I just wanted to share a devotional with you today.
G.P.S.
In the modern world of technology, most of us are familiar with a GPS system. It stands for Global Positioning System. It is a handheld system that uses satellites to tell you your position in the world. Those of us who use a GPS regularly will follow the directions given to us from the GPS without question or without hesitation. There was a period of time in my life that I had a job where they issued you a GPS as part of your work supplies. All of the guys who had the same job as I did had the same type of GPS and we called it Wanda. The name was derived from the fact that the voice that spoke the directions to us was in a woman’s voice. As we travelled through multiple states we would blindly follow Wanda’s voice because we were strangers in strange land and did not know where we were going otherwise. The down side to this system was that sometimes Wanda wanted to take you through places where roads didn’t exist or wouldn’t even be able to recognize where you needed to go.
This puts me in mind of the children of Israel. They followed a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. They followed it through the wilderness, but when it led them to the banks of the Red Sea, they lost faith. It was then that our faithful God took them down a path that Wanda could have never taken them on. They were privileged, despite their grumblings, to get to use God’s Positioning System. They were convinced that they had been taken to the wrong place and that God didn’t know where they needed to go. However, they were blessed with front row seats to seeing God in all of His power and glory. Although they got where they were supposed to go following God’s Positioning System, they were not the first to use this fail proof system.
Before the time of the Israelites, Abraham used God’s Positioning System. God told Abraham to gather up everything and leave the land of his father and that he would tell him when he was “there”. Abraham responded in an obedient manner and just started travelling. This was in a similar fashion to how we would follow Wanda. When she would say in five hundred feet turn left...we would. God told Abraham to go...and he did. This time, as well, our faithful God told Abraham when he was “there” and he took up residence there. For his obedience, God was also faithful to bless Abraham more than he deserved. Our life has the ability to look the same way.
If we will commit ourselves fully to our relationship with Christ, He will guide us down the paths of life. He will always be more faithful to us than we will ever be to Him. It takes that relationship to be able to hear the Master’s voice. Just as easily as anyone can listen to Wanda and get where they need to go most of the time, if you follow God’s voice, you will always get to where you are supposed to be all the time. That may not be where you thought you should be, nevertheless it is where you will be glad He brought you to and where He will bless you for being. The choice is in your hands. Do you choose to lean on your own understanding, or will you let God’s Positioning System guide you through to the Promised Land? He won’t force you, but He will lead you if you let Him. Why will we listen to a man made device like Wanda without question or hesitation, but will question the Almighty Creator of the universe without fail or hesitation?
Creator or creation? You decide!
I love the way this ends! Creator or creation? What a great question! Do you want to spend your life following the Creator or would you rather follow the minidless masses who worship all phases of His creation? There are people who will put God in the back seat so that they can dedicate themselves to something He has blessed them with, but not to replace Him. It's your decision, but personally, I am voting for the Creator who provides us with the blessings versus the things He's blessed us with. Tomorrow I will show you a devotional on what God does when you put the creations in front of the Creator!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Disturb'd
I had a rather disturbing conversation this weekend with a beloved friend. Through the course of this conversation, I was reminded of a very important fact. When you are "the christian" in somebody's life.....you are their version of the Bible. You are their "spiritual" reference point. You are their word from God, or so they think. If you're friend is someone who does not read the Bible, you are all they have to go by. So I have a devotional for my christian friends to read.
Real Living Translation
King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version, New Living Translation, Amplified, Holman Christian Standard Bible, The Message, and on…and on…and on. There are almost too many translations of the bible. The debates rage on over translation validity. “King James Version is the only true version!” I have heard that statement at an excessive level. Numerous times I’ve heard it said any other version can’t be a real version because of the time in history they were translated or the fact that they are not translated from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is an impossibility since the King James Version was first published in 1611 and the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery process took place between 1947 and 1956. As a matter of fact, as of 2007, two volumes of the scrolls had not even been translated yet. This is one of many misconceptions that are keeping families apart from each other and from God. I’ve heard a couple of discussions recently where long time, strong Christians, that stick strictly to the King James Version, missed certain details because of the fact that it is written in Early Modern English. This means it is structured very differently from how we speak in our era. One of these people actually prides himself on reading the bible through numerous times but has missed things due to translation. However, in these discussions, their knowledge of what they were reading was enhanced as people shared with them from other translations which delivered it more clearly. On the issue of time period: the same Holy Spirit that guided men to translate texts in the 16th and 17th century, was just as powerful for the 20th century translators. Or if someone is convinced that they could not be lead by the Spirit as well in the modern era, that’s more of a testament to their own relationship. Personally, I think if you don’t read multiple translations (King James Version included) you are cheating yourself; but most of all, you are cheating those you share the Word with.
