10 Reasons I Give to Missions ( and so should you!)

Borrowed and amended from Kristi Winkler

1. It is a command.
Most of us cannot go ourselves to spread the word but we should be obedient to support the mission of Jesus. He called us to participate in making disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to keep His commandments (Matthew 28: 18-20). There are many ways to be involved with this effort –encourage those who are studying to be ministers of the Gospel, pray for missionaries and mission fields, and lend financial support to those who have heeded the call to go. Faithful monthly giving, even 20 dollars a month, can make a big difference when the whole church body obeys the command of Christ. At CLC we love the mission field.

2. How else will they hear?
The fact that so many still have not been told about the hope that is found in Jesus should be compelling enough. Mercy has been extended to us, and mercy is required of us. In Romans 10:14-15 the Apostle Paul says, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach unless they are sent? We must be involved in this effort.

3. Workers are few



Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matt 9:37-38). We are ALL called to play a part in the process of planting, watering, and reaping the harvest. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, that “we are the laborers together with God.” As a believer we must be making effort toward fulfilling the call to reach the lost.

4. Missionaries depend on us
We are told in scripture to pray and provide support to those who give of themselves in taking the gospel to various parts of the earth. Paul asked the church to pray “that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified…and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. (II Thessalonians 3:3).  Paul thanked the Philippian church for their contribution to his care (Philippians 4:10-18). Full time missionaries depend on prayer, encouragement and financial support to meet spiritual, emotional and physical needs, so that they can give themselves fully to the work of spreading the gospel.

5. We have been blessed for a reason.
“To whom much is given, much is required” (Luke 12:48). We have been given so much – freedom to study the Word of God, and many of us have health and enjoy a level of prosperity not seen in other parts of the world. Are we fulfilling our responsibility as good stewards of all that God has given us? It is yet another reason to labor in love.

6. Safe investment
It’s very easy to let ourselves be burdened with the cares of this world and worry about money. The remedy for the anxiety caused by uncertain investments, distress and cupidity, is to seek first God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:33). Giving to the cause of the gospel is a way to store treasures in heaven that will never fade or fail (Matthew 6:20).

7. Reward
There is great reward in investing in the things that have eternal yield. A temporal inheritance can be squandered but an eternal inheritance is a reward that never goes away. “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.” (Hebrews 6:10). Sowing seed in the mission field is done with the expectation that a harvest will follow.

8. Loving our neighbor as ourselves
Scripture commands us to not only love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, but also to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are taught that the entire law sits on these two things. (Matthew 22:36-40). When you are hungry, tired, and cold you care for yourself enough to eat, sleep, and warm yourself; this verse asks us to take the extra step of seeking to cover the basic needs of our brothers and sisters, including those out in the field loving and caring for the lost.

9. Glorify God
Ascribing to God honor, dignity, praise and worship is our primary objective as redeemed members of His creation. By obeying Him and following His commands to love Him and love others we bring glory and honor to God.

10. Establish His kingdom on earth:
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Our prayer should be that the gospel of Christ will be advanced as we prepare for his imminent return. The urgent message to repent heralds the coming of the Christ, bringing his return ever closer as we reach the the nations. When he returns as King he will inspect the investments he has given us to invest. We want him to find us alert and working hard to advance His Kingdom when he returns, not lethargic and apathetic.

A great place to start is to surrender a meal out as an offering to the Lord. Your faithful gift of 30 dollars a month given in the Missions offering at CLC will enable the gospel to be preached to folks around the world! Only Heaven can know the impact of your sacrifice!

The Blight of Slavery- NOW!

I recently saw the movie 12 Years a Slave. The graphic depiction of the history of our country with regard to slavery is overwhelming. The movie left me with a sense of relief when it ended. For to watch the injustice upon others based upon the prejudices of the heart is almost unbearable. Almost, until you realize that you sat through 2 hours of the injustice and many lived it their whole life time! We breathed a sigh of relief upon getting in the car and thanked God for the fearless men and woman of the abolition movement. But as I began to think of it I realized that slavery hasn't really ended.

The most current statistics on sex trafficking are horrifying if you take a moment out of your day to think about it- and few of us do. According to the U.S. State Department's annual reports on trafficking in a 2005 report, "600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, with 14,500 to 17,500 trafficked into the U.S. " This does not give any indication of the reason for that exploitation. Many are moved for the purposes of sexual exploitation and some are used for forced labor. As uncomfortable as it is, the numbers are staggering.

And so there is a rising movement to demand change- End it. Please take a moment to view the video below.

May be you want to connect, to make a difference in the lives of the people who are victims of this kind of abuse. You can make a donation to people who are making a difference at Project Rescue and find out more at Endit. As uncomfortable as it is, we should do something!

New Years Fast

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Matthew 4:1, 2 ESV)

Many of us begin the New Year with a fast. Jesus fasted too as he was about to launch his ministry. As I meditated upon the verses above I noticed three things.

1) Jesus' fast was spirit directed-Sometimes people fast for the wrong reasons; to get what they want, to manipulate Gods will, or to know something that can only be known by revelation. Fasting can bring insight, breakthrough and clarity. But the primary reason to fast is to practice saying no to the flesh.

