The Christmas Season

Hello, I have been wrapped up in the Christmas season. Sermons From The Pew wishes you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May God be with you in 2008.

"Me Church"

The Life of Johnny Cash

This video was part of a series by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill in Seattle (not in any way associated with Rob Bell). It is an extremely well produced video, and inspirational as well.

Postmodern Christianity?

I am here to tell you that the title of this post is a bone-fide oxymoron. I keep hearing people say they are postmodern Christians, but what does that really mean? Let’s dissect this to see if it really is an oxymoron.

According to allaboutphilosophy.org, “Postmodernism is difficult to define, because to define it would violate the postmodernist's premise that no definite terms, boundaries, or absolute truths exist”. They go on to say, “Postmodernists do not attempt to refine their thoughts about what is right or wrong, true or false, good or evil. They believe that there isn’t such a thing as absolute truth”. And last, “Postmodernism appears to be a personal mindset more than an organized movement. In general, it tends to disconnect from mainstream society and embraces antinationalism, anti-Christianity, and opposition to traditional moral law”.

The foundations of Christianity support absolute truth, right and wrong, true and false, and defiantly good and evil. Therefore, my conclusion is that the term Postmodern Christianity is an oxymoron. So many Christians are led astray into this postmodern mindset. Many younger Christians, who are still trying to find themselves, are sadly taken down a road of continual doubt instead of led to a life of childlike faith.

I pray that Christians would look into these new “ear-tickling” movements before jumping in head first. Remember to always ask this question of anything, “Does it line up with the Word of God?”

Wolves

In chapter 20 of the book of Acts, Paul warns the elders at Ephesus to "be on their toes" in protecting their flock from wolves. He says:

"I know that as soon as I'm gone, vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, men from your very own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus". (From The Message)

I believe this is not only a message for the church leaders in Ephesus, but for all church leaders of all times. It is amazing to me that these "wolves" pop up when you least expect them. I believe they are used by the evil one, sometimes unaware they are being used.

I think God expects all of his people to stand up for the faith. If and when storms hit your church, stand and fight against these "wolves". Don't allow them a stronghold in your church. Don't run for a more "safe" church.

It is my prayer that we all take Paul's advice here and be on our toes when looking for wolves. Let's not become so comfortable that we miss them when they pop up.

The Truth about The Golden Compass

I just finished reading a great article by Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, about the movie, The Golden Compass.

There are many downplaying this movie as "not a big deal", "Christians shouldn't worry". As a matter of fact, there are also Christians saying similar things. This article will give you, as a parent, grandparent, teacher, pastor or any role you may have, a better understanding of the dangers of this movie and the unashamed agenda the author has toward attacking the Christian faith.

Please enjoy this link below from Crosswalk.com.

http://www.crosswalk.com/pastors/11561090/

Catfish Counseling

Do you have someone in your life that is always there to bring light to areas of your life where you are struggling? Maybe you are not reading and studying the Word like you know you should and every time you see this person, they ask, “How is your Bible studying going?” They can seem obnoxious, maddening at times. You get to the point of avoiding them. You zig and zag across the church campus when you see them so you don’t get the dreaded “lecture”.

What would you say if I told you those people were actually a blessing to you? I will even go a step further; I believe God puts those people in our lives for a purpose.

I heard a story many years ago that I just love and illustrates this well. In the 19th century, those in the fish industry faced a dilemma when trying to ship cod from the East Coast to California. The only way was to ship it by sea and because the ship had to sail around South America, which took about a month, the fish were not fit for consumption when they arrived. They next tried to ship them in big containers of water, but the cod never moved much during the trip and although fit for consumption, they had no taste. At this point, someone came up with this idea to ship them in these containers but add in a few catfish. Catfish are the natural enemy of cod; therefore, they would chase the cod around the containers during the trip. After all this natural exercise, the cod would arrive almost as if they were taken straight out of their natural environment.

Therefore, I believe God blesses us with these catfish. I have learned to listen up when one of my catfish are speaking. As long as it lines up with the Word of God, allow the counsel of these catfish.

May God continue to bless us by giving us many catfish along our journey.

Are you a Hymnophobic?

I experienced a refreshing service yesterday at my home church. My church is implementing a traditional service in January and yesterday was a “dry-run” of sorts. The most traditional part of this new service is the music used during worship. The music; classic hymns that really have a way of establishing a kind of reverent atmosphere for worshiping the King of Kings, our Lord Jesus.