Let’s take the four gospels as an example. Does God need to repeat Himself? No. But in His Word, we have the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four books of the bible have the same central theme- the life of Jesus. Each one of the Gospels are telling the same story with a slightly different perspective, yet it’s still the same story. As a matter of fact, Jesus feeding the five thousand is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that is told in all four. So as we see, God uses the different perspectives to best teach us. In that same way we can use different perspectives on individual verses and passages to gain or convey a deeper understanding. Here are a few examples that may help. If you were going to share the Gospel in Nigeria, where English is their second language, it may be a better idea to use the New International Version. It is written in more of a formal English that they would better understand, hence the word international in its name. If you were going to read Paul’s letters to the churches, and you really wanted to read it as a letter, (which is how it is written) you may get more out of the New Living Translation for that. If you wanted to read a passage with the understanding that the original Hebrew listeners would have had, then the Amplified would help you with that. If you were going to share the Gospel with the Zulu people of South Africa, who have only an oral and not a written history, you may want to use The Message. Because of their affection for a story to be told to them, the story-like paraphrase of The Message may help you share the Word with them in a way that reaches them better. You may want to use the King James Version for its poetic nature or at other times for its heavy handed, “thou shalt not” approach, depending on what you are trying to convey. Do they each tell us that God created us for a love relationship with Him? Yes. Do they each tell us Christ died for us to pay our sin debt? Yes. Do they each have a Roman’s Road for us to “follow” to salvation? Yes. They tell us all the same things from creation to the life of Christ to the return of Christ for His bride. But each one gives us an extra piece of the “understanding” puzzle so we can eventually see the big picture God has given us in His Word. I have seen God glorified by people’s salvation under at least four or five of the different translations. Apparently, God can use any translation, because they all have their purpose; He just can’t use silence.
Tragically, there are broken families that could be transformed by God’s healing hand through a caring church fellowship, but remain broken because of a bible translation conflict from within the marriage. The translation that keeps more people out of church is one I like to call the Real Living Translation. That is the life you live in front of the world on a daily basis. We, as the church, are to live a life that is “set apart”. If we do not carry Christ’s light into the world, then are we promoting darkness? Don’t misunderstand me; any Christian can fall. Nearly all of us will, to some degree, fall during our walk with Christ. It’s not a surprise, nor is it permanent. In the event someone falls as we see in Proverbs 24:16 where it says, “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again…”. The key phrase after the “fall” is the “rise again” part! Christ did not expect us to be perfect and never fall. Instead, He expects us to rise again after the fall and rejoin the fellowship! This is not a place where I point fingers from behind a “holier than thou” banner. I, myself, have had those days where I did not appear to have any connection to God. I realized that when one of my buddies that I was closest to at the time said “What? You go to church? I would have never guessed that! Are you sure?” I realized at that point that I had gotten as far away from God as is humanly possible. My Real Living Translation was speaking volumes about the sinful life of one who had fallen. But thankfully God extended His hand, full of grace, raised me back up, and walked this lost sheep back into the fold. Just know that no one is above it!
I would be willing to stake the claim that nearly all of us know someone that says they don’t want to go to church because it is full of a bunch of hypocrites. We, as the church, are giving them that excuse by living for God on Sunday and living like the world the rest of the week(side note: the “hypocrites” excuse will not stand when we stand before God. He seeks a personal relationship with each of us, not one based on another person’s walk, or fall. We are all sinners saved by God’s grace). We have to step up and be Christians even when it’s a little uncomfortable, or if we have to make sacrifices (as Christ did for us). You may be the only bible someone ever reads! Do you want to be the reason that someone falls into an eternity without God?
Once, there was a lady who knew a Christian man who lived the Christian life in front of her. Throughout his journey, there was always something wonderfully different about him. He went on to become a preacher and later a pastor. The day finally came that the lady decided she wanted some of what he had. She wanted that same Jesus in her life, because of the Jesus she saw in his. That lady is my mother. I recently heard another wonderful story of how a teenage boy came to know Christ because of the life lived and the love shown to him by an elder pastor. The circumstances that he grew up in would not be considered ideal, but God used that pastor’s life to reach that young man. By the way, that young man has grown up to be my pastor. You don’t know, and may never know the impact you can have on the lives of others if you live the life Christ would have you to live. On that same note, you may never know how many lives you can ruin by refusing to live the life God has ordained for you. We are blessed that God is always watching; but are we being a blessing or a road block to those watching our lives? What is your Real Living Translation saying to a watching world- especially if you go, or went, to church?
