Who Needs Holiness Anyway?

On Sunday, we talked about the Israelites and their hot and cold commitment to the God who had brought them out of Egypt.

It would seem that they had some "stinkin' thinkin" about their calling as God's chosen people.

• They wanted the "perks" of being God's chosen, but didn't want to obey Him.
• They lacked commitment.
• They doubted God, even after experiencing His hand in their lives over and over.
• They lost their focus time and time again, even after recommitting time and time again.
• They acted much more like the Egyptians that they left behind than they did the people God wanted them to be.
  
• They wanted to do things in the way that they saw as best.
• They didn't want God "messing" with the parts of their lives that had nothing to do with worship and sacrificial rituals.
• They wanted God to leave them be except, of course, when they were in a pickle and needed Him to rescue them.

Sound familiar? Do you see these things in your life or in the lives of those around you? As a pastor, I have seen a lot of those "Israelite traits" in those that I have come in contact with. I see people who compartmentalize their lives and live their lives according to the rules of "Egypt" (our culture) and not according to the word of God. I see people who have a tough time committing to God and sticking with that commitment.

When we think about faithfulness and love for God in terms of a marriage covenant, hopefully it opens our eyes to what the Lord requires of us. Not part time faithfulness. Not faithfulness for a season. Not hot and cold. Just like those things would not work very well in a marriage, so they do not work in our relationship with God. He wants all of us, all of our lives, complete obedience and faithfulness, and total devotion to Him. Nothing less will do.

How is your devotion to God? Does He have all of you? Does He own every area of your life? Do you run to God when you need something, but run amok when things are going smoothly?

Comments? Questions? Talk to me!

From Desperation to Destination

On Sunday we looked at Exodus 14:10-15. You have to admit that the Israelites were in a pretty desperate situation. They were leaving their lives as slaves in Egypt and headed to the land that God had promised them. Out in the middle of nowhere pretty much. Stopped cold because the Red Sea is in front of them. No bridge. No B.A.R.T. No ferry boat. The only way across, it would seem, would be to walk across. Hmmm, a real problem, eh?

Then they look behind them and on the horizon they see Pharaoh and his army bearing down on them. They were suddenly focused on their past. At that point panic and pandemonium ensued. Here's what the Bible says:

"As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'"

Now, you have to admit you might have done the same thing in those circumstances. The word on the street was, "People, we have a problem! Now what?" But Moses is clear in his resolve. The Lord had led them to where they were now, and the Lord would not be abandoning them any time soon. Read what Moses said to these people of little faith.

"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.'"

Now I have to wonder if Moses had to seriously work on controlling himself to not lash out at them. But instead, he reassured them that God was with them and would fight for them. But then God had a word for Moses:

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.'''

It sounds to me like God was saying something like, "Moses, this is not the time to be encouraging them to stand. This is NOT the time to be talking about faith. This is the time to move out. I already told you that you were going to the promised land. Maybe you should be ACTING like you're gonna reach the destination instead of TALKING about reaching it. Head 'em up and move 'em out, Moses!"

It occurs to me that Moses could have stood there all day long building them up, reminding them of God's hand in getting them out of Egypt, and speaking encouragement to them, but (knowing the Israelites like we do) I doubt whether they would have felt any better. Their focus was on the desperate situation of Pharaoh's army chasing them. What would build their faith more than to move out and see God's hand do a mighty act on their behalf?

Quit talking, and start moving!

So the question is, what do you need to move on? What do you need to let go of from your past in order to move forward into the destination God has for you? Where is your focus? Is it on your past, or is it on your faith and what God has called you to?

Comments, please?

Job Opportunity

Well, I figured that the title would certainly catch your interest! :)

On Sunday, we talked about what Jesus told us to do, that is go and work in the field to bring in the harvest. The field, of course, is the lost world and the work is bringing people into the Kingdom of God. There is no question but that Jesus is sending out the word that He seriously needs EVERYONE to pitch in and be one of the harvesters:

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had great compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'" Matthew 9:35-38

This is one job, folks, that we don't have to apply for. You don't need to fill out endless paperwork. You don't need to take a physical or an agility test. You don't need to show proof of a college degree or extensive training, or go through a psychological evaluation.

