Monday Morning 9/24/2012

I have a serious question for you. It may require some thought. It might even require you to take it before God in your devotions. Here’s the question: What kind of person are you becoming through your church?"

I mean, think about it. We invite people to come to our churches for what? Do we want to reach people for Jesus? Do we invite people to come to a place of worship and learning and fellowship?  If people come to our church, what do we have to offer them? These are all important things to consider. But they are very short sighted. The real question that every person should be asking in their church is, “What kind of person have I become in my church and what will others become as a result of coming to our church?"

The answer is not about you and me. The answer is not in the numbers. The answer is not what the church can do for you and me. The answer is a changing attitude toward those around us in the community. The answer is each person becoming a successful participant in God’s work in and through us.

The demands of corporate life, family life and spiritual life are huge. All of us have given up prematurely sometime in our lives. We may have come up against a business setback, and we quit. Others of us had relational difficulties, whether with our spouse, our in-laws or our co-workers, and we’ve stopped trying to work things out. Still others have started a physical, spiritual or school program but gave up before reaching the finish line.

We live in a society and time when almost everything is handed to us without requiring us to be patient or to keep on trying. We buy our clothes off the rack. We buy our food frozen but pre-cooked. The shows on television and the movies resolve all the problems the main characters have, and they do this in a time frame that is thirty minutes to two hours in length. And recently, one can get a divorce on-line, without ever leaving home.

There is a concept that is called “flexible persistence.” This is the idea that we will do whatever it takes to do something by adjusting to individual need. Jesus and Paul both realized this. Jesus and Paul both practiced “flexible persistence.” This is why Paul wrote about flexible persistence to the church at Corinth. “God, with his mercy, gave us this work to do, so we don’t give up.” (2 Corinthians 4:1)

Not all people coming to our churches will react the same way. Non believers do not think the same way believers think. Non-church people do not act the same way as people who go to church faithfully. Those who are “different” are treated like those who are “normal” are doing a favor for them. These are the people we are becoming. Our “flexible persistence” seems to stop at the door of the church when it needs to find its place in our communities.

Sadly, flexible persistence is vanishing from our society. Flexible persistence enables us to work with difficult people in difficult situations to achieve God’s best. Flexible persistence trusts God and utilizes God-given resources to accomplish God-size goals.

Your church is called to serve people for the sake of Christ. There are many un-churched “different” people who have not heard the name of Jesus Christ. The only thing I can say is that they are not easily reached, but not impossible. God has given us this work, and with flexible persistence, they will surely be reached.

Monday Morning 9/17/2012

Pastor and author Adrian Rogers wrote this:

“Did you know that it is an impossibility of geography to have a valley without a mountain?

They are beautiful complements in God’s grand creation.
The valley is the place of vision. It is the place of repose and reflection.
The mountain is the place of discovery and a place to become strong.
If you find yourself in a valley, it is because you have come down from a mountain.

If you’re on a mountain, you came to that place by way of the valley.”

How do you deal with the mountains and valleys of “life?” We all have days where we want to shout how great things are. Things are going along pleasantly, and we feel good about ourselves and the world around us. Then something comes up and we feel kicked to the curb, overwhelmed and that this is just a horrible, terrible, not good, very bad day. One minute we’re on the mountaintop and the next we’re passing through that valley that feels like, as the writer of Psalm 23 writes, “The valley of the shadow of death.”

The writer of Psalms 41 must have felt like he was in a pressure cooker and couldn’t catch a break. So he wrote from his heart the words of the Psalms as he sought to deal with the stresses of his life. But one theme stands out. “God is our protection and source of strength. He is always ready to help us in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

And he’s right. Think about it. In today’s world can seem next to impossible to just catch a break. But there is some truth to how our trust in God can make all the difference in how we are able to handle the things that may happen to us in life.

We feel we are stuck in the valley and no end is in sight. Nations are in an uproar. Mankind seems to be falling apart. Our personal lives are under attack from many sides. But we, as Christians, don’t have to be stuck in a valley. The God of the Valley is also the God the mountaintop.

Do you realize what the Psalmist is saying? He seems to be saying that in the middle of everything he has decided that he will no longer let his life be filled with stress and anxiety. Why? It’s for one reason:  “God is my refuge and my strength."