2) The purpose of the fast seems to have been to tempt Jesus.-God would allow Satan to tempt/test Jesus. Temptation is a form of spiritual warfare...here Jesus is victorious.

3) when you fast you get hungry...at least for a while. Because the bodily appetite is natural it isn't going to go away. It will, however, be overcome by the Spirit within a man as he learns to depend solely upon Jesus.

May God give you breakthrough...

Hyper-Grace Extremism

One of the negative developments that came to the fore in 2013 was the error of Hyper-Grace. For those of you not familiar with the doctrines of this teaching let me list them for you. Dr Michael Brown says they are (1) we have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus, (2) all our sins have been forgiven, (3) the Holy Spirit never convicts believers of sin, and (4) we need never repent for nor confess our sins. One proponent of the hyper grace message says "... it is not necessary to confess our sins and that Paul’s epistles never give an example of a believer confessing sin." This is simply not true. Paul confronts sin in the church of Corinth, for instance, in 1 Cor 7.8ff explaining to these NT believers that "Godly sorrow brings repentance". Indeed, other NT authors recognize the importance of keeping oneself pure and whole by confessing sins. John (1 Jn 1.9) talks about the God right to forgive confessed sin. He also criticizes those who say they do not sin. saying that they imply that "God is a liar" v10. James talks about the healing power of confessed sin in 5.16. The author to the Hebrews 12.14 reminded his hearers of the importance of their efforts to live rightly and then said " without holiness no man will see the Lord".

Another author writes that confession is a "faithless act" that does not result in forgiveness. He says that the meaning of repentance changed between the covenants. That doesn't follow logically. Repentance has always meant to agree with God's assessment of our condition and turn to God. This doesn't bring us to the love of God. God loves us (and all mankind) even while we are sinners. Salvation is never merited. It is by grace through faith )Eph 2.8-10)and that faith must be genuine (James 2.22-24) enough to produce the fruit of repentance (Matt. 3.8).

Confusion results because the scriptures are read and then taught through a theological system that discounts every work of man. I will be the first to stand and proclaim that in my flesh there resides no good thing. But my spirit is empowered by the Holy Spirit and gives direction to my body. I CAN live a life that glorifies God; I CAN bear fruit unto righteousness; I CAN fulfill the works for which he set me apart by grace. The fact is that the Apostle Paul spoke of his own "fear of the Lord" in 2 Cor 5.11ff saying that his ministry of trying to persuade men to follow the Lord was in a fearful response to the knowledge that " we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body..."

The Strange God of John MacArthur

Johnny is a cessationist. Cessationists believe that some of the gifts of God have ceased. Which ones you ask? The ones they don't like and the ones they can't control. If choosing which parts of the Bible you like and discounting or discarding the others sounds like a poor way to determine theology to you, your right. Let's hear some of their arguments.

MacArthur writes, "Miracles in the Bible [primarily] occurred in three major periods of time.  The time of Moses and Joshua, the time of Elijah and Elisha, and the time of Christ and the apostles.  . . . And it is during those three brief periods of time and those alone that miracles proliferated; that miracles were the norm; that miracles were in abundance. Now God can interject Himself into the human stream supernaturally anytime He wants.  We’re not limiting Him.  We’re simply saying that He has chosen to limit Himself to a great degree to those three periods of time." Of course, revelation came to Gideon, Samuel, and prophecies came during the time of the judges, the kings, and the prophets, etc. Clearly these are arbitrary divisions of time whose purpose is to prove the preconception of the Cessationists. Oh, there is a reason why there is no Biblical record of miracles after the apostolic age. The New Testament was already finished! What Johnny claims is that God has chosen limit himself to certain times. Now, honestly can you think of one verse in which Jesus limits the expectations of God's response to prayer? Didn't think so. Instead, Jesus stimulated faith in God and challenged the faithful to believe for more.

Johnny doesn't like prophets, either. He has written, "There is no warrant anywhere in Scripture for Christians to listen for fresh revelation from God beyond what He has already given us in His written Word." Hmm,  Johnny has conveniently forgotten the command to "quench not" in 1Thessalonians 5.19-22 (Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. ESV) What are we to say that this verse means if not that we can expect extra-biblical revelation? Not only is Johnny guilty of despising prophecies and quenching the Spirit he errantly claims that the Bible alone is the place God speaks.  This in spite of the fact, that there is not a single verse that teaches that the Holy Spirit would stop speaking or cease to use men who were gifted to the church (Eph 4.11f). Paul taught that the purpose of prophets is to bring the church to maturity.

Johnny's strange God seems to be pretty much an absentee landlord who shrugs his shoulders at the needs of mankind, perhaps blaming poor timing for his impotence to help. I prefer the God of Jesus.

Scared of Testing

For the third time in the last few months I have had the interesting experience of people of "faith" reacting negatively to any speaking of God testing his children. I find this curious that the verbage of testing is so scary to these folks. So I thought that I would ponder it a bit on my blog today.

