At our church we have a pastor named Gary. He stands a daunting five feet tall! The other day we discussed the concept of gentleness or meekness and its positive effect to bring about change in others when applied God’s way by someone walking in the power of God’s Spirit. He told me a story of eating out at a resteraunt with his wife and daughter. Sitting across the aisle from them were two men loudly and enthusiastically discussing life. Gary normally would not have minded except each sentence contained huge “F-bombs” as well as other choice expletives. After several more minutes of ever increasing foul dialogue between two feeble minds attempting to express themselves, Gary would have no more. He arose--all intimidating five feet of him, walked over to their booth, sat down, smiled and said, “Excuse me fellas. Can you do me a favor? I’m here with my family and I would like to enjoy my dinner with them. I would appreciate it if you could change the tone of this conversation out of respect for them.” One man looked at him and replied, “Well, since you put it like that, I guess we can.” To which Gary gently answered, “Thanks!”
Let me ask you ask you a question. Is that weakness or strength? I believe it is meekness or gentleness in its purest form bringing to bear its powerful influence. Notice he did not go over there with a red face yelling and screaming. In fact, his confession was that he was nervous and shaking. If it were me, I might have lost control, marched over, and angrily demanded decency and got myself into a fist fight. But that is not the gentleness that makes people change their ways.
“Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life” James 1:19-21 The Message
On the other hand, being gentle is not becoming a doormat for others to do what they like to us, violating what’s right while we do nothing. Gentleness simply means I am under control and can access the right amount of power to bring to bear on a given situation. I use a different grip when scrubbing a cast iron skillet than I do when washing fine china. Human personalities require similar distinctions. Unfortunately, many of us don’t get this.
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Prov. 16:32
When I fly off the handle I usually inflame things and have a negative influence on others. Conversely, if I am a doormat, I also have little or no positive influence on others either. Emotion out of control has no place in God’s kingdom. Neither do stuffed or supressed emotions. So knowing the right way to respond to others in all the challenging and diverse moments of life is what God’s life produces in us.
I must allow Him space in my life. I have to slow down enough and maintain contact with Him and let Him lead. If I do, I can experience moments of gentle courage or humble submission. Only He really knows what will work in all the different relational dynamics that are constantly in play. Let’s face it, life comes at us in real time. It’s not like TIVO where you can fast forward past stuff you don’t like, rewind for a do over, or simply just press the delete button. (Now that would be nice.)
We have to walk in step with God’s Spirit and give Him voice to impress our hearts with the right words, expressions, and actions that really do influence people for good. We have a transforming effect because the Holy Spirit is doing His “artful work” in and through us.
We can knock them dead with God’s power but our weapons are not like the weapons of this world nor are they meant to destroy people-just change them!
“The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.” 2 Cor. 10:3-6 The Message
I leave you today with words from that great theologion Roberta Flack:
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly with his song...
May we join in the same Spirit as Pastor Gary and “kill them softly”. May the song of Jesus coming through us change everything.
Chris
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
"the lost art of the Spirit"
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness” Gal. 5:22-23
I have a boy named Sam who is almost two years old. He is an adventurous little man with many interests and curiosities. He has all but relieved me of my previously held belief in his sinless, angelic nature and divine origin. I thought he was like the “Christ-child” but now I know he is more like the “Chris-child”. Needless to say, I am having to do some corrective work in his life. What I am learning about God’s life through him is what I want to share with you today.
The other night I gave him quite the “gentle spanking” that he most assuredly deserved. Judging from his moans, groans, and tears, I don’t think he believed it was gentle at all, but it truly was.
Which brings us to our next facet of God’s life-“Gentleness”. Early translations of the scripture use the word meekness. Meekness or gentleness has always been God’s preferred method of applying His strength or power. Gentleness in me is about the Godly application of power. Meekness is not weakness but strength under control. God’s life expressed through me is always gentle.
Jesus was meek and mild, but that does not mean he was a bearded woman or an effeminate man. He just simply knew who he was and what was needed in any given situation. He could look at you gently and weep or in meekness raise his voice and call you a hypocrite. It just depended on the context.
Paul, in dealing with back-stabbers, said, “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you.” I Cor. 10:1
Listen to how the Message paraphrase has it:
“I write in the gentle but firm spirit of Christ. I hear that I'm being painted as cringing and wishy-washy when I'm with you, but harsh and demanding when at a safe distance writing letters. Please don't force me to take a hard line when I'm present with you. Don't think that I'll hesitate a single minute to stand up to those who say I'm an unprincipled opportunist. Then they'll have to eat their words.” I Cor. 10: 1-2
Here is a man who is majorly ticked off! He is using strength not weakness. But he is using the appropriate amount needed for the respective situation.
When God’s life is in you, His mighty Spirit knows just the right amount of power or influence to bring to bear at any given moment. It is the difference between tylenol and morphine-a wild horse that needs breaking and one that is safe to ride. It’s the difference between a harsh shot of everclear or a fine glass of merlot. A tornado and a refreshing breeze. In an uncontrolled flash of anger, I can beat my son. Or I can catch my breath, remember love, ask for God’s strength, and give him an appropriate spanking using the correct amount of force on his little bottom. One breaks his rebellion, the other breaks his spirit. One leaves him hurt and closed off while the other corrects, but his spirit remains open. What is more, is that the same hand that spanks my son is also the one I use to hold him afterward and wipe his tears.
David was a mighty military man. And his language reflects it. Listen to what he said about God’s gentleness and its impact on his life:
“You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand supports me; your gentleness has made me great.” Ps. 18:35
Shield-salvation-support-great-all military terms but gentleness? Yes God’s gentleness made him great!
By the way, God’s gentle approach works in all our relationships. I think it has become a lost art of the Spirit waiting to be rediscovered in our lives. Knowing how to respond and not react in any given moment or circumstance is definitely not science but a beautiful art. And only God’s Spirit can produce this kind of result in our lives. We look at that tomorrow.
I am excited about what we are going to learn about this over the next several days and in our weekend sevices. I believe that God’s gentleness is far more powerful to produce amazing results than what we might have understood. It is the hidden key to consistent influence in the lives of others. Let’s explore this together.
Chris
I have a boy named Sam who is almost two years old. He is an adventurous little man with many interests and curiosities. He has all but relieved me of my previously held belief in his sinless, angelic nature and divine origin. I thought he was like the “Christ-child” but now I know he is more like the “Chris-child”. Needless to say, I am having to do some corrective work in his life. What I am learning about God’s life through him is what I want to share with you today.
The other night I gave him quite the “gentle spanking” that he most assuredly deserved. Judging from his moans, groans, and tears, I don’t think he believed it was gentle at all, but it truly was.
Which brings us to our next facet of God’s life-“Gentleness”. Early translations of the scripture use the word meekness. Meekness or gentleness has always been God’s preferred method of applying His strength or power. Gentleness in me is about the Godly application of power. Meekness is not weakness but strength under control. God’s life expressed through me is always gentle.
Jesus was meek and mild, but that does not mean he was a bearded woman or an effeminate man. He just simply knew who he was and what was needed in any given situation. He could look at you gently and weep or in meekness raise his voice and call you a hypocrite. It just depended on the context.
Paul, in dealing with back-stabbers, said, “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you.” I Cor. 10:1
Listen to how the Message paraphrase has it:
“I write in the gentle but firm spirit of Christ. I hear that I'm being painted as cringing and wishy-washy when I'm with you, but harsh and demanding when at a safe distance writing letters. Please don't force me to take a hard line when I'm present with you. Don't think that I'll hesitate a single minute to stand up to those who say I'm an unprincipled opportunist. Then they'll have to eat their words.” I Cor. 10: 1-2
Here is a man who is majorly ticked off! He is using strength not weakness. But he is using the appropriate amount needed for the respective situation.
When God’s life is in you, His mighty Spirit knows just the right amount of power or influence to bring to bear at any given moment. It is the difference between tylenol and morphine-a wild horse that needs breaking and one that is safe to ride. It’s the difference between a harsh shot of everclear or a fine glass of merlot. A tornado and a refreshing breeze. In an uncontrolled flash of anger, I can beat my son. Or I can catch my breath, remember love, ask for God’s strength, and give him an appropriate spanking using the correct amount of force on his little bottom. One breaks his rebellion, the other breaks his spirit. One leaves him hurt and closed off while the other corrects, but his spirit remains open. What is more, is that the same hand that spanks my son is also the one I use to hold him afterward and wipe his tears.
David was a mighty military man. And his language reflects it. Listen to what he said about God’s gentleness and its impact on his life:
“You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand supports me; your gentleness has made me great.” Ps. 18:35
Shield-salvation-support-great-all military terms but gentleness? Yes God’s gentleness made him great!
By the way, God’s gentle approach works in all our relationships. I think it has become a lost art of the Spirit waiting to be rediscovered in our lives. Knowing how to respond and not react in any given moment or circumstance is definitely not science but a beautiful art. And only God’s Spirit can produce this kind of result in our lives. We look at that tomorrow.
I am excited about what we are going to learn about this over the next several days and in our weekend sevices. I believe that God’s gentleness is far more powerful to produce amazing results than what we might have understood. It is the hidden key to consistent influence in the lives of others. Let’s explore this together.
Chris
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
payday
I received my credit card statement yesterday and guess what. I have earned 17,435 reward points! They say that I have been so good at spending money that I can get an I-Pod! I’m proud of myself.
Have you ever wondered what the benefit of staying true to God might be? Does living for God and having a “faithful” heart for Him pay? Does He have a rewards program? Is He keeping track?
Running from the front cover to the back of your Bible are promises of blessing and reward for those who remain faithful.
Faithfully obey all these commands I'm giving you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his directions, and be loyal to him. Then the Lord will force all these people out of your way. Then you will take possession of {the land belonging to} people taller and stronger than you. I will give you every place on which you set foot. Your borders will be from the desert to Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stop you. As the Lord your God promised, he will make people terrified of you wherever you go in this land. Duet. 11:22-25
Over and over in scripture God makes promises to those who are faithful to Him. He promises a rich inheritance and power to overcome obstacles standing in the way of our success. God’s inheritance is a Father’s joyful reward for a child who matures responsibly and has proven ready to receive it.
I was reading about a man named Caleb in the book of Joshua this morning. He took God up on His promise. He received an inheritance, not just because he was a member of a specific tribe, but because he stayed true to God. He was 85 years old and had remained loyal for over 40 years.
“Hebron is still the inheritance of Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, because Caleb was completely loyal to the Lord God of Israel.” Joshua 14:14
If we remain faithful, God will give to us our reward.
Our jobs that we go to every day have promise for reward as well. We are encouraged to do our best in life, to put our heart into our work, and we are told to do it for God. If we do, God sees it and will reward us.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Col. 3:23-24
We are told in Galatians that people who live self-focused lives “will not inherit the kingdom of God”. We are told that God’s reward system can work both ways. It is found in the law of the harvest.
Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Gal. 6:7-9
There comes a time of blessing for every faithful servant of the Lord. A couple of days ago, I spoke with a close pastor friend from Atlanta. He and his wife moved there a couple of years ago to plant a church. On the 2nd anniversary they had a thousand people attend. Wow! That is fantastic! What people may not know about are the fifteen other years serving faithfully in other less noticeable venues. Not to mention all of the hard work happening behind the scenes. I believe that God is blessing my friend with the reward of his long and difficult labors.
By the way, the pathway to reward is not an easy one.
Let me tell you the story of the Apostle Paul: Paul served God faithfully for many years. He worked harder than many could ever dream. He was placed in jail often, and whipped so many times that he lost count. He faced death again and again. 5 different times the Jews gave him thirty-nine lashes. 3 times he was beaten with rods. 1 time he was stoned. 3 times he was shipwrecked. Once he spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. He traveled many weary miles. He faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. He faced danger from his own people and was stabbed in the back by them many times. People who claimed to be his Christian friends and partners often turned on him and left him. He lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. He was often hungry and thirsty and went without food. Often he shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep him warm. On top of all this, he had the daily burden of how the churches were doing. He felt other’s pain and bore the weight of the life of the emerging young church.
And if all that was not enough, he had a very serious illness that affected his eye sight and probably produced tormenting headaches.
At the end of his life, this is what he said to another young Christ-follower named Timothy coming behind him:
As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return. 2 Tim. 4:6-8
God will reward those who remain faithful to Him. There is coming a day when Jesus will say to His faithful, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matt 25
What are your few things? Stay true my friend, even when it gets hard You will be glad that you did. One day Joy will flood your heart like a mighty river and fill you with more than you could ever even imagine.
Banking on it,
Chris
Have you ever wondered what the benefit of staying true to God might be? Does living for God and having a “faithful” heart for Him pay? Does He have a rewards program? Is He keeping track?
Running from the front cover to the back of your Bible are promises of blessing and reward for those who remain faithful.
Faithfully obey all these commands I'm giving you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his directions, and be loyal to him. Then the Lord will force all these people out of your way. Then you will take possession of {the land belonging to} people taller and stronger than you. I will give you every place on which you set foot. Your borders will be from the desert to Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. No one will be able to stop you. As the Lord your God promised, he will make people terrified of you wherever you go in this land. Duet. 11:22-25
Over and over in scripture God makes promises to those who are faithful to Him. He promises a rich inheritance and power to overcome obstacles standing in the way of our success. God’s inheritance is a Father’s joyful reward for a child who matures responsibly and has proven ready to receive it.
I was reading about a man named Caleb in the book of Joshua this morning. He took God up on His promise. He received an inheritance, not just because he was a member of a specific tribe, but because he stayed true to God. He was 85 years old and had remained loyal for over 40 years.
“Hebron is still the inheritance of Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, because Caleb was completely loyal to the Lord God of Israel.” Joshua 14:14
If we remain faithful, God will give to us our reward.
