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!!!!!!!!!!!!