Yesterday

Somehow I have drifted into the “I remember when” generation.  I don’t really remember how it happened.  One day, I was up on all the latest trends, topics, and technologies, and the next day I was remembering what it was like when I was young and foolish.  It seems that, as we become more chronologically enriched, our memories begin to kick into high gear.  Things that we have either forgotten or purposefully pushed from our minds begin to come back.  Some of them are pleasant memories and others fit more in the “I can’t believe I ever did that” category.

Philippians 3 (NIV)
 ⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Saul was a “spiritual” giant in the religious order of the day.  He was a “pure bred” Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised when he was eight days old.  He was a Hebrew of Hebrews when it came to the law.  He had received his education in the Jewish law from a scholar by the name of Gamaliel.  Gamaliel was described as a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people when he stood up in front of the Sanhedrin to calm this religious body as they considered what to do with Peter and the other apostles. (Acts 5:33ff)  Saul’s educational credentials were impeccable.  Consequently, he had been brought into the Pharisees – the society dedicated to the strict application of the law

We know that Saul’s life before his experience on the Damascus road was anything but Christ-like.  He was on a mission, a mission to rid the world of what he considered to be a disease.  That disease was Christianity.  He convinced the Pharisees to give him written, legal authority to take whatever steps necessary to accomplish his mission.  He witnessed the stoning of Stephen and led many believers to Jerusalem in chains.  The term religious zealot comes to mind when thinking about Saul.  He was proud of what he had accomplished and looked forward to attaining even higher status in the religious order of the day.  Then something happened.  Saul met Jesus and he was never the same.

In this passage, Paul (the teacher formerly known as Saul) is speaking to us about the transformation that takes place when Jesus becomes Lord and Savior of our lives.  There is a metamorphosis that occurs.  We begin to view life differently.  He tells us that all of those things that he considered to be not only important but spiritually legal and required have taken on an entirely different perspective.  He now sees that what he was doing was not only morally abhorrent, it was spiritually damning.  His “spiritual” roots were leading him to an eternity in hell.  That which he called success was in actuality a colossal failure.

What to some might read like a trip down memory lane by Paul is really a lesson in focus.  Paul says that he is more than qualified to be proud of what he accomplished to get where he had been, but he can’t do that.  His focus is now on Jesus instead of Saul.  He sees that everything he had done as Saul was like garbage to be discarded.  His righteousness comes not from the law but from the Savior.  His focus is no longer on learning and executing the law but on learning how to be more like Jesus.  It is no longer about Paul but all about Jesus.

There is nothing wrong with reminiscing about the past.  God told the Israelites that they were to keep the events of the Exodus and the taking of the Promised Land in front of their children forever.  However, we must not become nostalgic about that past.  Paul puts it best when he says, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” 

(Philippians 3:13b-14)

Press on!  The prize is worth the pain.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Think

My dad has to be one of the most patient people in the world.  As I was growing up, he tried to help me acquire the skills I would need to take care of myself in the world.  We came to an agreement early in my apprenticeship process that I was not naturally inclined to things mechanical.  I would try to understand the principles of internal combustion engines that he presented to me, but they just did not stick.  The same was true of the building trades.  In my hands, hammers were tools of destruction, not construction.  One thing he told me, however, has stood me in good stead whatever I have done.  His advice was to always measure twice so you only have to cut once.

Philippians 

 
⁸And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ⁹Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.

As he was closing his letter to the Philippian Christians, Paul zeroed in on one of the core problems facing all believers – their thought life.  The Philippian church was strong in its work for Christ and Paul had commended them for it.  He acknowledged that they have continued to spread the Gospel with the same fervor they had when they accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.  At the same time, Paul knows that Satan will not stand by and allow a church to do God’s will without challenge.  Consequently, he cautions them to be on the alert, especially when it comes to their thoughts.

Paul knew that Satan laughs with glee when he finds a Christian whose mind is not focused on the Father.  We are all prepared to fend off full frontal attacks and the devil knows it.  Like mnay of those who occupied key positions during World War II, our enemy prefers to use deception and lies to trap us.  If he can control, or even influence, our thoughts, he has just what he wants.  Attacks of this type are so insidious that, if we are not constantly vigilant, we won’t even know they are happening until it is too late.

In this passage, Paul maps out our defense against these attacks.  First of all, he tells us to fix our thoughts on what is true and honorable.  The word ‘fix’ used here is the same word used in relation to sighting a weapon.  We are being admonished to set our sights on the things of the Lord, ignoring all distractions around us.  Then Paul tells us to think about specific things like purity and beauty – things that deserve admiration.  His list ends with ‘things that are worthy of praise.’  The Bible tells us that only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are worthy of our praise.  That is where our focus must be directed.

Finally, Paul tells us to practice.  We need to put into motion the things that we have been taught through our daily walk with Jesus, and the example of Godly men and women around us.  It is not enough to just think and meditate on the things of God; we must talk and motivate others in the way that God leads.

Measure twice – focus your thinking on the things of God.

Cut once – put into practice the principles He gives us in His word and in the examples of Godly people.  

Enjoy the presence of the God of Peace in your daily life.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Consistency

We have all heard the old saying, “Slow and steady wins the race.” I don’t know if I necessarily agree with the slow part, but there is a lot to be said for consistency. In today’s live for the moment society, it is sometimes easy to get so bogged down in the details that we forget the goal.

1 Corinthians 15
⁵⁸So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

In this passage, Paul is wrapping up a letter regarding unity and purity in the church. The church at Corinth had allowed division in the body to open the door for activities that were not conducive to the worship for which the church was established. Recognizing that the Christians at Corinth were still immature and struggling, this verse was an encouragement for the people to stay true to their calling.

If ever there was a time when God’s people need to hear these words, it is right now. All around us we can see examples of how “churches” have allowed the world to influence the message being delivered by the body. In I Corinthians 9:20-23, Paul explains how we must keep our methods relevant to the people we are trying to reach, but he says that he does not “discard the law of God”, but rather must “obey the law of Christ” so that he might reach one more for Jesus.

