Everything is Possible!

I love the biblical accounts of the Life of Christ. The last two posts on this blog have been taken from his life. The account of the raising of the son of the widow from Nain (Luke 7:11-16) and the account of Jesus healing the leper (Matthew 8:1-3) tell us that Jesus has come to help and he is willing to help.

The third picture which I like comes from Mark 9:14-29. Jesus was coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James and John. He encounters a dad whose son is possessed by an evil spirit. This spirit tried over and over to kill this young man by throwing him into fire or water. In verse 22 the dad says to Jesus, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

I love Jesus’ response. He sounds a bit incredulous with his answer. He says, “If you can? Everything is possible for one who believes.” And we know Jesus proceeded to set the son free from this evil presence in his life.

I love the words, “If you can.” Have you ever been in circumstances where the evil one tells you it is hopeless? Have you ever thought “there’s no way even God can help me.” The evil one loves to put those thoughts in our heads. He loves to try and isolate us from others but even more so from Jesus. He knows he doesn’t stand a chance against the power of Christ.

“Everything is possible for one who believes.” It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life. Jesus has come to help! (Read Luke7:11-16) and He is willing to help! (Read Matthew 8:1-3) and there is nothing too difficult for him to handle! (Read Mark 9:14-29).

Sounds to me that help is on the way!

Always in Pursuit!

He's Willing!

Another one of my favorite accounts from the Life of Christ comes from Matthew 8:1-3.

Right after Jesus preached his “Sermon on the Mount,” he came down and was met by a leper. This must have been quite a sight.

There was a large crowd listening to Jesus teach and I’m sure they would have all been milling around trying to get closer. But if we could step back and watch this scene unfold, we would notice people scattering. As we begin to search for why they were scattering, we might have heard a voice crying out, “Unclean, unclean!” And then we would have noticed the leper, bloodied, heavily bandaged, missing fingers and toes, dirty and dusty moving towards Jesus.

I can picture everyone around Jesus scattering. Some would have been screaming warnings of “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN!” Others would have reached for a rock to throw. Jesus never moved. He never reached for a rock. He just stood there, watching the leper move closer and closer.

As the leper neared Christ, he knelt. It was an act of humility and worship. The screams and scattering of people didn’t matter. As he is kneeling, he says to Jesus, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus did the unthinkable.

He reached out his hand and touched the leper. My guess would be that was the first time another human being had touched this man since he was diagnosed as a leper. But Jesus wasn’t afraid. Note the words with me which came from Jesus’ mouth and heart. “I am willing! Be clean!”

Matthew records my favorite part in the final sentence of verse 3, “immediately he was cured.”

As you probably know, lepers were outcasts. They couldn’t even live with their families. They had to live outside of town with the other outcasts. They were shunned. They had to warn folks they were coming by announcing they were “unclean.” Of course I’m sure the volume of their announcement was nothing compared to the shrieks and screams of others who helped announce their presence.

Have you ever felt like an outcast? Have you ever felt as if you were “unclean” or worse yet that others considered you to be unclean and treated you as if you were.

I love what happened. The leper had great faith in Jesus. We should too! He came, bowed and worshipped and said, “If you are willing you can make me clean.” Jesus will respond the same way to you as he did to the leper. He will touch you and He will make you clean because He’s willing.

We learned from the previous post that he had come to help! Now we learn He is willing.

What do you need Him to do for you today? He’s come to help and He’s willing. Will you bow and worship before Him! He will touch you!

Always in Pursuit!

God Has Come to Help!

One of my all time favorite accounts of Jesus’ life is when he traveled to a town called Nain. You can read about it in Luke 7:11-16. Just outside of town Jesus encountered a funeral procession. Luke gives us some details that help us understand how dire the circumstances were that surrounded this particular death.

The person who died was the only son of a widow. Those words tell us a lot. As a widow, she not only lost the companionship of her husband. She also lost the source of provision and security when her husband died. She was fortunate to have son. At the death of her husband the son would have become responsible for providing and caring for his mother but now he has died too.

This woman not only was grieving the loss of the two most intimate relationships in her life but she was mourning the loss of provision and security. She officially had no one to turn to. But here comes Jesus.

I love verse 13 of Luke 7. It says, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her…..” If you read the verses or know the story you know that he reached up and touched the coffin and said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” And you know the rest of the story.

That part of the story is exciting. I can only imagine the joy in her heart as she sees her son rise from the dead.