You should know this: it is not hard to live the Christian life. God has given you an excellent reference manual with 66 love letters in it. Why would you not want to read the bible if you were viewing it this way? Especially if you accept the fact that it is not designed to limit your life, but to show you how to live like one who has been set free! Now we have a choice; live as the world, weakly…Or live in victory in Christ, weekly!
Be careful as you start giving out non-biblical theology as fact. If you can not end your statement with "thus saith the Lord" then it is your opinion and should be labeled as such and not portrayed as truth. Be careful, friends!
Real Living Translation
King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version, New Living Translation, Amplified, Holman Christian Standard Bible, The Message, and on…and on…and on. There are almost too many translations of the bible. The debates rage on over translation validity. “King James Version is the only true version!” I have heard that statement at an excessive level. Numerous times I’ve heard it said any other version can’t be a real version because of the time in history they were translated or the fact that they are not translated from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is an impossibility since the King James Version was first published in 1611 and the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery process took place between 1947 and 1956. As a matter of fact, as of 2007, two volumes of the scrolls had not even been translated yet. This is one of many misconceptions that are keeping families apart from each other and from God. I’ve heard a couple of discussions recently where long time, strong Christians, that stick strictly to the King James Version, missed certain details because of the fact that it is written in Early Modern English. This means it is structured very differently from how we speak in our era. One of these people actually prides himself on reading the bible through numerous times but has missed things due to translation. However, in these discussions, their knowledge of what they were reading was enhanced as people shared with them from other translations which delivered it more clearly. On the issue of time period: the same Holy Spirit that guided men to translate texts in the 16th and 17th century, was just as powerful for the 20th century translators. Or if someone is convinced that they could not be lead by the Spirit as well in the modern era, that’s more of a testament to their own relationship. Personally, I think if you don’t read multiple translations (King James Version included) you are cheating yourself; but most of all, you are cheating those you share the Word with.
Let’s take the four gospels as an example. Does God need to repeat Himself? No. But in His Word, we have the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four books of the bible have the same central theme- the life of Jesus. Each one of the Gospels are telling the same story with a slightly different perspective, yet it’s still the same story. As a matter of fact, Jesus feeding the five thousand is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that is told in all four. So as we see, God uses the different perspectives to best teach us. In that same way we can use different perspectives on individual verses and passages to gain or convey a deeper understanding. Here are a few examples that may help. If you were going to share the Gospel in Nigeria, where English is their second language, it may be a better idea to use the New International Version. It is written in more of a formal English that they would better understand, hence the word international in its name. If you were going to read Paul’s letters to the churches, and you really wanted to read it as a letter, (which is how it is written) you may get more out of the New Living Translation for that. If you wanted to read a passage with the understanding that the original Hebrew listeners would have had, then the Amplified would help you with that. If you were going to share the Gospel with the Zulu people of South Africa, who have only an oral and not a written history, you may want to use The Message. Because of their affection for a story to be told to them, the story-like paraphrase of The Message may help you share the Word with them in a way that reaches them better. You may want to use the King James Version for its poetic nature or at other times for its heavy handed, “thou shalt not” approach, depending on what you are trying to convey. Do they each tell us that God created us for a love relationship with Him? Yes. Do they each tell us Christ died for us to pay our sin debt? Yes. Do they each have a Roman’s Road for us to “follow” to salvation? Yes. They tell us all the same things from creation to the life of Christ to the return of Christ for His bride. But each one gives us an extra piece of the “understanding” puzzle so we can eventually see the big picture God has given us in His Word. I have seen God glorified by people’s salvation under at least four or five of the different translations. Apparently, God can use any translation, because they all have their purpose; He just can’t use silence.
Tragically, there are broken families that could be transformed by God’s healing hand through a caring church fellowship, but remain broken because of a bible translation conflict from within the marriage. The translation that keeps more people out of church is one I like to call the Real Living Translation. That is the life you live in front of the world on a daily basis. We, as the church, are to live a life that is “set apart”. If we do not carry Christ’s light into the world, then are we promoting darkness? Don’t misunderstand me; any Christian can fall. Nearly all of us will, to some degree, fall during our walk with Christ. It’s not a surprise, nor is it permanent. In the event someone falls as we see in Proverbs 24:16 where it says, “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again…”. The key phrase after the “fall” is the “rise again” part! Christ did not expect us to be perfect and never fall. Instead, He expects us to rise again after the fall and rejoin the fellowship! This is not a place where I point fingers from behind a “holier than thou” banner. I, myself, have had those days where I did not appear to have any connection to God. I realized that when one of my buddies that I was closest to at the time said “What? You go to church? I would have never guessed that! Are you sure?” I realized at that point that I had gotten as far away from God as is humanly possible. My Real Living Translation was speaking volumes about the sinful life of one who had fallen. But thankfully God extended His hand, full of grace, raised me back up, and walked this lost sheep back into the fold. Just know that no one is above it!
