Parenting is hard. In fact, it is very hard. Parents can pray, make wise Godly decisions, seek to protect their children from negative influences, communicate scriptural values, but some children still fall away into a life of rebellion. This truth remains; every child is born a sinner and that sinful nature will take over from time to time. [Rom 3:23] Even if your children trust Christ for salvation they will find what you and have found. We will battle the sinful nature all the days of our lives. [Gal 5:16-17]
Some parents are too strict as they seek to protect their children from the world. Some parents are too lenient. Neither is good. We all try to do the best we can but even the most devout parents who have tried to do things by the book have experienced heartache from wayward children.
I found myself seated on the back porch yesterday afternoon with my three oldest sons having a tough and honest conversation about their relationship with the Lord. We talked about loving Jesus. We talked about worship. We talked about quiet times. We talked about just showing up at church verses really coming to learn and to connect with God. We talked about my role as a pastor (and for the last two years as their youth pastor) and father. None of them said they resented my being a pastor.
I want for my children what most Christian parents want. I want them to love God and to serve Him authentically. I want them to hunger to know God all their days. This is easier said and done. I have preached way too many youth camps, retreats, and revivals to be fooled. The church is often failing when it comes to producing solid followers of Christ in their student ministries. The church cannot do it alone. Parents have to stay involved. When I think of the vast amounts of money being spent on teenager's spiritual growth it disheartens me when I see so many apathetic.
One of my sons told me he had a hard time hearing from God. He said he doesn't know at times if God is speaking or if he is inventing things in his head. Another son told me it is much easier for him when I lead him in quiet times to help him understand. Another repented of sin once his brothers had left to me privately. He had been convicted of something he did a long time ago but felt God wanted him to make it right with his mother and me. Through tears he spilled his guts. I brought him over and sat him in my lap. He is much bigger now and this does not happen too often. I told him I loved him looking him in the eyes and letting him know that my love for him was just the same as if he had not sinned. I also told him I was proud of him for being honest and doing the right thing. Another son told me about a failure he had and we worked our way through it.
Parenting is hard especially if you are trying to raise Christ followers. It would be easier to give up the fight and to just give in to the times. It feels like swimming against the current every day. That is exactly what we are doing. We are swimming against the current of a pagan world building a biblical world view.
Stay the course. Keep having those honest talks. Keep speaking Bible truth. Keep praying and pointing your children to follow Christ and build their lives on the foundation of God's Word even when it is not easy. Do it even when it seems like they are not listening or even interested.
In the end, all of our children have to own their faith for it to be real and meaningful. We can pray and pray that happens. Before that let us make sure Jesus is real and meaningful to us first. Parenting is hard but God is able to help us navigate the course.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
God's Choice
Have you ever thought about all the choices God makes or has made. Choices of colors for flowers, grass, weeds, the sky, the ocean, zebras, cobras, giraffes, peacocks, and people. Then there are the choices of when and where to send revival and spiritual awakening. There are the choices to open foreign lands with the gospel. There are choices of whom will sit in leadership and how they be used to accomplish God's purposes of judgement or blessing.
What I am fascinated by today after reading the first chapter of I Corinthians is God's choice to save and to use people in His service. Unlike a business executive trying to build a strong team of associates, God does not choose the wisest, best looking, most experienced, and the most charismatic often. He selects people you and I would look past.
Paul writes it like this. "Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world - what is viewed as nothing - to bring to nothing what is viewed as something so that no one can boast in His presence." [I Cor 1:26-29]
God often chooses the average person over the person of exceptional intellect and gifting because He gets the glory for it. I think of the uneducated shoe salesman who became a mighty evangelist in the hands of God named D.L. Moody. I think of the weakness and frailty of Mother Teresa to boldly speak out against abortion at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington many years ago in a room some of the most powerful people in the world. History is filled with the stories of average men and women who yielded their lives to God and were used in extraordinary ways.
From where I am sitting we all look pretty average and ordinary. We serve an extraordinary God. He puts His call on people to do all sorts of things. I am now thinking of a shy high school teacher who surrendered her life to go on a mission trip to Canada first and then a few years later to Africa. She is a bold warrior for Christ but she would consider herself very ordinary.
I do not think this world is going to be changed by the brilliant theologians and most talented preachers. This world will be changed by those ordinary followers of Christ who devote themselves to prayerfully making a difference where they live. Some are teachers, coaches, administrators, and small business owners. Others are mechanics, computer technicians, students, athletes, band members, and in drama. Others stay at home to raise Christ-like children. Through it all God uses each of them as missionaries in their own little corner of the world.
These very ordinary people can be empowered by God to do extraordinary things. I rejoice when I see God working mightily through vessels others would have passed over. God longs to pour His power through people the world considers insignificant. David was passed over for consideration to be King by his own father. Yet God had other plans in mind.
If you feel ordinary and rather average perk up. You are the exact candidates God loves to work through. You are a prime time opportunity for God to use mightily. God's choice is often different than what what the world would choose. God chooses people from all backgrounds, intellects, personalities, and economic status to accomplish His purposes. You just might be God's next choice to join Him on some Kingdom adventure if you have the courage and faith to say, "Yes."
What I am fascinated by today after reading the first chapter of I Corinthians is God's choice to save and to use people in His service. Unlike a business executive trying to build a strong team of associates, God does not choose the wisest, best looking, most experienced, and the most charismatic often. He selects people you and I would look past.
Paul writes it like this. "Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world - what is viewed as nothing - to bring to nothing what is viewed as something so that no one can boast in His presence." [I Cor 1:26-29]
God often chooses the average person over the person of exceptional intellect and gifting because He gets the glory for it. I think of the uneducated shoe salesman who became a mighty evangelist in the hands of God named D.L. Moody. I think of the weakness and frailty of Mother Teresa to boldly speak out against abortion at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington many years ago in a room some of the most powerful people in the world. History is filled with the stories of average men and women who yielded their lives to God and were used in extraordinary ways.