Our jobs that we go to every day have promise for reward as well. We are encouraged to do our best in life, to put our heart into our work, and we are told to do it for God. If we do, God sees it and will reward us.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Col. 3:23-24
We are told in Galatians that people who live self-focused lives “will not inherit the kingdom of God”. We are told that God’s reward system can work both ways. It is found in the law of the harvest.
Don't be misled. Remember that you can't ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time. Gal. 6:7-9
There comes a time of blessing for every faithful servant of the Lord. A couple of days ago, I spoke with a close pastor friend from Atlanta. He and his wife moved there a couple of years ago to plant a church. On the 2nd anniversary they had a thousand people attend. Wow! That is fantastic! What people may not know about are the fifteen other years serving faithfully in other less noticeable venues. Not to mention all of the hard work happening behind the scenes. I believe that God is blessing my friend with the reward of his long and difficult labors.
By the way, the pathway to reward is not an easy one.
Let me tell you the story of the Apostle Paul: Paul served God faithfully for many years. He worked harder than many could ever dream. He was placed in jail often, and whipped so many times that he lost count. He faced death again and again. 5 different times the Jews gave him thirty-nine lashes. 3 times he was beaten with rods. 1 time he was stoned. 3 times he was shipwrecked. Once he spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. He traveled many weary miles. He faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. He faced danger from his own people and was stabbed in the back by them many times. People who claimed to be his Christian friends and partners often turned on him and left him. He lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. He was often hungry and thirsty and went without food. Often he shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep him warm. On top of all this, he had the daily burden of how the churches were doing. He felt other’s pain and bore the weight of the life of the emerging young church.
And if all that was not enough, he had a very serious illness that affected his eye sight and probably produced tormenting headaches.
At the end of his life, this is what he said to another young Christ-follower named Timothy coming behind him:
As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return. 2 Tim. 4:6-8
God will reward those who remain faithful to Him. There is coming a day when Jesus will say to His faithful, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matt 25
What are your few things? Stay true my friend, even when it gets hard You will be glad that you did. One day Joy will flood your heart like a mighty river and fill you with more than you could ever even imagine.
Banking on it,
Chris
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
"a heart found faithful"
“You found his heart faithful to you” Neh. 9:8
This is what was said about the Father of our faith Abraham by others many years after his death. The declaration was that God found his heart faithful. Did God find his heart perfect? No. But in the end, when his life was summed up, he was found faithful. His life was faithful was because his heart was faithful.
What does it mean to have a faithful heart? This is the question I am asking myself this morning. When you look at the life of Abraham you see an ordinary man with hopes and dreams just like anyone else. When he meets God he is told to pick up and move his entire life to another land that he has never seen before. (Try pulling that off with your wife fellas) Along the way God reveals a plan to use Abram to become a blessing to the entire world. God makes promises to Abram. In the promises are those things that most men would dream of: a son, land of his own, and wealth.
What God did not tell Abram and Sarah was the time table he was working on. It would be many many years before God would fulfill His promise. Abram and Sarah would struggle through life seeking to stay anchored in what they believed God had said to them.
There were times when Abram’s character was still in development that Abram was dishonest and manipulative. There were times when they became impatient not seeing things come together and they tried to make things happen on their own.(it got messy I might add) I imagine there were times when they had to fight off waves of unbelief wondering if they were crazy or if God really had spoken to them at all. Abraham had to wait until he was an elderly man to see it all come to pass but in the end, God delivered on every one of His promises.
What made Abraham’s heart faithful was his choice to live his life in light of what God had said. Even though there were moments or even seasons where he may have looked off track, his heart would always return to those things that God had promised. His heart would return to God time and time again over his long life. Eventually he found what all who trust in God find-God is faithful. He does not lie to us. Nor does He change his mind. By the end of Abraham’s life his faith grew strong, and in this he honored God.
In Abraham’s final test, he became absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised-even raise the dead. Upon God’s request, he offered his promised son Isaac as a sacrifice. God established Abraham’s faithful heart that day. And because of Abraham's faith, God declared him to be righteous. He found his heart faithful. Not perfect but faithful.
How about you? Have you allowed God to show you your future? Is your heart trusting in God’s promises today? Are you struggling to believe? Are you thinking about trying to make some things happen on your own? I want to encourage you to stay with God. Anchor your heart to Him no matter what. Stay connected. Discover the promises in His word that are made to you. Let Him excite your heart about your days ahead. Choose to live your life in light of what God says and one day God will say, “I find your heart faithful”.
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD,” Jer. 29:11-14
This is what was said about the Father of our faith Abraham by others many years after his death. The declaration was that God found his heart faithful. Did God find his heart perfect? No. But in the end, when his life was summed up, he was found faithful. His life was faithful was because his heart was faithful.
What does it mean to have a faithful heart? This is the question I am asking myself this morning. When you look at the life of Abraham you see an ordinary man with hopes and dreams just like anyone else. When he meets God he is told to pick up and move his entire life to another land that he has never seen before. (Try pulling that off with your wife fellas) Along the way God reveals a plan to use Abram to become a blessing to the entire world. God makes promises to Abram. In the promises are those things that most men would dream of: a son, land of his own, and wealth.
What God did not tell Abram and Sarah was the time table he was working on. It would be many many years before God would fulfill His promise. Abram and Sarah would struggle through life seeking to stay anchored in what they believed God had said to them.
There were times when Abram’s character was still in development that Abram was dishonest and manipulative. There were times when they became impatient not seeing things come together and they tried to make things happen on their own.(it got messy I might add) I imagine there were times when they had to fight off waves of unbelief wondering if they were crazy or if God really had spoken to them at all. Abraham had to wait until he was an elderly man to see it all come to pass but in the end, God delivered on every one of His promises.
What made Abraham’s heart faithful was his choice to live his life in light of what God had said. Even though there were moments or even seasons where he may have looked off track, his heart would always return to those things that God had promised. His heart would return to God time and time again over his long life. Eventually he found what all who trust in God find-God is faithful. He does not lie to us. Nor does He change his mind. By the end of Abraham’s life his faith grew strong, and in this he honored God.
In Abraham’s final test, he became absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised-even raise the dead. Upon God’s request, he offered his promised son Isaac as a sacrifice. God established Abraham’s faithful heart that day. And because of Abraham's faith, God declared him to be righteous. He found his heart faithful. Not perfect but faithful.
How about you? Have you allowed God to show you your future? Is your heart trusting in God’s promises today? Are you struggling to believe? Are you thinking about trying to make some things happen on your own? I want to encourage you to stay with God. Anchor your heart to Him no matter what. Stay connected. Discover the promises in His word that are made to you. Let Him excite your heart about your days ahead. Choose to live your life in light of what God says and one day God will say, “I find your heart faithful”.
“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD,” Jer. 29:11-14
Monday, March 27, 2006
little things
Have you ever thought you would like God to give you more? Would you like to have greater opportunities? Maybe a promotion? Or a raise in your pay? Possibly a new home or bigger apartment? According to Jesus, it is in the little things that we show how much blessing from God we can handle.
"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people's money, why should you be trusted with money of your own? Luke 16:10-12
Since being found faithful is God’s heart for us, and He is seeking to fuse it into our character, how do we cooperate with Him and develop faithfulness?
Maybe we should start with some things we might be overlooking. What are the “small matters” in your life? Do you get up and go to work on time each day? Do you put in an honest day’s work when you get there? Do you consciously seek to do those things that make your employer money? I believe that God blesses those who honor their employers with a hard-working attitude and truly seek to be a profitable employee.
Another area we might tend to overlook is in how we spend the money we do have? Are we thinking this through? Are we considering what it means to be faithful with what God has currently entrusted to us? The Bible says that all we have really belongs to God and that it is given to us as a trust.
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” I Cor. 4:2
It might be that God is considering how we are using the resources we currently possess before He entrusts more to us. How am I caring for the place I live in now? Am I using it for Him?
Another part of developing the faithful character of God is in being generous. Listen to Jesus: “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” Luke 6:38
If I am faithful to give, them God is faithful to bless me in the giving. So am I setting aside a percentage of my income to intentionally be generous? Do I regularly contribute to the cause of Christ through my church? Am I faithful to help shoulder the tremendous financial burdens that are represented in my church family? Churches need faithful givers who can be depended on. The vision and mission of any church cannot be realized apart from the people of that body bringing their gifts and offering them in gratitude to a faithful God.
Which brings me to one more aspect of faithfulness-- Gratitude.
Am I truly thankful to God for what He has given to me? It may seem like a small thing to say thanks, but I believe it brings a big result. I believe that our Father recognizes and rewards a thankful heart. Have you thanked Him for your job lately? Have you said thank you to God for what resources you do have? Or have you taken Him for granted? I have been guilty of this.
Let’s pray together now and thank Him. “Father, thank you for the way you have provided for us. Help us to recognize your generosity and appreciate it. You are so faithful to us. We have so much to be thankful for. Please help us to be faithful. And as you develop faithful character in us, we ask that you would bless us with more so we can be even more generous.” Amen
Faithfully yours,
Chris
"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people's money, why should you be trusted with money of your own? Luke 16:10-12
Since being found faithful is God’s heart for us, and He is seeking to fuse it into our character, how do we cooperate with Him and develop faithfulness?
Maybe we should start with some things we might be overlooking. What are the “small matters” in your life? Do you get up and go to work on time each day? Do you put in an honest day’s work when you get there? Do you consciously seek to do those things that make your employer money? I believe that God blesses those who honor their employers with a hard-working attitude and truly seek to be a profitable employee.
Another area we might tend to overlook is in how we spend the money we do have? Are we thinking this through? Are we considering what it means to be faithful with what God has currently entrusted to us? The Bible says that all we have really belongs to God and that it is given to us as a trust.
“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” I Cor. 4:2
It might be that God is considering how we are using the resources we currently possess before He entrusts more to us. How am I caring for the place I live in now? Am I using it for Him?
Another part of developing the faithful character of God is in being generous. Listen to Jesus: “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” Luke 6:38
If I am faithful to give, them God is faithful to bless me in the giving. So am I setting aside a percentage of my income to intentionally be generous? Do I regularly contribute to the cause of Christ through my church? Am I faithful to help shoulder the tremendous financial burdens that are represented in my church family? Churches need faithful givers who can be depended on. The vision and mission of any church cannot be realized apart from the people of that body bringing their gifts and offering them in gratitude to a faithful God.
Which brings me to one more aspect of faithfulness-- Gratitude.
Am I truly thankful to God for what He has given to me? It may seem like a small thing to say thanks, but I believe it brings a big result. I believe that our Father recognizes and rewards a thankful heart. Have you thanked Him for your job lately? Have you said thank you to God for what resources you do have? Or have you taken Him for granted? I have been guilty of this.
Let’s pray together now and thank Him. “Father, thank you for the way you have provided for us. Help us to recognize your generosity and appreciate it. You are so faithful to us. We have so much to be thankful for. Please help us to be faithful. And as you develop faithful character in us, we ask that you would bless us with more so we can be even more generous.” Amen
Faithfully yours,
Chris
Friday, March 24, 2006
you can count on me
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” Gal. 5:22
One time I lost a close friend in a tragic accident. It was a tremendous blow to Michelle and me. I had to do a worship service that night. As I was about to address the audience I looked into the crowd, there was my faithful friend Ted. He had heard of Joe’s death. Without hesitation, he caught the first flight to be at my side during my grief. Truly, I did not know how I would speak that night. Ted’s presence gave me courage and inspiration not just to survive the moment, but flourish in it.
One of the greatest things in life is to find a friend you can truly count on. The kind you know will be there. They call. They write. They visit. They know the real you and still love you. When everyone else is walking out, they are walking in. Their love is durable and dependable, with you through thick and through thin. They are difference makers in your heart. When you find a friend like this, treasure them and appreciate them because they are a special gift from God.
“Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is really faithful?” Prov. 20:6
More and more we live in a world with very little trust. It is hard to find someone you know you can really count on. People break agreements, negotiate in bad faith, are disloyal to marriage vows, regularly make commitments they don’t keep, and end friendships that have lasted for years in one day. People often say one thing and do another. Here today and gone tomorrow. Since trust is the foundation for healthy relationships, the state of relations in the world today is tense and fractured. Broken trust rules the day giving way to countless broken hearts.
Yet in the midst of all this, there is a God who is faithful. And He is producing faithful character in those who trust in Him. Faithfulness and truth are the bedrock of God’s character. If He says it He will do it.
Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Heb. 10:23-25
God can be trusted to keep all of His promises. If I need Him He is there. If I call out to Him in faith He answers. If I ask for help He gives it. He encourages us to build upon the foundation of His dependabilty and develop faithful character as well. Our faithfulness to Him is largely demonstrated by our faithfulness to each other. We do this quite simply by “being there” for each other. We “think of ways to encourage one another” and show love in key moments for each other. We make our gatherings a priority so as to maximize the moments God gives and not take them for granted. He has given us the priveledge to build His Kingdom together and the time of His return draws near.
We want to be found faithful. In order to be faithful to Him, we have to be faithful to each other.
A question: Can your church family count on you? Do you faithfully connect with your brothers and sisters in Christ who need your heart? On weekends, when we gather to celebrate the life of Jesus are you there? When it is time to make your contribution to the cause of Christ can you be counted on? Are you a faithful or neglectful?
For your own benefit as well as others, I want to encourage you to allow God to produce faithful character in you. When God’s life is in us, the body of Christ can count on us. God’s Holy Spirit draws our hearts together. He does not lead us to neglect each other.
It is a little thing to commit to being present in the lives of others, yet it is a big difference that your presence makes. Bless the church with your smile. Encourage her with your words. Comfort us with your touch. Inspire us with your heart. We need you!
Counting on you,
Chris
One time I lost a close friend in a tragic accident. It was a tremendous blow to Michelle and me. I had to do a worship service that night. As I was about to address the audience I looked into the crowd, there was my faithful friend Ted. He had heard of Joe’s death. Without hesitation, he caught the first flight to be at my side during my grief. Truly, I did not know how I would speak that night. Ted’s presence gave me courage and inspiration not just to survive the moment, but flourish in it.