First, it is clear to me that God tests his children. I don't think any careful student of the Bible can reject this. In the Old Testament we read a pretty clear verse in Genesis 22.1  "...God tested Abraham..." Proverbs 17.3 tells us that "the Lord tests men's hearts" as a crucible tests silver and gold. Jeremiah 20.12 specifically tells us that the Lord tests "the righteous". So clearly God behaved this way in the past. Some might object and say that God does not do these things in the New Testament. But that is clearly NOT how the Apostle Paul viewed God when he wrote in 1 Thess 2.3-4 "... we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts..." My understanding is that God tests us and that he does so to let us see what is in our heart. We are tested to assess this heart that can be "decietfully wicked" and mask our true intent and our true allegiances.

Second, God is good even when life is bad. I suspect that the fear that these "faith" people have is that God will be percieved as the author of some malady that is upon someone, or be blamed for what is perceived as unanswered prayer, or to be accused as the cause for some circumstance. There is a difference between God allowing something to come upon someone and God designing something specifically for someone. When God says in Ex 4.11 that he makes the deafened ears clearly he is speaking to Moses regarding Moses' excuse making in response to God call. God isn't saying that he chooses some to be sick, or handicapped. He is the soveriegn, but people are born with handicaps and disabilities, sicknesses, etc because of the sin tainted brokenness of the world that we live in.  Could God change that? Sure ! And he did in Jesus! Making a way for everyone who enters the kingdom out of this sick and broken world to find immediate wholeness.

Third, the tests that the Lord gives are not temptations to sin. James makes this clear enough saying that God does not tempt man. So these cricumstances of life come along and reveal the impurities and the weaknesses of character that are hidden in the recesses of the heart of men. The goal of a test, as any good teacher will tell you, is to continue the education and not to torpedo the student! God knows my heart. But the issue is that I do not know my own deceitful heart. The test reveals what I am made of on the inside.... not to God but to me.

So why are we afraid of the simple truth of Scripture? Could it be that we are trying to insulate ourselves from the test itself? Could it be that we are afraid that our faith would fail if we thought for a moment that God would allow a discomfort or hardship? The author of Hebrews tells us that we are to "endure hardship as discipline" and reminds us that the Lord disciplines those he loves. If the goal of my heart is complete surrender to the Lord then certainly I am to embrace the Lord who tests my heart. And there is no reason to be scared of testing.

Always Maturing

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:14, 15 ESV)

We talk a lot about maturing. No doubt God's design (as we see in nature) is that men and women are developed from the likes of boys and girls. Each of us have aspirations regarding the growth we desire in God. We a instructed to covet certain useful spiritual gifts, we are encouraged to find strength in difficult times of tribulation and trial by contemplating the truths that "patience is having her perfect work" and that "God is working out all things" on our behalf. In fact, I am often disappointed by my own slow maturation process. "Aren't you past that yet?", I quip.

Today it suddenly dawns upon me that there is "another law at work in my members" as the Apostle might say. Sin grows and matures, too. Hmmm, that can't be good! Indeed, the scripture tells me that sin looks remarkably like death when it reaches maturation. Sin, left unchecked, in our hearts and minds wreaks havoc and brings death and destruction. So which will come to maturity in me? Will I be spiritually mature and over come the sin that waits at the door looking to master me, or will sin mature and bring death?

I suppose it will be the thing that I feed most. Paul said that we will " reap from the flesh if we sow to the flesh". A startling and sobering thought.

Talking sex with the kids

For decades, movies and sitcoms have presented a caricature of the sweaty-palmed, birds-and-bees conversation in which Dad stammers through a convoluted description of sex to a preadolescent child — who, it turns out, knows all of the details already. The humor arises from the tension most parents feel about discussing sex with their kids. ("What if we tell him too much?" "Will this rob him of his innocence?" "What if he starts asking about what we do?")

What isn't so funny is the reality that too many children learn about sex from everyone but their parents. Playground slang and obscenity, a distorted description of intercourse from the tough kid up the street, or worst of all, a look at some pornographic material on cable TV or the Internet often provides a child's first jarring glimpse of sex. What should be seen as the most beautiful, meaningful and private communication between a married couple becomes a freak-show curiosity. "Mom and Dad did that? More than once?!"

Efforts by public schools to correct misinformation from the street and lack of information from home often leave out a critical ingredient: the moral framework within which the facts about reproduction should be presented. Without an ethical context, sex education becomes little more than basic training in anatomy, physiology, infectious diseases and contraception.

Many churches have made laudable efforts to teach biblical principles of sexuality to their youth groups. But these important concepts are not always accompanied by accurate medical information or refusal skills. Furthermore, youth-group presentations usually begin late in the game (i.e., during the teen years) and rarely involve an on-going dialogue about this subject.