One of the hot-button issues in the church for many years has been that of music. This is as good a time as any for me to jump right in. My church has really gone “vanilla” over the last two or three years. As of late, it really seems to be nothing but the top ten of Christian music, week after week. The incredibly talented people God has led to my church seem to have closed the valve to their creativity.

Many churches across America have almost gone hymnophobic. They would not dare use a hymn accompanied by just a piano for example. Unless the hymn has been “rocked-up” by someone like Jeremy Camp, many churches won’t touch it. Please don’t get me wrong, I like Jeremy Camp and many of these versions of those classic hymns. I just think a nice mixture of the old and the new is just perfect.

I really thought my church was headed hymnophobic, until yesterday. I applaud the church leadership for establishing a service intended to appeal to those more traditional folks. I know I personally will be able to connect more fully with God in this traditional setting.

Handling Church Division-God's Way

I recently finished studying Acts chapter 15. God's Word is so amazing to me. Churches face division all the time. God outlines how we should deal with such division in Acts 15.

First, we must seek the counsel of godly men. During the dispute in Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas were sent to the "home" church in Jerusalem for counsel. Those they sought were the remaining original apostles, and church elders.

Second, you must never compromise on essentials to restore unity. In Acts 15, the matter on the table was the teaching that all must be circumcised to be saved. The outcome was to build a bridge between Jew and Gentile so they could fellowship together. This idea of circumcision for all was overruled to allow this bridge to be constructed.

Third, you should give in on non-essentials for the sake of unity. Don't stick to your guns on things like, dresses for woman and suits for men in church, or no dancing. You get the idea.

Another thing you will notice is they handled this division in a timely manner. This is a constant theme in the early church. When something needed to be addressed, they did not sit and ponder it, they acted.

If you get a chance, please read Acts 15. I think you will find it helpful and encouraging.

Happy Thanksgiving

"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:20


May this Thanksgiving be a time for us to really focus on our Father who blesses us daily. It is my prayer that we make each day a day of thanksgiving to our Father.

Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

Humbled by a Hubcap

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (James 4:10)

A number of years ago, someone attempted to steal a hubcap from my car. Apparently, they didn’t know it had lug nut locks and had to be unlocked before removing. As they tried to steal it, they broke it in half. So for a few years, I played the cheap hubcap shuffle. You know, buy a cheap set, put them on but replace after they begin passing you as you are driving down the road. Finally, I decided to put the original set of three back on and drive with one missing. This was truly a humbling experience for me. God used hubcaps to teach me where my heart should be. Not on the material things in life. I could have continued to spend money replacing the cheap hubcaps each time they broke. God taught me otherwise. He taught me that my worth is not in what I drive or how I dress or what part of town I live in. What matters is can I truly humble myself in His presence. Can I truly lift my heart to Him in worship? Can I develop that intimate relationship with Him through His Word?

There are so many distractions out there that interfere and compete with the time we should give to God humbly. God has given me a constant reminder of where my heart needs to be. I get that reminder each time I see my car.

May God give you a hubcap experience!

God Bless Our Vets!!!

This weekend, we as a country celebrated the brave men and women who have served and are serving our country in the armed forces. The older I get, the more I appreciate this holiday of Veterans Day.

I have had the privilege of knowing some great Vets. From WWII, to Korean, to Vietnam, to those serving today.

God Bless all those Vets who have served or are serving this great country, the United States of America. You are truly our heros.

Please take a moment to pray for those currently serving in our armed forces.

America, A Christian Nation-Noah Webster

Noah Webster was an American Hero. He was a statesman and educator who is best known as the author of his American Dictionary, first published in 1828. In addition to these facts about Noah Webster, he was known to be a man who took Christianity serious.

A couple of my favorite quotes by Noah Webster are:

"Education is useless without the Bible."

"God's Word, contained in the Bible, has furnished all necessary rules to direct our conduct."

These are just a few quotes by Noah Webster that indicate the importance of Christianity in the founding of this great country, The United States of America.

Mrs. Fields now has "Christmas Collection"

Mrs. Fields Cookies has decided to use the name Christmas for a specific line of their products. After pressure from Christians and others, they now advertise a "Christmas Collection". Check it out at their website.