One of the greatest things in life is to find a friend you can truly count on. The kind you know will be there. They call. They write. They visit. They know the real you and still love you. When everyone else is walking out, they are walking in. Their love is durable and dependable, with you through thick and through thin. They are difference makers in your heart. When you find a friend like this, treasure them and appreciate them because they are a special gift from God.
“Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is really faithful?” Prov. 20:6
More and more we live in a world with very little trust. It is hard to find someone you know you can really count on. People break agreements, negotiate in bad faith, are disloyal to marriage vows, regularly make commitments they don’t keep, and end friendships that have lasted for years in one day. People often say one thing and do another. Here today and gone tomorrow. Since trust is the foundation for healthy relationships, the state of relations in the world today is tense and fractured. Broken trust rules the day giving way to countless broken hearts.
Yet in the midst of all this, there is a God who is faithful. And He is producing faithful character in those who trust in Him. Faithfulness and truth are the bedrock of God’s character. If He says it He will do it.
Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Heb. 10:23-25
God can be trusted to keep all of His promises. If I need Him He is there. If I call out to Him in faith He answers. If I ask for help He gives it. He encourages us to build upon the foundation of His dependabilty and develop faithful character as well. Our faithfulness to Him is largely demonstrated by our faithfulness to each other. We do this quite simply by “being there” for each other. We “think of ways to encourage one another” and show love in key moments for each other. We make our gatherings a priority so as to maximize the moments God gives and not take them for granted. He has given us the priveledge to build His Kingdom together and the time of His return draws near.
We want to be found faithful. In order to be faithful to Him, we have to be faithful to each other.
A question: Can your church family count on you? Do you faithfully connect with your brothers and sisters in Christ who need your heart? On weekends, when we gather to celebrate the life of Jesus are you there? When it is time to make your contribution to the cause of Christ can you be counted on? Are you a faithful or neglectful?
For your own benefit as well as others, I want to encourage you to allow God to produce faithful character in you. When God’s life is in us, the body of Christ can count on us. God’s Holy Spirit draws our hearts together. He does not lead us to neglect each other.
It is a little thing to commit to being present in the lives of others, yet it is a big difference that your presence makes. Bless the church with your smile. Encourage her with your words. Comfort us with your touch. Inspire us with your heart. We need you!
Counting on you,
Chris
Thursday, March 23, 2006
someone who really is faithfull
When I was a little boy, my mom told me that I was adopted. They thought it was better that I would know as soon as possible. I have often wondered what happened to my biological parents. They told me that made me special. A few years later we found out that the pastor at the church we attended was molesting little girls. Not long after that my parents decided that they no longer could love each other and divorced. A couple of years after that, I find myself quitting school and adopting a hurtful lifestyle that broke both my parents’ hearts.
As a pastor, I have seen a lot of things in my life. I’ve seen incredible joy and intense heartache. I have held many beautiful babies in their first hours of life and I’ve beheld numerous lifeless bodies as I performed funerals. I have looked into the eyes of optimism and hope as lovely brides trust their hearts to another only later to sit in my office with the same witnessing hatred and anger in an enviroment of broken trust that leads to divorce. Yes, I have seen a lot of things in my life.
"Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is really faithful?" Prov. 20:6
In my experience in this world there is one thing that I have not seen a lot of-Faithfulness.
Many people make a lot of promises to each other. Many people break them. Things change, life’s circumstances challenge our word, and we do not find the character within us to hold true to our commitments. We are found unfaithful.
That is why I love God so much. I have found Him faithful.
The problem with us is that we have all had men lie to us. We’ve had people change their minds and not carry through on their promises to us. So sometimes we find it hard to trust in a supposed faithful God whom we have never seen.
God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Num. 23:19
When you think about it, at the foundation of every relationship is trust. Trust is what makes love possible. When trust is broken the relationship is eroded and feelings of love begin to slip away. I believe this is why God begins His relationship with us by making promises (covenants) to us.
I will never leave you...God is faithful and just to forgive...God is faithful and will provide a way of escape...I will send you a helper...hundreds and hundreds of promises are made to those who would believe in this God who is faithful.
Each person has to make discoveries about God’s faithfulness on their own. Yes we can hear the stories of others and believe but eventually we must build our own trust accounts with God. We must trust and allow Him to show His faithfulness. We must find out for ourselves that he is really faithful.
Over the next week and in our weekend services we are going to explore God’s character and make some new discoveries not only about Him, but also ourselves. I believe this could be a very impactful time for many.
Chris
Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love him and obey his commands. Deut. 7:9
As a pastor, I have seen a lot of things in my life. I’ve seen incredible joy and intense heartache. I have held many beautiful babies in their first hours of life and I’ve beheld numerous lifeless bodies as I performed funerals. I have looked into the eyes of optimism and hope as lovely brides trust their hearts to another only later to sit in my office with the same witnessing hatred and anger in an enviroment of broken trust that leads to divorce. Yes, I have seen a lot of things in my life.
"Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is really faithful?" Prov. 20:6
In my experience in this world there is one thing that I have not seen a lot of-Faithfulness.
Many people make a lot of promises to each other. Many people break them. Things change, life’s circumstances challenge our word, and we do not find the character within us to hold true to our commitments. We are found unfaithful.
That is why I love God so much. I have found Him faithful.
The problem with us is that we have all had men lie to us. We’ve had people change their minds and not carry through on their promises to us. So sometimes we find it hard to trust in a supposed faithful God whom we have never seen.
God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Num. 23:19
When you think about it, at the foundation of every relationship is trust. Trust is what makes love possible. When trust is broken the relationship is eroded and feelings of love begin to slip away. I believe this is why God begins His relationship with us by making promises (covenants) to us.
I will never leave you...God is faithful and just to forgive...God is faithful and will provide a way of escape...I will send you a helper...hundreds and hundreds of promises are made to those who would believe in this God who is faithful.
Each person has to make discoveries about God’s faithfulness on their own. Yes we can hear the stories of others and believe but eventually we must build our own trust accounts with God. We must trust and allow Him to show His faithfulness. We must find out for ourselves that he is really faithful.
Over the next week and in our weekend services we are going to explore God’s character and make some new discoveries not only about Him, but also ourselves. I believe this could be a very impactful time for many.
Chris
Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and constantly loves those who love him and obey his commands. Deut. 7:9
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Mr. nice guy
I’m reading a book called “No More Christian Nice Guy”. Today’s writing is inspired from some of the things I am learning in the book. Have you ever wondered what the difference between being nice and good is? Do you think Jesus was a nice guy?
He doesn’t play by the rules, confronts people, is opinionated, and filled with strong will. He threatens preachers who are in religion only for the money. He calls His disciples slow learners, wondering out loud how much longer he’ll have to be with them. People are always trying to trick Him so he shows them up publicly and calls them names like snakes and hypocrites and worse!
He verbally rebukes government officials. He says things at church services that basically disrupt the entire meeting. One time he said something so hard that many of His disciples couldn’t take it and left him for good. What did He do? He just watched them walk away. Instead of nervously explaining himself, he turned to the rest of them and asked them if they would like to leave as well.
He sometimes goes to parties and hangs out with others who do. One time he supplied the wine at a wedding where children were likely present.
This does not look like the behavior of a “nice Christian man”. My goodness, He even screams at evil spirits and tells them to shut up! He finally ticks everyone off so badly that they crucify Him! What’s more, this is just some of what we have seen of Him so far.
In the future, He bursts onto the scene riding a battle horse with a sharp sword coming out of His mouth to smite the nations and His eyes ablaze with fire! Are you kidding me?
And today’s church gets this? I don’t think so. I think we have interpreted good to primarily mean nice. But good does not always mean nice. Remember good is opposite of evil. That means it opposes it. Can’t stand it. Is repulsed by it. Listen to Paul…
“Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.” Rom. 12:9
By the way, you might not want to mess with Paul either. He was a powerful force for God as well. He writes again…
“Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient--in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God…” Rom. 15:17-19
“Good” turned Paul into a soldier fighting against evil with God’s mighty power. Which brings me to my point: When God’s Spirit produces “goodness” in me, He may not be referring to nice at all. He may be empowering you to stand up for someone else.
The other day Pastor Tim’s son Cameron was playing outside of his house with some friends when a bigger kid started picking on one of his friends. The bully picked him up and threw him into one of those big trash cans and then held down the lid. The boy began to scream and cry out for help when Cameron came to his aid. He told the kid to stop his torment but he just kept holding the lid. What did Cameron do? Did he quote a bible verse? No. He hit him! Go Cameron! The big kid turned his wrath toward Cameron and the other kid escaped from the trash can.
To me, this sounds more like Jesus than anything I have heard lately. It is goodness in action opposing that which is evil. It is a Bible verse incarnated. This is what we mean at our church when we say we want to equip homes so that parents can raise “children who are dangerous to the kingdom of darkness”. Cameron was willing to risk his own safety to save his friend. That’s Christ-likeness.
May you be a force for good! May people know you’re loving but powerful stand for what is right. May you be known for your good heart. May your heart come alive for others. May we fight the good fight!
Have a “good” day,
Chris
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me”—Paul
He doesn’t play by the rules, confronts people, is opinionated, and filled with strong will. He threatens preachers who are in religion only for the money. He calls His disciples slow learners, wondering out loud how much longer he’ll have to be with them. People are always trying to trick Him so he shows them up publicly and calls them names like snakes and hypocrites and worse!
He verbally rebukes government officials. He says things at church services that basically disrupt the entire meeting. One time he said something so hard that many of His disciples couldn’t take it and left him for good. What did He do? He just watched them walk away. Instead of nervously explaining himself, he turned to the rest of them and asked them if they would like to leave as well.
He sometimes goes to parties and hangs out with others who do. One time he supplied the wine at a wedding where children were likely present.
This does not look like the behavior of a “nice Christian man”. My goodness, He even screams at evil spirits and tells them to shut up! He finally ticks everyone off so badly that they crucify Him! What’s more, this is just some of what we have seen of Him so far.
In the future, He bursts onto the scene riding a battle horse with a sharp sword coming out of His mouth to smite the nations and His eyes ablaze with fire! Are you kidding me?
And today’s church gets this? I don’t think so. I think we have interpreted good to primarily mean nice. But good does not always mean nice. Remember good is opposite of evil. That means it opposes it. Can’t stand it. Is repulsed by it. Listen to Paul…
“Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good.” Rom. 12:9
By the way, you might not want to mess with Paul either. He was a powerful force for God as well. He writes again…
“Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient--in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God…” Rom. 15:17-19
“Good” turned Paul into a soldier fighting against evil with God’s mighty power. Which brings me to my point: When God’s Spirit produces “goodness” in me, He may not be referring to nice at all. He may be empowering you to stand up for someone else.
The other day Pastor Tim’s son Cameron was playing outside of his house with some friends when a bigger kid started picking on one of his friends. The bully picked him up and threw him into one of those big trash cans and then held down the lid. The boy began to scream and cry out for help when Cameron came to his aid. He told the kid to stop his torment but he just kept holding the lid. What did Cameron do? Did he quote a bible verse? No. He hit him! Go Cameron! The big kid turned his wrath toward Cameron and the other kid escaped from the trash can.
To me, this sounds more like Jesus than anything I have heard lately. It is goodness in action opposing that which is evil. It is a Bible verse incarnated. This is what we mean at our church when we say we want to equip homes so that parents can raise “children who are dangerous to the kingdom of darkness”. Cameron was willing to risk his own safety to save his friend. That’s Christ-likeness.
May you be a force for good! May people know you’re loving but powerful stand for what is right. May you be known for your good heart. May your heart come alive for others. May we fight the good fight!
Have a “good” day,
Chris
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me”—Paul
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
new identity
Have you ever seen one of those cop shows where someone bad has ticked off another very bad person and the cops have to give this person a new life and a new identity to protect them? They have to live in the new identity for the rest of their lives. If they were to ever reassume the old identity it would mean certain death. Interesting.
Let me ask you a question. Do you identify yourself more with your past or your future? Do the things you have done wrong (evil) in your yesterdays still haunt you and define you? Or does your hope in God’s new opinion (good) about you win the day? Do the promises that God says are in front of you dominate your thought processes, or do you still live life in the rear view mirror? Everything depends on the orientation of your identity.
"With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. 20 But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, 22 throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. 23 Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24 You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness, righteous, holy, and true." Eph. 4:17-24
I want to challenge you. Go ahead and throw off that old I.D. tag of mistakes and failures. Do not let Satan continue to place your focus on the person you were or the sins of your past. Listen to God. This is His "good news" for you...
"Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers..." Col. 2:13-15
Did you hear that? God has cancelled out all that junk! Its over! He has disarmed Satan. The only power Satan has is the power you give Him. His only weapon against you is lies. If you listen to him, if you allow him to continue to accuse you, you will not live from your new heart. Don’t listen to him. All he wants to do is accuse and condemn you.
You might say to me that Satan is speaking the truth when he reminds me of my sinful past. True. But he is lying when he tries to identify me with it. It no longer defines me. He cannot trap me in my past and define me by it. Why? Because of Jesus. He has taken it all away! Gone! Done! Over with! You got that? It’s over!
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21
At the cross Jesus took our sin and became it. God punished Him there in our place. When He arose He won the victory and released God’s power to make us new persons. When we place our faith in Jesus, He takes our sin and makes us right with God. He makes us new and good. I must now believe this new thing that God has done. Listen to the story of one of God’s servants in the past...
"Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. Satan was there at the angel's right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things. And the LORD said to Satan, "I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from a fire." Jeshua's clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." Zech. 3:1-4
Can you imagine this guy saying to God, "I don’t believe you. I believe Satan." I want to be the old dirty person that I was. Of course not-that would be ridiculous! God had amazing plans for Jeshua so He cleansed him and made him new. The Lord rejects Satan’s accusations and so should you. Accept the new you. Reject the old identity.
