus and not in my appearance."

A grown man slapped me on the shoulder as he left. Earlier in the afternoon he spent an hour pouring out some of the darkest pains in his life. I felt honored to listen and to be a safe place to unload his burdens.

Another grown man walked by and embraced me. He did not say a word but his hug said it all. I think he also felt like an undesirable at some point in his life and now he serves to help other undesirables come experience Jesus.

Other students came by and I tried to make some kind of contact with as many of them as possible. The deep presence of God spilled out onto the driveway outside the building where we worshipped. I walked back to my room alone praying. I thanked God for allowing me to keep preaching to students. I am 50 now. Way past relevancy and being cool. I am straightforward. Loud, Bold, But I also love students. I enjoy getting to know them throughout the week. I enjoy watching God touch them and change their lives.

As i prayed I promised God I would keep taking His word and love to students as long as He will keep opening doors and giving me opportunities. I will keep being one of His champions for the undesirables. Why? Over three and a half decades ago I was one of those undesirables Jesus championed. It is an honor and privilege to get to travel up and down the country telling others He will do the same for them. I will keep going as long as He will keep sending. May I expend my last breath pointing undesirables to my champion Jesus.

Where Were You?

Our society values education and knowledge. Philosophers ponder deep questions that push reason to the limit. Mathematicians calculate complex equations. Scientist do endless research and write theories based on their findings. Endless books are both read and written all on a quest for more knowledge, deeper understanding, and more insight into existence.

Knowledge puffs up. [I Cor 8:1] Knowledge can lead to pride arrogance, superiority, dogmatism, ego, and destruction. Professing to be wise many people have made themselves fools in their quest for knowledge.

So here is a test. One by which you can test your knowledge and understanding. So get out a pen or pencil and some paper. This is not a multiple choice test. It is not a true and false examination. This is not even an essay exam. You can take it orally. The pen and paper are optional.

Here is the test. Go read Job 38-41. Answer each of the questions presented by Almighty Creator God. See how you do? Don't try to skip ahead to finish this reading. Take the test.

Did you skip it? Were you in a hurry so you just wanted to get through the rest of this article. Well in case you did, here is the short form of the test. WHERE WERE YOU? Where were you at creation? Will any of us, irregardless of educational status or intelligence, really try to counsel God and profess we know best. Those few chapters in Job are humbling.

Job responded to God's questions by saying, "I know that you can do all things and no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge. Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me which I did not know." [Job 42:2-3]

Where were any of us when God created the universe, established day and night, land and water, and created mountain goats and horses? We did not exist. Who are we finite beings to ever think we can give counsel to infinite God and tell Him how He should govern the world.

May we cover our mouths and say with Job, "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice but I will proceed no further." [Job 40:4-5]

Monday, June 5, 2017

The Son Shine State

I am preaching in Panama City Beach this week for a youth camp. I preached my heart out tonight based on these two questions. Is Jesus real? What difference has He made and is He currently making in your life?

Hard hitting evangelistic message tonight. The weighty presence of God was felt. Only He knows the outcome.

I am not here for the sunshine, for a vacation, or the beach. I am here for Jesus and only Jesus. May He do deep and lasting work this week. May the Son sine brightest of all.