Keep up the good work. Sermons from the Pew will keep retailers on the radar this Christmas season.

The 80's Were Great!!!

Joy Meter

Have you checked your Joy Meter lately? We know in Galatians 5:22, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self control". As Christians, we have a Joy Meter. How is your joy lately?

The Greek word for joy is Cara or Chara. It literally means joy, and gladness. It is used 57 times in the New Testament alone. Sometimes I forget to keep tabs on my Joy Meter and I find myself grumbling about things I shouldn't grumble about.

Are you becoming more joyful each day? With the help of the Spirit, our Joy Meter should be tapped out or at least moving a little more in that direction each day.

If you, like I, struggle with this from time to time, would you join me in a quest to tap out our Joy Meters? Just think of the impact we could have on our lives and the lives of those around us. Joy is contagious. Would you join me in spreading it?

Priorities

Sometimes, I unknowingly shuffle my priorities. You know, put myself first or my career by jumping into the "rat-race". I will catch myself from time to time and remember the cost Jesus told us we'd have for following Him. He wants to make sure our priorities are in the correct order. In Luke 14:26, Jesus says, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple".

Now Jesus didn't really want us to "hate" everyone. The point he was making is rather simple. Jesus wants us to make Him the number one priority in our life. That is it. To put away your fleshly desires and follow Him as the number one priority.

When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I was working nights at our church. She called me and said she was having some problems. Believe it or not, to me, I had a problem. You see, I was taught to make work your number one priority. How was I going to leave work? I approached our youth pastor, who was the only pastor on campus, and told him my problem. He gave me a bit of wise counsel that I will never forget. He told me where my priorities should be. Jesus, Family, and all other stuff comes last, including self-and yes, even maintenance at the church.

It's funny, the church in America even struggles from time to time with priorities. You can see it in many churches. Numbers over truth is what I like to say. They are more interested in building a large church and not really about preaching truth at all cost. I also here churches today say they are scaling back so people can spend more time with family and hobbies and the like.

So what priority should be first and way out in the lead, nothing but Jesus.

Why I like Mike!!!

Awesome!

The Book of Acts

I have been doing some intense study of the book of Acts. In addition, I have the pleasure of teaching Acts in a Sunday morning class at my church.

I have to say, "wow", as I read this great book. Through my years in the church, it never seemed this book was preached enough. In Baptist settings in my past, I never really heard about the incredible things in Acts. I guess that had to do with the Holy Spirit and gifts like tongues; maybe a little too charismatic for the Baptist taste.

Through this book, I have really gained an understanding of the Holy Spirit and the importance the Spirit plays in our lives. Without the Spirit, would we really be able to carry on the work started by Jesus?

I am reminded of the story of the Brooklyn Tabernacle and the way they seem to be so in tune with the Holy Spirit. I would encourage anyone to read the books written by Jim Cymbala, Pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. These books really help you see the power of the Holy Spirit in our world today.

In future posts, I will be discussing some of my favorite moments from this great book, the Book of Acts.

May God bless you on your quest to understand and connect to the empowering Holy Spirit.

Banning Christmas

Well it's that time of year to start my list of those Scrooge stores who have decided to ban the use of the name Christmas in favor of Holiday.

The first on my list is Mrs. Fields Cookies. Yes, old Mrs. Fields has become politically correct in her old age. Well I for one, will not be enjoying any Mrs. Fields cookies this year.

Check back from time to time to see what other stores are added this year.

Have a great Christmas season.

Funny...

Ornamental Fruit

I remember as a kid when I first heard about ornamental fruit. I just couldn't figure out the reason for this ornamental fruit. It looked like the real thing, but I was told some actually contain poison. Growing up in Arizona where citrus trees are common, I remember as a kid pulling fruit from trees and eating it right then and there. After learning about ornamental fruit, I soon realized I had to be very careful to make sure the fruit I was looking at and about to eat was real or simply ornamental.

Jesus talks about bearing fruit with this warning, “Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Luke 3:9). Is Jesus telling us to cut down the trees with the ornamental fruit? He does say to save only those that bear “good fruit”. What is “good fruit”? Well, the obvious answer for "good fruit" is fruit that is pleasing to God. Therefore, bad fruit is that which is displeasing to God. Maybe referring to evil deeds. But I want you to ponder something with me. What about fruit that has the appearance of “good fruit”. You know it looks real and may even smell real, yet it contains poison.