The message cannot be altered. Whether the lost world wants to believe it or not, there is only one message and that is Christ and Him crucified – and total acceptance of this message is the only path to eternal life with the Father.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!!

Responsibility

“If it feels good – do it.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

Phrases like these seem to be the mottos of the day. There is a growing attitude that looks only at the physical impacts of actions. To borrow a phrase from basketball – No harm, no foul.

1 Corinthians 8
¹³If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live--for I don't want to make another Christian stumble.

In this letter to the church at Corinth, Paul finds himself in the position of having to point out issues in the church that are having a negative impact on the furtherance of the Kingdom. As immature Christians, they have failed to understand the effect on their ministry of divisions in the body. After pointing out several other areas where instruction was needed, Paul turns to the subject of food; specifically, food that had been offered to idols. Paul knew that many in the church had come from a pagan background where idol worship was part of their religion. Consequently, they struggled with anything relating to the worship of idols.

Many Christians today bring experiences into their relationship with Christ that creates a struggle of conscience. These things may not have any scriptural basis, but the associations the new Christian makes cause issues. Paul says that if what he is doing causes someone else to stumble, he’s going to stop it. He says nothing about researching it, trying to understand it, or talking it over with the new Christian – he’s just going to stop it.

I wonder what kind of difference it would make in Firewheel if we all decided to just stop those things that bring a single brother or sister to struggle? Could that just possibly be the way to throw open the front door of our fellowship? Maybe if people felt the compassion that comes from putting God first, others second and ourselves last, they would not be coming to Firewheel, they would be coming to Jesus.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!!

Safety in Numbers

The watchword of today’s society seems to be “bigger is better.” If you are going to build something, build it twice as big as anything resembling it. If you are going to have a concert, try and get tens of thousands of people to attend. Never mind the fact that the sound may be bad and the crush of bodies may be dangerous – pack them in. We have come to believe that nothing is off limits when done on a huge scale.

Judges 7
⁷The LORD told Gideon, "With these three hundred men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home."

The people of Midian were decimating the Israelites. In Judges 6 it says that they came and stayed until the land was stripped bare. God told Gideon to go and defeat the Midianites, so Gideon gathered an army of 22,000 men and prepared to repel the invaders, but God wasn’t satisfied with his plan. He told Gideon that there were too many soldiers. When Gideon finally trimmed his army down to 300 men, God said – let’s go. God knew the Israelites. He knew that they would claim the victory for themselves if they defeated the Midianites by force of arms, so He cut the forces until there would be no doubt who was responsible for the victory.

I wonder if some of the circumstances we face today are God’s way of showing us that He is in control; that He gives us our victories. We sometimes think we can pick and choose our battles. We only involve God if we feel that we can’t handle the problem on our own. That kind of thinking can only lead to disaster. God is not a “secret weapon” to be brought in to save the day. He is our armor to be constantly worn in battle and our battle never ceases on this earth. Our heart must be offered to Him completely and our thoughts must focus on Him – send the others home. The victory is already won.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!!

Work in Progress

I love to listen to children when you ask them what they want to be when they grow up. If you listen closely, you can learn a lot about our society today. Children aspire to the things that seem the most exciting or the most glamorous – as they see it. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cowboy, a fireman, or a doctor. Over the years, my direction changed many times, but looking back, I can see that God was gently moving me to where he wanted me to be. Every experience, every acquaintance, every roadblock was part of my training. I have been a work in progress all my life and I will be until he takes me home.
Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
 

Ephesians 2:20-21 (NLT)

Paul’s letter to the Ephesian churches is one of the most beautiful descriptions of God’s mercy and grace found anywhere in Scripture. Immediately after the salutation, he breaks into praise for the salvation that has been given us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He points out the faithfulness of God evidenced in the plan that He prepared before time began – a plan to make everyone who is willing to accept the gift that Christ gave when He died on the cross for our sins – to make us a part of His family. We are joint heirs with God’s only Son. What we are experiencing when we read this book is the roadmap for worship. Worship is a dialogue of revelation and response: God speaks His Word into the heart of man and God’s Church responds, echoing the grace of God in word (through praise and prayer), and in deed (living a Christ-like life).

In this passage, we read part of a message to the believers in and around Ephesus. The audience is primarily non-Jews looked down upon by their Jewish neighbors as outsiders. He reminds them of the change that came about because of Jesus. No longer was it necessary to follow the Jewish laws and customs to experience fellowship with God. These Gentiles were now just as much a part of God’s family as the most pious of the Jews - maybe even more so. They all knew that Paul was a Jew. When he used the words, “We are His house” - it had significant meaning. They understood the process of building, and they caught the implication of Paul’s use of the inclusive “we”.
As Paul continued his description of God’s house, he started with the foundation. They all knew the importance of the foundation to the stability of the house and he told them that this House was built on all the work done by the apostles and the prophets of old, thus bringing together the teachings of those who prophesied the coming of Christ and those who were with Him on earth. Paul then described Jesus as the cornerstone of this structure – the block without which nothing could stand. He then explained how each Christ-follower becomes an integral part of the Church, carefully linked to all the other believers resulting in a completed Temple.

Notice how Paul words the last part of this passage – “becoming a holy temple for the Lord.” This House of God will not be completed on earth. It is a spiritual work in progress. As long as God gives us time on this earth, building will continue in the Church. That is an incredibly exiting concept. However, it puts the all churches in the position of asking themselves, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” If the picture that they see for themselves is just like what they see today, they should be afraid. Any time a church feels like they have arrived, Jesus Christ is no longer in control, which is evidenced by the number of congregations that are disbanding across our land.

What do I want to be when I grow up? I want to be a worker, using the tools God has given me to do my part to keep the Church progressing toward God wants it to be. I never want to sit back and say, “My work is done.”

We serve an awesome God!!!!

A Fish Story

Did you ever have one of those days when you felt like it would have been better if you had just stayed in bed? Work has piled up, the car needs work, and you just want to go away and hide. That must have been what Jonah was going through.

Jonah 1
³But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went down to the seacoast, to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping that by going away to the west he could escape from the LORD.