From where I am sitting we all look pretty average and ordinary. We serve an extraordinary God. He puts His call on people to do all sorts of things. I am now thinking of a shy high school teacher who surrendered her life to go on a mission trip to Canada first and then a few years later to Africa. She is a bold warrior for Christ but she would consider herself very ordinary.
I do not think this world is going to be changed by the brilliant theologians and most talented preachers. This world will be changed by those ordinary followers of Christ who devote themselves to prayerfully making a difference where they live. Some are teachers, coaches, administrators, and small business owners. Others are mechanics, computer technicians, students, athletes, band members, and in drama. Others stay at home to raise Christ-like children. Through it all God uses each of them as missionaries in their own little corner of the world.
These very ordinary people can be empowered by God to do extraordinary things. I rejoice when I see God working mightily through vessels others would have passed over. God longs to pour His power through people the world considers insignificant. David was passed over for consideration to be King by his own father. Yet God had other plans in mind.
If you feel ordinary and rather average perk up. You are the exact candidates God loves to work through. You are a prime time opportunity for God to use mightily. God's choice is often different than what what the world would choose. God chooses people from all backgrounds, intellects, personalities, and economic status to accomplish His purposes. You just might be God's next choice to join Him on some Kingdom adventure if you have the courage and faith to say, "Yes."
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Another Step of Faith
With much prayer and meditation Brenda and I took another step of faith this past weekend. We signed a contract to purchase a house. More than any single house we have ever lived in or looked at to purchase in the twenty years of our marriage, this house has all we have ever asked God for. For me that means one thing in particular. An office.
I have prayed for years that one day God would bless me with an office in our home so I could have a place to pray, read, write, and study. God has led us to such a house. We crunched all the numbers, negotiated the selling price, got our approval from the lender, but in the end we had three sticking points. The closing costs were more than we anticipated. We have to put up a fence for Annabelle. We need to construct one wall to complete a fourth bedroom. We wrestled in prayer and looked at the house a second time. It felt like home. We also waited on God and in the end He led us to step out in trust for those things we need. So we did what we have done countless times as a family. We took another step of faith. We felt God nudging us to trust Him and we stepped out in total dependence on Him to come through.
I am thoroughly convinced this will not be our last step of faith. [II Cor 5:7] [Heb 11:6] both assure me that the normal life for a follower of Jesus will necessitate many faith steps. I expect to be taking additional faith steps until God calls me to my eternal home. Even that transition from finite life to everlasting life will be a faith step.
We could sure use your prayers over the next thirty days. God knows all about it and we trust Him to build another testimony for His glory. We have sought to be obedient and pray that when the Lord comes through it serves as encouragement for countless others to lean on God in their situations.
After two full years I had just about given up on the dream of owning a home here. It was only as I learned to be content in my present situation that God began to move to sell our house in Seminole and to give us His guidance in the quest for a home here.
There will be other steps of faith for my family, for Faith Community Church, and for you as well. We will always have the opportunity to trust God for something. It is in taking obedient faith steps that we get the chance to see the miraculous working of God. That is where I want to live and serve. I want to live and serve in the land of the miraculous and not in the land of miracle famine.
Where do you live today? Can you point to regular interventions of God as you step and have stepped out in trust? Are you residing in a land of miracle famine? No matter what God asks, no matter how impossible it seems, no matter how foolish obedience may appear in the eyes of others, I pray all of us are willing to take another faith step as long as we live.
I have prayed for years that one day God would bless me with an office in our home so I could have a place to pray, read, write, and study. God has led us to such a house. We crunched all the numbers, negotiated the selling price, got our approval from the lender, but in the end we had three sticking points. The closing costs were more than we anticipated. We have to put up a fence for Annabelle. We need to construct one wall to complete a fourth bedroom. We wrestled in prayer and looked at the house a second time. It felt like home. We also waited on God and in the end He led us to step out in trust for those things we need. So we did what we have done countless times as a family. We took another step of faith. We felt God nudging us to trust Him and we stepped out in total dependence on Him to come through.
I am thoroughly convinced this will not be our last step of faith. [II Cor 5:7] [Heb 11:6] both assure me that the normal life for a follower of Jesus will necessitate many faith steps. I expect to be taking additional faith steps until God calls me to my eternal home. Even that transition from finite life to everlasting life will be a faith step.
We could sure use your prayers over the next thirty days. God knows all about it and we trust Him to build another testimony for His glory. We have sought to be obedient and pray that when the Lord comes through it serves as encouragement for countless others to lean on God in their situations.
After two full years I had just about given up on the dream of owning a home here. It was only as I learned to be content in my present situation that God began to move to sell our house in Seminole and to give us His guidance in the quest for a home here.
There will be other steps of faith for my family, for Faith Community Church, and for you as well. We will always have the opportunity to trust God for something. It is in taking obedient faith steps that we get the chance to see the miraculous working of God. That is where I want to live and serve. I want to live and serve in the land of the miraculous and not in the land of miracle famine.
Where do you live today? Can you point to regular interventions of God as you step and have stepped out in trust? Are you residing in a land of miracle famine? No matter what God asks, no matter how impossible it seems, no matter how foolish obedience may appear in the eyes of others, I pray all of us are willing to take another faith step as long as we live.
The God of Hope
There are always situations that look hopeless. I spoke this week to a wife facing the difficult battle of her husband fighting cancer. I spoke with a young lady living in an impoverished situation. I was also privy to a conversation by a graduating senior wondering how college tuition will get paid for in the fall.
These situations and many others just like it appear hopeless. We serve a God of hope. "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." [Rom 15:13]
In whatever you are facing today, you can face it with hope as well as joy and peace. God has those things in abundance for needy souls like ours. Hope can also be translated "confident expectation." Our hope is rooted in this truth; God is always working. [John 5:17] We have hope because God is working in ways we cannot see or fathom.
