In Case You Missed It . . .

Here's what I had the pleasure of preaching on Sunday morning - a big "Thank You!" to the Big Man upstairs. This is only a general outline of what I talked about, because God has His own agenda when I speak.

One Heart

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Unity

     Many parts make up one body, but as the saying goes, "You are only as strong as your weakest link." My question to you is what is our weakest link? (I showed the audience a big chain, donated from one of our deacons) I don't wanna sound too harsh, but sometimes to really finish that statement . . .we have to take a good, hard look in the mirror; Me included.

     The thing about this whole "unity" thing is that we cannot be divided - not on creed, distinction, age, prejudice, intentions, and most importantly mission. Now what is our mission? (Listed in stair-step form, starting with the first step here.)

1. Believing in Christ (Acts 16:31) 

• Worship --> Loving God with our heart(s), NOT just our words.

     This is the process of understanding Christ, and what He has done for us! Matthew 22:37

      2. Growing in Christ (2 Timothy 3:16)

• Small Group(s) --> Learning, Relating, Ministry in Group(s), Outreach, Growth, Caring, Praying, Fellowship, Discipleship

     This is the part of belonging to a group larger than yourself, because we CANNOT "do the Christian thing" on our own. We MUST belong to a gropu of believers that will encourage us, have faith in us, lift us up in prayer and accountability, as well as correct us when we are doing things that are not so good for us. We all long to belong to something, so this is the next step where we must become involved in the lives of others to really grasp our faith, take hold of it, own it, and live it out in our daily lives.  Matthew 22:38     Matthew 28:20

     I asked, "Who here do you know well enough to ask them really personal questions, like: How are you doing this week in your spiritual growth? How can I pray for you, specifically? How is your struggle with ___________ going?" "Seriously, take a look around right now and answer that question for yourself." "If Jesus saw it as a priority to say as His last words, 'As you are going, make Disciples . . .' then we have to take that commandment seriously, and get involved in the lives of believers sitting around us."

      3. Sharing Christ (Acts 1:8)

• Evangelism/Missions --> Reaching the Lost 

     It's not that people aren't hearing the Gospel enough, but that the people that have never heard about Jesus at all- they are the ones that aren't even getting to hear about Him . . .because of the way that WE act! We are spreading the "Good News" to the pople that have heard about it for years, and years . . .AND YEARS!
     This is when I described a hogs' wallow, or a muddy pit in which hogs wallow around in a mixture of their own filth, mud, and water. I asked, "If we are supposed to be 'filling our cup' with the Good News - or the Living Water - of Jesus Christ, but we were really filling it with the mud and filth from our own lives (just like a hogs' wallow) . . .who would want anything to do with us? It's like we are asking them to drink from the same cup of mud that we drink from in our own lives. We are filling this cup with mud and filth, and saying 'Go ahead, take a big swig of that good stuff!' Like really? Who would want anything to do with a church like that?"

      4. Serving Christ (Matthew 25:40)

• Serving Others --> Bringing glory to God & Using our Gifts! 

1 Peter 4:10-11      1 Corinthians 12:4-7     Galatians 5:13

     This is the practical, hands-on approach to the Gospel; Going out, meeting the needs of people with our time, talents, effort, and good, "old-fashioned" hard work. It is so crucial in the day that we live in, that we reach out as the hands and feet of Jesus, going into the places that we have not been before- especially when it comes to our own town of St. Clair. We must not only be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word! There is nothing more frustrating than when a "Christian" says something, and acts completely different than what they just said. 


"It really breaks my heart when people act like this, and profane the name of God by what they do in the public eye(s). People are looking for a reason to discredit Christ, and to never look upon the cross. We have to be more than this!"

      5. Becoming more like Christ (John 8:12)

• The ultimate example of sacrifice, service, love, and grace.

     If we really understood what He has done for us, we would never argue about useless junk, waste our time on things that don't matter, and we would spend every moment making sure more and more people understood His free gift, started growing in His likeness, and started sharing their faith with others.



Now there is flip side to this topic of Unity . . . 
Chaos & Division

1. Me-Centered Attitudes

• Selfishness abounds

      2. Stagnant or Negative Growth

• Having little to do or share with others. No connection to a growing body of Believers. No time for "feelings" or deep issues.
• "Why grow to be like Christ, when everybody likes 'Me' just the way 'I am?'"

      3. "Hoarding All the Brownies" (Mentality)

•  Everybody learns to share in Kindergarten, but these type of "Christians" don't share to save their lives . . .or anybody else's for that matter.
• "These people are so consumed with keeping it all to themselves, that they end up looking like a small child that has wrapped his/her arms around a giant pan of brownies - trying to keep the goodness to themselves."