God had told Jonah to go Nineveh and warn them of the destruction that was coming their way, but Jonah wasn’t in the mood to take that trip. He decided that he would go the opposite direction and maybe God wouldn’t know where he was. We all know what the result was – he ended up spending time in the belly of a great fish and still wound up in Nineveh.

How many times do we decide to trust in our own judgment instead of following what God has planned for us? We keep running to get away from what He wants us to do until we reach the end of our rope, and then realize that God is there, holding the rope so we won’t fall. By the mercy of God, we can run but we can’t hide. He keeps His eye on us so He can be there when we realize that we really don’t want to run away from home.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!!!!!!!!

Values

For many years, Christians have been bemoaning the erosion of values in our society. Things that were an affront to common decency in years past no longer even get a second thought. As Pastor said recently, we have forgotten how to blush. I wonder if we are experiencing the same phenomenon that was recorded in 2 Chronicles.

2 Chronicles 9 (NIV)

²⁰ All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's day.

At first glance, this seems like a line from 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,' but it is more a testimony to the blessings that God had poured out on Solomon. It does, however, illustrate the point that familiarity breeds contempt. Due to the bounty that God had provided, there was enough silver to consider it commonplace. The law of supply and demand played out to its fullest extent.

The problem we face today is that we have allowed things that are an affront to a Holy God to become part of our everyday lives. We see things and hear things every day that should bring out anger in its most righteous form, and yet we don't even notice. The use of the Lord's name in vain not only draws no rebuke, it isn't even recognized most of the time. People dress in ways that show or accentuate parts of the body that are not meant to be bared in public, and are given awards for their sense of style. Then people who claim the Lord go out and buy these "fashions" for themselves and their children.

Maybe it's time for God's people to stand up for the values that Christ teaches. If the law of supply and demand is such a part of today's society, let's point out that adherence to the laws of decency and Christian values is in short supply - then let's demand that they are brought back, starting with our own reaction to those who break these laws.

Focused Generosity

Paul was not only a child of God driven to fulfill His mission on earth, he was also a gifted writer and consummate encourager. He used his letters to guide those whom he had led to the Lord. Sometimes he had to bring words of rebuke, but he always couched them in the love of Christ. In this passage, he is both praising and instructing a brother in Christ.

Philemon 1
⁴ I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, ⁵hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, ⁶that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Paul had led Philemon to the Lord along with members of his household including Onesimus, a slave. Onesimus had run away and had been with Paul for some time. The time had come that Paul wanted to send Onesimus back to Philemon, but he was concerned about his reception. Even though Philemon had been and still was an ardent supporter of the Lord’s work, there was something that Paul felt was in need of reexamination.

The New Living Testament translates the first part of verse 6 to read “that you will really put your generosity to work.” What an eloquent statement of the job of a follower of Jesus. It is easy to be generous out of abundance. It takes work to carry that generosity into times, or areas of our lives, that are already strapped due to circumstance or failure to surrender.

Our generosity must be balanced. It is not enough to give out of an abundance of talent and be miserly in the sharing of our treasure. Likewise, it is not enough to give abundantly of our treasure and neglect sharing the love Christ has put in us by forgiving someone who has wronged us.

Philippians 2:13 tells us that if we allow God to work in us, He will give us both the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. God loves it when our stewardship is accompanied by a cheerful attitude (2 Corinthians 9:7). Every time God gives us a work to do, He also provides the way to do it.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roll Call

I had a teacher in elementary school who would leave out a name every once in a while when he was checking attendance.  I think he did it to see if we were paying attention.  I grew up in a small housing area built solely to house the workers at the plant where my dad was employed.  Everyone knew everyone else and that generated a spirit of community – we took care of each other.  Every time my teacher left out a name during roll call, the rest of the class was quick to let him know.  We didn’t want anyone left out of anything. 

 
1 Corinthians 15 (NIV)

⁴²So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

There were some people in the church at Corinth who didn’t believe in the physical resurrection of the dead.  In the verses preceding this passage, Paul gives an eloquent defense of this phenomenon, making his point that resurrection is a foundational element of our faith.  He says, “If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”  Why is this true?  Christ’s resurrection was the proof of His victory of sin and death.  Through His resurrection, we have the assurance that our sins are paid for – we are no longer spiritually dead.

So the resurrection is just symbolic.  It just pertains to the “spirit.”  Definitely not!  Listen to what Paul says in this passage.  He tells us that our earthly bodies will not only be resurrected – they will be transformed.  I don’t know about you, but that thought is incredibly exciting to me.  As we get older, we become more aware of the “perishable” nature of our earthly body.  Our bodies grow weaker as time passes by.  So what is there to be excited about?

Look closely at what Paul says.  This body that decays and goes back to the dirt from which it came, will become an imperishable, eternal body.  This body that goes to the grave in the knowledge that it has been steeped in sin will leave that grave in the glory of Jesus Christ.  We will arise sinless and holy before our God.  This body that grew weaker and weaker until it could no longer sustain life will be raised into the awesome power of God the Father through His Son.  This body that came from the dirt under our feet will be transformed into a spiritual form that we cannot even imagine until Christ comes again.  Now, if that doesn’t float your boat, you must be in the wrong pond!

In the words of that old gospel song, “When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more; when the morning breaks eternal, bright, and fair.  When the saved on earth shall gather over on the other shore; when the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.”  I know I will be standing before my Jesus when it comes time to open the Lamb’s Book of Life, and I know where I am going.  The really neat part about it is that I won’t be carrying around this tired old body any more.  I will stand before Him a transformed man both spiritually and physically.  When He calls my name, I will be able to shout out, “Present,” and when He looks at me, I will not be ashamed.

Church, we have the assurance that we will face that resurrection day ready to meet our Savior.  But, there are those do not have that confidence because they do not know our Savior.  Jesus told us, “Go and make disciples.”  Evangelism is not a calling or a gift – it is a command from Jesus Himself.  Every Christ-follower must share the Good News.  Imagine how it will feel to hear the name of someone you introduced to Jesus, called on that resurrection morning!  Spread the Word.  Jesus is coming.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Heart Attack

There is a disease of the heat that is called cardiomyopathy. It is one of the few heart diseases that can technically be called a “heart attack.” The problems that we generally lump into the category of “heart attack” are those that are caused by problems with the blood supply to the heart muscle, while cardiomyopathy results from a direct attack on the muscle itself. It is thought that some of the instances of this disease are caused by a virus. This patient will exhibit no outward signs of the disease until enough damage has been caused to the heart muscle that it is no longer able to supply blood to the rest of the body.