Your greatest contribution is when you decide to live from your new and good heart. We need you to be the true you. God has made you new. He has given you a fresh identity and forgiven all your debts. You own nothing except the debt of love. You will never be condemned. You are free to live for God now. You can influence the world. You can make a difference. Your future is filled with promise and potential. You have been given gifts, power, and authority in Christ to transform the world we live in. You are an overcomer of evil with good.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:37-39
In Rome, where people first read the words above, the people new exactly what a conqueror was. You didn’t mess with them. They brought entire nations to their knees. They were a powerful force to be reckoned with. God says you are more than a conqueror. Take that, put it in your pipe and smoke it!
Defining myself by God’s word,
Chris
Let me ask you a question. Do you identify yourself more with your past or your future? Do the things you have done wrong (evil) in your yesterdays still haunt you and define you? Or does your hope in God’s new opinion (good) about you win the day? Do the promises that God says are in front of you dominate your thought processes, or do you still live life in the rear view mirror? Everything depends on the orientation of your identity.
"With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. 20 But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, 22 throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. 23 Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24 You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness, righteous, holy, and true." Eph. 4:17-24
I want to challenge you. Go ahead and throw off that old I.D. tag of mistakes and failures. Do not let Satan continue to place your focus on the person you were or the sins of your past. Listen to God. This is His "good news" for you...
"Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers..." Col. 2:13-15
Did you hear that? God has cancelled out all that junk! Its over! He has disarmed Satan. The only power Satan has is the power you give Him. His only weapon against you is lies. If you listen to him, if you allow him to continue to accuse you, you will not live from your new heart. Don’t listen to him. All he wants to do is accuse and condemn you.
You might say to me that Satan is speaking the truth when he reminds me of my sinful past. True. But he is lying when he tries to identify me with it. It no longer defines me. He cannot trap me in my past and define me by it. Why? Because of Jesus. He has taken it all away! Gone! Done! Over with! You got that? It’s over!
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor. 5:21
At the cross Jesus took our sin and became it. God punished Him there in our place. When He arose He won the victory and released God’s power to make us new persons. When we place our faith in Jesus, He takes our sin and makes us right with God. He makes us new and good. I must now believe this new thing that God has done. Listen to the story of one of God’s servants in the past...
"Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. Satan was there at the angel's right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things. And the LORD said to Satan, "I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from a fire." Jeshua's clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, "Take off his filthy clothes." And turning to Jeshua he said, "See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes." Zech. 3:1-4
Can you imagine this guy saying to God, "I don’t believe you. I believe Satan." I want to be the old dirty person that I was. Of course not-that would be ridiculous! God had amazing plans for Jeshua so He cleansed him and made him new. The Lord rejects Satan’s accusations and so should you. Accept the new you. Reject the old identity.
Your greatest contribution is when you decide to live from your new and good heart. We need you to be the true you. God has made you new. He has given you a fresh identity and forgiven all your debts. You own nothing except the debt of love. You will never be condemned. You are free to live for God now. You can influence the world. You can make a difference. Your future is filled with promise and potential. You have been given gifts, power, and authority in Christ to transform the world we live in. You are an overcomer of evil with good.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:37-39
In Rome, where people first read the words above, the people new exactly what a conqueror was. You didn’t mess with them. They brought entire nations to their knees. They were a powerful force to be reckoned with. God says you are more than a conqueror. Take that, put it in your pipe and smoke it!
Defining myself by God’s word,
Chris
Monday, March 20, 2006
your heart is good
Last night I began the all-too-familiar process of scanning my 700 cable channels only to be frustrated that there was nothing good to watch. Don’t get me wrong. There was plenty of evil to watch. I looked at the movie channels and could have had my choice of murder, rape, war, theft…you know the drill. I even could have chosen from several pay-per-view pornagraphic options. Nothing but junk, trash, and filth. Then finally I found a documentary called “The Perfect Solar Storm”-one of those doomsday scenarios-a great way to drift off to sleep huh? I think my TV is sick.
"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? Jer. 17:9
There it is-the prophet has spoken! Something is wrong on the inside of us. There is a sickness in the heart of mankind.
That is a truth that most people can identify with. They see things in themselves that baffle the understanding. They truly do not understand why they do some of the things that they do.
Is this you? Do you find yourself drawn to things from time to time that you know are the wrong things-maybe even evil things? If I am honest, I would admit that I paused for a moment on a couple of those stations and was drawn to watch things I know are wrong. Here is what Paul says about this in Galatians…
“The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict…” Gal. 5:17-18
The good news is that even though there is a conflict, I can win it! How? With an amazing heart transplant that was foretold by another prophet.
"…they will remove all the evil idols and all the hateful images. I will give them a desire to respect me completely, and I will put inside them a new way of thinking. I will take out the stubborn heart of stone from their bodies, and I will give them an obedient heart of flesh. Eze. 11:17-18
This is what I love about the Gospel. We are promised a new heart, a new spirit, a new identity. We truly become new when we trust in Jesus Christ. Now we can live a new life.
“So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Ga. 5:16
God has given us a new and good heart. Let that sink in for a moment. If you have trusted Jesus and been born again-your new heart is good. You can live from this new and fresh love for God. Good things can now proceed from your good heart.
“A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart.” Luke 6:45
“But the good soil represents honest, good-hearted people who hear God's message, cling to it, and steadily produce a huge harvest.” Luke 6:15
Jesus says that there are those who have good hearts, noble hearts. That somebody is you, if you are His. God has kept His promise. We have been given new hearts. Good hearts! What would happen if you believed this? What if you came to the place that you knew it was true? Your life would never be the same again. Overcoming evil in your life would become the norm.
I believe this truth is mostly lost to the church. No wonder. The evil one would hide it at all costs. He tries to remind us of our past. He seeks for us to be identified by our past. Don’t listen to him. Don’t believe him. Believe God. Live from your new and good heart!
Live a good day today,
Chris
"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? Jer. 17:9
There it is-the prophet has spoken! Something is wrong on the inside of us. There is a sickness in the heart of mankind.
That is a truth that most people can identify with. They see things in themselves that baffle the understanding. They truly do not understand why they do some of the things that they do.
Is this you? Do you find yourself drawn to things from time to time that you know are the wrong things-maybe even evil things? If I am honest, I would admit that I paused for a moment on a couple of those stations and was drawn to watch things I know are wrong. Here is what Paul says about this in Galatians…
“The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict…” Gal. 5:17-18
The good news is that even though there is a conflict, I can win it! How? With an amazing heart transplant that was foretold by another prophet.
"…they will remove all the evil idols and all the hateful images. I will give them a desire to respect me completely, and I will put inside them a new way of thinking. I will take out the stubborn heart of stone from their bodies, and I will give them an obedient heart of flesh. Eze. 11:17-18
This is what I love about the Gospel. We are promised a new heart, a new spirit, a new identity. We truly become new when we trust in Jesus Christ. Now we can live a new life.
“So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Ga. 5:16
God has given us a new and good heart. Let that sink in for a moment. If you have trusted Jesus and been born again-your new heart is good. You can live from this new and fresh love for God. Good things can now proceed from your good heart.
“A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart.” Luke 6:45
“But the good soil represents honest, good-hearted people who hear God's message, cling to it, and steadily produce a huge harvest.” Luke 6:15
Jesus says that there are those who have good hearts, noble hearts. That somebody is you, if you are His. God has kept His promise. We have been given new hearts. Good hearts! What would happen if you believed this? What if you came to the place that you knew it was true? Your life would never be the same again. Overcoming evil in your life would become the norm.
I believe this truth is mostly lost to the church. No wonder. The evil one would hide it at all costs. He tries to remind us of our past. He seeks for us to be identified by our past. Don’t listen to him. Don’t believe him. Believe God. Live from your new and good heart!
Live a good day today,
Chris
Thursday, March 16, 2006
"He's not safe, but He is good"
“He is not safe, but He is good.” This is the statement made about Aslan at the end of the book and now famous movie The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe written by C. S. Lewis.
Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him! Ps. 34:8
The Bible talks a lot about the goodness of the Lord. What is good? I mean when we say something is good, what do we mean? I had some blackened salmon last night that was good. I am at Disneyland right now, and the hotel I am staying in is pretty good. Someone dropped something at the restaurant yesterday and said, “Now that was really good.” I mean, we use the word so much in so many different ways to comment on so many things, we may have to take a fresh look at what it means to be good.
The follower of Christ is told to allow God’s Spirit to control his life and He will produce “goodness” in him. This goodness doesn’t mean being a wimp either. The same Spirit that produces goodness in the Christian today also came upon Sampson thousands of years ago and caused Him to kill an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass in his hand. Talk about opening a can!
Evil is the opposite of good. That means good opposes evil. He takes a stand against it. God is producing a stance in our hearts for good and against evil. It may not be safe to be good—it could be very dangerous.
It is certainly not safe to be evil either. We are also told that God is a just judge and will discern between a good and evil life. Being in opposition to God is an even more dangerous place to be…
“For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, will judge all people according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.” Rom. 2:5-8
If I understand the truth contained in the verses directly above, then goodness is what the judge will look for in granting eternal life. Since evil is the opposite of good, those who practice evil will experience the opposite of eternal life. They will be eternally separated from God’s life and become the objects of His wrath.
It seems to me that kindness and goodness are very similar. So why does the Bible distinguish them so often? I think that it is because kindness is more of an action while goodness is more of a condition. Think of it like this: If you go into a room by yourself, you cannot be kind because kindness needs an object other than yourself in order to be kind. But you could be good in the room because goodness defines itself more by the condition of the subject not the object.
God is producing His character in us. It becomes a fusion of who He is and who we are.
"I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are— I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one.” John 17:22-23
You cannot become one with God without being fundamentally changed. He is progressively transforming our lives into something truly good. Good like He is. The word in the Bible connotes virtue; moral excellence and goodness of character; moral strength and moral courage. It means becoming a person who “overcomes evil with good”. Greater is He that is “in me” than he that is in the world!
I would like for God to do this “in me”. I certainly don’t want to be evil. I want to be good. But I see so much in me that I know is not good. It concerns me sometimes. How is God going to do this thing called goodness in me? I obviously can’t do it on my own.
We are going to discuss this over the next several days and in our weekend services.
Be good,
Chris
Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him! Ps. 34:8
The Bible talks a lot about the goodness of the Lord. What is good? I mean when we say something is good, what do we mean? I had some blackened salmon last night that was good. I am at Disneyland right now, and the hotel I am staying in is pretty good. Someone dropped something at the restaurant yesterday and said, “Now that was really good.” I mean, we use the word so much in so many different ways to comment on so many things, we may have to take a fresh look at what it means to be good.
The follower of Christ is told to allow God’s Spirit to control his life and He will produce “goodness” in him. This goodness doesn’t mean being a wimp either. The same Spirit that produces goodness in the Christian today also came upon Sampson thousands of years ago and caused Him to kill an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass in his hand. Talk about opening a can!
Evil is the opposite of good. That means good opposes evil. He takes a stand against it. God is producing a stance in our hearts for good and against evil. It may not be safe to be good—it could be very dangerous.
It is certainly not safe to be evil either. We are also told that God is a just judge and will discern between a good and evil life. Being in opposition to God is an even more dangerous place to be…
“For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, will judge all people according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.” Rom. 2:5-8
If I understand the truth contained in the verses directly above, then goodness is what the judge will look for in granting eternal life. Since evil is the opposite of good, those who practice evil will experience the opposite of eternal life. They will be eternally separated from God’s life and become the objects of His wrath.
It seems to me that kindness and goodness are very similar. So why does the Bible distinguish them so often? I think that it is because kindness is more of an action while goodness is more of a condition. Think of it like this: If you go into a room by yourself, you cannot be kind because kindness needs an object other than yourself in order to be kind. But you could be good in the room because goodness defines itself more by the condition of the subject not the object.
God is producing His character in us. It becomes a fusion of who He is and who we are.
"I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are— I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one.” John 17:22-23
You cannot become one with God without being fundamentally changed. He is progressively transforming our lives into something truly good. Good like He is. The word in the Bible connotes virtue; moral excellence and goodness of character; moral strength and moral courage. It means becoming a person who “overcomes evil with good”. Greater is He that is “in me” than he that is in the world!
I would like for God to do this “in me”. I certainly don’t want to be evil. I want to be good. But I see so much in me that I know is not good. It concerns me sometimes. How is God going to do this thing called goodness in me? I obviously can’t do it on my own.
We are going to discuss this over the next several days and in our weekend services.
Be good,
Chris
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Does God get mad?
Does God’s kindness ever run out? Does God ever say “That’s enough!”? Does He ever get really angry? Does He have His version of a really big machine gun?
Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth ; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Exodus 34:6-7
The answer is yes. Don’t get me wrong, God is very patient and very kind but the Bible does show us several examples where He decides that He has had enough; that He is going to discipline or even severely punish nations or individuals. Listen to Paul in Romans…
“Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe to those who disobeyed, but kind to you as you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.” Rom. 11:22
We learn in scripture that God abounds in loving-kindness and is “slow to anger”. That means that He does become angry-He is just extremely slow about it. When He finally does become angry, His anger will always have an object and that object will be either disciplined or punished. When does this happen? When people stop trusting in Him.
Sometimes I think that we Christians can become so secure in God’s grace that we stop having proper reverence or respect for God. We can then fall into apathetic patterns of sin and undisciplined lifestyles that do not look like Jesus’ life at all. We have practically “stopped trusting in His kindness”.