I would be willing to stake the claim that nearly all of us know someone that says they don’t want to go to church because it is full of a bunch of hypocrites. We, as the church, are giving them that excuse by living for God on Sunday and living like the world the rest of the week(side note: the “hypocrites” excuse will not stand when we stand before God. He seeks a personal relationship with each of us, not one based on another person’s walk, or fall. We are all sinners saved by God’s grace). We have to step up and be Christians even when it’s a little uncomfortable, or if we have to make sacrifices (as Christ did for us). You may be the only bible someone ever reads! Do you want to be the reason that someone falls into an eternity without God?
Once, there was a lady who knew a Christian man who lived the Christian life in front of her. Throughout his journey, there was always something wonderfully different about him. He went on to become a preacher and later a pastor. The day finally came that the lady decided she wanted some of what he had. She wanted that same Jesus in her life, because of the Jesus she saw in his. That lady is my mother. I recently heard another wonderful story of how a teenage boy came to know Christ because of the life lived and the love shown to him by an elder pastor. The circumstances that he grew up in would not be considered ideal, but God used that pastor’s life to reach that young man. By the way, that young man has grown up to be my pastor. You don’t know, and may never know the impact you can have on the lives of others if you live the life Christ would have you to live. On that same note, you may never know how many lives you can ruin by refusing to live the life God has ordained for you. We are blessed that God is always watching; but are we being a blessing or a road block to those watching our lives? What is your Real Living Translation saying to a watching world- especially if you go, or went, to church?
You should know this: it is not hard to live the Christian life. God has given you an excellent reference manual with 66 love letters in it. Why would you not want to read the bible if you were viewing it this way? Especially if you accept the fact that it is not designed to limit your life, but to show you how to live like one who has been set free! Now we have a choice; live as the world, weakly…Or live in victory in Christ, weekly!
Be careful as you start giving out non-biblical theology as fact. If you can not end your statement with "thus saith the Lord" then it is your opinion and should be labeled as such and not portrayed as truth. Be careful, friends!
Friday, April 24, 2009
It's Another Tehilah Sunrise
That's not a misprint! It is meant to say tehilah and not that worm infested drinks name! Tehilah is one of the words used for praise in the original Hebrew text that is a spontaneous song of praise and is the only form of praise that God enthrones Himself upon. I have mornings where there are songs that just happen in that manner. Most mornings I can't remember the words later in the day. For whatever reason, this morning's tehilah is stuck in my head so I thought I would share these words with you.
Bend me, shape me
anyway You want me
Mold me, make me
anyway You want me
Send me, Use me
Your blood has bought me
This one seems to be stuck in my head, but I'm not actually trying to kick it out. I'm enjoying the song that He has placed in my heart.....so I'm going to run with it. It's just a little chorus, but God doesn't need something elaborate, He is only looking for what is birthed in truth. This is a song about complete submission and I am thankful that I can sing it! Won't you join with me?
Bend me, shape me
anyway You want me
Mold me, make me
anyway You want me
Send me, Use me
Your blood has bought me
This one seems to be stuck in my head, but I'm not actually trying to kick it out. I'm enjoying the song that He has placed in my heart.....so I'm going to run with it. It's just a little chorus, but God doesn't need something elaborate, He is only looking for what is birthed in truth. This is a song about complete submission and I am thankful that I can sing it! Won't you join with me?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
No Fear!
This is a very necessary message to get out! If you have already committed your life to Christ; then please share this with someone else! Thank you!