I wonder if we have forgotten how to relax. We are so wrapped up in what’s happening around us. We feel we must tell others how to live their lives. The psalmist says later, “God says, “Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.” (Psalm 46:10)

God is always near and available to us. God is always available and concerned with what we have to say. Some of our problems may be superficial, but others are deep. God can and will help us. So talk to Him! Then listen to Him through His Word find out what he has to say!

God’s power is greater than anything this world can offer. He alone controls the wind, storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes. There is no greater power. God’s power is sufficient to win the victory over all the enemies that come our way. So don’t be afraid to ask for His help.

Always remember this: Whether we at the peak of a mountain or whether we are in a valley. God’s help works even when we can’t help ourselves. Remember as we climb up the mountain, as we reach the peak, everything around us is a valley. And at the same time when we are in a valley it looks like we could never climb out. Everything around us is a mountain.

Have you felt weak lately? Have you felt like there are too many stresses and that you’re about ready to explode? God’s help is available, and all you have to do is reach out for it, and grab hold.

If Jesus is not Lord and Savior of your life, please realize that He wants you to come to Him, accepting His love, receiving His forgiveness, and becoming a part of His family. God is with us in the valley and on the mountaintop. Don’t wait another day.

Monday Morning September 3, 2012

Here in the United States it is Labor Day. We honor the work of millions of people who struggle in the midst of difficult circumstances to keep food on their table and their families together. We look back at how people came together in a common mind to protect the basic rights of the worker. We do face uncertain times and as we honor the American worker, let’s take a look at something on a different level.

Faith can be lulled to sleep when we are focused on our own labors and comfort rather than God's plan.

Abraham did not fall into this trap. He traded the familiar for the unknown and received many blessings.

Living and working by faith is the right answer when God calls us to move forward. His call can come to us at any age and in any situation. Abraham was 75 when he began his journey. David was a shepherd boy when he was anointed to be king.

Paul encountered the Lord on his way to arrest Jewish believers in Damascus. After his conversion, he became the Lord's representative to the Gentiles. Our call may not be so dramatic, but it will always involve taking a step of faith.

Labor in God’s service will also include times of testing. Abraham, like all of us, had some successes and some failures. The initial call to leave his country was met with strong belief and immediate action. As a result, he received a promise of great blessing for him and his descendants. But encountering famine brought a different response. He took a trip to Egypt, he lied about his relationship with Sarah, and he was criticized by Pharaoh. Our response to God's call to work or even get up and do something for Him really does matter. We can bring blessing or heartache through our actions.

Jesus said after feeling sorry for those who were “worried and helpless,” “There is such a big harvest of people to bring in. But there are only a few workers to help harvest them. God owns the harvest. Ask him to send more workers to help gather his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

There is nothing in this world greater than the power of God. The only way to get in touch with that power is to come into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. Before you get to Jesus, you have to be willing to let go of the shepherds you have been following. There are so many people we come into contact with that do not know the great shepherd Jesus even exists.  Jesus says, there are so many people who are ready to know the truth, but there are not enough workers willing to go and tell them. Will you pray that we here would be willing to go into the fields for a harvest. One of the best kept secrets anywhere we look is what God is doing in the lives of people as close as the one sitting next to you at church. It’s a shame we are keeping this secret to ourselves saying, “It’s not my job,” and letting someone else do the work.

Obeying God can be uncomfortable. Those close to us may question our motives or disagree with our decisions. And we ourselves may not want to do what He asks. But faith keeps moving forward in obedience. It helps us stay focused and experience the blessings found in a relationship with Christ.

Monday Morning 8/27/2012

Do something new. I dare you. Try Worship. God says in Isaiah 43:19 “I AM doing something new.” Remember God’s word to Moses when Moses asked God’s name. “I am that I am.” Therefore the great “I AM” is doing something NEW today. It is an active verb. It’s not finished, it’s not “trying.” It’s not “will do.” He’s doing.

Many people do not realize just how active God is in the details of “life.” Some are just not worshiping God for who He is. “I AM doing something new.”

Worship is not entertainment. Some people feel that for worship they need music, drama, and video, topics, and more stories. None of those things are wrong, unless they take the place of worship. Someone will say we need more stories in worship or people will get bored. I'm not bored. If you're not bored, no one is going to be bored. How can one be bored waiting to see the new thing God is doing? Are you bored? Try worship. I dare you. For some people it’s something new. The Gospel is the main story that we should be telling.