The best place for a child to learn about sexuality is at home from those who care most about him. Anyone can teach the basic facts about reproduction in an hour or two (or they can be read in any of several reference books), but you are in the best position to put this information in the proper context and give it the right perspective over a period of years. There are no cut-and-dried formulas for carrying out this assignment, but keep the following principles in mind:
Giving a child facts about reproduction, including details about intercourse, does not rob him of innocence. Innocence is a function of attitude, not information. A school-age child who understands the specifics of sex, while seeing it as an act that, in the proper context, both expresses love and begins new life, retains his innocence. But a child who knows very little about sex can already have a corrupt mind-set if he has been exposed to it in a degrading, mocking or abusive context.
If you feel squeamish or inhibited about broaching this subject with your child, reflect for a moment about your own attitudes. Do you harbor any feelings that sexual activity, even within the context of marriage, is somehow base or something that God really doesn't approve of? If you realize that this is an issue for you, some conversations with your pastor, a counselor or both may be in order. Hopefully these discussions, and perhaps a reading of the Song of Solomon and other Bible passages, will alleviate any uneasiness you might harbor regarding God's attitude toward sexuality. Books that are reliable, informative and honoring to sex, marriage and the Creator of both can also be very helpful. Two good examples are The Gift of Sex: A Guide to Sexual Fulfillment by Dr. Clifford and Joyce Penner and Intended for Pleasure by Dr. Ed and Gaye Wheat. But for many people uneasiness about sex may be rooted in life experiences, especially if they involve sexual abuse experienced during childhood, adolescence or even adulthood. It is never too late to address such issues with an individual who has training and experience in this area and can help you work toward healing.
Don't wait to tell your child everything you know about sex during a single, intense marathon session. Doing so risks either waiting until it's too late or dumping more in the child's lap than he can process. Instead, information should be released gradually during many conversations over a period of several years. (The same principle applies to any other area of life — faith, values, responsibilities, relationships, handling money and so on — in which you intend to offer guidance to your child. These subjects are too important to be confined to a single conversation.)
In many instances, you will be giving information on a need-to-know basis. Your five-year-old is probably going to want to know how the baby inside Aunt Susie is going to get out. But your child may not think to ask how the baby got there, and you don't need to broach the subject at that time. On the other hand, if you haven't yet had any discussions about reproduction with your ten-year-old, you will need to take the initiative to start some conversations. She has already heard all sorts of things on the playground and needs to hear from more reputable and mature sources.
What if your child asks you questions you can't answer? Be honest, and then do some research. You gain far more stature in your child's eyes by showing candor than by bluffing. You may not have a detailed knowledge of the intricacies of the menstrual cycle or the developmental stages of puberty, but you're never too old to learn. 

The Unusable Believer

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. (Titus 1:16 ESV)

There are those who make much noise about their own righteousness. They are loud and brash with their opinions for or against this thing or that, making sure that we all know how deeply they hold their Faith. But Christian faith isn't simply a matter of belief. Yes, salvation is by faith alone, sola fide, as Paul makes crystal clear in his letter to the Romans. Yet, the tendency toward extremism is held in check by the word of James in 2.26 "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead."

Often scholars pit one Apostle against the other but here in the letter toTitus Paul clarifies the same teaching. Works betray the reality of ones faith. Put another way, saving faith has demonstrative acts that accompany that belief. The longer one walks with God the more our own insubordination and rebellion should subside into submission to the formative hand of God's Word. When we persist in our own ways we make ourselves useless for the King and his purposes.

The unusable Christian is most frustrated. Each challenging word from the pulpit does not fall upon good soil; every effort to do something of significance ends in futility; every step forward in growth is undermined by the shallow faith that cannot yield to the Lord. We must die daily to self. We MUST learn to submit to God. We do this excruciating work as an honor to God. If we don't we remain unusable.

Maximizing Mornings

For the past two weeks I have been very busy. Many days right from the jump. I was trying to maximize my time by hitting the road as soon as possible in the morning. But in order to facilitate that I was cheating on my time with God. I don't mean that I was living prayerlessly, but I was squeezing prayer time in here and there. Earlier this week I felt The Lord drawing me away for some deeper fellowship. I objected complaining about the list of unfinished business that was waiting for me but the Holy Spirit persisted in calling me. I found that quiet place and spent undivided time with The Lord. How rich was his presence! What amazing strength I felt in those moments, as if his power was radiating through me! The refreshing of his presence brought me peace, strength, and joy. Those next few days were so productive! But I soon found myself slipping into the old pattern of trying to maximize my mornings with meetings and labor. I have concluded the following; Morning is the time to pray, my mornings are maximized in the presence of true greatness (God) not by my effort, and my life is only able to maintain a grace and peace about it when I am rich in his presence.

Going Deeper-10 Revival Prayers

TEN SPECIFIC PRAYERS FOR REVIVAL AND SPIRITUAL AWAKENING!!

(Copied  from A Powerful Prayer Life G Frizzell)

 

1. Ask God to bring deep conviction of sin, spiritual brokenness, a holy fear of God and

genuine repentance among His people.

There will be no revival without these elements and

only God can produce them in His people. After all we cannot program or work up genuine

brokenness and repentance. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

 

2. Pray for deep cleansing, genuine repentance, and spiritual power to engulf pastors and

Christian leaders.

Revival and spiritual awakening are extremely unlikely without a mighty

move of God in pastors and Christian leaders. Renewed pastors are absolutely crucial to a move

of God in our day! (Ephesians 6:14-20)

3. Pray for God to bestow spiritual hunger in His people and draw them to fervent

intercession.