Ezekiel 14 (NLT)
⁷I, the LORD, will punish all those, both Israelites and foreigners, who reject me and set up idols in their hearts so they fall into sin, and who then come to a prophet asking for my advice.

God gave His people ten specific commandments related to their relationship with Him and their relationship with other people. In Exodus 20:5-6a we read, ⁴"Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. ⁵You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God ……” Our omniscient heavenly Father knew that His creation was going to have what has been described as a “God shaped void” as a part of their very being. He also knew that our memories were very short and we needed definite direction on who He was.

The way I read Exodus 20:5-6a leaves no doubt in my mind as to what God expects. The Israelites had these same words in front of them and spoken to them from the day God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, so why did they have so much trouble keeping this one? This passage gives us some insight into the origin of their disease. God tells His people that they have “heart trouble.” They have allowed a disease, more insidious than any bacterial or viral infection known even today, to infiltrate their heart. This disease is evidenced by vision blurred to the sight of the God who is trying to show them the error of their ways. It has affected their hearing to the point that they cannot hear His prophets as they shout out God’s message. But the most damaging symptom is a blockage of the fellowship with the One True Creator of the Universe.

It is easy for us to see what had infected God’s children. They had consciously chosen to worship other gods and bow down to their images. “Boy am I ever glad I have never made the same mistake as the Israelites referred to in this passage,” we boast. Maybe we need to examine ourselves a little closer. Today’s Christian tends to want to look at the problem of idol worship in a literal sense. We don’t have a shrine set up in our house where we bow down to worship our carved gecko, so we don’t worship idols. Look again at what God said in this passage – “who reject me and set up idols in their hearts…” That shed a different light on the whole subject.

God is talking about worship here. Who or what is number one in your heart? Be careful how you answer that question, because every time you refuse to acknowledge that you have something or someone in your life that takes priority over your relationship with God, you bury the cause of your disease that much deeper in your heart. This gives it time to do even more damage. Church, this is the most important question we have to answer as Christ-followers! When asked to identify the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) Every fiber of our being must be involved in our worship of God the Father.

God tells us that, once the symptoms of the attack on our heart begin, He must take desperate actions. We can protect ourselves by allowing the Holy Spirit free reign in everything we think, do, or say. That is the best protection possible against a spiritual “heart attack.”
We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Appointments

My job involved almost constant interaction with people.  Meetings are just a way of life for me.  Consequently, it became very important for me to keep track of where I am supposed to be and at what time.  For a long time I carried a little pocket calendar to help keep me organized, but it had one flaw – I had to open it to know what my next appointment was.  Now I have found that the use of an electronic calendar satisfies more of my needs.  Not only does it keep track of my appointments, it will sound an alarm to remind me that I have a commitment approaching.

Acts 3
¹²Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. "People of Israel," he said, "what is so astounding about this? And why look at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power and godliness?  

Jesus’ earthly ministry was over.  He had suffered death on the cross, and returned to sit at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for us.  After witnessing His ascension, the apostles and disciples had continued to gather and worship Jesus in anticipation of the coming of the Comforter – the Holy Spirit.  The Bible tells us in Acts 2 that, on the Day of Pentecost, they were all gathered together when the Spirit descended on them, thus beginning their post resurrection ministry.  From this point on, the “church” began to grow exponentially as the early believers did what Jesus had commanded when He said, “As you are going, make disciples.”

In this passage, Peter and John are on their way to the temple when they encounter a man who has been lame from birth.  For his entire life, friends and family had carried him to the temple each day to beg.  As the two apostles passed by him, he asked them for some money.  Peter explained that he had no money, but he had something better to give him.  Invoking the power of the name of Jesus, he helped the man to his feet and told him to walk – which he did.  Obviously this created quite a stir as the people had become used to seeing the man sitting there begging for money and now he is walking around and praising God.  A crowd soon gathered around Peter and John.

The Bible tells us that Peter saw this as an opportunity and started speaking to the crowd.  He had just been used of God to heal a lame man’s infirmity, but he was sensitive to the situation around him and recognized the potential of the moment.  He knew that this was an appointment arranged by the Father.  He also knew that this appointment was not a social event.  There was no small talk.  He made sure that they knew whom he represented and began to tell them about his Jesus.

God places opportunities like this in our paths every day.  There are no coincidences in the life of a child of God.  The people we encounter in our daily walk are there because God put them there.  Every event, every encounter is an opportunity to share and to learn.  They are our divine appointments.  The problem is that we don’t always look at our calendars as we are going about our daily lives, but there is a solution.  If we are sensitive to the leadership of God through the Holy Spirit, we, like Peter, will “see our opportunities.”  

We may never be called to “address the crowd,” but we are called to make disciples as we are going.  Listen to the Holy Spirit’s whisper.  He will remind you of your Divine Appointments.

Sacrifice

The dictionary defines sacrifice as “the giving up of something valuable or important for somebody or something else considered to be of more value or importance.” In baseball, that means to intentionally hit into a situation that gets the hitter put out in order to advance a runner closer to home. In chess, you sacrifice one piece to advance another closer to checkmate. We sacrifice when we give unwanted items to charity so that there is more room for new things in the closet. We have twisted the concept of sacrifice to mean the giving up of something I have so that I may obtain something better.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. ¹⁶Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:15-16

As the writer of Hebrews concludes his primer on the Christian life, he covers many subjects – our love for each other, the sanctity of marriage, the love of money, and respect for the leaders God puts in the local body. He then begins a narrative on the saving work of Jesus on the cross. He explains this work in terms of the sacrificial duties of the priests in the Jewish religion. His audience was primarily those Jews who had converted to Christianity, so they would understand the analogy and be strengthened in their struggle to avoid being drawn back under the rule of the law. His statement that we must “go out to Him outside the camp and bear the disgrace He bore,” is to underscore the fact that our sacrifice has been made once and for all. We no longer need to bring blood to the altar because Jesus has finished that work. Our witness is outside the wall, in a world that is not our home, but a temporary place of ministry in which God has placed us.