My favorite part of the story is found in the final sentence of verse 16. It says, “God has come to help his people.”

What a great statement! God has come to help his people. What do you need God’s help with today? Have you ask him for help? He’s here to help you! He’s here to change your mourning into dancing; tears into laughter; and death into life!

God has come to help!

Always in Pursuit!

The Laments of Our Lives, Part II

In addition to the 65 or 66 laments in the Psalms you will find 35 or 36 imprecatory Psalms.

I’ve labeled imprecatory Psalms as laments on steroids.

The meaning of the word imprecatory is: to call down evil or curses. Usually it is used in reference to another human that hurt us or disappointed us greatly.

Imprecatory Psalms express great anger and or a desire for revenge on someone who has hurt us or “done us dirty.” Once again some biblical scholars choose to ignore these god-breathed words and deny the existence of such severe emotions in the life of a believer. But we have to do better than just ignore these things. We have to learn how to deal with them because these emotions are real and many of us experience them from time to time.

I’ve heard stories of folks using the imprecatory Psalms as models for prayers. But they weren’t given as a model for prayer. They were given as a model for what to do when our thoughts are invaded by these emotions on steroids.

Here are a few Imprecatory Psalms for you to take a look at: 35, 69, 83, 109, 137 and 140.

My favorite imprecatory is found in Psalms 58:7, 8. It says, “Break the teeth of these fierce lions, O God. May they disappear like water draining away; may they be crushed like weeds on a path. May they be like snails that dissolve into slime; may they be like a baby born dead that never sees the light.”

Dr. Walter Brueggeman says that we have three choices to make when it comes to these emotions. First, we can act them out. But our recent history has shown the chaos that happens when this choice is made. You don’t have to go further than Newtown, Connecticut; Columbine High School or the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.

Secondly, we could deny them. Another way to describe this choice is that we would “stuff” our emotions. This works for awhile but everyone has a limit as to how much can be stuffed. When we reach that limit there is a blow out coming. Unfortunately when there is a blow-out, the ones who suffer are those closest to us such as our spouse, our kids or our co-workers. We’ve all heard stories about the consequences of stuffing our emotions.

The third and most appropriate choice is to hand them off to God as the Psalmists did. I know it’s not easy but when you realize that we are to be salt, light, and live with hope so that none should perish, we have to do whatever it takes to ensure that we are able to be all those things that God has chosen for us to be.

I’m not sure who the Psalmist had in mind when he ask God to break their teeth or for God to make them like a snail that dissolved into slime but I know that God is able to help take those emotions and replace them with joy, hope and peace.

We can’t allow our emotions to control us so the choice is that we take our emotions to God; hand them off to Him; and live our lives as salt and light filled with hope so that none perish.

Always in Pursuit!

The Laments of our Lives, Part I

Recently I had the privilege of speaking to a great group of folks on the subject of our emotions and what the Bible has to say about them.

We spent time in the book of Psalms which contains “pictures” of every emotion known to man. We discovered references to joy (Psalms 16:11; 33:3) and peace (Psalms 4:8; 29:11). We found pictures of feeling secure knowing that God was our “fortress” and “strong right arm.” We also discovered that we had hope since God has taken our feet out of sinking sand and placed them on a firm foundation. We rejoice over these pictures. But there are other emotions pictured in the 150 Psalms.

Included in this list of “other emotions” are those of fear, confusion and doubt. The Psalms that give us these pictures are called “laments.” A lament is something that expresses grief or sorrow. All of the laments, except one, end up victorious. They end up proclaiming that no matter how I might feel, God is on the throne; He is my God; and the one I can put my hope in and never experience disappointment. Of the 150 Psalms, 65 or 66 of the Psalms are known as Laments? I suppose you could ignore them, as some choose to do, but then you are ignoring 1/3 of what the Holy Spirit breathed into the heart of the Psalmists. These words were intended to be words of instruction, rebuke, correction and training for us.

As I spent time reading through many of the laments, I discovered they were placed there by the breath of God for the purpose of showing me how to handle those emotions when they come along rather than allow them to handle me.

Have you ever experienced any of these emotions? What do you do with them? Do you give them room in your life or do you bring them to God; express them and then turn to Him and allow Him to bring victory about over those circumstances. Two of my favorite laments are Psalms 3 and 22.

While David was fleeing from his son Absalom he wrote what we know of as Psalm 3. Note the first four verses: Lord, How many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” How many rise up against me! BUT you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.”