God has to grant people the genuine faith and the fervent desire for prayer. With all

our promotion and programming, we cannot “produce a genuine prayer movement. (Philippians

2:13)

4. Pray that God will bring loving unity in our churches and a deep harmony between our

churches.

Many churches need healing among members and many churches need to stop

competing jealously with other churches. (John 13:35)

5. Pray for God to fill His people with a passion to see people saved.

(Only God can give a

genuine burden for souls.) Until God’s people intensely pray for the lost and do aggressive soul

winning revival will tarry. Be sure you are constantly praying for many lost people by name.

(Romans 9:1-3)

6. Pray for God to give His people a passion for missions and starting churches.

Great revivals

produce an explosion of mission projects, new ministries and new church starts. Only God can

grant a genuine passion for missions. (Matthew 28:19)

7. Pray that God will call thousands into ministry, missions and Christian service.

Many

churches are dying for lack of soul winners, teachers and church workers. Furthermore, we can

start only as many churches as we have church planters to start them. (Matthew 9:37)

8. Pray that God will pour out His Spirit like a mighty purifying flood.

Ask God to purify our

“motives as we pray for revival. After all it is possible to pray for revival for selfish or ambitious

reasons. Our motives must be solely for: (a) the glory of God, and (b) the increase of the

kingdom of God. We must not pray for revival just to solve our own problems or make our

church successful in the eyes of men. (James 4:2)

9. Pray for a mighty move of conviction and salvation upon communities of cultural influence.

Some key examples are Hollywood actors and producers, government officials, educators,

teachers, and college professors, news and media people, talk shows hosts, comedians,

homosexual activists groups, and the music industry. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Provide specific lists for

your congregation.

10. Specifically pray for God to pour out His Spirit in a fashion even greater than He did in

America in 1858 and Wales in 1904.

(Ten percent of Wales’ population was saved in five

months!) Ask God for a modern day of Pentecost in the United States and Canada. (Mark 11:22-

24; John 14:13-14.)

Let us so Pray!

Losing or Forfeiting Salvation

Here are soem notes from and Ask The Pastor session Wednesday evening.

Can You Lose Your Salvation?

 

The New Testament answer is simply yes.

            In nearly every book of the New Testament there is a warning regarding this.

                        Matt. 7.21 not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”

                        Mark 9.42ff  NIV if anyone causes one of these little onese who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to b e thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck…it is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be  thrown in Hell.

                        Luke 12:8-9 ESV .. “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

                        John 15.6.if anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown into the fire and burned….

                        Acts 8.18-23 Simon… believed (v13) baptized (v16) repent or perish!

 

 

There are those who believe otherwise but it is not a biblically formed belief but one from a systematic theology. By that I mean that it does not spring from the scriptures themselves. This is the result of forcing a system on the Scripture (Calvinism). This doctrine at its most extreme has God in the position of assigning who will be saved and damned by his own volition. It is a slander against the character of God. Scripture isn’t a systematic theology book…

 

So How to Lose your salvation….

                        Jn 15.6   Stop bearing fruit

                        Matt 12. 30-32 Blaspheme the Holy Spirit

                        Rev 3.5 Give up (He who overcomes will… be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life…)

                        1 Tim 1.18-20 fail to fight the good fight, keep faith, or have a good conscience. (Shipwreck yoru faith)

                        1 Cor 9.27 live an undisciplined life (I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize)

                        1 Cor 15.1,2 believe a false gospel. (I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have toaken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preaced to you. Other wise, you have believed in vain.

                        Gal 5.1-6  become entangled again in a yoke of slavery…. (You have fallen from grace!)

                        Rom 2. 1-11, 13,16  Judge others hypocritically. (Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath)

                        Heb 10.26 continue in sin rather than embracing God’s Work in you

                       

 

A Few New Testament Examples of those who have lost their salvation

False teachers 2 Peter 2.20-22

Hymaneaus and Alexander 1 Tim 1.20

Unnamed “Lord, Lord” folks in Matthew 7 

Simon Acts 8

           

Joy Stealers

Like the Hamburglar from McDonalds, these bothersome creatures keep showing up to steal our most precious commodity...our joy. The Christian's joy is his or her greatest witnessing tool, strongest defense against tempation, and greatest relational asset. If you have been letting the JoyThief rip you off you already know this! Here is my list of things that seem to steal the joy frequently.

a.       Anxiety- though the bible says not to worry in Matthew 6 many of us allow this culprit to walk off with our treasured joy.

b.      Angry Words-Strife divides friends, and that gives room to the JoyThief

c.       Discontentment- It is impossible to hang on to joy when you haven't learned to be content Phil 4

d.      Jealousy-All that inner turmoil, even if it never surfaces, kills your joy. Love is not jealous 1 Cor 13

e.       Unforgiveness- This causes our joy to be swallowed up and pilfered  because we are too occupied with business that should be forgiven. Mark 11

f.       Legalism- Binding ourselves to religious and unbiblical expectations and traditions kills joy Gal 5.1

g.      Busy-ness- Overcrowding your schedule  is like leaving the door opn for the thief...

h.      Family Strife-make peace and you will find that your joy is restored.

i.        Clutter- you don''t have to be fastidious, just clean, to protect your joy

j.        Over-thinking- Think it through, make a decision, let it go. Joy always looks forward...

k.      Over emotionalism- If you are lead by your emotions you will find every emotion available to you except joy!

l.        Fear- the twin of anxiety, fear demands a full heightened response, and therefore rips off the joy. Fear Not!

m.    Prayerlessness- Joy comes from God. nuf said!

n.      Failure in Temptation-Guilt, both real and percieved, stifles joy. bring your guilt to God, go and sin no more!\

 

 

I suppose there are more but this list is a good beginning check list to find out where your joy went!