This passage reminds us that, while the sin sacrifice was made final by Jesus, we as Christ-followers have need to continue with other sacrifices. The writer specifically addresses the sacrifice of praise – that acknowledgment that we understand who God is, and as a result, we can do nothing but praise the name of the one who has chosen us to be a part of His family. The King James Version of the Bible translates verse 15 as “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” The use of the metaphor of “the fruit of our lips” personalizes this offering. We must always offer the best that we have as offerings to the Father and the sacrifice of praise is no exception.

The Scripture says that we are to offer this praise continually. I believe that this is meant to be a literal lifting the fruit of our lips to God in every thing we do. Remember, this passage follows a description of the offering that Jesus made for us on the cross. God gave His best as an offering given to redeem a lost world from the grip of sin. That is our benchmark. Our sacrifice of praise – our spiritual sacrifice – is something given to Jesus solely for the glory of His name. There is no expectation of anything in return. We are just giving to Jesus that which is due to Him.

In the late 1600’s, Thomas Ken wrote a hymn that very few people know. It is called “Awake My Soul, And With the Sun.” One of the verses contains these words:
Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say,
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.
This verse pretty well sums up the spirit of the message in this passage. By the way, the last verse to the hymn by Thomas Ken has been sung as the Doxology since the 1700’s.
We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Praise

I sometimes think that our human nature blinds us to the good things that people do. We have no problem finding – and expressing our displeasure at – the mistakes made by others, but telling someone they have done a good job is difficult. It even comes out in our word usage. When someone helps you, how often do you simply say, “Thanks”? We have depersonalized even our expressions of gratitude. Thank you, or even better, using the name of the person we are recognizing, makes our praise personal. Try it for a while!

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.Hebrews 13:15-17

Praise. What does it mean? The dictionary defines it as an expression admiration or approval. The root of the Greek word translated praise in this passage is always used in reference to God. I don’t think that God is looking for our approval of Him, but admiration and the recognition of who He is are definitely aspects of our praise. The writer of Hebrews calls it a sacrifice in this passage – a thank offering. When we are praising the Father, we are giving Him an offering. Once again, we are thanking Him for who He is and what He has done.

Notice that this passage says that our praise is to be continual. Think about that. Every moment of our lives we are to be lifting our thank offerings to God. Most of us are used to thanking people for things they do for us. We do it all the time. However, when it comes to God, we reserve our thanks for the end of our daily prayer and feel like we have done our due. Consider the fact that God gives us everything we have, including the very air we breathe and the ability to breathe it. If for no other reason than the gift of life, we should be praising God with our every breath.

The writer goes on to say that our praise should be the natural outgrowth of our spiritual condition – “the fruit of lips that confess His name.” Our Father sent His only Son to pay our sin debt on the cross. Jesus then left death behind and walked out of the tomb so that He could sit at the right hand of His Father and make intercession for us – continually. We don’t need an earthly priest or an annual blood sacrifice. God took care of that once and for all. Once we “confess” the name of Jesus, our salvation is secure – forever. Can you think of any reason why we shouldn’t praise Him continually for that?

This passage goes on to give us some other ways that we lift up our sacrifice to God. Do good and share with others. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. Keep watch over them. Make their work a joy instead of a burden. Do you see a pattern here? Every one of these examples deals with our interactions with others! The sweet smelling savor of our offerings rise when we love our neighbors and respect Biblical authority. It follows that, if we want to praise God continually, we need to be focusing on our relationships with others as well as our relationship with God.

Praise. It is a much used and often misunderstood word, but essential to the life of a Christ-follower. I believe that praise, like worship, is an attitude as well as an action. When we have our relationships with God and man right – we are praising God. When we recognize who God really is, we will fall down at His feet in worship to the only one worthy of our worship. We thank people when they do something good for us. It should be the same with God - but He has done, is doing, and will eternally do things for us that only He can do. Consequently our thank offering must be continual.
We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Power Failure

The weather can do some very interesting things. We have all seen the situation where it was pouring down rain on one side of the street while the other side was completely dry. There were times in Colorado when I would be sitting out, enjoying the day when a sudden cool breeze would begin to blow. When that happened, you could be pretty sure there was a shower in the vicinity. On one such occasion, I began to see water trickling through the campsite. When I investigated, I found that it was raining heavily not more than ten yards away from where I was, but it was still clear where I was standing.

Exodus 10
²²So Moses lifted his hand toward heaven, and there was deep darkness over the entire land for three days. ²³During all that time the people scarcely moved, for they could not see. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.

Pharaoh was a hard man to convince. Moses kept going back to him and giving him chance after chance to repent and do what God had commanded, but to no avail. There where times when he seemed to be on the verge of obedience, but each time he tried to change the rules. He offered to let the Israelites present their sacrifices in Egypt. He offered to let the men only go. He offered to let the adults go. He offered to let the people go if they left their livestock. He had a counteroffer for just about everything Moses brought to him. Pharaoh could not bring himself to relinquish control.

In this passage, Moses is invoking the plague of darkness that God had pronounced on Egypt. Once again, Pharaoh was being obstinate. For whatever reasons he thought he had, God was using the nation of Egypt to bring honor and glory to His name. At the command of God, darkness fell over the land of Egypt – with one exception. Where the Israelites lived, it was business as usual. While the Egyptians were groping around in blackness so thick that they had to stay home, God’s people were taking care of business.

We live in a world that is filled with darkness. People are searching for something to light their path so they will not have to stumble around, running into obstacle after obstacle. Like Pharaoh, they most likely have been offered the opportunity to relinquish control to the one God who is already in control, but they have chosen to continue in their present state. They want to negotiate with God to get a deal whereby they can keep some of their worldly baggage with them. However, that is not the way God works. He has a plan whereby they can walk out of the darkness into the light, but they like the darkness too much to follow The Light.