      4. Pew-Sittin' Preacher(s) 

•  They care more about "their pew/seat" in church than going out and showing the love of Christ to others around them. They are usually characterized by a few behaviors:
• NO smiling allowed!
• They usually have an opinion about what the church"should be doing"
• Bad attitudes
• Little involvement in church activities/events

     We then proceeded to list a host of reasons that people wouldn't have anything to do with a church/local body of believers, as well as listing sins that people don't want anything to have to do with.
     After we listed these things, I turned back around and said, "If we don't want anything to do with this kind of stuff . . .but we have them as a part of our own lives we are . . ." (And I wrote this in big letters across the front of our list) "FRAUDS!" WE ARE FRAUDS & LIARS IF WE DO THIS STUFF!" 
"We can NOT spend out time acting like something other than what we say we are. Our words and actions MUST match."

I proceed to tell the group that I didn't know what the Lord was saying to their heart(s), but I do know that "We don't need to forget what we've heard here today, and I've got a little something for each of you that want a physical reminder that we are all in this together."


As I pulled out a large popcorn tin, then I had them all try to guess what was in the tin.  When I opened it, and pulled out a small army man, I explained that: "Just like a member of an army is just one of many soldiers, and any soldier that thinks he can win a war all by himself is pretty delusional about his job. There are no Rambo(s) in a body of believers, except for Jesus, and we all have to learn that we must trust and depend on each other more and more."




. . . .and this is what we talked about on Sunday.

Growth

     As the snow is melting and Puxatony Phil declares that spring is not very far away . . .We too, as a church, are about to enter a season of growth. What comes to mind, when I think about growth, is the passage of Psalms 1, in particular about hw the Lord blesses this man’s faithfulness:

“Blessed is the man who walks not int he counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

    Sometimes we get too caught up in wanting to grow, when the Lord may know that we are not ready. Each plant grows according to its own season, and its own biological clock – so is the life of the church.

     I believe growth is a good thing, and it shows that the Lord is blessing the faith of His people. It can also be a bad thing, when we focus too much on the numerical amount of growth instead of discipleship growth that Jesus calls us to. If we focus on the wrong things, our roots will be shallow and susceptible to the wailing of the winds. But a tree firmly planted along the streams (or closely meshed with God’s Word) . . .that’s when the Lord will allow us to prosper. 

     So continue to seek the Lord’s counsel in all things, and to dive deeply into His Word daily.

Messengers with a clear purpose

The other night, as I looked up at the stars in the sky, I noticed a light that was moving – and I realized that it was a satellite. I was thinking about what the primary function of a satellite really is . . .to relay the message of it’s sender across the world.

            In today’s techno-crazy world, we often forget about the usefulness of satellites, but I want to bring something into perspective here. Our lives as followers of Christ are EXACTLY like the mission of a satellite. Christ has given us a message to relay to the rest of the world. He didn’t say “send this message if you feel like it.” A satellite does everything asked of it, and more – because it is following the instructions of it’s operator – in this case it is Jesus that is our operator.

            As followers of Christ, we are to get HIS message out to the nations of the world, just like a satellite.

1 Thessalonians 2, verse 4 makes this point very clear when it says:

“. . .just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”

          The message is clear. We MUST share HIS message with those that do not believe; otherwise we are not completing our mission in this world. It’s not our job to change hearts, because Jesus takes care of that – it’s our job to get the word out.

Firmly rooted or Not?

    It’s like what my camp director used to tell the staff all the time “What you put into the well, is going to come up in the bucket.”

In Romans, 11:16 we find a similar set of advice:

“ . . .if the root is holy, so are the branches.”

     When I read this, I thought of Paul’s symbol here – the tree. If the tree doesn’t have firm, deep, healthy roots then it won’t grow. In the same sense, it applies to our own “faith trees.”

     When we first hear the message about what Jesus has done for our world, a seed is planted. If that seed is cared for and nurtured, then the seed will develop into a sapling – although it is small, it still is a tree. That tree depends on the roots to sustain it, and if its roots aren’t rooted deeply and providing life to the rest of the tree . . .then the tree will die.

     As simple as it sounds, this is exactly like our life in Christ. If we are not firmly planted in God’s word, and seeking daily nourishment from it, then we can be carried off by all kinds of ideas.

     Remember, the roots are careful about the things that it sends into the rest of the tree. So too should we be careful about what we put into our lives. Holiness does not “just happen,” and neither does growth. If the roots are holy, then the branches will learn from that holiness and grow in the same way – into holiness.

Just something to think about.