Febprayerary

This morning I was awakened wondering why people throw their lives away. Even many who have come to the Lord do sinful, self destructive things. Often these things cost them and those who love them dearly. Untimely deaths, horrific sickness, bondages and habits that limit joy and effectiveness in the Kingdom all come from these self destructive and sinful lifestyle choices. Certainly, there is a difference between having an experience with God and being in relationship with God. That in itself may explain some of this. Many of the people who followed Jesus had no relationship with him. They followed for the novelty, or out of curiosity, or for the fish sandwiches! But they didn't know him.

But we all do some mildly self destructive things. We all know Christ followers who struggle with tobacco,overeating, soap operas, or half a dozen other seemingly mild unedifying and self destructive things. It concerns me that those things, left unchecked will wreck our lives and testimonies for Christ. Maybe I am jaded having been to the funeral of one too many believers in Christ who never fully got what we old time Pentecostals called the victory. God has better.

So this month  I have decided to pray over my life and the life of the church here the simple prayer of Paul from Col 1.10-14. That God would guide us into a worthy life. I challenge you to pray it with me every day.  May God lead us into spiritual health and away from the things that compromise our witness for God.

Praying with Confidence

^{I John 3.21}Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; ²²and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

Too often we come before God with reasons why he shouldn't answer our prayers ringing in our ears. Often this is Satan's work of condemnation even as we approach the very throne of God. he knows that if he can errode our confidence and boldness we will be hesitant to ask for what we do not deserve. And of course, we do not deserve anything good- hence the concept of grace.

But there is another aspect to this lack of confidence in our approach to God. It is the voice of our own conscience condemning us for half hearted obediences and lazy pursuit of the holiness of God. The context of the verse above is the role of sin in the life of the believer. We are too often lazy in walking out God's holiness. Don't get me wrong, God is not demanding perfection. We will always need to lean upon his grace in our approach to God. But when we come before the Lord we must remember these things...

1) Jesus is our advocate. The finished work of Christ alone makes us worthy of approach to the throne of God. And we should approach with a holy boldness.

2) We are living for Jesus! This promise of "whatever we ask" is not for the half hearted , fairweather beleivers. It is for those whose heart does not condemn them. This is the definition of praying in faith!

3) Our obedience is never perfect but it is growing into a habitual pleasing of God.

Knowing the grace of God, knowing our lifestyle of faith, knowing the willingness of the Lord to hear our petitions... Let us approach with faith.

Knowing the Season

Prov 24:27 Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that build your house.

Wen my kids were little I determined that we would not sit inside all winter and hope for spring. So we went sledding in the winter, and skating and eventually the kids took up figure skating and hockey. Winters became a season of fun rather than staring out the window and wishing for warm weather.

The point of the proverb above is that certain seasons in life have specific priorities. When you don't know what to do, or you don't know what should take priority in your life it's likely that you have failed to discern the season. Too many Christ-followers find themselves in this place! Diligence and duty are misplaced or worse -disobedient- if you don't know the season that you are in.

And each season has, along with its priorities, stumbling blocks and hardships. For instance, the season of singleness  has the hardship of loneliness, yet Paul spoke of the opportunities for growth and ministry that happen when you are single. The season of child rearing is exhausting. Homework with the kids, shopping for school supplies, up all night with a sick child, etc. Yet some of our greatest impact happens in the shaping of young lives. The season of the empty nest has a seasonal priority of reconnecting with the spouse you live with but have grow apart from. But it can be trying snd frustrating too.

There are other seasons beside those of chronology. There are seasons of growing in bible knowledge, or developing in faith, or learning to love like Jesus, or developing ministry skills. Each season has its advantages and disadvantages . Don't grow weary chasing the wrong priorities. The season defines the priorities. And when it becomes arduous in that season remember that each season has its benefits too!

We can become weary of a season...we all do. But remember this...seasons DO change!

Quench Not!

Reading through 1 Thessalonians 5 the other day and I came to the flurry of last minute one sentence commands from Paul to the fledgling church in Thessalonica.

¹²We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,^£ encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. ¹⁵See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise prophecies, ²¹but test everything; hold fast what is good. ²²Abstain from every form of evil.