Sharing is great. But just sharing is not always worship. We share a common experience. We share fellowship. We hear a pastor say, "There are some things I just want to share with you today..." It’s great to share, but we are supposed to proclaim a message. If we are not proclaiming the Gospel, glory is not coming down. We must proclaim the glory. People want to hear a word from God. Do something new.  Don’t just share the Gospel, proclaim it.

"Careful, careful, don't offend, always comfortable, never pressured, just a pinch of truth, when they're ready to handle it." Proclaiming the Gospel has become so watered down that everyone is afraid of the truth it contains. Do something new. Listen to what God has to say before you judge God and what He’s doing. If people don’t leave church saying they are challenged, then it’s not a ministry like Jesus had.

Jesus was asked which the most important commandment is. And He said we're supposed to love God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Worship just for scholarly things is not worship. Worship is meant to take what we learn and put it into action. It calls to action. It calls us to use our heart soul, mind and strength. Do something new. Use what God has given you to reach others. Jesus said you know the truth and the truth sets you free.

Do something new. Trust God and let Him work out the details. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” The good news is, God says, “I am doing something new. Doesn’t it make you excited to know that God desires to do something new in your life?  

All I can say is do something new. Let Him.

Monday Morning 8/20/2012

Summer is almost over. Kids are panicking as some have started school while others are sad because school will start very soon. On the other hand, some parents are rejoicing that some kids have already started school and others will start school very soon. As the summer months draw to a close, and we move toward the fall season, I wanted to take a moment to write not only to our family at Master’s Hands Deaf Church, but to everyone who either does or does not go to church.

One thing that has been on my heart in recent weeks is the importance of being faithful to Church. I'm not referring to vacations or those who have to work, or other things we cannot avoid once in a while that affect our going to church.

The Bible makes it very clear that as we see the last days approaching that our desire should be to be in fellowship together on a more increasing basis, and not less. 

The writer of Hebrews says, “We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works. We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) One cannot look at the events of this world very long without realizing we are in the last of the last days.

The Bible also gives us great warning regarding our love for God, and the danger of allowing that love to grow cold, or become lukewarm.  I truly believe one of the greatest ways to keep our love for the Lord on fire is to spend time in His presence at home, in church, and in our everyday life in the community.

When a person is faithful coming to church, they soon develop a passion and desire to become involved in ministry. There is also a desire to see our community changed and souls saved. We have so many opportunities for ministry available, especially in the areas of youth and children.  Dads and Moms, I encourage you to set aside time for coming to church with your family. I realize this sometimes is not possible, but it should be a priority. Jesus commanded we bring Him into our community, but we still need to come together as the Body of Christ for fellowship, learning, and worship

Faithfulness in coming to church is important because:

-          People in our community see how Jesus is important in our life every day and we can be Jesus in our community.

-          We learn the needs of our community, not only the need for Jesus, but the personal needs of a struggling society.

-          Evangelism. Yes, Evangelism. Invite someone to church and make sure you are there when they visit.

-          Fellowship – The way we stay connected and informed is to come to the gathering place, the church building to be sent out. Much of the information about events and ministry is given at church with announcements or in the bulletin.

These are just a few ways faithfulness is essential, and I'm sure you can think of many others. The bottom line is we need each other, and the more we connect to each other, the stronger we will be as a church family, and the more effective we will be in our community.

That is where we can be most effective, in our community. But it starts with the gathering of believers for study, fellowship, and worship. Make church a priority.

Monday Morning 8/13/2012

How “religious” are you?  People who are “religious” about reading my blog/devotion are wondering why they are getting a “Monday Morning” blog on Tuesday.

People are “religious” about many things: sports, movies, TV, video games, traveling, and shopping, hunting, fishing. You name it and people can be very religious about it. But how religious are we when it comes to our faith? If we are truly religious then our religion will be more of a relationship than a religion. We all need to have and develop a relationship with Jesus that is free of religion.

To be “religious” means to be connected to a church denomination like Baptist, Catholic, or even Buddhist. But it also means to be obsessive and passionate for something. If you “religiously” follow a football team or a political candidate, you will do whatever you can to find out everything you can about it or them.

So I go back to my original question. How “religious” are you about your faith? Are you “religious” because you go to church every week? Are you “religious” about being Baptist or Catholic or something else?