Perhaps the most well-known lament is Psalm 22. It was what Christ quoted from the cross. Note the first five verses with me: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.” YET you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.”

Notice the expressed grief and sorrow but also notice the use of the word “BUT” in Psalm 3 and the word “YET” in Psalm 22. Things may get bad for us but there is always a “BUT” and a “YET” available to us. We don’t have to give in to our emotions and allow them to control us but we can give them to God and move forward in the things He has for us and know that there is victory coming our way.

Always in Pursuit!

It's Never a Good Time to Give Up! Part VI

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Part VI

I have purposely kept these posts shorter so they would have a little more impact and you could easily remember the nugget for that day. Let’s review since that helps most of us learn.

First, we learned that tough times do not mean God has forgotten us. He has not. He’s with you just like he was on your very best day.

Second, we learned that in tough times it’s still important to do the right thing. There is NEVER a right time to not do the right thing just like there is never a good time to give up!

Third, we learned that while it may seem like tough times are going to last forever, they won’t. There is a limit to what God will allow to come your way. At some point, just like a good parent, he will stand up and say, “That’s enough.”

Fourth, we were reminded that tough times do not change the way God thinks about us. He loves us just as much during tough times as he does during the good times.

So, finally we come to the conclusion of these promises and it’s all wrapped up in verse 11. We have a future even though we don’t feel like we are going to survive. Our future is not one that we are just going to squeak by in but it is one that we are going to prosper in and one where nothing is going to harm us and one that we can look forward to with great confidence. As a matter of fact there may be some days when the hope of your prosperous future is the only thing that will help you get through.

Remember what I said in a previous post, the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train, it’s God shining the light of His favor upon you and sooner than later, that light is going to shine on you and me!

Until then though, remember, “It’s Never a Good Time to Give Up!”

Always in Pursuit!

PS. Watch for two new posts yet this week on laments and imprecatory Psalms.

Never a Good Time to Give Up! Part V

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Part V

Not only do tough times have a definite end but tough times don’t cause God to change His mind about us.

I have noticed that some of our friends have a tendency to be a bit scarce when tough times come our way. Ever notice that? Sometimes it's just a matter of them not knowing what to say. I understand that, a little. But let me draw another analogy from Job. The best thing his three friends did was to sit quietly with Job for seven days. Job did not need a sermon, he did not need anyone to try and explain things, he just needed someone to sit with him in the ashes. Ever been there? There are times when words don’t work. That scares some of us. We want to “fix things.” Or at least we want to explain why things happen the way they do. In reality, we should just sit there. Sometimes tough times simply defy explanation.

Many years ago, Gayle D. Erwin told me, “There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. And there is nothing you can do to make God love you less.” He just won’t change His mind about you. He’s crazy about you! He sings over you! And He never turns His back on you. He promised. You can take that to the bank or as Uncle Si might say, "that’s a fact, Jack!"

Remember, It’s Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Always in Pursuit!

Never a Good Time to Give Up! Part IV

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Part IV

Chapter 29 of Jeremiah a light at the end of the tunnel; and that light is not a train. It’s God. It’s God with a promise of a great future; with the promise of prosperity; and with the promise that we will not be harmed. But there might be circumstances that will cause us to doubt that from time to time. Ever been there? I have. One friend of mine told me that I wouldn’t be the first person God would forget or that God would fail. And this was part of the message Jeremiah was trying to communicate with the exiles and now to us. We need to pay attention because if you haven’t noticed, times are tough and the chances of them getting tougher are pretty good.

So Jeremiah wrote this letter in a letter as a source of encouragement. He concluded the letter with the great promise found in verse 29 but he included five other things we need to pay attention to in his letter.

The first nugget is that God has not forgotten us. The second nugget is that it’s important to not stop doing what we are supposed to do. Because it’s never too late to do the right thing.

Now the third nugget in this letter is: tough times don’t last forever, there will be an end.

Just as God limited the exile of Judah to 70 years, our tough times have a God-established limit. It’s like God says to all the evil around us, “This far and no further.” Just as God put limits on Satan and his attack of Job, there are limits around you and me. God has not forgotten us; we need to keep on doing the right thing; and we need to keep in mind that this too has an end.

It’s Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Always in Pursuit!

Never a Good Time to Give Up! Part III

Never a Good Time to Give Up!
Part III

As we continue to read through Jeremiah’s letter of encouragement to those going into exile, we find the second truth that we need to apply to our life. And that is: It’s important to not stop doing what we are supposed to be doing.