Let me illustrate. After months of praying by many people, Paradise Independent School District hired a new Athletic Director from outside the district. Our one coach who applied for that job but was not given the position interviewed elsewhere and was just about to take a new position when the new Athletic Director resigned unexpectedly. This left the Superintendent and School Board scrambling at a school board meeting the same day. By the end of that meeting our Defensive Coordinator and Head Baseball Coach was named the new Athletic Director. I had spoken with and prayed with he and his wife about their future. They both trusted God and were willing to follow Him wherever He led. None of us saw things unfolding the way they did a week ago. God is the God of hope even when doors appear closed.
There is hope with God. Today, in the middle of your tumultuous life there is still hope with God. There may be consequences from a life of rebellion against God but there is the hope of forgiveness and restoration. There is the hope of answered prayers. There is the hope that God is always at work. There is peace that God is not finished working on us. [Phil 1:6] He began a great work in salvation in us and He will be faithful to complete that great work to the end.
After two full years of praying and waiting Brenda and I stand on the edge of purchasing our third home. Like the other two we have had to step out on faith. Like the other two we fully expect God will come through as we have sought to follow His leadership. We are supposed to close on selling our house in Seminole in mid-June and close on purchasing a house here in mid-July. Yes, God is at work. We need your prayers as we trust God through this process.
I have hope in God. You too can hope in God. He has given us front row seats to watch Him do bewildering things that defy our imagination. All I can say is glory to God and praise to His name for the hope He has given.
These situations and many others just like it appear hopeless. We serve a God of hope. "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." [Rom 15:13]
In whatever you are facing today, you can face it with hope as well as joy and peace. God has those things in abundance for needy souls like ours. Hope can also be translated "confident expectation." Our hope is rooted in this truth; God is always working. [John 5:17] We have hope because God is working in ways we cannot see or fathom.
Let me illustrate. After months of praying by many people, Paradise Independent School District hired a new Athletic Director from outside the district. Our one coach who applied for that job but was not given the position interviewed elsewhere and was just about to take a new position when the new Athletic Director resigned unexpectedly. This left the Superintendent and School Board scrambling at a school board meeting the same day. By the end of that meeting our Defensive Coordinator and Head Baseball Coach was named the new Athletic Director. I had spoken with and prayed with he and his wife about their future. They both trusted God and were willing to follow Him wherever He led. None of us saw things unfolding the way they did a week ago. God is the God of hope even when doors appear closed.
There is hope with God. Today, in the middle of your tumultuous life there is still hope with God. There may be consequences from a life of rebellion against God but there is the hope of forgiveness and restoration. There is the hope of answered prayers. There is the hope that God is always at work. There is peace that God is not finished working on us. [Phil 1:6] He began a great work in salvation in us and He will be faithful to complete that great work to the end.
After two full years of praying and waiting Brenda and I stand on the edge of purchasing our third home. Like the other two we have had to step out on faith. Like the other two we fully expect God will come through as we have sought to follow His leadership. We are supposed to close on selling our house in Seminole in mid-June and close on purchasing a house here in mid-July. Yes, God is at work. We need your prayers as we trust God through this process.
I have hope in God. You too can hope in God. He has given us front row seats to watch Him do bewildering things that defy our imagination. All I can say is glory to God and praise to His name for the hope He has given.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Jordan's Banks
On Jordan's flooded banks I am standing,
Asking Lord exactly what you're demanding,
What's Your desire, Your purpose, Your will,
How are you testing my faith to fulfill,
Your Sovereign plan so wisely designed,
To you I surrender - your will I'm resigned,
You will me to cross over to the other side,
The overflowing waters my way is denied,
Unless with courageous faith I take a step,
I will sink if my trust in You is inapt,
On the other side is my destiny laid before,
If I'm willing to lift my foot from the shore,
Taking a faith step where You're unseen,
Trusting where the triumphant have been,
Fear denied - confident trust now embraced,
After stepping out your hand I see traced.
Asking Lord exactly what you're demanding,
What's Your desire, Your purpose, Your will,
How are you testing my faith to fulfill,
Your Sovereign plan so wisely designed,
To you I surrender - your will I'm resigned,
You will me to cross over to the other side,
The overflowing waters my way is denied,
Unless with courageous faith I take a step,
I will sink if my trust in You is inapt,
On the other side is my destiny laid before,
If I'm willing to lift my foot from the shore,
Taking a faith step where You're unseen,
Trusting where the triumphant have been,
Fear denied - confident trust now embraced,
After stepping out your hand I see traced.
A Step of Faith
Brenda and I are facing a major decision about purchasing a home. Our house in Seminole is under contract is supposed to close sometime around mid June. As we have looked at houses around here we have found one that is as close to the desires of our heart as any house we have ever looked at. It is not in Paradise but in the community of Runaway Bay not far from Paradise. It is reasonably priced for houses in this area.
We have made an offer and a counter offer. We have prayed and prayed over this issue. Not just in recent days but before we even left Seminole we prayed about this. Really what this has come down to is coming up with the money for the closing costs. We do not want to do anything without God's Spirit leading. We covet your prayers as we make a decision. We want God's decision.
Truth is I feel God prompting me to trust Him and walk by faith as we have done time and time again. Yet on the other hand, it makes me nervous. Many times I have walked up to waters edge like Israel to the Jordan River with the waters overflowing the banks and God said, "Step forward." Then and only then did Israel see the powerful hand of God stop the flow of water. In my case, only when I have stepped forward in faith have I seen the miraculous intervention of God in my life. The key is know the will of God and to be obedient to that will.
In Israel's case God's will for them was to cross the Jordan River and to take possession of the promise land. God tested their faith time and time again. That is how it is supposed to be. God tests our faith and in turn our confidence in God grows. In turn future steps of faith are not so difficult. We learn trust one faith step at a time.
Most of us want a settled life with few problems are challenges. God wills us to face challenges so we can trust Him more and more. So consistently He puts faith decisions before us. I have often thought of those first people in Joshua on the banks of the Jordan River at flood stage as they took those first steps. It must have been frightening.