The nation of Israel did exactly that. Over a period of hundreds of years, they slipped further and further away from God. He pleaded with them and warned them through His messengers the prophets but they would not listen. God spoke through Isaiah…
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations-- a people who continually provoke me to my very face, … I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps-- both your sins and the sins of your fathers," says the LORD. Isaiah 65
God says to His Jewish people that time is just about up and that He is going to deal with them severely. He also declares His heart to show His loving-kindness to a new people-Us! Listen again to Isaiah in the same passage…
"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' Isaiah 65:1
We should be so thankful to God for that call. Especially when we were not even looking for Him at all! God is now building for himself a new people. He is showing His great heart to all of the world. This was His plan from the beginning and the Jews were to execute this plan, but they were “cut off” because of disobedience.
This brings me to my point: We must not think we are so special that we could not experience something similar. We must love God and obediently trust in Him. We must not fall into the same illusion that we can just take God for granted-that He is so kind and so good that He would never do anything about our persistent sin. Listen again to Paul…
“Don't you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don't you care? Can't you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin? But no, you won't listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, 6 will judge all people according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.” Rom. 2:4-8
God will always punish sin. He did punish sin in the death of His own Son Jesus. His full anger and fury at sin was directed at an object once and for all-at Jesus. I praise and thank God for this. We don’t ever want to take this expression of kindness for granted.
May we continue to trust in His kindness. May we put away from ourselves those things that are displeasing to Him. May we love Him and humbly execute His plan of loving-kindness toward others. May we reverence Him with our lives!
Chris
“He is not safe, but He is good” C.S. Lewis
Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth ; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Exodus 34:6-7
The answer is yes. Don’t get me wrong, God is very patient and very kind but the Bible does show us several examples where He decides that He has had enough; that He is going to discipline or even severely punish nations or individuals. Listen to Paul in Romans…
“Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe to those who disobeyed, but kind to you as you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.” Rom. 11:22
We learn in scripture that God abounds in loving-kindness and is “slow to anger”. That means that He does become angry-He is just extremely slow about it. When He finally does become angry, His anger will always have an object and that object will be either disciplined or punished. When does this happen? When people stop trusting in Him.
Sometimes I think that we Christians can become so secure in God’s grace that we stop having proper reverence or respect for God. We can then fall into apathetic patterns of sin and undisciplined lifestyles that do not look like Jesus’ life at all. We have practically “stopped trusting in His kindness”.
The nation of Israel did exactly that. Over a period of hundreds of years, they slipped further and further away from God. He pleaded with them and warned them through His messengers the prophets but they would not listen. God spoke through Isaiah…
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations-- a people who continually provoke me to my very face, … I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps-- both your sins and the sins of your fathers," says the LORD. Isaiah 65
God says to His Jewish people that time is just about up and that He is going to deal with them severely. He also declares His heart to show His loving-kindness to a new people-Us! Listen again to Isaiah in the same passage…
"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' Isaiah 65:1
We should be so thankful to God for that call. Especially when we were not even looking for Him at all! God is now building for himself a new people. He is showing His great heart to all of the world. This was His plan from the beginning and the Jews were to execute this plan, but they were “cut off” because of disobedience.
This brings me to my point: We must not think we are so special that we could not experience something similar. We must love God and obediently trust in Him. We must not fall into the same illusion that we can just take God for granted-that He is so kind and so good that He would never do anything about our persistent sin. Listen again to Paul…
“Don't you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don't you care? Can't you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin? But no, you won't listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, 6 will judge all people according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.” Rom. 2:4-8
God will always punish sin. He did punish sin in the death of His own Son Jesus. His full anger and fury at sin was directed at an object once and for all-at Jesus. I praise and thank God for this. We don’t ever want to take this expression of kindness for granted.
May we continue to trust in His kindness. May we put away from ourselves those things that are displeasing to Him. May we love Him and humbly execute His plan of loving-kindness toward others. May we reverence Him with our lives!
Chris
“He is not safe, but He is good” C.S. Lewis
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
"say hello to my little friend"
Does anyone remenber the movie Scarface? (No, I’m not recommending it.) Antonio Montana is a drug empire kingpin and he is defending himself at his private palace as a hundred members of a rival cartel attack. He takes out what must be the largest machine gun anyone has ever seen and says his now famous line "Say hello to my little friend" and starts blowing people away.
Jesus is leading us to deal with our enemies a little differently.
"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:35-36
Notice what Paul says ..."Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it", says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. Rom. 12:17-21
There is a global war on terror. We do need to attack the enemy before he destroys. We are commissioned as overt agents using God’s kindness on the enemy. We are to go out and push back the kingdom of darkness with combat kindness. We melt down the hardest of hearts and those with the cruelest of intentions with God’s secret weapon known only to those who serve in His Special forces. And we do have superior weapons and equipment.
Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Col. 3:12-13
As specially selected soldiers in this conflict we are to wear these weapons as a pieces of standard issue equipment. Daily we clothe ourselves with a time-tested and battle-proven uniform.
In the war for Baghdad, American forces used a tactic called "Shock and awe". The strategy involves using such overwhelming force that the enemy is stunned and surrenders.
In the same way, we have been given a "seemingly small" but powerful weapon called kindness. Kindness is God’s tactical nuclear strike-a small, controlled, but extremely effective surgical explosion. When this weapon is used under the direction of God’s mighty Spirit, its impact is that God is glorified, Christ is magnified, the church is edified, the world is stupified, and Satan is horrified and petrified--"Say hello to my little friend".
Killing them with kindness,
Chris
Jesus is leading us to deal with our enemies a little differently.
"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:35-36
Notice what Paul says ..."Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it", says the Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. Rom. 12:17-21
There is a global war on terror. We do need to attack the enemy before he destroys. We are commissioned as overt agents using God’s kindness on the enemy. We are to go out and push back the kingdom of darkness with combat kindness. We melt down the hardest of hearts and those with the cruelest of intentions with God’s secret weapon known only to those who serve in His Special forces. And we do have superior weapons and equipment.
Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Col. 3:12-13
As specially selected soldiers in this conflict we are to wear these weapons as a pieces of standard issue equipment. Daily we clothe ourselves with a time-tested and battle-proven uniform.
In the war for Baghdad, American forces used a tactic called "Shock and awe". The strategy involves using such overwhelming force that the enemy is stunned and surrenders.
In the same way, we have been given a "seemingly small" but powerful weapon called kindness. Kindness is God’s tactical nuclear strike-a small, controlled, but extremely effective surgical explosion. When this weapon is used under the direction of God’s mighty Spirit, its impact is that God is glorified, Christ is magnified, the church is edified, the world is stupified, and Satan is horrified and petrified--"Say hello to my little friend".
Killing them with kindness,
Chris
Monday, March 13, 2006
combat kindness
Some people believe they should use brutality and cruelty to bring about submission to what they perceive is the will of God. They chop off heads, blow up cars and buildings. Often, in the name of God, even women and children lose their lives at the hands of these radical believers.
Is this how God desires to spread His will? The God I know used a far more persuasive means to establish Himself in my life. I have discovered that God has a totally opposite combat strategy to subdue His enemies than the one mentioned above.
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
This is one of my favorite scriptures of all time. I have returned to it over and over. King David said, "Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You." Ps. 63:3
God’s loving-kindness is powerful. It attracts us and changes us. I used to be such a different person than I am today. Sexual promiscuity, drug abuse, and crime were a lifestyle for five years of my life. Then God’s kindness appeared and has been the difference for me.
“But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did”. Titus 3:4-6
It was the fact that he offered me this kindness “while I was an enemy” to everything He is that blew me away! He met me at my lowest point and chose not to condemn me but showed me mercy and grace. Mercy in that He didn’t punish me and Grace in that He gave me the opposite of what I deserved. He gave me a brand new life!
I remember as if it were yesterday being on my knees asking God for a fresh start. I felt as if I had blown it so badly that there was no hope for me. I told God that if He would make me a new person that I would give that new person to Him to do whatever He wanted for the rest of my life. He did it! He made me a new person in Christ. The old has gone and everything is becoming so new.
If that were not enough, beyond that He gave me His Holy Spirit to be inside of me for the rest of my life. God’s Spirit is producing this amazing loving-kindness in me. He is turning me into someone who is armed and dangerous to the kingdom of cruelty and hatred. I have a secret weapon that melts the hardest of hearts. God’s Kindness!
I recommend that you use it on your enemies today! It can be quite persuasive.
Chris
"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:35-36
Is this how God desires to spread His will? The God I know used a far more persuasive means to establish Himself in my life. I have discovered that God has a totally opposite combat strategy to subdue His enemies than the one mentioned above.
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
This is one of my favorite scriptures of all time. I have returned to it over and over. King David said, "Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You." Ps. 63:3
God’s loving-kindness is powerful. It attracts us and changes us. I used to be such a different person than I am today. Sexual promiscuity, drug abuse, and crime were a lifestyle for five years of my life. Then God’s kindness appeared and has been the difference for me.
“But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did”. Titus 3:4-6
It was the fact that he offered me this kindness “while I was an enemy” to everything He is that blew me away! He met me at my lowest point and chose not to condemn me but showed me mercy and grace. Mercy in that He didn’t punish me and Grace in that He gave me the opposite of what I deserved. He gave me a brand new life!
I remember as if it were yesterday being on my knees asking God for a fresh start. I felt as if I had blown it so badly that there was no hope for me. I told God that if He would make me a new person that I would give that new person to Him to do whatever He wanted for the rest of my life. He did it! He made me a new person in Christ. The old has gone and everything is becoming so new.
If that were not enough, beyond that He gave me His Holy Spirit to be inside of me for the rest of my life. God’s Spirit is producing this amazing loving-kindness in me. He is turning me into someone who is armed and dangerous to the kingdom of cruelty and hatred. I have a secret weapon that melts the hardest of hearts. God’s Kindness!
I recommend that you use it on your enemies today! It can be quite persuasive.
Chris
"Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Luke 6:35-36
Friday, March 10, 2006
taste of God
A couple of years ago a man came into our church facility. I was there alone. He asked if I was a pastor. I told him I was. He looked filthy and smelled of sweat. He had scrapes and soares on his arms. He said he had contracted HIV and needed help to buy medicine. Then he did it. He said his name and extended his hand...
I was just sitting here looking at my hands. To think of the places they have been and the things they have done. They look old and worn to me now. I wonder what they looked like the day I was born. Did my little fingers wrap around my mom’s finger? I wonder how old I was when I threw my first ball, waved my first hello, or even gave my first hug. I bet it wasn’t long before my hand pulled the dog’s hair or reached into a forbidden cookie jar either.
I remember when my hand stole a combination lock from Albertson’s and when my hand made a fist and threw its first punch. I also remember folding my hands in prayer and asking God to forgive me for all my hands had done. I remember lifting my hands in worship exhilerated by feelings of love and forgiveness knowing I could start over.
What a story my hands could tell. All of this is possible because of the kindest heart that ever extended a hand. I am so glad Jesus touched me. He has a habit of touching fithy people.
In the Bible, Matthew writes of an untouchable. Here we meet a man that no one would touch. Not his wife or his children-no one. In fact, he had probably been banished to a leper colony. Leprosy was greatly feared by many. Few really understood it. They just knew they didn’t want it and this unnamed man had it. As far as he knew, from this point forward, affection from another would only be known in dreams. And then Jesus did it...
When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Matt 8:1-2
I wonder what that moment must have felt like for that man. For years, no one dared touch him. He was an outcast; a reject of society. Many would believe that he must have sinned greatly for God to punish Him with leprosy. And what does Jesus do? He reaches out and touches him.
"I am willing!" I love that! Jesus is willing to touch us. He doesn’t have to, He wants to! It is His word that has the power not His touch. What’s amazing is that He could just speak his healing but He also touched. He is willing not only to heal but to touch us, to hold us; to embrace us. That is why I follow Him.
Hands can give or take. Mine felt like they had mostly taken. But he has given my hands new life. Now my hands can give life. They can give the life of God that lives in me. The fruits of love, joy, peace, and patience can now be expressed in acts of kindness. Every time I extend my hand in Jesus name, I extend His heart. Every time I allow His Spirit to fill me and use me to serve others I give people a taste of God. I nourish them. This is God’s heart-that we would extend His. That His life would flow from His heart , through ours, and into others.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!" Psalm 34:8
When the man extended his hand toward me, I must admit a strange mixture of fear and faith came over me. In that moment, no small battle was fought in my heart. And then I did it...I extended my hand, shook his and said, "My name is Chris. Nice to meet you. What is it you said you needed?"
I pray that your hands are extended today. May your hands give love. May your hands touch the lives of others. May your hands be God’s hands touching our world in Jesus name.
Extending my hand,
Chris
"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." Matt 10:42
I was just sitting here looking at my hands. To think of the places they have been and the things they have done. They look old and worn to me now. I wonder what they looked like the day I was born. Did my little fingers wrap around my mom’s finger? I wonder how old I was when I threw my first ball, waved my first hello, or even gave my first hug. I bet it wasn’t long before my hand pulled the dog’s hair or reached into a forbidden cookie jar either.
I remember when my hand stole a combination lock from Albertson’s and when my hand made a fist and threw its first punch. I also remember folding my hands in prayer and asking God to forgive me for all my hands had done. I remember lifting my hands in worship exhilerated by feelings of love and forgiveness knowing I could start over.
What a story my hands could tell. All of this is possible because of the kindest heart that ever extended a hand. I am so glad Jesus touched me. He has a habit of touching fithy people.
In the Bible, Matthew writes of an untouchable. Here we meet a man that no one would touch. Not his wife or his children-no one. In fact, he had probably been banished to a leper colony. Leprosy was greatly feared by many. Few really understood it. They just knew they didn’t want it and this unnamed man had it. As far as he knew, from this point forward, affection from another would only be known in dreams. And then Jesus did it...
When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Matt 8:1-2
I wonder what that moment must have felt like for that man. For years, no one dared touch him. He was an outcast; a reject of society. Many would believe that he must have sinned greatly for God to punish Him with leprosy. And what does Jesus do? He reaches out and touches him.