Sharing Jesus
I find when I talk to people about Jesus, I get two main reactions. One says that they’re going to Heaven, so they’re fine. When you ask them why God would let them in, they usually tell you that they’ve been a good person and they haven’t killed anybody. Then I have to share with them that their perception is incorrect. Nobody tends to take that very well, but it is the truth. In John 3:3 it says 3 Jesus replied, “• I assure you: Unless someone is born again,[1] The same Gk word can mean again or from above (also in v. 7). he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So you see it’s not my opinion, rather the words of Jesus himself. Jesus goes on to tell us in Matthew chapter 5 that if you have hatred in your heart or if you would say in anger “You fool!” to any man, you have already committed murder in your heart. Which would mean according to Jesus, both of those answers would be wrong and you truly are not headed to Heaven after this life. The second common response is someone being very upset at the thought that I am judging them as they ask me if I am trying to say that they are a sinner. Unfortunately, it again is not my opinion, but truth found in the Word of God. In Romans 3:23, the Bible says; “23 For all have sinned and fall short of the Or and lack the glory of God.” The second word there is “all”. That is pretty self explanatory. Just by being born human, you are a sinner, thus you are in need of being born again (remember John 3:3). But that is an individual choice. Then I like to share with them what it says in Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What I like about that verse is the fact that there is no “s” at the end of sin. It only takes one for us to earn our wage. It says our wage for sin is death. As we all know, a wage is something we’ve earned, whereas a gift is not earned but given. It says in that verse that the gift of God is eternal life. You see, long before we were born, God knew we would sin. But because of His love for us, he made a way for us to be with Him in Heaven. In Romans 5:8, it says; “8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” So despite our inevitable sin, God loved us and loved us first. In John 3:16 & 17 it tells us 16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His • One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 1 Jn 4:9–10 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Again, Jesus is the one telling us this. In John 14:6; 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. So we see there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus. He loved us first, he made a way for us, and this was all accomplished through Jesus Christ. In Romans chapter ten, we learn these things; 9-11 says 9 if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, No one who believes on Him will be put to shame, and in verse 13 it says “13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So we see that everyone can be saved, but it is a choice. If you believe that God sent His Son to make a way for you by dying on the cross, being buried, and then rising again on the third day. If you can also confess your sins to Him (remember; He already knows them) from a broken heart (Psalms 51:17), a heart broken by the fact that you have sinned against God who has only loved you. You can be saved! At that point you are to confess your conversion to someone. Now as you see it is very simple. Sadly, a lot of people will tell you that they can’t take that step because they have just lived so bad that they simply can’t take that step; or they don’t deserve it. None of us deserve it! It is only from the heart of a loving God that this kind of gift can come. We learn in Jl 2:322 Corinthians 5:17; “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” As we see, it says if ANYONE is in Christ; there are no exceptions listed. I’ll give an example; Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament, murdered or had murdered many Christians before his conversion. After his conversion, he was a very powerful tool and writer for God. This, however, is a personal choice. In Revelations 3:20 Jesus said “20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” He is standing, waiting for you to let Him in. The choice is yours, He won’t force you! But I would ask this question; “How could you not give your life TO, the one who gave His life FOR YOU?”
If you have read this and can see the importance of Christ in your life, see me and I will help you with the next step which is the prayer. I love you, but God loves you even more, will today be that day for you to love Him back? I’m always available!
Sharing Jesus
I find when I talk to people about Jesus, I get two main reactions. One says that they’re going to Heaven, so they’re fine. When you ask them why God would let them in, they usually tell you that they’ve been a good person and they haven’t killed anybody. Then I have to share with them that their perception is incorrect. Nobody tends to take that very well, but it is the truth. In John 3:3 it says 3 Jesus replied, “• I assure you: Unless someone is born again,[1] The same Gk word can mean again or from above (also in v. 7). he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So you see it’s not my opinion, rather the words of Jesus himself. Jesus goes on to tell us in Matthew chapter 5 that if you have hatred in your heart or if you would say in anger “You fool!” to any man, you have already committed murder in your heart. Which would mean according to Jesus, both of those answers would be wrong and you truly are not headed to Heaven after this life. The second common response is someone being very upset at the thought that I am judging them as they ask me if I am trying to say that they are a sinner. Unfortunately, it again is not my opinion, but truth found in the Word of God. In Romans 3:23, the Bible says; “23 For all have sinned and fall short of the Or and lack the glory of God.” The second word there is “all”. That is pretty self explanatory. Just by being born human, you are a sinner, thus you are in need of being born again (remember John 3:3). But that is an individual choice. Then I like to share with them what it says in Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What I like about that verse is the fact that there is no “s” at the end of sin. It only takes one for us to earn our wage. It says our wage for sin is death. As we all know, a wage is something we’ve earned, whereas a gift is not earned but given. It says in that verse that the gift of God is eternal life. You see, long before we were born, God knew we would sin. But because of His love for us, he made a way for us to be with Him in Heaven. In Romans 5:8, it says; “8 But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” So despite our inevitable sin, God loved us and loved us first. In John 3:16 & 17 it tells us 16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His • One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 1 Jn 4:9–10 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Again, Jesus is the one telling us this. In John 14:6; 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. So we see there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus. He loved us first, he made a way for us, and this was all accomplished through Jesus Christ. In Romans chapter ten, we learn these things; 9-11 says 9 if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, No one who believes on Him will be put to shame, and in verse 13 it says “13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” So we see that everyone can be saved, but it is a choice. If you believe that God sent His Son to make a way for you by dying on the cross, being buried, and then rising again on the third day. If you can also confess your sins to Him (remember; He already knows them) from a broken heart (Psalms 51:17), a heart broken by the fact that you have sinned against God who has only loved you. You can be saved! At that point you are to confess your conversion to someone. Now as you see it is very simple. Sadly, a lot of people will tell you that they can’t take that step because they have just lived so bad that they simply can’t take that step; or they don’t deserve it. None of us deserve it! It is only from the heart of a loving God that this kind of gift can come. We learn in Jl 2:322 Corinthians 5:17; “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” As we see, it says if ANYONE is in Christ; there are no exceptions listed. I’ll give an example; Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament, murdered or had murdered many Christians before his conversion. After his conversion, he was a very powerful tool and writer for God. This, however, is a personal choice. In Revelations 3:20 Jesus said “20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” He is standing, waiting for you to let Him in. The choice is yours, He won’t force you! But I would ask this question; “How could you not give your life TO, the one who gave His life FOR YOU?”