I know first hand. I know that mixed feeling of terror and confidence in God as you totally abandon yourself. Honestly, we have seen God in work in astounding ways, but there have been other times when I bit the dust acting on my will and not God's. Knowing God's will in taking any step of faith is crucial. [I John 5:14-15] This is where Brenda and I covet your prayers so much.
Thank you for your prayers. They are needed as we seek God's wisdom on how to move forward.
Our will is to do nothing but His will. I watch to see where God is working. I cannot clearly see that yet. I know He is working in one way or another. He could work to close a door, He could be working to test my faith and see if I will step forward in complete trust in Him or He could be working by requiring us to wait a little longer.
Prayers for direction are needed and prayers to see where and how God is working in this situation. Through it all, it is still well with my soul.
We have made an offer and a counter offer. We have prayed and prayed over this issue. Not just in recent days but before we even left Seminole we prayed about this. Really what this has come down to is coming up with the money for the closing costs. We do not want to do anything without God's Spirit leading. We covet your prayers as we make a decision. We want God's decision.
Truth is I feel God prompting me to trust Him and walk by faith as we have done time and time again. Yet on the other hand, it makes me nervous. Many times I have walked up to waters edge like Israel to the Jordan River with the waters overflowing the banks and God said, "Step forward." Then and only then did Israel see the powerful hand of God stop the flow of water. In my case, only when I have stepped forward in faith have I seen the miraculous intervention of God in my life. The key is know the will of God and to be obedient to that will.
In Israel's case God's will for them was to cross the Jordan River and to take possession of the promise land. God tested their faith time and time again. That is how it is supposed to be. God tests our faith and in turn our confidence in God grows. In turn future steps of faith are not so difficult. We learn trust one faith step at a time.
Most of us want a settled life with few problems are challenges. God wills us to face challenges so we can trust Him more and more. So consistently He puts faith decisions before us. I have often thought of those first people in Joshua on the banks of the Jordan River at flood stage as they took those first steps. It must have been frightening.
I know first hand. I know that mixed feeling of terror and confidence in God as you totally abandon yourself. Honestly, we have seen God in work in astounding ways, but there have been other times when I bit the dust acting on my will and not God's. Knowing God's will in taking any step of faith is crucial. [I John 5:14-15] This is where Brenda and I covet your prayers so much.
Thank you for your prayers. They are needed as we seek God's wisdom on how to move forward.
Our will is to do nothing but His will. I watch to see where God is working. I cannot clearly see that yet. I know He is working in one way or another. He could work to close a door, He could be working to test my faith and see if I will step forward in complete trust in Him or He could be working by requiring us to wait a little longer.
Prayers for direction are needed and prayers to see where and how God is working in this situation. Through it all, it is still well with my soul.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I Will Go
I heard your call gently in my ears,
To follow you through the many tears,
I packed and walked ahead in blind faith,
Grieving losses that time cannot erase,
You said, "Who can I send to go,"
At first I wanted to tell You "no,"
Then I said, "Here I am - send me,"
You broke chains of fear - I am free,
I follow - I serve - I still trust You today,
I will go - anywhere, anytime, anyway,
I will go when the path seems unsure,
I will go when money is not secured,
I will go to heed the Macedonian call,
I will go forward - my life, heart, my all.
To follow you through the many tears,
I packed and walked ahead in blind faith,
Grieving losses that time cannot erase,
You said, "Who can I send to go,"
At first I wanted to tell You "no,"
Then I said, "Here I am - send me,"
You broke chains of fear - I am free,
I follow - I serve - I still trust You today,
I will go - anywhere, anytime, anyway,
I will go when the path seems unsure,
I will go when money is not secured,
I will go to heed the Macedonian call,
I will go forward - my life, heart, my all.
Gathering and Sending
Jesus often gathered people around Him. He also sent people out on mission for Him often. The church today seeks to gather. While a few are sent we are much more content to keep gathering and seizing into our possession those gathered without releasing them to will of God. We like to pad our attendance, offerings, and ministries. Sending means dwindling attendance, smaller offerings, and fewer volunteers for ministry.
In [Mark 6:7-13] Jesus gathers the disciples and then sends them out. That means He appointed for the disciples a place to go and and to minister. That also means they had to depart from Him. Being sent means leaving people and a places you may love. I wonder today who hears the call of God to be sent.
[Is 6:8] Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Who is praying that prayer today. Who is pleading with God jumping up and down with hand in the air saying, "God, here I am. Pick me! Choose me! I will go! Let me do it!"
That is what God is looking for. Availability. You may have remained in your holy huddle for years and now the voice of the Spirit of God is saying to you, "Will you go for ME? Will you pack up, will you sacrifice all that is safe and secure and follow ME? I am choosing you to go for ME."
[Acts 16:9] And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; a certain man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
This is not a vision. Yet this is a preacher calling out to any serious believer willing to follow God to come help us at Faith Community Church. I am asking you to prayerfully consider that plea for help. I pray God would take this simple plea and alter the course of your life as He did mine two years ago. Will you come and help us? Would you conclude from reading this that God is calling you to come and help us preach the gospel and minister to Wise and Parker Counties? I cannot produce a vision but I can make the same plea the man from Macedonia did. Will you come and help us?
God gathered us into His fold but now He is sending us out. For some of us that has meant departing and going to an appointed place. For others that means you are about to depart to follow God to an appointed destination to serve Him. Faith Community Church is just one option. There are scores of other places you can do the same.
For those of you who already call Faith Community Church home a word of warning. The day will come when many of you will be sent to plant other churches in other regions, states and nations. God gathered us together but the day may come when God sends some out. I might be in that number and on the other hand, I might be the one grieving the loss of spiritual family as God sends you out on special assignment for Him.
I rejoice when God gathers. I also rejoice when God sends. He is Lord over both.
In [Mark 6:7-13] Jesus gathers the disciples and then sends them out. That means He appointed for the disciples a place to go and and to minister. That also means they had to depart from Him. Being sent means leaving people and a places you may love. I wonder today who hears the call of God to be sent.