"I am willing!" I love that! Jesus is willing to touch us. He doesn’t have to, He wants to! It is His word that has the power not His touch. What’s amazing is that He could just speak his healing but He also touched. He is willing not only to heal but to touch us, to hold us; to embrace us. That is why I follow Him.
Hands can give or take. Mine felt like they had mostly taken. But he has given my hands new life. Now my hands can give life. They can give the life of God that lives in me. The fruits of love, joy, peace, and patience can now be expressed in acts of kindness. Every time I extend my hand in Jesus name, I extend His heart. Every time I allow His Spirit to fill me and use me to serve others I give people a taste of God. I nourish them. This is God’s heart-that we would extend His. That His life would flow from His heart , through ours, and into others.
"Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!" Psalm 34:8
When the man extended his hand toward me, I must admit a strange mixture of fear and faith came over me. In that moment, no small battle was fought in my heart. And then I did it...I extended my hand, shook his and said, "My name is Chris. Nice to meet you. What is it you said you needed?"
I pray that your hands are extended today. May your hands give love. May your hands touch the lives of others. May your hands be God’s hands touching our world in Jesus name.
Extending my hand,
Chris
"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." Matt 10:42
Thursday, March 09, 2006
kindness
The other day I was at the grocery store. I grabbed one protein bar and a bottle of water and walked up to the line. The place was slammed. There was a woman in line with a basket full of groceries. She looked at me and said, “You can go ahead of me”. I graciously accepted and moved to the front of the line. I appreciated her kindness. I actually needed to get to a meeting and she eased my pathway there.
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
Can you imagine a world without kindness? No friendly smiles. No welcoming hand shakes. No warm embraces. No letting people in traffic. No saying thanks. No one to help watch your kids. No welfare. No one helps any one with anything. Why? Because in this world there is no such thing as kindness. No one brings food when you’re sick. No one calls when you’re missing. No one grabs your trash can when it blows down the street. No one comes when your country is invaded by a foreign army. No one gives when a hurricane floods your city. No one cares-no one is kind.
Really, what we are imagining is a world without love, and when we imagine a world with out love, we imagine a world without God. God is love and love is kind. There is kindness in the world today because God’s character has been embedded into his creation.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” Romans 1:19-20
So we who have been created in the image of God, even though we have fallen natures now, understand the need for kindness. It is a basic instinct that we should be kind. Why? Because God has put this knowledge of His kindness in our hearts.
I believe kindness is the most underestimated aspect of God’s life that is produced in us. Kindness reaches out and touches. Not only does it touch, but it changes us, it causes us to reflect deeply about who we are and change for the better. God is transforming us by His kindness and making us into people who do mighty acts of kindness in His name. His Kingdom is a Kingdom of kindness filling the earth with powerful expressions of His heart.
It is amazing what an act of kindness can do to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Acts of kindness are what link us together as a community and a culture. If no one was kind, our economic and social structures would quickly erode and life as we know it would end. Kindness is the glue that keeps our selfish world from falling apart and spinning out of control into a chaos of endless cruelty and hatred.
Why? Because God is kind. Kindness is His nature-His character. Believe it or not, He is holding all of us together right now with His kindness.
“The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people.” Exodus 34:6-7
Join me in these writings over the next week and in our weekend services as we learn about a life-changing power called kindness. You can become a transforming agent of God’s kindness.
Chris
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
Can you imagine a world without kindness? No friendly smiles. No welcoming hand shakes. No warm embraces. No letting people in traffic. No saying thanks. No one to help watch your kids. No welfare. No one helps any one with anything. Why? Because in this world there is no such thing as kindness. No one brings food when you’re sick. No one calls when you’re missing. No one grabs your trash can when it blows down the street. No one comes when your country is invaded by a foreign army. No one gives when a hurricane floods your city. No one cares-no one is kind.
Really, what we are imagining is a world without love, and when we imagine a world with out love, we imagine a world without God. God is love and love is kind. There is kindness in the world today because God’s character has been embedded into his creation.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” Romans 1:19-20
So we who have been created in the image of God, even though we have fallen natures now, understand the need for kindness. It is a basic instinct that we should be kind. Why? Because God has put this knowledge of His kindness in our hearts.
I believe kindness is the most underestimated aspect of God’s life that is produced in us. Kindness reaches out and touches. Not only does it touch, but it changes us, it causes us to reflect deeply about who we are and change for the better. God is transforming us by His kindness and making us into people who do mighty acts of kindness in His name. His Kingdom is a Kingdom of kindness filling the earth with powerful expressions of His heart.
It is amazing what an act of kindness can do to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Acts of kindness are what link us together as a community and a culture. If no one was kind, our economic and social structures would quickly erode and life as we know it would end. Kindness is the glue that keeps our selfish world from falling apart and spinning out of control into a chaos of endless cruelty and hatred.
Why? Because God is kind. Kindness is His nature-His character. Believe it or not, He is holding all of us together right now with His kindness.
“The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people.” Exodus 34:6-7
Join me in these writings over the next week and in our weekend services as we learn about a life-changing power called kindness. You can become a transforming agent of God’s kindness.
Chris
kindness
The other day I was at the grocery store. I grabbed one protein bar and a bottle of water and walked up to the line. The place was slammed. There was a woman in line with a basket full of groceries. She looked at me and said, “You can go ahead of me”. I graciously accepted and moved to the front of the line. I appreciated her kindness. I actually needed to get to a meeting and she eased my pathway there.
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
Can you imagine a world without kindness? No friendly smiles. No welcoming hand shakes. No warm embraces. No letting people in traffic. No saying thanks. No one to help watch your kids. No welfare. No one helps any one with anything. Why? Because in this world there is no such thing as kindness. No one brings food when you’re sick. No one calls when you’re missing. No one grabs your trash can when it blows down the street. No one comes when your country is invaded by a foreign army. No one gives when a hurricane floods your city. No one cares-no one is kind.
Really, what we are imagining is a world without love, and when we imagine a world with out love, we imagine a world without God. God is love and love is kind. There is kindness in the world today because God’s character has been embedded into his creation.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” Romans 1:19-20
So we who have been created in the image of God, even though we have fallen natures now, understand the need for kindness. It is a basic instinct that we should be kind. Why? Because God has put this knowledge of His kindness in our hearts.
I believe kindness is the most underestimated aspect of God’s life that is produced in us. Kindness reaches out and touches. Not only does it touch, but it changes us, it causes us to reflect deeply about who we are and change for the better. God is transforming us by His kindness and making us into people who do mighty acts of kindness in His name. His Kingdom is a Kingdom of kindness filling the earth with powerful expressions of His heart.
It is amazing what an act of kindness can do to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Acts of kindness are what link us together as a community and a culture. If no one was kind, our economic and social structures would quickly erode and life as we know it would end. Kindness is the glue that keeps our selfish world from falling apart and spinning out of control into a chaos of endless cruelty and hatred.
Why? Because God is kind. Kindness is His nature-His character. Believe it or not, He is holding all of us together right now with His kindness.
“The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people.” Exodus 34:6-7
Join me in these writings over the next week and in our weekend services as we learn about a life-changing power called kindness. You can become a transforming agent of God’s kindness.
Chris
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
Can you imagine a world without kindness? No friendly smiles. No welcoming hand shakes. No warm embraces. No letting people in traffic. No saying thanks. No one to help watch your kids. No welfare. No one helps any one with anything. Why? Because in this world there is no such thing as kindness. No one brings food when you’re sick. No one calls when you’re missing. No one grabs your trash can when it blows down the street. No one comes when your country is invaded by a foreign army. No one gives when a hurricane floods your city. No one cares-no one is kind.
Really, what we are imagining is a world without love, and when we imagine a world with out love, we imagine a world without God. God is love and love is kind. There is kindness in the world today because God’s character has been embedded into his creation.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” Romans 1:19-20
So we who have been created in the image of God, even though we have fallen natures now, understand the need for kindness. It is a basic instinct that we should be kind. Why? Because God has put this knowledge of His kindness in our hearts.
I believe kindness is the most underestimated aspect of God’s life that is produced in us. Kindness reaches out and touches. Not only does it touch, but it changes us, it causes us to reflect deeply about who we are and change for the better. God is transforming us by His kindness and making us into people who do mighty acts of kindness in His name. His Kingdom is a Kingdom of kindness filling the earth with powerful expressions of His heart.
It is amazing what an act of kindness can do to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Acts of kindness are what link us together as a community and a culture. If no one was kind, our economic and social structures would quickly erode and life as we know it would end. Kindness is the glue that keeps our selfish world from falling apart and spinning out of control into a chaos of endless cruelty and hatred.
Why? Because God is kind. Kindness is His nature-His character. Believe it or not, He is holding all of us together right now with His kindness.
“The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people.” Exodus 34:6-7
Join me in these writings over the next week and in our weekend services as we learn about a life-changing power called kindness. You can become a transforming agent of God’s kindness.
Chris
kindness
The other day I was at the grocery store. I grabbed one protein bar and a bottle of water and walked up to the line. The place was slammed. There was a woman in line with a basket full of groceries. She looked at me and said, “You can go ahead of me”. I graciously accepted and moved to the front of the line. I appreciated her kindness. I actually needed to get to a meeting and she eased my pathway there.
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
Can you imagine a world without kindness? No friendly smiles. No welcoming hand shakes. No warm embraces. No letting people in traffic. No saying thanks. No one to help watch your kids. No welfare. No one helps any one with anything. Why? Because in this world there is no such thing as kindness. No one brings food when you’re sick. No one calls when you’re missing. No one grabs your trash can when it blows down the street. No one comes when your country is invaded by a foreign army. No one gives when a hurricane floods your city. No one cares-no one is kind.
Really, what we are imagining is a world without love, and when we imagine a world with out love, we imagine a world without God. God is love and love is kind. There is kindness in the world today because God’s character has been embedded into his creation.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” Romans 1:19-20
So we who have been created in the image of God, even though we have fallen natures now, understand the need for kindness. It is a basic instinct that we should be kind. Why? Because God has put this knowledge of His kindness in our hearts.
I believe kindness is the most underestimated aspect of God’s life that is produced in us. Kindness reaches out and touches. Not only does it touch, but it changes us, it causes us to reflect deeply about who we are and change for the better. God is transforming us by His kindness and making us into people who do mighty acts of kindness in His name. His Kingdom is a Kingdom of kindness filling the earth with powerful expressions of His heart.
It is amazing what an act of kindness can do to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Acts of kindness are what link us together as a community and a culture. If no one was kind, our economic and social structures would quickly erode and life as we know it would end. Kindness is the glue that keeps our selfish world from falling apart and spinning out of control into a chaos of endless cruelty and hatred.
Why? Because God is kind. Kindness is His nature-His character. Believe it or not, He is holding all of us together right now with His kindness.
“The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people.” Exodus 34:6-7
Join me in these writings over the next week and in our weekend services as we learn about a life-changing power called kindness. You can become a transforming agent of God’s kindness.
Chris
“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” Galatians 5:22 (NLT)
Can you imagine a world without kindness? No friendly smiles. No welcoming hand shakes. No warm embraces. No letting people in traffic. No saying thanks. No one to help watch your kids. No welfare. No one helps any one with anything. Why? Because in this world there is no such thing as kindness. No one brings food when you’re sick. No one calls when you’re missing. No one grabs your trash can when it blows down the street. No one comes when your country is invaded by a foreign army. No one gives when a hurricane floods your city. No one cares-no one is kind.
Really, what we are imagining is a world without love, and when we imagine a world with out love, we imagine a world without God. God is love and love is kind. There is kindness in the world today because God’s character has been embedded into his creation.
“For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature.” Romans 1:19-20
So we who have been created in the image of God, even though we have fallen natures now, understand the need for kindness. It is a basic instinct that we should be kind. Why? Because God has put this knowledge of His kindness in our hearts.
I believe kindness is the most underestimated aspect of God’s life that is produced in us. Kindness reaches out and touches. Not only does it touch, but it changes us, it causes us to reflect deeply about who we are and change for the better. God is transforming us by His kindness and making us into people who do mighty acts of kindness in His name. His Kingdom is a Kingdom of kindness filling the earth with powerful expressions of His heart.
It is amazing what an act of kindness can do to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Acts of kindness are what link us together as a community and a culture. If no one was kind, our economic and social structures would quickly erode and life as we know it would end. Kindness is the glue that keeps our selfish world from falling apart and spinning out of control into a chaos of endless cruelty and hatred.
Why? Because God is kind. Kindness is His nature-His character. Believe it or not, He is holding all of us together right now with His kindness.
“The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, "I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows mercy, who is kind, who doesn't become angry quickly, who has great love and faithfulness and is kind to thousands of people.” Exodus 34:6-7
Join me in these writings over the next week and in our weekend services as we learn about a life-changing power called kindness. You can become a transforming agent of God’s kindness.
Chris
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
the patience of the saints
“I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus…” Rev. 1:9
I’ve been reading the book of Revelation lately. Talk about some heavy stuff! John starts off by telling us he is our companion in the difficult times we all have to endure as it relates to advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Oh the pain I have known since I decided to give my life to this King and to advancing His Kingdom. It is as if there is a constant pressure upon me. It’s like I am almost never free from it. Sometimes it can be crushing.
One chapter later Jesus begins a series of special words to different churches and among them is the church of Smyrna… “Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for `ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Rev. 2:10
Once again we see God’s people being put to the test and Satan himself is permitted to administer the test-he is the one putting us under pressure. This is a truth that few ever fully grasp much less accept. It is not very sheik to believe in or talk about a personal devil in today’s culture. Many churches rarely mention him much less teach waging war against him. Yet I believe that understanding this reality is critical for us to be able to finish our race and resist the demonic temptation to quit on God.