The first thing we find in verse 4 is that God has not forgotten us. So the natural sequence would be, since God has not forgotten us, we need to make sure we do the right things with our lives. And giving up is not the right thing to do.

Note what the prophet wrote in verse 5: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. {6} Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Please allow me to paraphrase this: Make the best of your circumstances. Live your life. I haven’t forgotten you and I won’t forget to bless your righteous living!”

Paul wrote to us in Galatians 6: 9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

It’s never too late to do the right thing and it’s never a good time to give up!

Always in Pursuit!

Never A Good Time To Give Up! Part II

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Part II

A letter in a letter! That would be a good way to describe Jeremiah 29. Or we could say, “in the middle of a dark message is a bright light!” That would be another way to describe Jeremiah 29. Verse 11 is not the only bit of good news in this letter. There are five “bits of good news” contained in Jeremiah’s “letter in a letter.” The first bit of good news is found in verse 4.

God had not forgotten the people of Judah. He was angry with them. He was sending judgment their way but he had not forgotten them nor was he giving them the silent treatment. Note verse 4. “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:” God was speaking to them.

Have you ever gone through tough times and felt as if God was giving you the silent treatment or that He had forgotten you? Remember Job’s wife? She encouraged Job to forget about God since it appeared that God had forgotten about Job.

If you haven’t gone through times like this, you will. Sorry. But life is tough at times. People make poor choices that cause great dilemmas for us. And sometimes we don’t even have to count on others and their choices. We are quite capable on our own to make enough poor choices and get ourselves in a pickle. We don’t need help doing that.

So when you go through these times, always remember that God hasn’t forgotten you. He has your name written on his hand. He still remembers the details of your life even down to the hairs on your head or the hairs that used to be there for some of us.

No matter how you feel today or how you will feel in the days to come, you are not forgotten. God knows your name and has His eye on you!

Remember what our friend Job said in chapter 23:8-10 “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. {9} When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

Remember, it’s never a good time to give up!

Always in Pursuit!

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Recently I was given the opportunity to speak to a church which had been going through some tough times.  Along with the request to speak to them was the request I speak from Jeremiah 29:11. It’s a familiar passage but I will put it here for you to read: “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.”

What a great passage for those who are going through difficult times. It’s easy during those times to want to give up. Unfortunately, many do. If you read through Scripture you will find many folks who went through tough times and didn’t give up. I often think of Moses leading Israel through the wilderness for 40 years. I wonder how many times he wanted to give up? And the Apostle Paul comes to mind. He was arrested, beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked, snake-bitten, went without food and sleep and continually endured the attacks of those who followed after him to “undo” the good he had done. I’m sure these men, along with the men and women we read about in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11), had thoughts of giving up just like you and I do from time to time.

Times are tough. Finances are tough. Relationships are always challenging. Morals are in a tail spin. Jobs are tenuous at times. Our schools are in turmoil, families are facing new challenges and many marriages seem to be on the brink of divorce. These are tough times. More than ever we need to hang on to verses like Jeremiah 29:11.

Verse 11 is the conclusion of a letter embedded in the book of Jeremiah, written by the prophet in order to encourage those going into exile. Most of the 52 chapters of Jeremiah are chronicles of what Judah had done to deserve this punishment. The book is not a bright light or one full of hope and feel good thoughts. But chapter 29 is a letter encouraging Judah to go to Babylon, live their lives, be faithful to the Lord there and wait for the hand of God to restore them to their homeland.

Jeremiah’s letter starts in verse 4 of chapter 29 and concludes with the familiar ring of verse 11. Over the next few days, I want to share the five things Jeremiah includes for the exiles about tough times. They are hopeful words, words you and I need to know, and words that still ring out with the truth of God’s love for us even when we are going through tough times.

It’s not time to give up! It’s never time to give up. So if you are going through tough times, read through Jeremiah 29 and make up your mind, “I’m not going to give up!” God has a plan! And it’s a good plan! Just for you!

Always in Pursuit!

Sons and Daughters by Brady Boyd

I am indebted to Pastor Brady Boyd for a complimentary copy of the book, "Sons & Daughters" published by Zondervan 2012. It was an honor to read the book and also a privilege to highly recommend the book to others.