Faith requires a relationship not a religion. Paul recognized this when he was writing to the church at Philippi. He was trying to get them to get over their obsession with “religion.” Paul was “religious” before he met Jesus. But then he realized, “At one time all these things were important to me. But because of Christ, I decided that they are worth nothing. Not only these things, but now I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all these things, and now I know that they are all worthless trash. All I want now is Christ. I want to belong to him. In Christ I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with him.” (Philippians 3:7-9)

God changed a sinner into a saint. God changed a “religious” man into a believer. Paul was deeply religious before his conversion, but he relied on good works and his own religious accomplishments to gain favor with God. When Jesus met Paul on the road to Damascus, the future apostle learned that all of his “religious” passion meant nothing. The only way for people to be acceptable before God is to receive the saving grace of Jesus Christ. He replaces our sin nature with His righteousness. And even though believers will sometimes make mistakes, our heavenly Father remains patient and loving toward His children. He uses our failures to teach us more about Himself and His ways.

What is your outward “religion?” Eighty-five percent of Americans claim Christianity. But confessing Christianity and confessing Christ are two different things. Confessing Christ before people means having a relationship with Jesus and bearing witness to others about Him and His salvation. That doesn’t mean carrying a 20-pound Bible to work, or wearing a six-pound cross around your neck at the mall. Confessing Christ means relating Him to others in the normal flow of your life. If Christ is your Savior and Lord, confessing Him to others is to be expected. And it’s just as certain He will confess you before His Father.  Be a “doer” of God's Word and not just “religious" about it.

Monday Morning 8/6/2012

When is the last time you’ve had to take a step of obedience? God has not revealed to you all the details of what you’re supposed to do. It’s something you know you need to do. But there is something holding you back from acting, from taking that first step. Is it doubt? Is it a complaint? Is it lack of faith? Is it rebellion?

Sunday mornings we have been hearing from God about how our debt to Him has been paid. Our debt is the broken relationship. He gave us everything, but we rejected it looking for something which makes us “happy.” We started by seeing how the debt was paid when Grace replaced sin. Sin brings rebellion, while Grace brings obedience.

But as it grows, God’s grace is not only the starting place for the replacement of sin but that grace is greater than anything.  If something is “greater than” that means the one is “covered” by the other. The Blood of Jesus covers all who believe and brings them into relationship with God the Father. Accepting by faith the sacrifice of Jesus and how that one act of love covers our sins, past, present, and future says “God > Me” (Steve Dye). God is greater than me.

It takes a lot of faith and obedience to confess that God is greater than me. The writer of Hebrews saw this when he wrote the 11th chapter. He writes of ordinary people who are people of faith but notice these are also people of obedience.

“It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) The writer is saying Noah not only had to obey, but in his obedience he had to take a stand of faith to “condemn” those around him.

Suppose you're a farmer living in the 1800’s. A passerby comes along and shows you his new I-phone. It gives the weather report for your harvest season, a rotation schedule for using the oxen that your village shares, the going price for eggs from the chickens that your wife raises, music to listen to while you work, and you can talk to the blacksmith in the next town (and see his face) without leaving your farm. Would you believe him?

Now consider Noah, hearing that rain, which he'd never seen before, would fall from the sky and flood the earth. And what is Noah's job assignment from God for the next 100 years? Build a boat to carry your family and two of every animal to safety. Noah tried to explain it to his neighbors. But who could believe such a crazy story? And those that heard Noah mocked him! His was a world full of rampant violence, and religious indifference. Does that sound familiar? Does that sound like the 2012 world in which we live?

Where is your faith? Faith says “Yes” and allows God work out the details. Rebellion says “No” and waits until we have worked out the details. Faith can be a lonely place. Noah worked day after day on a boat that attracted ridicule and doubt. Yet he fully trusted God for a flood of rain he'd never seen.

There’s a song with a line that says, “Jesus shines brighter.” Everything about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, shines brighter than anything you or I can do on our own. Corrie ten Boom said, “Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.”

Noah's faithful testimony gives every believer the strength to hold on in impossible circumstances. When people insult your testimony, and you wonder how God will ever bring meaning and order out of the broken pieces of your life, take a faithful stand for Him and let the Holy Spirit lead to show you and others what can be brought about with faith.