If you have read this and can see the importance of Christ in your life, see me and I will help you with the next step which is the prayer. I love you, but God loves you even more, will today be that day for you to love Him back? I’m always available!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Front Row Seat to a Miracle!
Well for all those who think prophesy died out in the age that the Bible was written, I have to say I disagree. Last summer God revealed to me that there was a young man in our church that I would lead to Christ. At the time, I had never lead anyone to Christ, so I was concerned. It wasn't a lack of faith in God, it was a lack of faith in me. But I should've known that I would not be necessary to make it happen. God is too good to need me, he only allows me a front row seat to events like that. Fast forward through my trip to Africa (where I was privileged to have that front row seat as dozens gave their life to Chirst) and to March 2009. I had this young man on my heart all the time, prayed for him all the time, but knew that now would be the time! We were doing a series of lessons on the life of Christ with the death, burial, and resurrection last week and the message of salvation provided by those events. I asked the group that was supposed to do it if they would switch with my group and let us handle that class. This group normally handles that class when it comes up, but I was aking for a switch this time, because God had revealed to me that it was time for me to step up and personally introduce this young man to Jesus. The group that was stepping aside and allowing this to happen is our pastor's wife, the lady in charge of Kidzone, and her husband who is a deacon in our church. A group of spiritual heavyweights, allowing a rookie into the BIG game. I am very thankful for their lack of pride and their abundance of obedience.
Now, this past Sunday would be that salvation Sunday. My ministry partner from Africa and I presented the Gospel as we did in Africa. We told the kids about how we shared there and then "led" my partner's son to Christ as an example. At that point, I turned the class over and said keep sharing about Africa with them I have to leave. I left the room and went to the room next door and prayer walked the room where I would be sharing the Gospel with him in and then my wife brought the young man in question, to me, in that room. I shared with this young man like I have with no other person ever.......and still he said no. I have never seen a battle like that going on for one person in my life. It was truly eye opening. I took him all the way to the point of asking him if he was ready to accept Christ......at least a dozen times, but still he said no. It was then that I asked him why and I shut up! I took myself out of the conversation and had the pleasure of watching the Holy Spirit do what only the Holy Spirit CAN do. Once I got out of the way God won that young man's soul and frustrated the enemy, wonderfully! Now I have to say, I am absolutely jacked to watch and see what God has planned for this young man. I have never heard of anything like this where God reveals to somebody that someone WILL be accepting the gift of salvation that not only has fought it SO MANY times in their life already, but that the enemy fought SO hard to keep. The enemy's fight is usually determined by someone's effectiveness for the Kingdom. I CAN'T WAIT!!
Now I would have to say at this point, that my wife's conversion was the only thing close to that. At my family reunion (I was not attending--had to work) he walks up and sits down next to my wife and introduces himself since they had never met. He was a wonderful pastor and obedient servant of the King. He said he felt led to come and share with her. Not being rude, she accepted his offer and he started sharing the Gospel with her. Right there on my aunt's back porch she accepted Christ. She ain't been the same since. Thank you, Jesus!!
We also had two others accept Christ on this particular Sunday. One of them was this young man's sister. Incredible what God can do when we are obedient AND GET OUT OF HIS WAY!
AWESOME! Thank You God for allowing me a front row seat to a true miracle!