The book is presented in three parts. Part 1 is called The Path to Sonship; Part 2 called Living Well-Loved; and Part 3 entitled Carriers of Grace. I will have to admit that Part 1 really spoke to me. It seemed that on just about every page something touched my heart. I think it is beneficial that this book is written in short, almost essay-type readings so I could stop after each chapter, think about how it applied to me and allow the embedded truth to sink in.

I'm like so many others who will read this book - I get stuck in a slave mentality always looking for something to do in order to prove my worth or better myself within the Kingdom. It's difficult to just relax and enjoy being a son.  Most of us, even if we came out of the traditional two-parent family, grew up as spiritual orphans. Not only did we need a Savior but we needed a Spiritual Father. Too often we don't give God the opportunity to father us because we are too busy trying to please Him or earn His approval. It's a tough, never ending battle for some of us.

Allowing the truth of who we are in Christ to become real and set us free from the slave mentality is difficult. Some days are good but other days the lies of the enemy come through loud and clear.

I would have to say the third part of the book -  "Carriers of Grace" - dealt more with what happens when we treat others out of our orphan spirit. We become critical; we become thoughtless in our relationships; and we allow our attitudes to become less than "blessable."

I loved Pastor Brady's insights into how the orphan spirit affects marriage, our relationships with our kids and our relationship with those we work with and those we minister to. I would have to say that we have a mandate from God to walk in the spirit of sonship that is offered to us and to allow God to be our Father and to accept the fact that He is crazy about us.

The book is full of personal stories from Pastor Brady; both his successes and what may be perceived as failures. I would rather think of them as teachable moments because God extends His grace to us in those moments to remind us, not only of His love for us, but His love for those He places in our lives. Extending grace to others can only come about as we receive God's grace and walk in relationship with Him.

Twelve UnLikely Heroes by John MacArthur

Review for Twelve Unlikely Heroes by John MacArthur

"Twelve Unlikely Heroes--How God Commissioned Unexpected People in the Bible and What He wants to Do with You" written by John MacArthur, published by Thomas Nelson 2012.

This is the first book written by John MacArthur that I have read but it won't be the last.  "Twelve Unlikely Heroes" is part of a trilogy written by MacArthur.  The first two titles in this series were:  Twelve Ordinary Men" and "Twelve Extraordinary Women."

 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot and was greatly challenged by the stories of these men and women found in God's Word.

I loved the way MacArthur brought out what we know from Scripture but I also appreciated his use of the ancient historians such as Josephus and Eusebius. In addition he brought into play the writings of the ancient church fathers to help bring further explanation.

One other thing MacArthur does in this book is to bring to life some of the characters that were involved with these stories. He gives the crew of Jonah's ship real hearts of compassion; and helps bring into focus the relationships of these folks and what we can learn from them. I appreciated the way he dealt with Samson's "faults" and encouraged us to continue to go after God no matter how often or how colossal our failures may have been.

I think the author did a great job of explaining the culture that was present during each "heroes" lifetime and also how the truth from their lives relates to our lives. 

If you enjoy learning from the lives of men and women found in Scripture, you will definitely enjoy reading this book and studying these lives from God's Word.  This would be a great source for a Small Group; a Sunday school class; or even for a sermon series. I have already used portions from the life of Jonah while preaching a World Missions message. In addition to being a great text book for studies, it will also serve as a great resource book for sermon/lesson preparation.

There is also a web site that offers some resources to go along with the book: http://www.12unlikelyheroes.com

I am grateful to the folks at Book Sneeze for the complimentary copy and the privilege to read and review the book. I would highly recommend this book.

 

 

 

Greater by Steven Furtick

The book, Greater is a great read! I would highly recommend it. You won't find a lot in the book that you don't already know but you will find the book to be a great reminder of the life God has called us to and the life God has prepared for us to live.

I noticed as I was reading each chapter in the book, my reading would accelerate. I was sitting on the edge of my seat by the time I would finish a chapter.  I also found myself wrapped up in the stories Furtick would tell; challenged by the study of Elisha, the prophet; and usually needing to pause before starting the next chapter to give thanks to a God who has greater things in store for me than I can imagine or to pause and repent for allowing myself to settle for the ordinary. (For a first hand sense of this, click here to read the first chapter: Read Chapter One)

As a Bible teacher/preacher, I loved the application that was given for John 14:12. The idea of "being greater than Christ was" has always been a bit of a stretch for me. Even the idea of "doing" greater things than Christ was a stretch. But doing the things Christ puts in my path to do with Christ, through His Spirit, is something that I can latch on to for my life and something I can encourage others to latch onto for their lives.