What is going on here? Why is this happening? In the verses above, Jesus uses the word persecution. We translate it from the Greek word thlip'-sis which is a technical word used in the New Testament. The word is not used to describe the normal pressures and frustrations of life we all experience. It is always and only used in connection with the coming of God’s Kingdom. It is a word that is used to describe the point of friction that exists when two Kingdoms clash; when one kingdom advances upon another there is thlip'-sis pressure applied.
What’s that got to do with me? If I am seeking to live for Him and I desire for His life to be known in me, then guess what is going to happen? Demonic forces will marshal thlip'-sis against the Kingdom of God in me and try and push me back from advancing the heart of my great King.
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” 2 Tim 3:12
I was told just yesterday of someone in our church that lost a good paying job because of Jesus. It was a crushing blow to them. This person was seeking to help someone and share Christ’s love with them. Then Satan reared his ugly head and caused division in this work place relationship and before anyone knew it someone got fired (thlip'-sis)-all because of Jesus. I happen to know that this person is currently making a major difference in the lives of many. Satan is ticked off. May God bless and turn all this around for amazing good.
Do you experience this strange pressure (thlip'-sis) in your life just when you are making an effort to honor God in your family or work place? According to scripture thlip'-sis is standard operating procedure because two Kindgoms are clashing.
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” 1 Pet. 4:12-14
Three quick things to give hope:
1. Jesus sees this coming and warns us in advance.
"I have told you these things so that you won't fall away. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service. This is because they have never known the Father or me. Yes, I'm telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember I warned you. John 16:1-4
2. Jesus is also in control. He decides how much pressure is allowed to be applied and how long it will last. “You will be persecuted for `ten days.' Remain faithful”.
3. If I remain faithful and refuse to quit He will reward me. “Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power is his forever and ever. Amen. 1 Pet. 5:8-12
Remember God in His wisdom is using all of this to build us into unstoppable forces to be reckoned with. This is how He produces His life in us. Stand firm my dear friends and God will bless you. He has promised!
Standing with you,
Chris
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12
I’ve been reading the book of Revelation lately. Talk about some heavy stuff! John starts off by telling us he is our companion in the difficult times we all have to endure as it relates to advancing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Oh the pain I have known since I decided to give my life to this King and to advancing His Kingdom. It is as if there is a constant pressure upon me. It’s like I am almost never free from it. Sometimes it can be crushing.
One chapter later Jesus begins a series of special words to different churches and among them is the church of Smyrna… “Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The Devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for `ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Rev. 2:10
Once again we see God’s people being put to the test and Satan himself is permitted to administer the test-he is the one putting us under pressure. This is a truth that few ever fully grasp much less accept. It is not very sheik to believe in or talk about a personal devil in today’s culture. Many churches rarely mention him much less teach waging war against him. Yet I believe that understanding this reality is critical for us to be able to finish our race and resist the demonic temptation to quit on God.
What is going on here? Why is this happening? In the verses above, Jesus uses the word persecution. We translate it from the Greek word thlip'-sis which is a technical word used in the New Testament. The word is not used to describe the normal pressures and frustrations of life we all experience. It is always and only used in connection with the coming of God’s Kingdom. It is a word that is used to describe the point of friction that exists when two Kingdoms clash; when one kingdom advances upon another there is thlip'-sis pressure applied.
What’s that got to do with me? If I am seeking to live for Him and I desire for His life to be known in me, then guess what is going to happen? Demonic forces will marshal thlip'-sis against the Kingdom of God in me and try and push me back from advancing the heart of my great King.
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” 2 Tim 3:12
I was told just yesterday of someone in our church that lost a good paying job because of Jesus. It was a crushing blow to them. This person was seeking to help someone and share Christ’s love with them. Then Satan reared his ugly head and caused division in this work place relationship and before anyone knew it someone got fired (thlip'-sis)-all because of Jesus. I happen to know that this person is currently making a major difference in the lives of many. Satan is ticked off. May God bless and turn all this around for amazing good.
Do you experience this strange pressure (thlip'-sis) in your life just when you are making an effort to honor God in your family or work place? According to scripture thlip'-sis is standard operating procedure because two Kindgoms are clashing.
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” 1 Pet. 4:12-14
Three quick things to give hope:
1. Jesus sees this coming and warns us in advance.
"I have told you these things so that you won't fall away. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service. This is because they have never known the Father or me. Yes, I'm telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember I warned you. John 16:1-4
2. Jesus is also in control. He decides how much pressure is allowed to be applied and how long it will last. “You will be persecuted for `ten days.' Remain faithful”.
3. If I remain faithful and refuse to quit He will reward me. “Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power is his forever and ever. Amen. 1 Pet. 5:8-12
Remember God in His wisdom is using all of this to build us into unstoppable forces to be reckoned with. This is how He produces His life in us. Stand firm my dear friends and God will bless you. He has promised!
Standing with you,
Chris
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
testing in progress
God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
There is a fact of life that God gives tests. Earthly teachers teach lessons and then give tests. God gives tests and then teaches lessons. As we go “through” times of testing we are placed in situations that require God’s life. If we patiently endure, we learn and grow because of the trial-even if we feel like we failed. The key is to stay with God. Too many fall away when times of testing come-when the squeeze is on. They don’t like what they are experiencing or what they see coming out of themselves. They become discouraged and they turn away from God.
Jesus spoke about this… “Those on the rocky soil are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away” Luke 8:13
We must accept and expect for God to give His tests. They are there to deepen the roots of our lives. Living with this expectation is key to living the life of an overcomer. It reduces my frustration level and helps me focus my heart and mind for the test. If I get angry with God or put out with my circumstances, I often make poor decisions that lead to discouragement and defeat. Remember, God is looking to develop you and make you like His Son Jesus. This is going to involve some discomfort-that is the bottom line. God is more interested in our character than our comfort. So adopting a mind-set that accepts difficulty and challenge is so important to being passionately patient.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.” Rom. 8:28-29
Staying passionately in love with God and knowing that I am called for His purpose is my only hope. I must believe that He is for me and is doing what is best for me. I must keep close to Him and listen for His voice that reassures me and encourages me in the midst of the test. Don’t forget God gives tests for a purpose-yes He has a purpose-I must not forget it-to honor me by making me like His Son. This is the highest of all honors. So let us be careful not to become angry with God.
“My dear brothers and sisters, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily, because anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants.” James 1:19-20
If I patiently endure, he will bless me with a quality of life that only He can produce. If I stay connected to Him and refuse to turn my back on Him, He gives me life. He gives it to me in all its fullness. That is what He is up to-blessing me with a “crown of life”. What an amazing gift-God’s life in me.
In ancient times crowns meant many things; significance, wealth, authority, favor, honor, etc…I believe that James, the brother of Jesus used the phrase “crown of life” for all those reasons. Hang in there my dear friend. Stay with God. Patiently endure and God will bless you with His incredible life.
I am coining a new phrase: “Your best days are always in front of you, unless you turn away from God, then they are behind you”.
“Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Rom. 8:35-39 The Message
Staying with God,
Chris
There is a fact of life that God gives tests. Earthly teachers teach lessons and then give tests. God gives tests and then teaches lessons. As we go “through” times of testing we are placed in situations that require God’s life. If we patiently endure, we learn and grow because of the trial-even if we feel like we failed. The key is to stay with God. Too many fall away when times of testing come-when the squeeze is on. They don’t like what they are experiencing or what they see coming out of themselves. They become discouraged and they turn away from God.
Jesus spoke about this… “Those on the rocky soil are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away” Luke 8:13
We must accept and expect for God to give His tests. They are there to deepen the roots of our lives. Living with this expectation is key to living the life of an overcomer. It reduces my frustration level and helps me focus my heart and mind for the test. If I get angry with God or put out with my circumstances, I often make poor decisions that lead to discouragement and defeat. Remember, God is looking to develop you and make you like His Son Jesus. This is going to involve some discomfort-that is the bottom line. God is more interested in our character than our comfort. So adopting a mind-set that accepts difficulty and challenge is so important to being passionately patient.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.” Rom. 8:28-29
Staying passionately in love with God and knowing that I am called for His purpose is my only hope. I must believe that He is for me and is doing what is best for me. I must keep close to Him and listen for His voice that reassures me and encourages me in the midst of the test. Don’t forget God gives tests for a purpose-yes He has a purpose-I must not forget it-to honor me by making me like His Son. This is the highest of all honors. So let us be careful not to become angry with God.
“My dear brothers and sisters, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily, because anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants.” James 1:19-20
If I patiently endure, he will bless me with a quality of life that only He can produce. If I stay connected to Him and refuse to turn my back on Him, He gives me life. He gives it to me in all its fullness. That is what He is up to-blessing me with a “crown of life”. What an amazing gift-God’s life in me.
In ancient times crowns meant many things; significance, wealth, authority, favor, honor, etc…I believe that James, the brother of Jesus used the phrase “crown of life” for all those reasons. Hang in there my dear friend. Stay with God. Patiently endure and God will bless you with His incredible life.
I am coining a new phrase: “Your best days are always in front of you, unless you turn away from God, then they are behind you”.
“Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Rom. 8:35-39 The Message
Staying with God,
Chris
Monday, March 06, 2006
marathon theology
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. Heb. 12:1-2
A few years back I trained to run a marathon. The program that we were using was about a six month plan to prepare you to be able to run 26.2 miles. We would have base runs of 3-5 miles three times a week and on the weekend we would have the long run. The long run would get longer each weekend. (10, 12, 14, 16, and so on)
On the weekend we had our 14 miler we ran toward the church from a location southeast of the city. As we were arriving at the church I was so relieved that the run was over. I was having a bad day that day. Then my partner said that we had two more miles to go and we had to circle the block and finish the run. Two more miles?! After circling past the church a couple times I experienced incredible discouragement. We kept running and I started feeling really empty--like I had nothing left in the tank and with about 1 mile to go I “hit the wall”. I had to walk the rest of the way back. “The wall” is a runner’s term for a place of mental discouragement. Different runners hit the wall at different times for different reasons. You feel like you just cannot go any further.
Have you ever felt like that in life? Have you ever “hit the wall”? Have you ever thought, “I just can’t go any further”? Have you ever felt like you were making progress and then somehow started going in circles? I know I have at several points along my way. Discouragement can set in and before you know it you are ready to throw in the towel. I felt pretty bad that day and wondered if I had what it took to run a complete marathon. I learned some valuable lessons over the next several weeks about quitting and discouragement.
The next long run was 16 miles. I began to notice that each of us would experience discouragement at different times and we learned to talk each other through it. “Hang in there man—thirty more minutes” or someone would say, “I’ll take the lead for a while”. We began to sense when one needed encouragement and we gave it. It became clear that my body was not the problem--it was my head. I would start thinking about how hard what we were doing was and then my emotions would respond to the negative thoughts and then I would “feel tired”. Only when I could somehow get my eyes off of how hard it was and onto something else would I begin to “feel better”. Usually it was because one of my partners would see that look in my eye and say, “Hey Chris! How are you doing?” We even began to ask each other about what we were thinking knowing that maintaining a positive mindset was key to being able to finish the run.
I learned that I could never have done the running alone. I needed some friends who were committed to running the race as well. I needed them and they needed me. It was funny to see how at mile 14 I needed encouragement and then at mile 17 Craig would need it and at 18 Sean would need it and then at 20 I would need it again.
How are you doing in your race? Are you feeling like quitting? Do you have some committed Christian runners around you? Are you maintaining a positive focus on Jesus? Life is going to be challenging if you are attempting anything worth-while. You cannot do it alone. Jesus is present and His church is available. Connect with Him. Fix your eyes on Him. He can give you the strength you need to go all the way to the finish line!
“Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.” James 1:12 The Message
May God’s endurance be in you today,
Chris
A few years back I trained to run a marathon. The program that we were using was about a six month plan to prepare you to be able to run 26.2 miles. We would have base runs of 3-5 miles three times a week and on the weekend we would have the long run. The long run would get longer each weekend. (10, 12, 14, 16, and so on)
On the weekend we had our 14 miler we ran toward the church from a location southeast of the city. As we were arriving at the church I was so relieved that the run was over. I was having a bad day that day. Then my partner said that we had two more miles to go and we had to circle the block and finish the run. Two more miles?! After circling past the church a couple times I experienced incredible discouragement. We kept running and I started feeling really empty--like I had nothing left in the tank and with about 1 mile to go I “hit the wall”. I had to walk the rest of the way back. “The wall” is a runner’s term for a place of mental discouragement. Different runners hit the wall at different times for different reasons. You feel like you just cannot go any further.
Have you ever felt like that in life? Have you ever “hit the wall”? Have you ever thought, “I just can’t go any further”? Have you ever felt like you were making progress and then somehow started going in circles? I know I have at several points along my way. Discouragement can set in and before you know it you are ready to throw in the towel. I felt pretty bad that day and wondered if I had what it took to run a complete marathon. I learned some valuable lessons over the next several weeks about quitting and discouragement.
The next long run was 16 miles. I began to notice that each of us would experience discouragement at different times and we learned to talk each other through it. “Hang in there man—thirty more minutes” or someone would say, “I’ll take the lead for a while”. We began to sense when one needed encouragement and we gave it. It became clear that my body was not the problem--it was my head. I would start thinking about how hard what we were doing was and then my emotions would respond to the negative thoughts and then I would “feel tired”. Only when I could somehow get my eyes off of how hard it was and onto something else would I begin to “feel better”. Usually it was because one of my partners would see that look in my eye and say, “Hey Chris! How are you doing?” We even began to ask each other about what we were thinking knowing that maintaining a positive mindset was key to being able to finish the run.
I learned that I could never have done the running alone. I needed some friends who were committed to running the race as well. I needed them and they needed me. It was funny to see how at mile 14 I needed encouragement and then at mile 17 Craig would need it and at 18 Sean would need it and then at 20 I would need it again.