[Is 6:8] Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Who is praying that prayer today. Who is pleading with God jumping up and down with hand in the air saying, "God, here I am. Pick me! Choose me! I will go! Let me do it!"
That is what God is looking for. Availability. You may have remained in your holy huddle for years and now the voice of the Spirit of God is saying to you, "Will you go for ME? Will you pack up, will you sacrifice all that is safe and secure and follow ME? I am choosing you to go for ME."
[Acts 16:9] And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; a certain man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
This is not a vision. Yet this is a preacher calling out to any serious believer willing to follow God to come help us at Faith Community Church. I am asking you to prayerfully consider that plea for help. I pray God would take this simple plea and alter the course of your life as He did mine two years ago. Will you come and help us? Would you conclude from reading this that God is calling you to come and help us preach the gospel and minister to Wise and Parker Counties? I cannot produce a vision but I can make the same plea the man from Macedonia did. Will you come and help us?
God gathered us into His fold but now He is sending us out. For some of us that has meant departing and going to an appointed place. For others that means you are about to depart to follow God to an appointed destination to serve Him. Faith Community Church is just one option. There are scores of other places you can do the same.
For those of you who already call Faith Community Church home a word of warning. The day will come when many of you will be sent to plant other churches in other regions, states and nations. God gathered us together but the day may come when God sends some out. I might be in that number and on the other hand, I might be the one grieving the loss of spiritual family as God sends you out on special assignment for Him.
I rejoice when God gathers. I also rejoice when God sends. He is Lord over both.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
True Faith
James writes in his book chapter two verse 14 that faith without works is dead. Yet many people talk the talk of faith. They know the jargon. They can speak the faith lingo fluently, perhaps even able to quote some scriptures. Yet, for all the faith talk there are no works. There is no action.
The proof of the inward transformation of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is the outward expression of that faith in deeds. Love. Forgiveness. Service. Labor. Giving and so forth. Those things give proof to our faith.
Countless people say they believe in God. So do the demons. They have an intellectual belief that is not a saving faith. It is not a true faith. Abraham had real faith. Rahab had real faith. [James 2:21-25] Abraham was not perfect. Rahab was a harlot. They both had true faith though and God counted it toward them as righteousness making them acceptable in His presence.
The church is filled with those who have dead faith. This is a lifeless, inactive, and inoperative faith. It is not a saving faith. Saving faith produces works. It was said of Abraham, "Abraham was not saved by faith plus works, but by a faith that works." We were created for good works. [Eph 2:10]
So do a close examination. I found this one in a magazine. Do you regularly engage God's Word in your private life? Do you regularly obey God's leadership? Do you have a desire to serve God and others? Do you share Christ? Do you exercise faith? Are you seeking God? Your answers may very well indicate if you have true faith or a dead faith. A dead faith cannot save you. True faith in Christ can render you righteous before a Holy God. Which kind of faith do you have?
The proof of the inward transformation of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ is the outward expression of that faith in deeds. Love. Forgiveness. Service. Labor. Giving and so forth. Those things give proof to our faith.
Countless people say they believe in God. So do the demons. They have an intellectual belief that is not a saving faith. It is not a true faith. Abraham had real faith. Rahab had real faith. [James 2:21-25] Abraham was not perfect. Rahab was a harlot. They both had true faith though and God counted it toward them as righteousness making them acceptable in His presence.
The church is filled with those who have dead faith. This is a lifeless, inactive, and inoperative faith. It is not a saving faith. Saving faith produces works. It was said of Abraham, "Abraham was not saved by faith plus works, but by a faith that works." We were created for good works. [Eph 2:10]
So do a close examination. I found this one in a magazine. Do you regularly engage God's Word in your private life? Do you regularly obey God's leadership? Do you have a desire to serve God and others? Do you share Christ? Do you exercise faith? Are you seeking God? Your answers may very well indicate if you have true faith or a dead faith. A dead faith cannot save you. True faith in Christ can render you righteous before a Holy God. Which kind of faith do you have?
God Speaks
While reading Acts 10 yesterday I was struck with the truth that God speaks. He spoke to a man named Cornelius about Peter who was in the town of Joppa. God spoke to Peter through a vision and also through the Holy Spirit revealing some men were coming for him.
As I shut the Bible for prayer and meditation, I cried out to God for the supernatural ability to hear Him speak. I yearn for that more than any other prayer request. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Elisha, and Paul all clearly heard God when He spoke.
The clearest place to hear God speak is in His word. That's why I get up day after day and read scripture. It is in the hope and prayer that God will speak. He does speak. I wrote previously about how God spoke to me on a back porch of some friends' house through [John 5:17]. That one quiet time will stand forever as spiritual marker in my life. God spoke clearly that afternoon and the effects of that time with the Lord still lingers.
There have been times when I have gotten it wrong. I thought God was speaking one thing and I turned out be wrong. I have also gotten it right a few times. Several years ago I was on a retreat with some college students. Our assignment was to spend one hour with God in prayer mainly listening to him. A girl from our church was there as a high school senior. She had big plans for college. God spoke to me gently about telling her He wanted her to go to Howard Payne University. Howard Payne University is a small school in a pretty small central Texas town. It is not a large prestigious school. I found the girl praying and walked up and delivered the message I felt God had given me and then walked away.
That girl ended up changing her plans and going to Howard Payne. She graduated this past weekend with some outstanding achievements. She made some lifelong friends and Howard Payne proved to be the right choice. She didn't go there just because I relayed a message. God took the message that I gave her and confirmed it in other ways.