As you read through the book you will pick out many phrases that you will repeat to yourself and to others. Here are a couple of examples: "He'll do the showing if you do the going." Or "The cost of following Jesus is great. The cost of not following him is greater."  Perhaps my favorite quote from the book, "Greater isn't an automatic permanent position; it's an intentional daily decisions."

In the chapter titled "Trust Fund Baby", Furtick uses the illustration of a trust fund to describe what God desires to do in us; through us; and for us. It was a great illustration and one that I will use in the future when challenging folks to live their greater lives.

The book is not a difficult read but it is a read that will challenge you to leave the humdrum of the ordinary and the comfort of the known to search out the greater things God has planned for you. No longer will you be able to settle for the ordinary life, it's on to the greater life.

If you would like more information about Steven Furtick, click here: Author Bio

Furtick’s web site: Author's Web Site

He is also available to follow on Face Book: Steven Furtick on Facebook

 Greater was published by Multnomah Books in 2012. For ordering information click here: Greater Book Website

 "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

 

Churches Merge for A Great Sunday Night!

Churches Merge for a Sunday Night Service

 Note: Once again I'm posting a short article I wrote while thinking about the upcoming Merge Conference the Iowa Ministry Network is hosting later this month. This event happened while Kris and I were serving as interim pastors at Freedom Assembly in Davenport, Iowa a couple of years ago. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

A few years ago, my wife and I were privileged to work with a church here in the state as interim pastors. It was a great time of ministry with a small group of folks who were dedicated and committed to God and their church. During our time there, I became friends with a couple of neighboring pastors and in the course of our conversations we decided to merge our three churches for a Sunday night potluck and water baptism. All three churches were small; growing but small. One church didn’t have a baptismal; one had covered theirs up in a remodel; but one had one that was just right and ready to be used. We chose a Sunday night; gathered those who wanted to be baptized; and had a three-church potluck followed by a great water baptismal service. It was great fun.

Together we had more people attend than if we had stayed separate. Together we baptized more people than we would have on our own. Together we made new friends; established relationships that would have been missed out on if we had stayed on our own. Merging made us stronger; made it more fun; and created a level of excitement that would not have been there had we stayed alone.

 We are always better together. Don't forget that!

 

Merge For Strength

Merge for Strength

Note: I've been doing some thinking and writing for the Iowa Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God. The topic for all of this is the word "Merge." Part of the reason for this is the upcoming Merge conference in September. But the word has sparked some memories of things I've learned about the idea of merging as opposed to standing alone. It is much better to merge. Here is the first of two short articles on the topic of "Merge." 

A number of years ago I was the Christian Education Pastor at a large church in northern Illinois. There were several pastors on the staff and each one had been encouraged to develop his own little "kingdom" so to speak under previous leadership. The current pastor wanted us to work together and build one great church instead of several good churches.

On my first Sunday at this church, I was in the Christian Education Office when one of the other pastors walked in, looked at the offerings that had come in from the various classes that met during that hour and announced to me that the offering from his class was not mine. It went into his budget. I said okay and let it go. After I had been there for a few months, it was time for new budgets.  I approached the pastor who expressed concern about his class offering and ask him if he wanted to merge budgets. I discovered that the CE budget was many times larger than his class budget and I thought it would give him access to more resources. I had no desire to control him or even to influence him. However,  he declined. He wanted his budget. He didn’t want to be a part of something bigger.  He missed a great lesson.

We are stronger together; we have more resources together; we will reach more people together.  No one ministry or person in our church is going to be enough. When we merge ourselves with one another, we will be able to do more.

 

Review for "1000 Days The Ministry of Christ"

Review for 1000 Days by Jonathan Falwell

Published by Thomas Nelson, 2012

Whenever I spend time studying the life of Christ, I come away encouraged, challenged and more in awe of who Christ is than I was before. Pastor Jonathan Falwell has provided a great help in learning more about the ministry of Christ in his book  "1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ."

It is obvious as you read through the book that each chapter is one of Pastor Falwell’s sermons. Each one reads like a sermon and all are full of great stories, illustrations and applications from the approximately 1000 days Christ spent in ministry on the earth.

For those who preach and teach, each chapter begins with a great illustration: some humorous, some historical and some taken from the lives of living saints. My favorite story was about the three men who wanted to be pirates and had a great encounter with the Captain of a famed pirate ship. In addition to the great illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, there is a list of discussion questions at the conclusion of each chapter that will prove to be very helpful to those who choose to use this material in a classroom or small group setting.