How are you doing in your race? Are you feeling like quitting? Do you have some committed Christian runners around you? Are you maintaining a positive focus on Jesus? Life is going to be challenging if you are attempting anything worth-while. You cannot do it alone. Jesus is present and His church is available. Connect with Him. Fix your eyes on Him. He can give you the strength you need to go all the way to the finish line!
“Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.” James 1:12 The Message
May God’s endurance be in you today,
Chris
Friday, March 03, 2006
renewed strength
Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isa. 40:28-31
Have you ever felt like quitting? I mean anything-a marriage, a friendship, a career, a dream, anything. After walking with God for all these years and observing others lives as a pastor, I am convinced that when God’s life is in me, I can endure through the most difficult of times and see God’s faithful blessing. Far too many people break down before they break through. Most everything that is truly good in life is not going to be obtained without some degree of patient endurance.
It is easy to quit. It is very difficult to see things through. I understand this very well. Eight years ago I moved to Las Vegas will my eyes filled with Vision of all that God could and would do if only I would believe Him and work hard in His field. And work hard Michelle and I did. We worked so hard the first year or so that we about killed ourselves. We had to slow down or we wouldn’t make it for the long haul.
Then the learning phase kicked in where we started establishing as a church and I began to realize how much I had to grow if we were going to do a good job of helping people become like Christ as well as plant other churches.
A couple of years ago we had another phase. I would call it the trouble phase. A good friend died in a drowning accident at a beach while we were on a mission trip. I began dying on the inside. We experienced financial difficulty as a church and I took a job on the side to help make it through. A sect of the church formed through the influence of one person. Slowly but surely, each person who this one befriended became critical of me personally and left our fellowship. These were people I had known and loved. This was a season of deep wounding for Michelle and me.
For the first time I began to think about quitting. I lost my sense of vision for a while and was in survival mode. If it were not for a wife who believed in me and a mother in Christ like Lynnie praying for me as well as other men in our fellowship who continued to place confidence in the vision as well as the vision-bearer, I very well may have quit.
Today I am in a new phase. I am in the renewed strength phase. My vision is clear, and my heart is alive. I am praying and strategizing about our next church plant and believing God in spite of present challenges. I have been through some things and I have learned some things. The other night a demon said to me, “Chris the people of this church will never see this vision, go somewhere else”. I became very discouraged and could not seem to shake it. I woke up the next day and found the encouragement I needed. Three things happened. I prayed, someone sent me an e-mail saying just the right things, and someone else called me and dropped by the church to bring a financial gift.
God met me and renewed my strength. I am not going to quit on God or this church or my family! With God’s life in me I will overcome this world and all its pain and heart-ache and make a difference.
But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. 9 So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Gal. 6:7-9
I believe we have some very powerful and encouraging words for your heart this weekend. Join us at New Community Church as we continue our “God’s Life-Is it in you” series. We are going to help you with your staying power.
In His grip,
Chris
Have you ever felt like quitting? I mean anything-a marriage, a friendship, a career, a dream, anything. After walking with God for all these years and observing others lives as a pastor, I am convinced that when God’s life is in me, I can endure through the most difficult of times and see God’s faithful blessing. Far too many people break down before they break through. Most everything that is truly good in life is not going to be obtained without some degree of patient endurance.
It is easy to quit. It is very difficult to see things through. I understand this very well. Eight years ago I moved to Las Vegas will my eyes filled with Vision of all that God could and would do if only I would believe Him and work hard in His field. And work hard Michelle and I did. We worked so hard the first year or so that we about killed ourselves. We had to slow down or we wouldn’t make it for the long haul.
Then the learning phase kicked in where we started establishing as a church and I began to realize how much I had to grow if we were going to do a good job of helping people become like Christ as well as plant other churches.
A couple of years ago we had another phase. I would call it the trouble phase. A good friend died in a drowning accident at a beach while we were on a mission trip. I began dying on the inside. We experienced financial difficulty as a church and I took a job on the side to help make it through. A sect of the church formed through the influence of one person. Slowly but surely, each person who this one befriended became critical of me personally and left our fellowship. These were people I had known and loved. This was a season of deep wounding for Michelle and me.
For the first time I began to think about quitting. I lost my sense of vision for a while and was in survival mode. If it were not for a wife who believed in me and a mother in Christ like Lynnie praying for me as well as other men in our fellowship who continued to place confidence in the vision as well as the vision-bearer, I very well may have quit.
Today I am in a new phase. I am in the renewed strength phase. My vision is clear, and my heart is alive. I am praying and strategizing about our next church plant and believing God in spite of present challenges. I have been through some things and I have learned some things. The other night a demon said to me, “Chris the people of this church will never see this vision, go somewhere else”. I became very discouraged and could not seem to shake it. I woke up the next day and found the encouragement I needed. Three things happened. I prayed, someone sent me an e-mail saying just the right things, and someone else called me and dropped by the church to bring a financial gift.
God met me and renewed my strength. I am not going to quit on God or this church or my family! With God’s life in me I will overcome this world and all its pain and heart-ache and make a difference.
But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. 9 So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Gal. 6:7-9
I believe we have some very powerful and encouraging words for your heart this weekend. Join us at New Community Church as we continue our “God’s Life-Is it in you” series. We are going to help you with your staying power.
In His grip,
Chris
Thursday, March 02, 2006
passionate patience
Galatians 5:22 (NLT) 22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience…
I am involved in an undertaking where failure is part of how I succeed. Sounds crazy right? That’s right today at 11:00 a.m. I will meet with someone who is helping me become stronger and healthier and he will bring me to the point of failure several times. His name is Mike and he is my personal trainer at the gym. He will put me in several positions today and hand me weights that I will lift until my muscles fail. That’s right failure is his goal for me. Why? Because that’s how he makes me stronger. My muscles fatigue, fail, and then they rest and recover just a little bit stronger than before. All of this is only possible through failure.
I sometimes wonder if God is like that. I wonder if He allows me to come to places that are beyond my current level of spiritual strength and I experience what is perceived by me as failure, but in God’s wisdom it is part of His plan to grow me. In fact, His word teaches me that difficult times are what truly forge out God’s life in me.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. 4 And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. 5 And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Rom. 5:3-4
Listen to it again in the message paraphrase…
We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4 and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. 5 In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Rom. 5:3-4
A big part of God developing His life in me is through the development of “passionate patience” or endurance in my life. There is nothing comfortable or convenient about the forging of Christ-like character in our lives. There will be considerable challenges along our journey. My ability to face the giants of today is made possible by the ones that God has allowed me to face in the past.
God’s stated goal for my life is to become like Jesus Christ. Even Jesus was a student who learned valuable lessons suffering His way through difficulty. “Even though Jesus was the Son of God, he learned obedience by what he suffered.” Heb. 5:8 We will be no different.
This is why we must not become discouraged along the way when we hit life’s “blessons”. Yes, it is a lesson that is a blessing. I call then “blessons”. In school our teachers often taught to the test. They brought a lesson and then gave a test. God does the opposite. He gives the test (which we often fail) and then He teaches the lesson. If we don’t quit the class-if we remain patiently determined to grow and learn we are rewarded with character-the greatest of all rewards that God gives. I must be passionate about this!
Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Gal. 6:7-9
Are you facing some challenges right now? Have you thought about giving up?
Join me over the next week here in our little daily chats and in our services this weekend as we talk about “passionate patience” and how it will make all the difference in our relationships, careers, and our dreams. God’s best is still in front of you!
Patiently yours,
Chris
I am involved in an undertaking where failure is part of how I succeed. Sounds crazy right? That’s right today at 11:00 a.m. I will meet with someone who is helping me become stronger and healthier and he will bring me to the point of failure several times. His name is Mike and he is my personal trainer at the gym. He will put me in several positions today and hand me weights that I will lift until my muscles fail. That’s right failure is his goal for me. Why? Because that’s how he makes me stronger. My muscles fatigue, fail, and then they rest and recover just a little bit stronger than before. All of this is only possible through failure.
I sometimes wonder if God is like that. I wonder if He allows me to come to places that are beyond my current level of spiritual strength and I experience what is perceived by me as failure, but in God’s wisdom it is part of His plan to grow me. In fact, His word teaches me that difficult times are what truly forge out God’s life in me.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. 4 And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. 5 And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Rom. 5:3-4
Listen to it again in the message paraphrase…
We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4 and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. 5 In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Rom. 5:3-4
A big part of God developing His life in me is through the development of “passionate patience” or endurance in my life. There is nothing comfortable or convenient about the forging of Christ-like character in our lives. There will be considerable challenges along our journey. My ability to face the giants of today is made possible by the ones that God has allowed me to face in the past.
God’s stated goal for my life is to become like Jesus Christ. Even Jesus was a student who learned valuable lessons suffering His way through difficulty. “Even though Jesus was the Son of God, he learned obedience by what he suffered.” Heb. 5:8 We will be no different.
This is why we must not become discouraged along the way when we hit life’s “blessons”. Yes, it is a lesson that is a blessing. I call then “blessons”. In school our teachers often taught to the test. They brought a lesson and then gave a test. God does the opposite. He gives the test (which we often fail) and then He teaches the lesson. If we don’t quit the class-if we remain patiently determined to grow and learn we are rewarded with character-the greatest of all rewards that God gives. I must be passionate about this!
Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Gal. 6:7-9
Are you facing some challenges right now? Have you thought about giving up?
Join me over the next week here in our little daily chats and in our services this weekend as we talk about “passionate patience” and how it will make all the difference in our relationships, careers, and our dreams. God’s best is still in front of you!
Patiently yours,
Chris
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
peace at all times
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perserverance. . . . Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. (2 Thes. 3:5; 2 Thes. 3:16)
Last weekend we talked about experiencing the peace that Jesus gives which is different from the kind of peace that the world gives. We talked about how life can go from calm to chaos in half a minute-about how one day you think things are going fine and the next day your boat is being turned upside down.
Monday was like that for me. I was proclaiming God’s peace to all who would believe on Sunday. I was waxing eloquent about how I have learned to experience God’s peace in the midst of difficulty and saying that God could even give “perfect peace” if I focused my mind on Him. Then I received “the call”. The church is out of money. No payroll. No rent. Payroll tax due. Insurance due. Offerings in sudden dramatic decline. $17,500.00 needed to pay for it all. Whoaaaaaoooooo!!!!!!!! Help Lord! I’m sinking under the waves!!!!!!
Let me tell you that Tuesday did not get any better! Talk about an opportunity to practice what I preach.
Jesus had a day like that once. In fact, it might have been His 2nd most stressful day ever.
1. He heard about the death of His friend John the Baptist.
2. He is told that Herod wants to kill Him as well.
3. His apostles return to tell Him all that they have been doing.
4. He’s faced with feeding 25,000 desperate, hungry people.
5. The realization of the cross is before Him.
6. He tries to get alone for a while and a crowd follows him.
Tough day huh?
But He is the Lord of Peace. He speaks to storms and they go away. So why doesn’t He just speak to this one? Why doesn’t He just say “peace be still” and it all disappears? Because God has designed for Him to go through these things. He is demonstrating His great ability for peace even while enduring difficult circumstances. He is showing that peace is possible in the midst of real life in real time. It is truly “peace at all times and in every way”.
God is allowing things to happen in our lives and we can view them as problems or opportunites. I am in the middle of an opportunty myself. I can worry and run scenarios in my head all day. I can fret and scheme how to fix stuff. Or I can practice what I preached this last weekend…
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7
I just adjusted my view of things again. Instead of looking down at all of my problems, I am looking up at the Lord of Peace. He is speaking to my heart. He has just sent His encouragement. My eyes are filling with tears and my heart is returning to the experience of peace. I love God in the midst of problems. He is directing my heart into Christ’s perserverance. He is the One who lifts my countenance!
And 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. 9 Keep 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. Phil 4:8-9
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way,
Chris
Last weekend we talked about experiencing the peace that Jesus gives which is different from the kind of peace that the world gives. We talked about how life can go from calm to chaos in half a minute-about how one day you think things are going fine and the next day your boat is being turned upside down.
Monday was like that for me. I was proclaiming God’s peace to all who would believe on Sunday. I was waxing eloquent about how I have learned to experience God’s peace in the midst of difficulty and saying that God could even give “perfect peace” if I focused my mind on Him. Then I received “the call”. The church is out of money. No payroll. No rent. Payroll tax due. Insurance due. Offerings in sudden dramatic decline. $17,500.00 needed to pay for it all. Whoaaaaaoooooo!!!!!!!! Help Lord! I’m sinking under the waves!!!!!!
Let me tell you that Tuesday did not get any better! Talk about an opportunity to practice what I preach.
Jesus had a day like that once. In fact, it might have been His 2nd most stressful day ever.
1. He heard about the death of His friend John the Baptist.
2. He is told that Herod wants to kill Him as well.
3. His apostles return to tell Him all that they have been doing.
4. He’s faced with feeding 25,000 desperate, hungry people.
5. The realization of the cross is before Him.
6. He tries to get alone for a while and a crowd follows him.
Tough day huh?
But He is the Lord of Peace. He speaks to storms and they go away. So why doesn’t He just speak to this one? Why doesn’t He just say “peace be still” and it all disappears? Because God has designed for Him to go through these things. He is demonstrating His great ability for peace even while enduring difficult circumstances. He is showing that peace is possible in the midst of real life in real time. It is truly “peace at all times and in every way”.
God is allowing things to happen in our lives and we can view them as problems or opportunites. I am in the middle of an opportunty myself. I can worry and run scenarios in my head all day. I can fret and scheme how to fix stuff. Or I can practice what I preached this last weekend…
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7
I just adjusted my view of things again. Instead of looking down at all of my problems, I am looking up at the Lord of Peace. He is speaking to my heart. He has just sent His encouragement. My eyes are filling with tears and my heart is returning to the experience of peace. I love God in the midst of problems. He is directing my heart into Christ’s perserverance. He is the One who lifts my countenance!
And 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. 9 Keep 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. Phil 4:8-9
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way,
Chris
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