I believe we can expect to see an increase in “ornamental fruit” in the church. It may not be as obvious as we might think. It may not be the pastor preaching heresy from the pulpit. It may be a pastor doing things in the community that really draw attention to himself. He now gets to go on the news. He is interviewed for the newspaper. He gets to stand in front of the congregation and say look what I have done.

We must be careful about the fruit we claim as "good fruit". We must test all thing against the absolute truths found in the Word of God.

A Must Listen For Every Christian

I recently heard a message given by Mark Driscoll of Seattle's Mars Hill Church. He was speaking just this past September 21 at a convention in association with the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Every Christian should listen to this especially if you are confused about terms like emergent, emerging, conversation and so forth.

Click on the link below and select session 3. It is just over an hour long but well worth every minute.

http://www.sebts.edu/Convergent/GeneralInfo/

Power from the Holy Spirit

When I think about the birth of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, I realize just how vital He is to our Christian walk. As I was pondering this issue, I came up with this somewhat corny illustration of how important the Holy Spirit really is.

I’m not sure if you have heard of the outdated computer game SimCity, not The Sims, but SimCity where you create a city. Anyway, many years ago, I used to love that game. For those of you who have never heard of this game, you start off with a large plot of land (city size) and begin to create your city. You need to zone the property industrial, commercial, and residential. I can remember first playing this game and zoning the land and I began to wonder why it wasn’t being developed. Nobody was moving to my city. As I checked out the different buttons on the game I discovered one for electricity. It had two choices, power plant or power lines. Wow, I thought. So I put in a power plant and began to run some power lines to the zoned land. What do you know; the land slowly began to be developed. Even nearby land was developed because of the energy being passed from “next door”.

You see, this is a good example of how the Holy Spirit works. Without the Holy Spirit, we are just people flowing uselessly around this world. Yes, God may have zoned us for something specific, but we will not be developed until we are energized with the power of the Holy Spirit. You may not be a Christian now, but maybe God has “zoned” you for something incredible in His kingdom. Without the energy from the Holy Spirit, you will never be fully developed to carry out God’s work.

Favorite Rob Bell Quotes?

Below, please find two of my favorite quotes by Rob Bell. I am increasingly saddened in knowing the number of people who desperately want to know God, yet Rob Bell is holding them captive to his “new kind of Christian[ity]”. Last I heard, Bell’s church was well over 10,000 attendees.

I’ve heard it said that false teachers come in all shapes and sizes.

The two quotes below are from Bell himself.

“We’re rediscovering Christianity as an eastern religion.” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/november/12.36.html

"I am learning that my tradition includes the rabbis and reformers and revolutionaries and monks and nuns and pastors and writers and philosophers and artists and every person everywhere who has asked big questions of a big God." (Velvet Elvis, Bell)

New Link...

I have added a new link to my favorites. It is Way of the Master, a website by Kirk Cameron. Kirk shows an effective way to share Jesus with people. Check it out, you will be as amazed as I was.

Continual Doubt versus Childlike Faith

There is an alarming amount of doubt coming from the churches in America today. Leading the charge is this emergent philosophy. Some of the folks live in a state of continual doubt.

I recently read a quote by Clement of Alexandria. Clement was a Christian teacher of around 190 AD. He eventually settled in Alexandria Egypt, hence the title Clement of Alexandria.

One of the Characteristics of the early Christian was to have a childlike faith. They never felt as if they had to understand everything in the bible to believe. They simply trusted God with childlike faith. Clement asked, "Who then is so irreverent as to disbelieve God, and to demand explanations from God as from men?"

I have searched for words but Clement said it best.

9/11

So many memories flood my mind of that day. The drive to work, the meetings with staff and management, the uncertainty of everyone around me. It's impact was felt all the way to Arizona. The threat was real and it is still real today.

My heart still aches for the families of those innocent ones who lost their lives that day. I pray that God would comfort them.

I pray that God would stop the madness that rages inside the minds of those terrorists. But I know this struggle between Arabs and others is talked about in the bible and it will not go away until Jesus returns.

So for now, my prayers are for God to protect all the innocent people around the world. I pray they will be protected from the madness of these terrorists.

And shall we never forget 9-11-01!