On another occasion a man came to my office in west Texas to challenge me to hold a revival at FBC Seminole where I served as pastor. The kicker was he thought I should preach the revival. After days of prayer the Lord spoke to me. He led me to hold and preach the revival. He also instructed me to schedule the revival for ten days but then impressed on me it would last longer. He also gave me specific things to do in preparation for the revival. It lasted twenty-three days. O what glorious days those were. Many were saved including some senior adults and a Sunday School teacher. I never want to forget them and hope that I will live to see such days again before I die. I shudder to think how we could have missed all of it (the salvations and renewal of lives) if I had chosen not to obey what God spoke
I am working my way through the book of Acts and God has spoken clearly on multiple occasions. He spoke to me about the institution of the church from Acts 2. He spoke to me again about the ministries of prayer and preaching the word from Acts 6. He spoke to me about the power of the gospel in Acts 8. He also spoke to me through Acts 10.
Just like God is always working He is also speaking. Somewhere and to someone God is always speaking revealing His will, communicating new directions, birthing new dreams, and offering words of rebuke and comfort. God speaks.
I for one want to hear everything He has to say to me. I want to hear Him clearly and obey Him promptly. I don't know what God will speak to me next. I am just glad that He speaks. I want to hear from Him for the rest of my life.
As I shut the Bible for prayer and meditation, I cried out to God for the supernatural ability to hear Him speak. I yearn for that more than any other prayer request. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, Elisha, and Paul all clearly heard God when He spoke.
The clearest place to hear God speak is in His word. That's why I get up day after day and read scripture. It is in the hope and prayer that God will speak. He does speak. I wrote previously about how God spoke to me on a back porch of some friends' house through [John 5:17]. That one quiet time will stand forever as spiritual marker in my life. God spoke clearly that afternoon and the effects of that time with the Lord still lingers.
There have been times when I have gotten it wrong. I thought God was speaking one thing and I turned out be wrong. I have also gotten it right a few times. Several years ago I was on a retreat with some college students. Our assignment was to spend one hour with God in prayer mainly listening to him. A girl from our church was there as a high school senior. She had big plans for college. God spoke to me gently about telling her He wanted her to go to Howard Payne University. Howard Payne University is a small school in a pretty small central Texas town. It is not a large prestigious school. I found the girl praying and walked up and delivered the message I felt God had given me and then walked away.
That girl ended up changing her plans and going to Howard Payne. She graduated this past weekend with some outstanding achievements. She made some lifelong friends and Howard Payne proved to be the right choice. She didn't go there just because I relayed a message. God took the message that I gave her and confirmed it in other ways.
On another occasion a man came to my office in west Texas to challenge me to hold a revival at FBC Seminole where I served as pastor. The kicker was he thought I should preach the revival. After days of prayer the Lord spoke to me. He led me to hold and preach the revival. He also instructed me to schedule the revival for ten days but then impressed on me it would last longer. He also gave me specific things to do in preparation for the revival. It lasted twenty-three days. O what glorious days those were. Many were saved including some senior adults and a Sunday School teacher. I never want to forget them and hope that I will live to see such days again before I die. I shudder to think how we could have missed all of it (the salvations and renewal of lives) if I had chosen not to obey what God spoke
I am working my way through the book of Acts and God has spoken clearly on multiple occasions. He spoke to me about the institution of the church from Acts 2. He spoke to me again about the ministries of prayer and preaching the word from Acts 6. He spoke to me about the power of the gospel in Acts 8. He also spoke to me through Acts 10.
Just like God is always working He is also speaking. Somewhere and to someone God is always speaking revealing His will, communicating new directions, birthing new dreams, and offering words of rebuke and comfort. God speaks.
I for one want to hear everything He has to say to me. I want to hear Him clearly and obey Him promptly. I don't know what God will speak to me next. I am just glad that He speaks. I want to hear from Him for the rest of my life.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
It Is Well With My Soul
Today I say, "It is well with my soul",
Faith is strong my heart made whole,
In your presence I daily long to linger,
Tracing the work of your Sovereign fingers,
It is well deep down within my being,
Watching as all my darkness is fleeing,
When the seas are smooth glass sailing,
When my soul aches and continues ailing,
You still heal and work to make me well,
Your goodness an aroma a fragrant smell,
To one rebounding from the dark pain,
Finding relief and rest from all the strain,
Yes, Lord, Your work continues to console,
Today, I sing, "It is still well with my soul".
Faith is strong my heart made whole,
In your presence I daily long to linger,
Tracing the work of your Sovereign fingers,
It is well deep down within my being,
Watching as all my darkness is fleeing,
When the seas are smooth glass sailing,
When my soul aches and continues ailing,
You still heal and work to make me well,
Your goodness an aroma a fragrant smell,
To one rebounding from the dark pain,
Finding relief and rest from all the strain,
Yes, Lord, Your work continues to console,
Today, I sing, "It is still well with my soul".
Whatever Is Ahead of Me
This morning, after everyone went to school, I sat in my recliner listening to some satellite Christian music. A song played with these words in the chorus, "Whatever is ahead of me I will sing hallelujah." What a great truth to ponder.
The truth is nobody knows what lies in front us. We don't know what will happen in the next hour much less the day, week or the month. For example, Brenda had to get some blood work done today and she was low on gas. She took my truck so I could take her car to get gas in it. Well it just so happened she took my keys with her I had left in the truck. This was not planned. It will be reconciled when we meet for lunch but it is inconvenient for the moment. I write this from the cafe instead of my office.
If you don't believe me that none of us knows what is ahead just as a group of parents, teachers, and students in Connecticut. If they had known what was ahead they would have kept their children home that day. Just ask some movie goers in Colorado. If they had known they would chose a different time or even a different theater all together to see the new Batman movie. Just ask spectators and runners in the Boston Marathon. If they had known they would have sped up the pace or lagged behind so as not to be around the explosions and spectators would have viewed the race from a different position. The same is true for those living in the small town of West, TX after the chemical explosion. If they had known what was coming they might have chosen to be out of town that night or moved to a different town beforehand.
We don't know what is ahead. I often find myself praying this prayer. "Lord, I don't know the future but I know you hold the future."On the same day on one side of town people rejoice and live the high life with the birth of new children and grandchildren. On the other side of town couples grieve still born births and children born with terminal illnesses. We just don't know what lies ahead. A person can devote their lives to working for one company and then show up one day to the news that they are being let go.