In addition to the great illustrations, helpful insights into the ministry of Christ, and the discussion questions, there are a number of times when Jonathan provides insights via the Greek language. None of this is presented in an intimidating style or format. It's a great book that communicates well the truth of how Christ lived and the implications of a life well lived for us today.

I would highly recommend this book for two reasons: first, it's always a good thing to be studying the Life of Christ. Doing so helps to keep our feet grounded and also helps to keep us focused on what is important. Secondly, I would recommend this book as a great resource for sermons or for times of teaching. Just as the Life of Christ is impacting for those of us in leadership, it is impacting for those we lead.

I want to thank the folks at Book Sneeze and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was a great experience.

Book Review---"Your Church Is Too Safe" by Mark Buchanan

Review for “Your Church Is Too Safe--Why Following Christ turns The World Upside-Down" by Mark Buchanan

Published by Zondervan 2012

I’ve been trying to think of an artsy way to try and get you to read this book but I guess I’m just not that creative. You still need to read the book. It will challenge you It will cause you to see things in Scripture much differently; and you will begin to notice in the Scriptures how Christ and his followers turned their world upside down.

They  made unclean things clean; they made sure that love overtook hatred; and that everyone was given the opportunity to be different.

This is the first book written by Mark Buchanan that I’ve read. His writing style reminds me a bit of Max Lucado. By that I mean he is a wordsmith and is able to describe things in a way that are easy to relate to and memorable.

I realize the book was not intended to be a commentary on Scripture or a Bible study reference book but to be honest, after reading “Your Church is Too Safe” I’ve taken a different approach to my own Bible reading and study. I’ve spent more time in connecting the dots of context and searching out why something was done; to whom it was done; and what the reaction of those surrounding the event.

For too long the church has been a place where folks have to believe to belong rather than belong to believe. And for too long the church has been a “safe place” where Christians could gather and not be bothered by the things of the world. But that’s too safe. It’s not what Christ intended for the Church. If the Christ came for those in need of medical attention…..the sin sick…..then the Church is probably not going to the safe place that some desire it to be. And Buchanan provides example after example of how this has happened in his own church and in his own life as he became more and more aware of those who had turned their world upside down.

I was challenged by Buchanan’s fresh take on the statement of Christ that his followers would do “greater things.” For most of us this has been understood in light of technology and other advancements that have come about over the years. But when you look at it, Christ was talking about the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit causing us to do greater things, not technology.

I loved the sections of the book that dealt with James & John; Rahab and the Samaritan woman in John 4. I was deeply challenged and I know you will be too.

Towards the end of the book there was a story about a woman named Wanda….a woman with a not so great past but a wonderful future. She came to Buchanan’s church and sat on the front row. If you want to know the rest of Wanda’s story you are going to have to get the book and read it. You won’t be sorry!

I want to thank the folks from Zondervan for the opportunity to read this book. I’m looking forward to reading other books written by Mark Buchanan in the days ahead.

Dream Killer?, Part II

"Be very careful who you tell your dreams to." I remember those words as though I first hear them yesterday. But those words were told to me more than 25 years ago by a noted evangelist Lowell Lundstrom.

The reason he gave was that most folks just wouldn't understand; they would try to talk you out of it because it was something so different than what they had experienced.

I've learned a few other reasons over the years. Some folks are just jealous and don't want to see anyone do something that is larger than what they are doing. It doesn't have a thing to do with you, they treat everyone the same. If it doesn't fit into their realm of understanding and experience, they don't understand why you would want to do it.

Some will be jealous. They want to be the one to do your dream……but it's not their dream. It wasn't spoken to them to do, but their jealousy will rise up and try to kill your dream.

Some will try and strangle your dream. They will remind you that no one has ever done this before or that they had a dream like that when they were young but couldn't make it happen so who are you to think you could be the one God uses?

Some will create rules that will make it more difficult to bring your dream about. It's always been amazing how quickly Christians create "hoops" for other folks to jump through. Some will be supportive to your face but ridicule you behind your back. Some will simply ridicule you to your face…….

Be cautious about who you share your dream with. Ask God to bring people alongside who believe with you that if God spoke it, it's so. Join the ranks of Caleb and Joshua….not the ranks of the unknowns…..do you know the names of other ten spies? Didn't think so. But you knew exactly what I was talking about when you read the names Caleb and Joshua. Just as they were, we are more than able to go into the Promised (Dream) Land…..and conquer the giants. Why? Because God said so.