Spiritual Castaways

As I look at the church today, I see more and more churches moving away from messages based simply on the bible. It seems rare to hear a message based on a section or chapter of scripture. Instead, messages are about how to be a better person, or finding your purpose (even if that purpose isn't pleasing to God), or in some cases messages are nothing but attacks on fundamental Christianity.

If you look around the Christian landscape, you will notice many Christians are, what I would call, Spiritual Castaways. Just get a mental image of a person on a deserted island. They have been walking around for years, starving. The only thing they have to feat on is milk. They are craving a roast dinner, a chicken dinner, a t-bone steak, just give them meat.

Many Christians today know all about the recurring themes from the seeker sensitive pulpit. They are masters in fluff, gimmicks, purpose, and all the other hundred mile wide and an inch deep messages.

They are craving the Word of God. They want to know about the Holy Spirit, and what gifts He has given them. They want to know about the end times and see how the current events appear to be fulfilling prophesy. They want to understand who God is and how He expects them to live.

God has given me a passion for these spiritual castaways. I have a cruise ship with freezers packed with meat and I am on the way to that deserted island.

Right from Wrong

What has happened to the days of right and wrong? It seems most parents today are deciding to raise their kids to determine their own rights and wrongs. Sadly, this is prevalent in the church today. Are moral absolutes a thing of the past? Are they uncool? Is it the newest fad to be a Christian who embraces your sins?

Didn’t Jesus teach us to change our behavior? "…Go now, and leave your life of sin", Jesus said in John 8:11. So isn’t Jesus saying there is a right and a wrong way to live?

Please don’t misunderstand. I am not in favor of legalism. You know, no jeans at church, no dancing and the like. But if God say’s "no" in His Word, the answer my friend is "no". And let me say, following the rights and wrongs in the bible makes life much easier. You won’t be free from difficult times, but the difficult times you do have will be drastically reduced.

So dust off your bible and read of the many examples of rights and wrongs. It is my prayer that you can learn from the mistakes of those in the bible so you can avoid making the same mistakes in your life. If you have kids, don’t be afraid to teach them right from wrong and use examples from your life. It may seem as thought your kids are not listening, but they are.

Do you carry a "Jefferson Bible"?

I was recently reading some information about the "Jefferson Bible", Thomas Jefferson that is. As you may know, the "Jefferson Bible" is a book where Thomas Jefferson took the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and arranged them in chronological order. However, he also omitted sections that his mind couldn’t comprehend. For example, the virgin birth.

As I read this, I couldn’t help but think of a parallel to a movement today. A group of younger "believers" who have identified themselves as "postmodern" believers to some degree hold this viewpoint. They too, have personalized Jefferson Bibles, don’t they? I was talking to someone the other day about these postmoderns and I described them this way. They have decided it is okay to make their "Jesus" into what they what him to be. You know, "my "Jesus" is okay with my getting drunk every weekend, and I know your "Jesus" is okay with your homosexuality, so lets not judge eachothers "Jesus".

Whenever I hear this, I can’t help but think of Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever". Praise God for that.

Please Pray for Cooper

I, as most people, have a soft spot in my heart for children. Within the last couple days, a co-worker of mine received the bad news that his nine year old son has Leukemia. His sons name is Cooper. He is currently in the hospital for tests and treatments.

Please take a minute to pray that God will heal Cooper of his leukemia.

It's not the church they hate but the leaders

There has been a lot of speculation about why people won't go to church these days. One book claims that it is the church people hate, and the author wants to get out the wrecking ball and take down the church as we know it.

I have done a lot of thinking about this subject. I think the real problem is not the church in general, but the leaders specifically. We as Christians attend church under the authority of Jesus Christ and as an honor to Him we serve under the pastors of our churches. The problem comes in when these leaders fail and fail miserably. This failure runs the spectrum from liberal pastors to conservative pastors. I do not want to get into specific leaders names but you most likely will relate as you read some of the examples I have.

The first example I have is when pastors approach people who are attending their church and tell them they must begin to tithe. I have searched the Bible through and through and can not find verses to support the tithe or leave mindset. I personally know many people who no longer attend church because they were approached with this "you must tithe now" manner. A tithe is something Christians do between them and God. Remember, "God loves a cheerful giver", not a giver who has been shaken down by a pastor.