Jesus was talking to His disciples. That's you and me, by the way. And He wasn't going through the group and choosing those who could do the work. "Let's see, um, Peter I think you need some anger management work before I can trust you to go out in the field. Thomas, maybe if you spent a couple of years more following me around, your faith will grow big enough to work at the harvest. James, you and I need to hang back and work on your attitude. Andrew, I just don't see you as ministry material. Matthew, your past of being a dishonest Tax Collector seriously disqualifies you to participate in this work."

Nope, he didn't say any of those things. He looked at that rag tag group of followers, looked past all of their imperfections, and told them He needed them to do a job for Him. They were seriously underqualified from a human perspective. They lacked training. They had personality flaws. They had their issues. But He called them, and He sent them.

He sent them, but not just them. Us too! We are all underqualified, lack training, and we are none of us perfect. But God isn't interested in any of that. He's only interested in who will obey His command to go into the field and work the harvest! Period. He takes our flaws, our insecurities, our lack of ability and He pours on His power through the Holy Spirit, and amazing things happen!

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4:18-19

"The Spirit of the Lord" may be the most important part of those verses. Jesus was doing His work under the power of the Holy Spirit--the same Holy Spirit that resides in you and me.

So here's the point. The job is open. The field is ripe. A "Help Wanted" sign is calling you. The question is, will you be a harvester in your circle of influence--your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers you encounter? Will you start now? Are you willing to step out and be amazed at what God will do through you?

Talk to me! I want to know what you are hearing!

How to Avoid Paying Up

On Sunday we talked about dealing with and resisting temptation. We talked about how giving into temptation will cause you to find yourself in a trap, trying to cover up sin, and ultimately dealing with the consequences.

What I want to focus on today is the traps set for God's people. As a pastor over the years, I have seen hundreds of temptations that people deal with. Often the problem with temptation, as I said on Sunday, is that they are so subtle. One type of temptation that often goes largely unnoticed by Christians is the temptation to think more like the world.

Paul writes: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

We are not to be "world thinkers." We need to be thinking as God wants us to think. The Bible talks about having the mind of Christ. If we look at life, at relationships, at our responsibilities, at the world in the same way that Christ does, then it makes me wonder if we would be so quick to buy into the thinking behind these sayings. Here are a few, followed by my thoughts.

"Seek always for the answers within yourself." (Excuse me, but I have no answers. God is my source of answers.)

"There are many roads to heaven." (Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him.)

"Re-examine all you have been told. Ignore those that make you unhappy." (My happiness or unhappiness in being told something is not a good measure of whether what I've been told is true and valuable.)

"God wants you to be happy." (No, God wants me to be content in whatever state I find myself. He offers me abundant life.)

"Pay attention to that unchanging part of yourself. It is perfect." (The only thing perfect in me is Jesus.)

"It's important to feel good." (Feeling good is not the goal. The goal is to honor Christ with my life and sometimes that involves doing things that might not feel good at the time.)

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." (God is my only source of peace.)

"Visualize a great life and it will come to you." (Where does it say that in the Bible?)

"Life is full of opportunities to find great power within yourself." (Again, my only power is in Christ.)

"Learn to trust your intuition. It is your spirit whispering directions in your ears." (I trust God to lead me. My intuition has led me astray many times!)

"Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't." (The Bible says love your enemies.)

Do you ever buy into these lies? Do you know Christians who do? Why do you think Christians get sucked into these deceptions? Talk to me!

What Will I Give Him?

Nathan has spent the past three weeks teaching us. Let's recap!

Two weeks ago, he taught from Matthew 13:44-46. It is the passage about a man who sells all he has to be able to purchase a pearl of great value and another man who did the same to purchase a field with a treasure hidden in it.

Our conclusion that day was that what the man GAINED was obviously worth more than what he gave up. We listed all the things we have in Christ, for that is what we gain. (See the post below from December 27.)