One of my favorite passages come from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 3. In verse 20 Paul wrote that God was able to do more than we could imagine "according to the power of God that is at work within us." (NIV)

No other reason is needed. God said so. Don't be childish…..be childlike.

One thing about dreams that I've learned……most of the time, its' been my experience that when we receive these dreams….visions……or words…….we are given the end of the dream and not the beginning or the middle. Often we get what the result of what our dream is to be and not how to get to that point from where we are.  I mentioned in my previous post that the process is often more important than the end. (If that's confusing to you, go back and read Dream Killer?, Part I)

That goes back to our willingness to pay the price…..no matter what it is. And as you know, I for one am grateful that God doesn't let us in on what the cost might be or most of us……would run. I'm at the head of that list.

By the way you can read the names of the ten spies who were "dream killers" in Numbers 13:4-15. After you read the list make sure you read this verse: Numbers 13:2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I AM GIVING TO THE ISRAELITES." And make sure you read: Numbers 13:30 "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." 

By the way….I don't know what your dream is…..but I'm pulling for you! You can do it according to His power that is at work within you!  He promised!

Always in Pursuit!

Dream Killer ? (Part I)

I've been thinking……actually I've been thinking a lot lately……..no headaches….lost a little sleep…….probably seemed distant at times to those around me…..but I've been thinking.

Thinking about things that have been spoken over me throughout the years…..wondering………pondering………when will those words come about? Am I doing something to keep those words from coming about? Is someone else doing something to keep those words from coming about? What do I do with the questions, discouragement and even anger at times because I haven't seen those words come about. I'm not getting any younger….at least that’s what several folks have told me over the past three years.

At the same time, I'm learning a lot. Thinking, reading the Word, talking with other pilgrims who are on their journey with God and listening to the Spirit as He whispers…….in dreams, visions, desires and words given to me by brothers and sisters in the Kingdom.

I remember being so excited about the things I felt God promised to me. I was also a bit confused about how they would come about. I never doubted they would come about but I didn't see how or when.

Little did I know that the pursuit of these things may be a life time; little did I know what it would take to get from where I was to where God wanted me to be so He could fulfill those dreams. To be honest, had I truly known what it was going to take, I would have run. I would have said, "thank you but I don't think that's for me…..do you have something a little easier?"

I have memories of my college days…..of multiple speakers in our chapels talking about our willingness to "pay the price" when it came to serving God and doing His will. We all went forward; hands up; tears streaming; saying "yes, I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Well, to be honest, if we had known ……..what it was going to take………well…..you know the rest.

I've often commented about difficult times that have passed by saying, "I'm glad it's over; learned a lot; but I won't ever sign up for that again." Know the feeling? I'm sure you do. It's a feeling that's common to most of us pilgrims.

Here are some things I've learned that might help you:

·         I'm not alone in waiting on the Lord to fulfill His promises

·         I'm not the only one who is wondering if they missed God somewhere along the line

·         I'm not the only one doing things that God has placed in front of us to do but things that we don't want to do "when we grow up"

·         I'm not the only living being with an incredible hope that the next phone call; the next mail delivery; the next e-mail; or the next Skype call is going to open the door to God's fulfillment of those dreams He put in my heart

·         I'm not the only one who is tired of living disappointed because there was no call; no letter; no e-mail; no Skype call and no open door

·         I'm not the only who has good and bad days and gives serious thought to turning back……but I don't know what to turn back to……..

What am I learning? One thing for certain, the fulfillment of the dream, vision or word is not the ultimate. There's much more involved than seeing those things come about. With apologies to the General Secretary of the Assemblies of God, Dr. James Bradford, it's not rocket science.

Note what it says at the end of Hebrews 11, "These were all commended for their faith yet none of them received what had been promised. {40} God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

After reading this passage you have to come to the conclusion that the journey was more important than the promise. God is more concerned with how we get there than when.

I also have to assume that heaven…..being in God's presence…..will make any promise, dream, vision or word pale in comparison to being in the presence of God…..heaven.

We're on a journey. Often it's a difficult journey. Often we have to deal with circumstances on this journey that are not of our doing. It's not our fault; but we have to deal with it; perhaps we have to get over it.

More tomorrow…….

Always in Pursuit!