Now, this past Sunday would be that salvation Sunday. My ministry partner from Africa and I presented the Gospel as we did in Africa. We told the kids about how we shared there and then "led" my partner's son to Christ as an example. At that point, I turned the class over and said keep sharing about Africa with them I have to leave. I left the room and went to the room next door and prayer walked the room where I would be sharing the Gospel with him in and then my wife brought the young man in question, to me, in that room. I shared with this young man like I have with no other person ever.......and still he said no. I have never seen a battle like that going on for one person in my life. It was truly eye opening. I took him all the way to the point of asking him if he was ready to accept Christ......at least a dozen times, but still he said no. It was then that I asked him why and I shut up! I took myself out of the conversation and had the pleasure of watching the Holy Spirit do what only the Holy Spirit CAN do. Once I got out of the way God won that young man's soul and frustrated the enemy, wonderfully! Now I have to say, I am absolutely jacked to watch and see what God has planned for this young man. I have never heard of anything like this where God reveals to somebody that someone WILL be accepting the gift of salvation that not only has fought it SO MANY times in their life already, but that the enemy fought SO hard to keep. The enemy's fight is usually determined by someone's effectiveness for the Kingdom. I CAN'T WAIT!!
Now I would have to say at this point, that my wife's conversion was the only thing close to that. At my family reunion (I was not attending--had to work) he walks up and sits down next to my wife and introduces himself since they had never met. He was a wonderful pastor and obedient servant of the King. He said he felt led to come and share with her. Not being rude, she accepted his offer and he started sharing the Gospel with her. Right there on my aunt's back porch she accepted Christ. She ain't been the same since. Thank you, Jesus!!
We also had two others accept Christ on this particular Sunday. One of them was this young man's sister. Incredible what God can do when we are obedient AND GET OUT OF HIS WAY!
AWESOME! Thank You God for allowing me a front row seat to a true miracle!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Susan Boyles
I'm sure we have all got to experience the slap in the face that has come with the Susan Boyles story. If not, check out this video and it will speak for itself: (copy and paste)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg&feature=related
In light of that....I would like to share a little something about humility and how we SHOULD view our fellow man.
Who am I?
I contradict myself.
The more I dry the wetter I get.
I am made of cloth and flimsy yet I have been used as a very important tool.
I have been used for teaching.
The Master used me to serve those who should have served him.
I am mentioned in scripture as you learn humility.
I am what God in the flesh used to set the example.
I am the towel Jesus Christ used when he washed the apostle’s feet.
Now read John 13:1-17
John 13
1Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2And £supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
12So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
I am reminded of Luke 9:48
48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."
The least among us will be great. I believe that we often times forget that we are all children of the King. And not just any king, but the King of Kings. That makes each of us a prince or princess, does it not? Yesterday my daughter heard a song that finally drove that point home for her on a cd called Pursued By God. We tend to forget that we are all pursued by God because of His love for us. It is a truly difficult reality to grasp that God loves Adolph Hitler and Billy Graham the exact same. He sent His son to die for both of them as well as the rest of us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.........there is nothing we can do to make Him love us less. Christ died for us and is pursuing us, is pursuing a love relationship with us, no matter what. He doesn't see us as tall, short, fat, skinny, ugly, or more beautiful than anyone else. Each of us as individuals are perfectly beautiful in His eyes. So why do we judge each other any differently. I don't believe I know anyone who is perfect enough to Judge, except Him. So when do we all just get over ourselves and relish and enjoy our differences, rather than try to do the work of the enemy and destroy each other for these individual diversities God has chosen to bestow upon us?
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF!!..........Jesus said so!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg&feature=related
In light of that....I would like to share a little something about humility and how we SHOULD view our fellow man.
Who am I?
I contradict myself.
The more I dry the wetter I get.
I am made of cloth and flimsy yet I have been used as a very important tool.
I have been used for teaching.
The Master used me to serve those who should have served him.
I am mentioned in scripture as you learn humility.
I am what God in the flesh used to set the example.
I am the towel Jesus Christ used when he washed the apostle’s feet.
Now read John 13:1-17
John 13
1Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2And £supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
12So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
I am reminded of Luke 9:48
48 and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."
The least among us will be great. I believe that we often times forget that we are all children of the King. And not just any king, but the King of Kings. That makes each of us a prince or princess, does it not? Yesterday my daughter heard a song that finally drove that point home for her on a cd called Pursued By God. We tend to forget that we are all pursued by God because of His love for us. It is a truly difficult reality to grasp that God loves Adolph Hitler and Billy Graham the exact same. He sent His son to die for both of them as well as the rest of us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.........there is nothing we can do to make Him love us less. Christ died for us and is pursuing us, is pursuing a love relationship with us, no matter what. He doesn't see us as tall, short, fat, skinny, ugly, or more beautiful than anyone else. Each of us as individuals are perfectly beautiful in His eyes. So why do we judge each other any differently. I don't believe I know anyone who is perfect enough to Judge, except Him. So when do we all just get over ourselves and relish and enjoy our differences, rather than try to do the work of the enemy and destroy each other for these individual diversities God has chosen to bestow upon us?