As Christians, we will never have a power failure. Through God’s anointing, we walk in the Light. If we are living as we should be, we also spread that light across a lost world. God says that there is only one Way, one Truth, and one Light – and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. We must be about shining that light everywhere we go. That is how we light up the world.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Heredity

For most of my life, I have been told that I remind people of my dad, and I consider that to be high praise indeed. When you know several people in the same family, it is easy to pick out physical and character traits that they have I common. If fact, I like to try to identify family units when I am in a large group of people. I normally start by looking at the older people and try to match them up with their relatives. While this is not a foolproof way to pick out relatives, it works most of the time. One thing I have noticed is that, if the group consists of people close to the same age, it is more difficult. Having the parents in the group makes the process easier.

Exodus 33
¹⁵Then Moses said, "If you don't go with us personally, don't let us move a step from this place. ¹⁶If you don't go with us, how will anyone ever know that your people and I have found favor with you? How else will they know we are special and distinct from all other people on the earth?"

Moses and the people have been at the foot of Mount Sinai for some time. God has given them His commandments and the plans for the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle. At the beginning of this chapter, God tells Moses that His people are no longer traveling out of Egypt, they are now traveling to the Promised Land, and it is time for them to get ready to move. While Moses is in the Tent of Meeting, he asks God to reveal to him what is going to happen on the journey. God’s response is that Moses is not to worry; God will go with him.

The response of Moses to God’s command to move the people to the Promised Land is an indicator of the closeness of his walk with the Lord. Moses knew that in and of himself, he was nothing. While the people looked to Moses as the one who had lead them out of Egypt, he knew who was really responsible for them getting this far. He also recognized that any further progress would be utterly impossible without the continued direct intervention of God. In spite of all the hardships they had faced up to this point, Moses tells God that he would rather stay right where they were than move forward without Him.

It is interesting to note the reason that Moses gives for desiring that God be with them personally. Given the things He had done so far, one would expect that Moses would be thinking about the protection afforded by God’s presence, or the miracles performed by His hand, but that is not the case. The reason Moses gives is that of identification – he wants to make sure that everyone with whom they come in contact knows that the people belong to God. Moses knows that the mere fact that these people are identified as God’s people will make the way easier.

What a testimony! Moses knows that, if God is with him, others will see the relationship he has with the Father and treat him accordingly. The same is true for us. We sometimes wonder why our witness is not as effective as we would like. The solution may be to make sure we are going where God has already been. When we get ahead of God, the people with whom we are dealing will have difficulty seeing the hereditary traits. We are to be different from the world because we are like Jesus. If we only go where He leads, people will see the family resemblance.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

The Look

I don’t know how your mother let you know that trouble was on the way, but in my house, it was “The Look.” Mother had a way of looking at you that spoke volumes. This look was so powerful that you didn’t even have to see her eyes to know it was there – you could feel it. As I grew older, I felt it even when I wasn’t in the same room with her. I am now convinced that “The Look” is genetic. I don’t have it, and neither did my Dad. However, my wife and both of my daughters possess very well developed versions of this phenomenon.

Luke 22
⁶¹At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said, "Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times."

Jesus had told His disciples all of the things that would happen to Him at the hands of the Jewish leaders of the day. They knew that He would be betrayed by one of them. They knew that He would be arrested and tried before a kangaroo court. He told them that He would be viciously beaten and then hung on a cross to die. Jesus had also told them that the grave would not be able to hold Him and that He would secure victory, even over death. They had heard all these things, but they still did not understand.

Earlier in this chapter, after their last meal together, Jesus turned to Peter and told him that Satan was about to test him like never before. He also said that He had pleaded in prayer to the Father that Peter’s faith would not fail. As was his nature, Peter brashly told Jesus that he was ready to go anywhere Jesus went, even to the point of prison and death. One can almost imagine the look of compassion on Jesus’ face when He told Peter that he was not up to that challenge. Jesus told him that, before the sun rose in the morning, he would deny Jesus three times.

Peter, being the most impetuous one in the bunch, probably didn’t allow these words of Jesus to sink in – he just went on being Peter. When the soldiers came to take Jesus away, he was ready to fight them all by himself. As Jesus was being led away, he was evidently the only one who followed. He even went into the courtyard of the high priest as Jesus was waiting for his first hearing. However, when the opportunity presented itself to stand up for Jesus, Peter told the people, “I don’t know Him.”

Immediately after the third denial, the rooster crowed. The Bible doesn’t say if Peter realized that He had done just as Jesus said He would, but at that very moment Jesus looked at him. This passage says that, when Jesus looked his way, Peter left the courtyard, crying bitterly. One look from the Savior did more than all the words in the Bible could do to bring repentance to Peter’s heart. He knew he had failed Jesus.

Peter did not fade into obscurity as an apostle of Jesus. Even though he had abandoned Jesus in His most trying time, God forgave him and continued to use him. Why would God do that? Because Peter’s heart was sensitive to “The Look.” He recognized his failure and sought forgiveness for it. As humans, we will fail. As children of God, we can be forgiven if we acknowledge our sins and seek His forgiveness. That is the beauty of God’s salvation – it is forever and it goes on forever.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Be Careful What You Ask For

How many times were you told to, "Be careful what you ask for?" It is easy to make up our mind on what we want before we are sure our request is in God's plan.

James 5:-8 (ESV)

⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

It is easy to decide what we want and then ask for it. James tells us that we are to ask God in faith, without doubt. All too often, we ask for things under the assumption that God will follow our plan. Scripture tells us that those who move forward with their own agenda will receive nothing from the Lord.

God has a plan for our lives. If we spend our time talking to Him and listening to Him and learning His plan for us, we will not be surprised at His answer to our request. We will know that the question we ask follow the plan.

How Much?

I have very little patience with salesmen. When I go into a place that sells a product, it is because I already have an interest in buying, or I wouldn’t be there in the first place. Before I leave the house, I decide what I am going after and where I am going to get it. All that is left is for me to see the item and decide if I am still interested. The only piece of information I need at that time is the price. Any other questions I have will be asked after I decide if I am willing to pay the price that is being quoted.