The next example is when a pastor or leader falls victim to the horrible sin of sexual immorality. This one seems to surface more then most. You hear of a leader who was having a homosexual affair or even a heterosexual extramarital affair. I'm sure you can relate to this one as it has recently happened and that unfortunately won't be the last.

One example, that has hit home with me, is when a pastor attempts to out think God and gets clever with his sermons. "If only I can make church cool, people will come". So they begin with gimmick preaching, you know repelling from the catwalk in army fatigues to start their sermon. That progresses into to sermons that question the literal interpretation of such Bible stories as Job, Jonah, and the Garden of Eden. These pastors begin to contradict everything Christians know to be true and they cause grief and confusion among the believers. They say things like, "I don't really believe in the Trinity", or "Hell isn't a literal place".

Yes, I think the church is just fine, it's leaders who take the Bible out of context or try to be "cool" to the world that people don't like. The overwhelming majority of people I know want to go to church, when they go to church, and that means returning to some of our more traditional roots. Let's stick to the example of the church outlined in Acts 2:42.

Conversation?

The newest buzzword around my church is "conversation". I am constantly hearing, "why don't you join the "conversation"? Your input is valuable." Honestly, I don't really get this "conversation" stuff, but I'll play along. It seems like every time I turn around, someone is inviting me to Starbucks to have a "conversation" about something they heard me say. Oddly, it's always Starbucks. Personally, I think it's a conspiracy. I think the marketing department at Starbucks has sent to my church marketing moles. That is why from today forward, I vow to only join the "conversation" if it is at Jamba Juice.

My Choice...

When it comes to American politics today, where do Christians turn? How do we vote? Democrat, Republican, or Independent? We'll to me that depends on the individual candidates. I believe you must vote for the individual which closely resembles the Christian faith. Are they Pro-Life? Are they against homosexuality? Are they supportive of a government that encourages religious organizations to help "the least of these"? As it stands right now, there are no Democrats that fit that description and quite frankly, not many republicans. There is however, one guy that stand above the rest when looking at the things mentioned above. That guy is Mike Huckabee. Oh' sure the mainstream press have him as a long shot, but that doesn't matter to me. At the end of the day, I can rest assured that I supported the most godly man, and that is all that matters.

www.mikehuckabee.com

Life!

Since 1973's Roe v. Wade decision, America has terminated nearly 50 million babies. Sadly, many of these babies were terminated simply out of convenience.

Mother Teresa once said she feared for America because "women were killing their own babies". She continued in saying society is doomed when women begin choosing to kill their own babies.

Please visit and support National Right to Life with prayers and any other way you are able.

http://www.nrlc.org/

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13)

Where's your Bible?

In recent years, I have noticed a drastic decline in the number of church goers who carry their own Bible to church. This past weekend at my home church, the pastor actually asked people to open their Bibles (this doesn't happen much anymore). Most of the congregation reached for the pew Bibles, others did without. My unofficial survey says only 15% to 20% of the congregation had their own Bible with them.

I love to hear the sound of the Bible pages turning during a church service. This says a lot about the strength of a church; the amount of Bible page turning you can hear throughout a service.

Technology has caused some of this. Many churches use the big screens with their PowerPoint presentations. That didn't happen this weekend at my church, the introductory slide was all we saw throughout the service.

If you are a Christian and don't have a Bible, go get one and take it to church with you. You never know, you may be asked to open it. And when we open our Bible's and read the truth's therein, we grow closer to the living God.

Koinonia

Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship. This Koinonia is defined as, not just fellowship as hanging out with other Christians, rather an intimate relationship with other Christians.

If we are to really experience Koinonia in the truest form, we should:

be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10),

honor one another (Romans 12:10),

encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11),

serve one another (Galatians 5:13),

and, admonish one another (Colossians 3:16).

For most of my Christian walk, I never realized the extent of fellowship. Will you join me in expanding your definition of fellowship? Will you experience true Koinonia?

Hope

What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
(Mark 8:36)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:23)

If I were to gain the whole world but loose my soul, what would I really have? Nothing! I would not trade my hope in Christ Jesus for anything. All the money I could spend? No! All the fame I could ever desire? No! Cars, trips, mansions? No! All of the above in one big package? No! No! No!