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF!!..........Jesus said so!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I caught a drink from a waterfall...and I loved it!
First off I would like to share something disturbing that I saw online the other night. It was a piece on how Albert Einstein debated his professor about the existence of God. In it, he discusses that there is no such thing as cold. There is only an absence of heat. He also went on to say that there is no such thing as dark. There is only an absence of light. I was reminded of an illustration a friend of mine gave me on that. if you walked into a completely dark room and opened a box containing light, the room would be penetrated by the light. But if you walked into a lit room and opened a box that was dark inside, the darkness would not penetrate the room, rather the light would penetrate darkness in the box. Einstein went on to explain faith to his professor. After that post though, a lady posted on there that faith was an absence of evidence. I vehemently disagree with that. My reply there is this; if you have seen a painter's paintings, you have seen a reflection of the painter. If you have read a writer's writings, you have seen a reflection of that writer. In that same spirit, if you have seen the Creator's creations, you have seen a reflection of the Creator. So to the "nice" lady: take a look around you at ALL created things (yourself included) and you'll be able to realize that there is no lack of evidence to the Creator. By the way; if you find yourself disagreeing with that....please see below at the Grandmonkey posts and celebrate the fact that your brain that you are experiencing this incapability of belief in, came from the "hallowed" grandmonkeys; and I'll celebrate my belief in the brain that was created by God Almighty!!
Enough of the bad and on to the celebration part for today!
Celebration!!
Last night at our Wednesday night service I was privileged to a truly unique experience. I have a poem (The Mirror) that I started Jan 21 that I have not been able to finish. I had only the first verse. Recently I have prayed for the words that God would have us prayto Him as a church body at Pioneer Baptist Church (PBC). The day before yesterday I got to hear my answer. I was going to put those words into The Mirror. Soem of the words came to me at that point. That night I set down to add those words to the poem; They were not there. I had "lost" the words....or so I thought. As I continued to pray about it, I received the rest of the answer. I would receive all the words at our Wednesday night service. A soaking service. Well that's exactly how it happened. I was able to easily complete it during the service last night as the Spirit of the Lord moved.
So enjoy the prayer that is "The Mirror"
The Mirror
Allow us to be a mirror for you O God
Let us show the world Your love
We want to reflect You in all we do
Let us help them see Your face in us
We want all to look at us and see You
May we never forget Your sacrifice
And all of You it cost
May that be the reason
We always strive to reach the lost
May we seek you first
On subjects great and small
But may we always come to You
With praise and worship above all
One heart, one mind
And all in one accord
All we have to You we bring
Any less we could ill afford
May we forever be overwhelmed
By Your mercy and Your grace
May we never, never forget
That our God took our place
May we ever be overwhelmed
By Your endless love for all
And reflecting Your forgiveness
Restore each other as we fall
Open door, open minds
And all with open hearts
Forever perfect in Your eyes
A mosaic of broken parts
Total submission
Acting obediently
We love You Father with all our hearts
Your children at PBC
Amen
Enough of the bad and on to the celebration part for today!
Celebration!!
Last night at our Wednesday night service I was privileged to a truly unique experience. I have a poem (The Mirror) that I started Jan 21 that I have not been able to finish. I had only the first verse. Recently I have prayed for the words that God would have us prayto Him as a church body at Pioneer Baptist Church (PBC). The day before yesterday I got to hear my answer. I was going to put those words into The Mirror. Soem of the words came to me at that point. That night I set down to add those words to the poem; They were not there. I had "lost" the words....or so I thought. As I continued to pray about it, I received the rest of the answer. I would receive all the words at our Wednesday night service. A soaking service. Well that's exactly how it happened. I was able to easily complete it during the service last night as the Spirit of the Lord moved.
So enjoy the prayer that is "The Mirror"
The Mirror
Allow us to be a mirror for you O God
Let us show the world Your love
We want to reflect You in all we do
Let us help them see Your face in us
We want all to look at us and see You
May we never forget Your sacrifice
And all of You it cost
May that be the reason
We always strive to reach the lost
May we seek you first
On subjects great and small
But may we always come to You
With praise and worship above all
One heart, one mind
And all in one accord
All we have to You we bring
Any less we could ill afford
May we forever be overwhelmed
By Your mercy and Your grace
May we never, never forget
That our God took our place
May we ever be overwhelmed
By Your endless love for all
And reflecting Your forgiveness
Restore each other as we fall
Open door, open minds
And all with open hearts
Forever perfect in Your eyes
A mosaic of broken parts
Total submission
Acting obediently
We love You Father with all our hearts
Your children at PBC
Amen
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