Journey to the Summit

     As I sit in my office this morning, I am reminded of how much I want to be outside . . .and how extremely jealous I am that my best friend is in Colorado, climbing mountains – while I am not. If you know anything about me, it is this – I have an affinity for the outdoors, and I would much rather be outside than inside, on just about any given day. With that said, I like hiking and climbing the best out of anything I get to do in the outdoors.
You may be asking yourself . . . “Self, why is he talking about how much he loves the outdoors?” Well, your answer lies in the verses I was reading this morning (and a book I read just a few weeks ago). But first things first!
     In the book of Isaiah, we find a particular passage that thrills my soul in many ways, but especially because of the specific words that Isaiah had to say about the nations of Judah and Jerusalem. In the second chapter of his writings, we find him saying this:

“In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’
The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”

     As I read this particular passage (which is found in verses two and three), my soul jumped because of pure excitement. It is nature that thrills me in ways that I cannot describe, and even pictures can do nothing to describe the sheer isolation that you feel in the wilderness. It is only you, God, and His creation – which can be exciting and terrifying too.
     This is also true in life, because sometimes the best thing for our hearts is to get away from all the noise, clamor, hustle, and bustle of the world – and to retreat into the heart of the wilderness, where we can hear directly from the voice of God.
     The book I was telling you about is called Touching The Void by Joe Simpson. It is one man’s miraculous story of survival, when tragedy happened on the side of a snow-covered mountain. I tell you about this book, because it made me think of all the trials that we face in life. Just like Joe and Simon were climbing in insanely hard conditions, they never gave up; almost as if the entire book was a metaphor for the will of the human soul.

     The fact of the matter is that when we climb these mountains in our lives, there will be trials that must be faced, elements that must be braved, and obstacles that must be over come but in the end the reward is the sweetest thing in the world, that nobody can quite put into words. On the top of our life’s mountain is God, and through these trials he will teach us to walk in his ways; just like Isaiah talked about. So, let’s climb to the summit, overcoming each obstacle together, and hopefully we will learn something about ourselves, and our Savior along the way.

What Matters Most?

This was the first newsletter article that I wrote for the church I am currently serving at, FBC St. Clair, Missouri. I hope it provides some encouragement to those that are reading it.


I was reading this morning, and I came across a passage in Isaiah 40. It’s amazing how the Lord reminds me how our lives are incredibly fragile. In every way, our very existence depends upon the Lord (whether we realize it or not), because each breath is a gift from the Lord. Like Master Oogway (the turtle sage in the movie Kung Fu Panda) says, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the ‘present.’" In this respect I agree with the old turtle, because each moment we are given, on earth, by the Lord should be treasured
From here we have a choice to make . . . do we acknowledge that the Lord is in complete control of the things that happen in our lives – even down to the smallest detail; OR do we choose to ignore God in the equation and promote a self-centered focus. This is where it is crucial to put the focus on God, and not on ourselves, because the Lord is waiting for our attention before He moves before us in a mighty way.
The fact of the matter is, as the passage in Isaiah talks about, the beauty of the world will fade. There are no if(s), an(s), or but(s) about the fact that the world won’t last forever. . .but the Word of our God will. I hope and pray that you will take this to heart, because the things of this world won’t last; and as the old saying goes, “It doesn’t matter how many possessions you have in this life, because you can’t take them with you when you leave this earth.”
My prayer is that you would really focus on the Lord and evaluate your relationship with him, based on these couple of questions:
•What really matters most to you?
•In all seriousness, do we put more value in material things and earthly possessions?
•OR does God’s Word mean more to us than anything else?

It’s something to really think about.

What is a real man?

*A quick word of caution - It may seem like I'm bashing women in this post, but I hope you won't take it that way because that's definitely not how I intend it to sound.*

Is it just me, or is it the typical mainstream image of an actual man - that bothers me . . . and I mean it really gets under my skin. I hope I'm not the only one, but in case I am, here is what I mean.

It seems that in today's culture, it's completely okay to be a womanizing, sarcastic, untrustworthy, lazy, uncommitted, un-devoted, shallow, hollow, and void person(s) that calls themselves "men." It seems like the world, wants for men to be followers rather than leaders. We were meant for nothing more than to follow around our counterparts (sorry ladies) and agree with them on every single issue, under the sun. . . or so it seems.

What would it look like for the men around you to actually stand up for what they believe? Would it be transformational for them? Their communities? Their cities? The state? The nation?

What if men stood up for their families? Their girlfriends (If applicable)? Their friends? Heck, what about standing up for themselves?

What would it require to believe in an ideal? What would it take to have passion about even the smallest things in their lives?

I challenge each person reading this to look beyond what the "men" around you give as a sad, effortless portrayal of what manhood is actually supposed to be - but to see them as the man that they could be.

Remember, Men were not created to be followers, soft-handed, "agreeing", spineless creatures. . . but we were created in the image of God Almighty - with all the ferocity, courage, and bravery that He could place into a vessel meant to serve Him. A warrior, fighting for each "battle" in his life with a calm and controlled restraint; hearing the cries of the afflicted, and answering their call.

That's what I think a real man is anyway. . .

Feel free to let me know what you think.