I have a relationship with Christ Jesus. As the old hymn says, "I walk with Him and I talk with Him". I have hope because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. He died for me and He died for you. I would hate to think of where I’d be now without this relationship with Jesus, without this hope. When something doesn’t go as planned, it’s okay, I have hope.

There is an abundance of hope. Do you need some? Just reach out to Jesus. He will gladly take you in. He will give you rest. You can stop the rat race. You can forfeit the pain. You can stop playing the victim. With Jesus we are victorious, more than conquerors. Don’t you feel better already?

Getting the word out

I have added a link to the voice of the martyrs website. This is a site I think Christians should visit frequently. Sometimes we do not realize there is persecution going on, this website will fill you in. Please visit so you can help in some way. These people need prayer more than anything.

http://www.prisoneralert.com/

Victim or Victor?

EVERYONE WHO believes (adheres to, trusts, and relies on the fact) that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) is a born-again child of God; and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him (His offspring).
By this we come to know (recognize and understand) that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey His commands (orders, charges)--[when we keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and His teaching].
For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).
For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.
Who is it that is victorious over [that conquers] the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on that fact]?

1 John 5: 1-5

Amplified Bible

We have been given a choice in life, victim or victor. As I look around this world, I see so many people who have decided to choose victim. It saddens my heart to see people literally give up on life. One factor that has contributed to this victimhood is the rise of the psychology world. Psychology has allowed people to accept their victimhood and be content with being "stuck in a rut".

No matter what you have done in life, you can choose to be victorious in Christ Jesus. You can be a conqueror not simply conquered. Yes, I mean anything you have done, just choose Jesus. You must keep your feet moving forward without dwelling on the past. Remember what Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life..." (John 14:6a).

As I write this, I'm reminded of the song, "Give me Jesus". It sums it all up saying, "you can have all this world, but give me Jesus".

Hell-Yes!!!

It is said that an overwhelming majority of people believe there is a Heaven, yet less than half that number believe in an eternal Hell. Even today, you will find Christians (even some church leaders) saying their not sure if Hell really exists. I think, as with most of life's issues, the Bible has the answer.

"everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41)

"unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12)

"shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2)

a place where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44-49)

a place of "torments" and "flame" (Luke 16:23,24)

"everlasting destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

a place of torment with "fire and brimstone" where "the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever" (Revelation 14:10,11)

and a "lake of fire and brimstone" where the wicked are "tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10)

Jesus Himself indicates that the punishment in hell itself is everlasting - not merely the smoke and flames (Matthew 25:46)

For me, the Bible makes this debate an "open and shut case". I'm looking forward to my eternal life...in Heaven.

The Four Pillars of the Church

In a day when people are trying to "rediscover" church, or as I say reinvent church, we really need to turn back to the teachings of the book of Acts.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

You see it all around, the emerging church, the emergent church, the growth movement, the purpose driven movement. What is a Christian to do, let alone someone exploring Christianity. I think we need to revisit the book of Acts. This passage of Acts gives us insight to what the church should look like, even today. I like to refer to them as the four pillars of the church, the Word, prayer, communion, and fellowship. With these four pillars in place, I feel a church cannot deviate from the paths God has outlined for us. We must mature at Christians, and that can be accomplished when we make sure these four pillars are secure.

In addition, to the church, this is true for our own lives. We must stay in the Word daily as the early church did. Even if it is to meditate on a few verses a day. We must pray daily if not hourly seeking God and his will for our lives. We must fellowship by interacting with other Christians so that we can develop relationships that hold us accountable. Finally, we must participate in communion so we never forget the sacrifice Jesus made for us on that rugged cross.

Please take time to meditate on these four pillars and how they are in your own life and the life of your church.

Wait...

On one occasion, while he [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

Acts 1: 4-5


Before Jesus went into heaven, he told the disciples to go back to Jerusalem and "wait". They were to wait for the Holy Spirit. Could you imagine waiting the roughly ten days for the Holy Spirit to arrive? They had no idea what that really meant. Wow, the conversations that must have gone on.

We can take a lot from this concept of waiting. Have you ever prayed for something and it never went the way you wanted? Well, God asks us to wait, just as he asked the disciples to wait. I don't think I buy into the "God didn't answer my prayer" syndrome. What happens is, God knows the best timing for things to occur in our lives, not to mention God knows what we can really handle.