 

Some of these are easy to understand. Rejoicing is important to the general moral of the church. (Nothing good comes of the fault finder who can't find joy in the moment!) Being thankful... I think we get that. Abstaining from evil (not the appearance of evil as one translation says. This has nothing to do with how things look, rather, every appearance of evil is literally "every where evil appears"!) But then we come to DO NOT QUENCH THE SPIRIT. What? What kind of church would want to be the kind of church where the spirit is quenched? Who quenches the Spirit?

 

1. People who have grown cynical. Sometimes they say "Don't rely on emotions!" but the message they are really saying to the zealous is "calm down you will again be disappointed and grow callous and cynical as I have". This is really unfair to the person who has zeal. Rather than squash someones zeal we should add knowledge. Proverbs 19.2 says "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. " Rather than squash someones passion for Jesus, if you are concerned that it is strictly emotional, wait for the teachable moment and point them to the truth of the Lord. For instance, if someone is buring hot for God our message is not "calm down" but rather at the moment when the fire seems to wane a little stir them on to serve irrespective of emotion and zeal. God's work can be furthered rather than hindered.

 

2. People who are convicted. Often we are provoked by anothers fire. It actually casts light on the shadowy areas of our own lives... and we don't appreciate that when we are trying to hide our lukewarm hearts.Oswald Chambers writes in the Classic My Utmost for His Highest, "... if in sharing your personal testimony you continually have to look back, saying, “Once, a number of years ago, I was saved.” If you have put your “hand to the plow” and are walking in the light, there is no “looking back”— the past is instilled into the present wonder of fellowship and oneness with God (Luke 9:62 ; also see 1 John 1:6-7). If you get out of the light, you become a sentimental Christian, and live only on your memories, and your testimony will have a hard metallic ring to it. Beware of trying to cover up your present refusal to “walk in the light” by recalling your past experiences when you did “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). When-ever the Spirit gives you that sense of restraint, call a halt and make things right, or else you will go on quenching and grieving Him without even knowing it."

 

3. People who are living contrary to the will of God. We surely can learn a great deal from others, but only if our hearts are submissive to truth. There needs to be a cultivation of humility and submission to the truth of God in our lives. Otherwise, we will try to dampen anyone's fire because it stir up conviction and because it infuriates the rebellious nature of our flesh. People who practice gluttony don't like to hear about self control! And when that rebellion gets stirred up it often lashes out at the spiritual person nearest us. A Spouse, a Friend, a co worker can have their spirit's fire quenched when rebellion stirs.

 

4. People who are confused because they haven't had the experience. Sometimes I hear people warn me regarding getting too spiritual. (Is that even possible?) I find that it is often because I am walking where they haven't been before. Spiritual experiences are otherworldly that is true but God is a God who leads his children from glory to glory! Don't fear the things of God... pursue God and he will lead you into truth!

 

 5. People who don't understand the need. The task given the church is large and gradiose that it is impossible unless we have the spirit's fire burnign bright. When we lose sight of our need for the miraculous intervention of God then we eventually don't see the need for this spiritual fire. In fact, we cannot be half of what the Lord has called us to be without the fire of God!

 

Let's determine to stoke fires rather than put them out. To feed the flame rather than steal the heat. To Burn brighter than ever before...Because we have a world to win for Jesus!

 

 

Lead or get out of the Way

The great hunger in every arena of life these days is for leadership. It is especially true in the church. For lack of leaders the church flounders in its mission. The church model we follow here at CLC is one that is based upon the book of Antioch model. Various ministries were called out of the Antioch church. These were assigned by the Holy Spirit to different leaders. They each gathered teams of ministries and began to do what God called them to do. For Paul and Barnabus we read that the Holy Spirit separated them to the minsitry of church planting through out the unevangelized gentile world. They gathered teams of ministers to follow them. Among Paul and Baranbus served Luke, Silas, Timothy, Titus, and a number of other lesser known spiritual leaders. We recognize that they leadership style they saw imodeled n Paul was implimented and mimiced in the their later ministries.

So how can you tell if you are a leader. Here are a few simple litmus tests that EVERY leader will live out.

Leaders lead out of their own God encounter. They are not dependant upon being spoon fed or entertained into the will of God. Jesus ministered out of his time with Father. Where ever he went he brought people to God. In the synagogue, on the dusty Jerusalem trail he "brought people up". To many of us are waiting for the next spiritual fad to tickle our carnal fancy. Leaders lead because they know where they are going. Is this pressure? You better believe it is!
Leader challenge people to purpose. Spiritual leadership is defined by great sacrificial generosity. Real Spiritual leadership calls people to follow but doesn't demand uniformity. Each of us have a purpose that is different and God inspired. Leaders aren't interested in recieving as they sit in the church as much as they are interested in giving out and mentoring others.

Leaders are out front and available. You can't take people where you haven't been and you can't lead people when your not out front. At CLC it is expected that Spiritual leaders will be available to lead. They don't have all the answers but they are their to push beyond the question. Leaders can't always leave service early, or be absent from their assigned place of ministry. To be Christ like is to be present at the moment of need.

Leaders work for transformation. They're goal is not to put on a slick service but to work for life transformation. Spiritual growth and spiritual health is foremost in their mind.It is their passion and their hunger; but not because they need the applause or accolades of men or titles, but because they are following Jesus.