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
Luke 14:27-30

At every turn, Jesus was met with great crowds of people. Some were interested only in the spectacle of the man who was attracting so much attention. Others were there to see if they could catch this self-professed Son of God in a situation that would merit getting rid of Him. Still others were truly seeking to get to know this one who taught love and peace, and offered a life that went on forever. Jesus knew that His words had to minister to the hearts of all those that heard Him speak, and saw His work.

In this passage, Jesus offers a word of caution to those who were following Him on His walk to Jerusalem. There is a lot more to being a disciple than just following Jesus around, listening to His teaching and witnessing His miracles. Before you sign on to discipleship, make sure you understand the requirements. The difference between a disciple and a believer is that disciples put their beliefs into action. Not only do they hear and believe the talk – they walk the walk.

Jesus tells the crowd that a person who claims to be a disciple and is not willing to live up to the principles that He teaches will become a detriment to the spreading of the Good News. Satan uses those people as negative examples of Christians. Like the person who starts a project and is unable to complete it because they failed to make sure they had the necessary resources, the “Sunday Christian" becomes an impediment to the furtherance of the Kingdom.

The Bible says, “Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Salvation is a free gift – unconditional and undeserved. Discipleship has its cost. Jesus said that, if we are to be a disciple, we must not only accept the work that Jesus did for us on the cross, we must take up our own cross every day. We are on this world for a purpose. Jesus’ purpose was to provide the one and only path to salvation for a world lost in sin. It took the cross of Calvary for Him to complete that purpose. The Holy Spirit will guide us to our purpose, but we must be willing to embrace it wholeheartedly if we are to be disciples.

Being a true disciple is more than just walking the same road, it involves bearing the same load.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Yea, Though I Walk

I don’t know about you, but there are times when I feel like God is just asking too much of me. I am sure there are some who would call that blasphemy, but it is just the way I feel at times. When the combination of physical issues, job issues, family issues and everything else that the world throws at me starts to overwhelm, I can depend on one thing for sure - Satan is standing somewhere close to do his best to make things worse.
"He sent from on high, he took me;
   he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy,
   from those who hated me,
   for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
   but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
   he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
2 Samuel 22:17-20

The Bible describes David as a man after God’s own heart. This shepherd boy who became king of God’s people knew how to walk with God. As a result of this walk, God lavished on David rewards that we can scarcely imagine. His palace was the envy of the leaders of all the nations who knew of him. His military prowess brought fear to the armies of the known world. Everyone knew who David was, and David knew who made him who he was. He sounds like the perfect man, doesn’t he? Well, Scripture tells us that things are not always what they seem.

David was a man with all the frailties and weaknesses that curse the rest of the human race. We know that he lusted after another man’s wife and had the man killed to cover up his sin. Reading the book of Psalms, one finds the story of a man who questioned himself constantly. His mood swings went from absolute ecstasy at the workings of God in his life to absolute depression at the pressures he felt from those surrounding him. This man after God’s own heart even allowed himself to feel anger at the very God who had put him in the place of honor that he occupied. (2 Samuel 6:6-8) There is no doubt that David was a man like any other.

In this passage, we get a glimpse into the mind of David. These verses are just a portion of a song of praise written by him. This song was written soon after his favorite son, Absalom, was killed while leading his armies against David. David was overcome with grief to the point that his military commander had to remind him that his army had just saved his life. And yet, he was mourning Absalom, the very man who had been bent on killing him. Immediately following this event, the Philistines decided to make another run at David and God’s people. Once again, God had given them victory.

These verses describe the relationship between mortal man and a merciful God. Obviously, David had just come from a place of great despair. Notice that he says that God reached down to him in his time of need. David recognized that he could do nothing to pull himself out of his situation. He also recognized that he was dealing with forces too strong for him to defeat. These forces had lain in wait for the time when David was at his weakest to attack him, but the Lord was there to hold him up and lead him to safety. Notice the reason God saved David. It wasn’t because he was a perfect man. It wasn’t because he had led God’s armies to victory over their enemies. It wasn’t even because David asked for God’s help. It was because God knew who David was and still wanted to fellowship with him.

Brothers and sisters, Satan will attack us and he will do it when we are at our weakest. We must not let our weakness become a barrier between us and God. If we are faithful in our walk, He will reach down and pull us out of the dark waters – not because we deserve it but because He delights in us. Don’t let the evil one convince you that you are no longer worthy of God’s love. Tell Satan that you already know that, but you also know that He loves you in spite of your unworthiness. Our God’s love is unconditional!
We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Stop and Listen

I used to try to help my dad work on our cars. I use the word “help” loosely because I am not very mechanically inclined; even so, Dad would patiently explain what he was doing and why. One thing I remember is that he very often would stop talking and, after motioning me to be quiet, listen to the sound the engine was making. After listening for a time, he would begin to make adjustments to correct whatever problem he had diagnosed. It was almost like the engine was telling him what was wrong.

Psalm 62
⁵ I wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
⁷ My salvation and my honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

David was a man of many words, as evidenced by the book of Psalms. He used words to paint pictures and provide instruction in things related to God. In some of the Psalms, it is almost like he is arguing with or questioning the direction given by God. In this passage, we find that David also knew when to stop talking and listen – listen for the still small voice that is God.

One of the things I miss about living in a more rural setting is the quiet. It seems that there is constant noise and commotion all around, making it difficult to find a time and place to escape all of the hustle and bustle. Our society has become so fast paced and “now” oriented that there never seems to be an opportunity for down time. One of the outcomes of this type of existence is the never-ending sound of “progress.” Even our interpersonal relationships have come to the point that they are unable to survive silence. We have difficulty just being with someone and enjoying their company without the constant flow of words.

Even though David recognized the fact that God and God alone was able to protect and sustain him, he was able to stop and wait for the Lord to give him direction. Unlike today’s Christian, he was able to take time to just sit in the presence of the Father and listen. The Bible tells us that it is not always the spectacular and the ostentatious that carries God’s message – it is often the still, small voice that can only be heard by a heart focused on the source of all wisdom. Many times, the message is for us to sit quietly and wait.