In a world where everything is fast-paced, let us strive to become people who wait on the Lord. God knows us better than we think. Next time you really want something to go a certain way, take time to be extra patient. Like the disciples, the wait just might change your world and the world in general.

Absolute Truth?

There is a "Christian" movement sweeping America called the emerging/emergent movement. In a nutshell, it is a work in progress. What I have gathered so far, one of their major issues is they reject the concept of absolute truth.

Here is a fun game you can play. If you ever encounter an emerging cultist-sorry I mean emerging believer, ask them a simple question. Do you believe in absolute truth? Most of them will say beyond a shadow of a doubt, "no, absolutely not!" Thus contradicting their "belief" of no absolute truth.

If you have a hard time wrapping your mine around that, either the short bus will be there soon to pick you up or that is why you are a believer in the emerging movement.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth to disrepute.

2 Peter 2:1-2

Another favorite...

Here is a link to another favorite site of mine. This is another Scott, and not me. As you will see, this Scott, Scott Richards, has a radio show and a blog of his own on this site. He tackles many issues from a biblical perspective.

Enjoy...

www.scottrichardslive.com

Preach it Mrs. Rodham-Clinton

You guessed it. Hillary in full force. She is out selling herself as the most Southern and Christian of the current candidates. This is just a hint of much more to come...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDQ1vIuvZI

A Favorite of mine

Every once in a while I will share websites and other things that I highly recommend. One of my favorite preachers is Greg Laurie. Greg is the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. Please check out this man of God who presents the Word boldly. You can watch their services online, which I do frequently.

http://www.harvest.org/church/index.php/10.html

Did he say "sin"?

I heard a preacher on the radio recently promise his congregation, from that day forward, he would never use the word "sin" in his sermons. In this day of "seeker-sensitive" churches, this unfortunately is becoming the norm.

It seems to me it would be nearly impossible to preach the Word of God and not use the word "sin". Some of my favorite verses contain the word "sin".

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".
Romans 3: 23 (NIV)

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ dies for us".
Romans 5:8 (NIV)

"Then Jesus said to her, Your sins are forgiven".
Luke 7:48 (NIV)

These are just a few of my favorites. As a matter of fact, it's difficult to open the Word of God without running in to the word "sin". I don't know about you, but I need to be reminded that I am a sinner. Without the word sin, Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection was all for no reason.

It is my prayer that preachers all over the world make it a point to remind us frequently we are sinners and we desperately need Jesus in our lives. More specifically, preachers need to preach the entire Word of God including those "touchy" areas where specific sins were dealt with.

In a future series of blogs, I plan to tackle Colossians chapter 3, known by some as "rules for Holy living". In this series, I will address these "touchy" areas, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed. I will look at the apostle Paul's advice in how to deal with these issues.

But now I leave you with this, never forget you are a sinner but the blood of Jesus can cover those sins. If you've never asked Jesus into your heart and taken Him as your personal savior, do it today. Pray to Jesus letting Him know you are a sinner and ask Him into your life. But make sure you don't do it alone. Seek the wisdom of a good Bible teaching church to help you through this life changing journey.

Lost Sheep?

I heard a pastor recently make a "preaching boo-boo". In referring to the story of the lost sheep in Luke 15, this pastor stated, "think about leaving the ninety-nine sheep in their pin to rescue the one lost sheep". I know this seems like a small thing but for some reason it bothered me. "Their pin", I thought. Here are the verses in the message version from Luke 15: 1-7:

"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my sheep!' Count on it-there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue."

Wow, this has a much bigger impact. Leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, not in a pin? I have seen pictures of the landscape in this area, it's not a perfectly manicured lush green grassy landscape. No, it is rather rocky with small cliffs scattered about. Not a place you'd want to leave your ninety-nine. Also, there is the potential for predators and thieves who could find your ninety-nine extremely appealing. Bottom line is, the risk is so much greater leaving them in the wilderness then in a pin.

Please don't miss the essence of these verses. Jesus wants us to know that there is a party in Heaven when a "sinner's life is rescued". This happened when I was saved and it happened when you were saved. Unless, of course, you are not saved. But Heaven is ready to have a party in your name. I heard a pastor many years ago say it this way, "when you accept Jesus as your personal savior, a huge banner is hung in Heaven with your name on it, and all of Heaven celebrates for you".