Leaders raise the core temperature of the places that they go. Their presence should cast vision. Their life should be a challenge. They should smell of hope and sound like transformation. They should be walking billboards for what God is doing in these days. And they should be looking forward not backward at the past.

The Leaders authority comes out of the God encounters that they have not the titular recognition by men. In other wards a servant is a servant because he serves... whether or not he has the title of deacon. A pastor is a pastor when he sheperds, irrespective of his position in the church.

Fire came down to the Israelites in the desert to lead them in the Exodus. In the same way, we must pray that the leadership of the church expereinces the fire of God, that they will lead us out. Otherwise, we will just wander in circles around the mountain of the Lord.

Dealing with Tough Times

Okay, so the stuff hit the fan. Times are tough. You need to hear this- "Tough times don't last, tough people do." Go ahead say it out loud. It's not new...it's true. Here are three steps that will help you through the tough times.

1. Deal with the things that can be changed.
     Some things that we go through can be changed. You can adjust to the downsize. You can pick up a part time job until the right full time one comes along. You can find a way to change the circumstances. It may require schooling, training, and sacrifice. Granted you probably don't want to go back to school, or to self train on IT infrastructure, and no body likes to sacrifice. But you can deal with it.
     Changing the things that challenge you is a expression of your power as a person. God will give you the wherewithal to overcome the obstacles you face if you will seek Him and listen. Don't use precious prayer time to moan, grumble and complain about your disappointment. Suck it up and think through the issue in the presence of God and you will find a way to change that which is your challenge.

2. Deal with the things that can't be changed (by you).
     Not everything can be changed. You don't have control over the national economy, or the price of gas, or bring rain in a drought. Discerning what is change-able is the first step. When you are left with these things that cannot be changed you will have to do one of the following;
                  Find a Work Around- If there is a way to circumvent the issue, take it.
                  Accept the Reality- It doesn't have to be something that haunts your every waking moment
                  Change your Thinking- Changing the way we think is a part of the act of growing. If it can't  change then you must. That starts with you way of thinking about the circumstance.

Remember, God can change things. Pray, without obsessing, about the situation. Be mindful that often when we pray for God to change things, we are one of the things that gets changed!

3. Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
     The world, your family, your coworkers are all looking for someone to step up and lead. Panic is for the weak. Rise up and make the adjustments and move forward. Others will follow your way out of the darkness and you will find a purpose in having a great testimony to share of God's provision of the exodus! Anyone can complain. Anyone can wallow in self pity. Anyone can bemoan the facts of tough times. But few will seize the moment to make a difference.

Tough Times don't last, Tough People do.

The Place of Blessing

What does it mean to be in the place of blessing? And what must I do to make my life into the type of life the God desires to bless? As I thought of these questions I became more and more convinced that there are some important steps that I can take to insure blessing on my life. Like you, I want my life to be a life that is a place of blessing.

1. Do I have a Heart Condition?- I recognize that God is looking beyond my outward appearance, beyond my externals, and looking into my heart. I am not always comforted by this prospect as I know that my heart can be "deceitfully wicked". But God sees down to the core. Amazing, isn't it? God looks beyond even the current manifestation of my own sinfulness and into my heart. In less than a second God has me sized up. He knows if my heart is entertaining grievous thoughts, if my heart is resistant to him or compliant, if my heart is soft and mold-able or hard and rebellious. If I want the blessing of God on my life I need to be consistently monitoring the "garden of my heart". Do I find myself resisting his commands? Do I demand they are completely understood by my limited, finite mind before I obey? Do I fight the will of God? Am I stubbornly resisting or am I yielding to his direction?

2. Am I a giver?- One of the reasons God asks us to give is to demonstrate the trust we have in him. Seriously, a lot of people talk a good game but few people practice the art of giving. Do I practice giving my money to the needy and the poor? Do I give habitually? By that,  I mean is it my regular practice to tithe (give a 10th) as the scriptures demand? Am I giving beyond the requirements of the Pharisees (Luke 18.12 and Matthew 5.20)? Do I care to support the ministry of missionaries around the globe? Do I give beyond my comfort level?

3. Am I a servant?- Do I practice the art of service? Do I see myself as one who has come to serve or to be served? Jesus viewed himself as a servant (Mark 10.45) do I expect that I should have a higher view of myself than my Lord has of himself? And if I do then is he really Lord of my life? When I do serve am I compelled to complain or am I challenged to find the things that God is teaching me in that act of servitude? Do I only serve those who can repay me, or is there a portion of my service that is offered up to God alone?

4. Do I walk in love?- It is hard to measure love. It certainly goes beyond a feeling in the recesses of my heart. Are my actions those of Christ's love or are they marred by self interest? Is it all about me, or is it about others? Am I convinced of God's love for myself so much that I feel constrained to love those around me, even those whom society has rejected? Do I go beyond what is expected?

I am sure there is more to having my life being a "place of blessing" but certainly there is plenty here to begin the soul work necessary to be blessed. If we understand it correctly the blessing of God on our life will not only enrich us but will flow through us to others and to the glory of God. Lord, make us a truly blessed people. Amen.