We love to dream and plan our plans. We work to see those plans come to fruition but one turn of events could send any of us reeling. We get the doctor's report and suddenly nothing else matters but healing, family, and our souls. This is the nature of life. None of us are immune.
Today could be the greatest day of your life. You get married. You graduate. You get a promotion. You finally close on your dream home. On those days it is easy to sing hallelujah. Today could be one of the worst days of your life. It is much more difficult and I believe naturally impossible to sing hallelujah on those days. God can strengthen and help a person to sing and to genuinely mean hallelujah but that is a supernatural work of the Lord.
God has it under control. He has it under control when my family is blessed and everything is turning out roses. He also has it under control even if trouble and tragedy touch my family. In both cases God deserves my singing hallelujah.
So no matter what is ahead for us today I am resolved to sing hallelujah. I am resolved to worship in the midst of it all. There may be tears at times and there may be multitudes of unanswered questions but I want to worship. I have a sister in Christ that when I see her and ask how she is doing she always responds with, "I am grateful in the midst of it all." What a great response. So today, I say again, "It is still well with my soul." It does not matter what lies ahead. Whatever is ahead of me and you I pray we all have the fortitude of faith to keep singing hallelujah. Some days will be easier than others but may we learn to be grateful in the midst of it all.
The truth is nobody knows what lies in front us. We don't know what will happen in the next hour much less the day, week or the month. For example, Brenda had to get some blood work done today and she was low on gas. She took my truck so I could take her car to get gas in it. Well it just so happened she took my keys with her I had left in the truck. This was not planned. It will be reconciled when we meet for lunch but it is inconvenient for the moment. I write this from the cafe instead of my office.
If you don't believe me that none of us knows what is ahead just as a group of parents, teachers, and students in Connecticut. If they had known what was ahead they would have kept their children home that day. Just ask some movie goers in Colorado. If they had known they would chose a different time or even a different theater all together to see the new Batman movie. Just ask spectators and runners in the Boston Marathon. If they had known they would have sped up the pace or lagged behind so as not to be around the explosions and spectators would have viewed the race from a different position. The same is true for those living in the small town of West, TX after the chemical explosion. If they had known what was coming they might have chosen to be out of town that night or moved to a different town beforehand.
We don't know what is ahead. I often find myself praying this prayer. "Lord, I don't know the future but I know you hold the future."On the same day on one side of town people rejoice and live the high life with the birth of new children and grandchildren. On the other side of town couples grieve still born births and children born with terminal illnesses. We just don't know what lies ahead. A person can devote their lives to working for one company and then show up one day to the news that they are being let go.
We love to dream and plan our plans. We work to see those plans come to fruition but one turn of events could send any of us reeling. We get the doctor's report and suddenly nothing else matters but healing, family, and our souls. This is the nature of life. None of us are immune.
Today could be the greatest day of your life. You get married. You graduate. You get a promotion. You finally close on your dream home. On those days it is easy to sing hallelujah. Today could be one of the worst days of your life. It is much more difficult and I believe naturally impossible to sing hallelujah on those days. God can strengthen and help a person to sing and to genuinely mean hallelujah but that is a supernatural work of the Lord.
God has it under control. He has it under control when my family is blessed and everything is turning out roses. He also has it under control even if trouble and tragedy touch my family. In both cases God deserves my singing hallelujah.
So no matter what is ahead for us today I am resolved to sing hallelujah. I am resolved to worship in the midst of it all. There may be tears at times and there may be multitudes of unanswered questions but I want to worship. I have a sister in Christ that when I see her and ask how she is doing she always responds with, "I am grateful in the midst of it all." What a great response. So today, I say again, "It is still well with my soul." It does not matter what lies ahead. Whatever is ahead of me and you I pray we all have the fortitude of faith to keep singing hallelujah. Some days will be easier than others but may we learn to be grateful in the midst of it all.
Monday, May 6, 2013
God is Working
[John 5:17] "My Father is working until now and I am working."
This short verse changed my life on a back porch eight days ago. Why? For several hours I literally got lost in this truth. God took me on a journey back to Genesis and all the way through to Revelation with the reminder that He has always been working, He is at work now, and He will work in the future.
The word "work" in that verse means to produce, cause to exist, and to labor. God is working. He is producing holiness in his people, revival in different parts of the world, salvation for the multitudes, peace for troubled hearts, healing for the incurable, and so much more.
God is working even now. He worked in my life on the back porch with that little verse. Now the truth is that we do not always feel like He is working. We do not always see Him working but that does not change the fact. God is working.
I can't explain to you why this resonated so deeply in my soul. I only know in those moments alone with God, hope began to soar, peace returned, faith was renewed, and passion for God and His work were rekindled. I felt the work of God in my soul while sitting on that back porch eight days ago. I traced the hand of God moving in impossible situations throughout history. Again and again when all seemed lost God worked. He gave the promised son, delivered from prison to second in command in the land, preserved the babe in the wicker basket floating down the Nile, parted the Red Sea, toppled walls surrounding Jericho, defeated the giant with a sling and a stone, brought down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, sent the Savior, healed the lame and blind, and started not only the church but an entire movement that encompassed the world.
God is working. He is always working. He works in our quiet times as He reveals truth and speaks to us day in and day out. He works in worship services to minister to hearts through music and His Word. He works in our lives through answers to prayer and reassurances that He is present in the tough times.
God works in ways that we can not understand this side of Heaven. How ingenious to have Joseph sold into slavery and falsely imprisoned to eventually have Joseph interpret Pharaoh's dream which landed him in the second highest position in the land. God used Joseph to preserve the nation of Israel.
In Egypt after a while it appeared that God was not working. Four hundred years elapsed and conditions worsened. In those years God had a plan and He was still at work. God worked to bring the deliverer Moses on the scene to bring about a dramatic deliverance.