Like my dad working on cars, we have to eliminate as much of the background distraction as possible and focus on the source of our information to hear what we need to hear. The answers we need don’t always come immediately. There are times that we must wait for a while before that which we seek becomes audible. Like David, our hope must be in God. We must recognize that He alone can protect us and guide us in the quiet times, just as He does in the midst of battle.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

New Commandment

John 13:34-45 (NLT)

³⁴So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

It is not our talent or our works or even our evangelism that will ultimately win the world. God will use each of these things, but what the lost world sees is our love for each other, and it is something they cannot experience absent a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

“Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether or not our message is truthful – Christian community is the final apologetic.”
Frances Schaeffer – “The Mark of a Christian”

Manna Again?

Manna Again?

Did you ever have your parents get on to you because you aked for something new or better than what you have? I can. It seemed like kids around us always had something better than I did. One of my friends had a motorcycle and another was allowed to drive his parents car long before we were old enough to get a license. There was always something I wanted. What I didn't think about was the vacations we went on every year and the family reunions that I always got to enjoy. I also got to learn music from my dad.

The Israelites whined just like I did.

Numbers 11:6
⁶ But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna! (NIV)

God gave the Israelites everything they needed to live. Manna was the perfect food. They didn’t have to work for it. It satisfied the needs of the body, had a pleasing taste, and came directly from God. What more could they want? As is often the case with people today, they were not satisfied. They wanted variety. When we start looking for something to add to or some way to change what God has ordained for us, we are stepping off into sin. We are telling God that His way is not good enough for us. As worshipers, we must maintain our focus on Him. Our worship comes from Him and must return to Him.

Worship

I once heard a story about a preacher who was asked to preach in a church that had no pastor. He arrived at the church with his scripture passage selected and his notes prepared, ready to share the word with the flock. As he opened his Bible and prepared to read the scripture for the day, his gaze fell on a small brass tag attached to the old pulpit. The five simple words on that tag caused him to pause. In the few seconds it took for him to read that tag, an atmosphere of worship permeated the building unlike anything that he or the congregation had ever experienced before. The five words were: “Sir, we would see Jesus.”

Hebrews 1 (ESV)³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Worship is the appropriate response to God’s self-revelation. It is that which overcomes us when we truly seek after the Father – and then realize that He was always there, standing right beside us. This passage contains a beautiful picture of the way God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. All of scripture is a description of Jesus and Jesus is a reflection of God. Who then is this Jesus? He is an exact representation of God. What does Jesus do? He is the power that sustains the universe in one of His mighty hands. What did Jesus do? He came to earth as a man, lived a sinless life, offered Himself as a sacrifice for all mankind, and demonstrated His victory over death when He rose from the tomb. Where is Jesus now? He sits in the place of honor at the right hand of the Father continually making intercession for all who truly claim Him as Lord and Savior. How could one respond in any way other than to worship this revelation from the Father?

The Bible tells us that Heaven will be a place of constant worship. This has caused some to say that our corporate worship is a rehearsal for Heaven, but we have to be careful with this type of description. The tendency is to put worship in a box and schedule when we will pull it out and put it on. This can lead to the idea that we endure this life so that we can worship God when we get to heaven. Our existence then becomes a test of our resolve to hang on until He comes back again. That is not what the Bible says.

Scripture tells us that we begin our eternity with the Father at the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are seated with Him in the "heavenly realms" (Ephesians 2:4-7). In Hebrews 12:22-24 the Bible tells us that our worship is nothing short of entering the heavenly presence of God. The writer repeats the phrase – “You have come” – several times in this passage indicating that we are already in that place of constant worship. This life isn’t a tailgate party, getting us ready to go in to watch the game. We are already there – as participants.

Every time a Christian breathes a breath, someone is looking at them saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Not only that, but they assume they are seeing Him because we claim Him as Lord. If we are not lifting Jesus up in worship, all they will see is our puny attempts at righteousness, and they will be disappointed.

Worship is not restricted by time and place. Worship is not an action – it is an attitude.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!

Let There Be Glory

Glory - praise and thanksgiving offered as an act of worship to a deity.

Ephesians 3
²⁰Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. ²¹May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.

In this letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul is writing to a group of believers who are rich in Jesus Christ, but don’t seem to realize it. Paul starts off by reminding them of all the things that they have as a result of their position in Christ Jesus – salvation, spiritual blessings, wisdom. He then reinforces the fact that the Gentiles are just as much a part of the family as the Jews. The mortar that joins every believer to the Chief Cornerstone is the blood of Jesus Christ. God is no respecter of persons.

In this chapter, Paul describes what he calls the secret plan of God – every person on earth has an equal opportunity to become a child of the King. His mission, ordained by God, is to make sure that the Gentiles have opportunity to hear the Good News and accept the message of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins. Not only was God inviting the Gentiles into His family, He was opening the doors of His church to them. This revelation was being made in order that the world could see all of the children of God worshiping together.

Paul goes on to tell us that the wisdom of the concept of one church for all believers is so overwhelming to him that he can do nothing short of falling to his knees in prayer and worship. His prayer for the church is that it appropriates the strength God has made available to us, that we grow in the knowledge of God and His love, and that we experience the depth of His love, even though we will never be able to fully understand just what that means. Once we have done these things, we will be filled with the “fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

All of this culminates in one result – glory to God. If we are to accomplish anything as a church, it must be a direct result of the power of God at work in our body. We cannot even imagine what God can do with a church that is committed to being a tool of the Father in the Kingdom’s work. Our finite minds cannot process that kind of input.

How will we know when we are operating in the infinite power of God? It won’t show up as numbers on a graph, or pictures on the wall. Our success in moving toward becoming the church that God wants us to be will be reflected in the attitude of each member of the body. There can be one, and only one reason for the things that we do as a church, and that is to bring glory to the God. Any other outcome is unacceptable. Our attitude of worship must permeate the lives of those around us, no matter where we are. Worship is not restricted to a place or a time – we must glorify the Father at all times, and in all places.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!