Last week, he continued on the theme, and then talked about the value of what we gain by serving Christ, and reminded us that we cannot focus on two things at the same time. We cannot pursue Christ wholeheartedly, if our attention is on something else. "No man can serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24)

So today, with those two concepts in mind--the great worth of what we gain in Christ and the fact that it is impossible to pursue Christ and something else at the same time--we talked about the importance of being set apart for Him. Remember that when we are set apart for Him it means we are also set apart from something else. It involves giving up whatever would keep us from pursuing him with a single minded focus.

Now this doesn't mean that God wants us all to sell or give away all we have, live on the streets, quit our jobs and sit around and pray all day. We don't need to do anything unless He tells us to. We don't need to make a renewed commitment to do more or be more or take on more. We need to listen and obey Him. If He tells us to take on something, do it! If He tells us to give up something, do it!

The point is to listen to Him. Ask Him what is keeping you from focusing on Him, and when He tells you what it is, then repent and obey Him. He may tell you to give up your focus on one of the things we listed on the white board: toys, hard work, children/grandchildren, sports, retirement, marriage, relationships, causes, etc. Are any of those things bad or wrong? Of course not! But if they are becoming the focus of your life, then they have become an idol in your life. You cannot focus on two things at once. You cannot serve two masters.

Focus on Christ as your ONLY master. Listen to what He tells you to do. Adjust your life accordingly!

Thoughts?

What Is It Worth?

On Sunday, Nathan shared with us part two of a three part message. You will remember that last Sunday (see the previous post below) he talked with us about the things we receive by being "in Christ." It was an amazing list of the benefits of choosing Him.

To review Sunday's message, here are some highlights that stood out to me:

1) We have to give up everything else, (just as we read in Matthew 13:44-46 we have to sell the lesser thing to gain the greater) because otherwise God is just "one more thing" in our collection. That leads to the next point.

2) We can't serve two masters. We are not very good multi-taskers. We can't focus on God while focusing on something else as well.

3) We value the thing we choose and devalue the one we don't. We will rejoice in what we acquire or seek to acquire, and we will downplay that which we choose not to acquire.

4) There are some consequences of not pursuing what we say we value:

• A limited ability to rejoice in Him, when we aren't choosing him.
• A loss of enthusiasm/zeal for the things of God.
• A loss of confidence and an experience of doubt.

5) There are some biblical remedies for the temptation to focus on other things:

• Philemon 1:6 - Be active in sharing your faith so that you will have full understanding.
• Matthew 6:25-33 - Seek God and His kingdom, and then all the "stuff" that you need will be provided.
• I Timothy 6:6-19 - Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Don't pursue riches, but pursue God and He will give richly all you need.
• Philippians 4:10-19 - Two things here: You can do all things, including enduring hardship, through Christ. When you share what you have, God will supply what you need.

And finally, a passage that sums it all up:

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and
be content with what you have, because God has
said, 'Never will I leave you; never will
I forsake you.' So we say with confidence,
'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?'"
Hebrews 13:5-6

If God is with us, if He is our helper, we have nothing to fear. Not only that, but we can pursue Him, love Him, and turn from other things, because He is all we need. We can be content.

What are your thoughts?

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:44-46)

On Sunday Nathan talked with us about those things that are available to us when we are in Christ. As we went through the scriptures, we discovered why the passage in Matthew makes sense. Why a man would sell all he had to gain a "hidden treasure" or a "pearl of great value."

Remember the list we generated from the New Testament scriptures we read? What do we gain from our relationship with Christ? Is there anything better than those things on our list? Here is that list, to refresh your memory:

Redemption xxxxx Forgiveness xxxxxEquality
Access to God xxxxx Wisdom xxxxx Understanding
Provision xxxxx Peace xxxxx No shame xxxxx Faith
Hope xxxxx Righteousness xxxxx Freedom
Light xxxxx New creation xxxxx Brought near to God
Confident xxxxx Life xxxxx Love
No condemnation xxxxx Grace xxxxx Mercy
Body of Christ (family) xxxxx Fullness/Completeness

Which of these resonate with you? For which of these are you most thankful? How do these things compare with the temporary things of this world that you value?

Talk to me!