God has it all figured out when we don't. He knows the right move at the right time. He knows the best people to play the right roles for the unfolding drama of life. Some people have more leading roles while others play supporting cast roles but through it all God is at work directing the affairs of life.
What a joy and thrilling reminder that God is working. I don't know what He is doing where you are and I may not even know what He is doing here but He is working. It is thrilling to wait for what He will do next.
There is no way to reproduce what God used John 5:17 to do in my life eight days ago. That work has remained. When I say it is well with my soul it is because I believe God is at work. That is a fascinating and liberating truth. I assure you He is work around your life as well. It may not look like it at the moment. Keep waiting and keep trusting. He is working.
This short verse changed my life on a back porch eight days ago. Why? For several hours I literally got lost in this truth. God took me on a journey back to Genesis and all the way through to Revelation with the reminder that He has always been working, He is at work now, and He will work in the future.
The word "work" in that verse means to produce, cause to exist, and to labor. God is working. He is producing holiness in his people, revival in different parts of the world, salvation for the multitudes, peace for troubled hearts, healing for the incurable, and so much more.
God is working even now. He worked in my life on the back porch with that little verse. Now the truth is that we do not always feel like He is working. We do not always see Him working but that does not change the fact. God is working.
I can't explain to you why this resonated so deeply in my soul. I only know in those moments alone with God, hope began to soar, peace returned, faith was renewed, and passion for God and His work were rekindled. I felt the work of God in my soul while sitting on that back porch eight days ago. I traced the hand of God moving in impossible situations throughout history. Again and again when all seemed lost God worked. He gave the promised son, delivered from prison to second in command in the land, preserved the babe in the wicker basket floating down the Nile, parted the Red Sea, toppled walls surrounding Jericho, defeated the giant with a sling and a stone, brought down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, sent the Savior, healed the lame and blind, and started not only the church but an entire movement that encompassed the world.
God is working. He is always working. He works in our quiet times as He reveals truth and speaks to us day in and day out. He works in worship services to minister to hearts through music and His Word. He works in our lives through answers to prayer and reassurances that He is present in the tough times.
God works in ways that we can not understand this side of Heaven. How ingenious to have Joseph sold into slavery and falsely imprisoned to eventually have Joseph interpret Pharaoh's dream which landed him in the second highest position in the land. God used Joseph to preserve the nation of Israel.
In Egypt after a while it appeared that God was not working. Four hundred years elapsed and conditions worsened. In those years God had a plan and He was still at work. God worked to bring the deliverer Moses on the scene to bring about a dramatic deliverance.
God has it all figured out when we don't. He knows the right move at the right time. He knows the best people to play the right roles for the unfolding drama of life. Some people have more leading roles while others play supporting cast roles but through it all God is at work directing the affairs of life.
What a joy and thrilling reminder that God is working. I don't know what He is doing where you are and I may not even know what He is doing here but He is working. It is thrilling to wait for what He will do next.
There is no way to reproduce what God used John 5:17 to do in my life eight days ago. That work has remained. When I say it is well with my soul it is because I believe God is at work. That is a fascinating and liberating truth. I assure you He is work around your life as well. It may not look like it at the moment. Keep waiting and keep trusting. He is working.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
It Is Well With My Soul
I love that old hymn. Over the years it has become my favorite. I love the spiritual depth of each verse. I love the story behind the song written by Horatio Spafford. He wrote the song while sailing over the very spot where his daughters died.
His faith was real and unwavering. That is the kind of faith that draws me. People who trust God in the most overwhelming of circumstances inspire the rest of us to keep trusting and to keep pressing on. I am talking about men like David Brainerd, John Bunyan, and Charles Simeon. Women like Amy Carmichael, Sarah Edwards, and Elizabeth Elliott.
O how these men and women inspire, because like Horatio Spafford, they each said with their lives, "It is well with my soul." Each of these men and women suffered. Some suffered physically. Some suffered the death of visions and dreams. Some suffered the loss of spouses and personal freedom. Each endured the hardships of life and ended their lives with all being well with their souls.
I think of Spafford sitting on that deck learning that he was passing over the very location where he had lost his beloved girls. I also think of his faith as he penned these words, "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul." Each verse seems to build until the last verse he crescendos with these wonderful sentiments, "And, Lord haste the day when the faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul."
Powerful! Deeply moving and inspiring. Today, I too can say, "It is well with my soul." I love many songs but none anymore than this one. I want it sung at my funeral. This song speaks to my soul. Yes, Lord, we long for you to hasten the day when our faith will become sight. We yearn for the day when we will join you and all the things we could not see and understand will become perfectly clear as we see from your perspective. Until that day and in all the days in between, may we say over and over again like the saints of old, "It is well with my soul."
His faith was real and unwavering. That is the kind of faith that draws me. People who trust God in the most overwhelming of circumstances inspire the rest of us to keep trusting and to keep pressing on. I am talking about men like David Brainerd, John Bunyan, and Charles Simeon. Women like Amy Carmichael, Sarah Edwards, and Elizabeth Elliott.
O how these men and women inspire, because like Horatio Spafford, they each said with their lives, "It is well with my soul." Each of these men and women suffered. Some suffered physically. Some suffered the death of visions and dreams. Some suffered the loss of spouses and personal freedom. Each endured the hardships of life and ended their lives with all being well with their souls.
I think of Spafford sitting on that deck learning that he was passing over the very location where he had lost his beloved girls. I also think of his faith as he penned these words, "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul." Each verse seems to build until the last verse he crescendos with these wonderful sentiments, "And, Lord haste the day when the faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul."
Powerful! Deeply moving and inspiring. Today, I too can say, "It is well with my soul." I love many songs but none anymore than this one. I want it sung at my funeral. This song speaks to my soul. Yes, Lord, we long for you to hasten the day when our faith will become sight. We yearn for the day when we will join you and all the things we could not see and understand will become perfectly clear as we see from your perspective. Until that day and in all the days in between, may we say over and over again like the saints of old, "It is well with my soul."
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