Pure Joy

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It arrested me immediately as I read the first line of James 1. PURE JOY. Amazingly, the Scripture is admonishing us to identify pure joy as the outcome of trials. In my completely human estimation pure joy would be the result of being financially free or physically whole or in a great relationship with your life mate. I could see pure joy as the outcome of a fantastic dinner or an intimate romance. I could see pure joy as the result of complete and totally carefree life. But NOT trials, not the testing of my very belief system and my personal faith.

And yet I have experienced this very pure joy recently. It comes not in the perfection of the externals of my life, and not in the trouble free aspects of health or bodily comfort. It comes from something inside. A faith that quietly whispers to your spirit, "its going to be alright". To be honest the first time I really noticed it was in the throws of my stage 4 cancer diagnosis. (And I confess that just because the voice of the Spirit was whispering to me doesn't mean I always believed that voice!) I think that what happens is that you begin to be hopeful. Then you choose the pathway of perseverance. And the simple things begin to give you a pure and unadulterated joy.

Pure joy is the joy that comes in the moment. It is the joy that lingers when everything else has abandoned you. It is what is there when no one calls or writes. Pure joy is satisfying and simple. Pure joy is rudemental and foundational. Pure joy brings a confidence of soul, and a peace of mind. Pure joy is small and gentle. It is less belly laugh and more smirk. It is not situationally dependent, and not dependent upon the externals. Pure joy is the joy that lingers still... and still more.

Now that cancer is in my rear view mirror, I have made some adjustments to my life. Some vows to myself (and a few promises to God!) But they aren't major life altering things, just simple joys. One of those is written in my notes as "more sunrises and sunsets". I just am determined to find the joy in watching the sun open and close the days. It means something to me, these days. There aren't a lot of high pressure expectations there, just sunrise and sunset.

Maybe that's part of what happens. Our expectations of a trouble free life, a perfect relationship, a pain free existence get simply tuned to finding pure joy. If your facing a looming period of trial or temptation, I pray that pure joy will be found as you make your attitude adjustments.

Living Other Worldly

““But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:24-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is as though Jesus expects his  followers to live with sacrificial discomfort, laying up expectation for the life after this. Lest we be comforted only here, or sharing only in this life, laughing only here while others suffer, and living only for earthly respect. No, as Jesus's disciples, we learn that this life must be lived with a view to comforting others, not just ourselves; and sharing our food with others, for how much can we consume ourselves; and mourning with those who mourn, to build their spirits up; and living with the hope that heaven will speak well of us.

How you doing with that?

Pastor Appreciation

“And God gave… pastors…” Eph 4.11

I was thinking about the job description for pastoral ministry and how much it has changed over the years. Some of the changes have come about because of changes in technology. Some of the changes have come about because of the societal drift away from the standard of the Living God. Some of the changes come with the growth of the ministry. And somethings never change in ministry.

The most recent statistic I have hear about ministers leaving their churches shows about 1500 each month. Ministry is often not very lucrative and it can be frustrating. But it is a tremendous privilege (and challenge) to give direction to a body of believers. As we head into October and toward pastor appreciation Sunday (Oct 23rd at CLC) I asked the staff pastors to explain to me their big ticket items on their to do lists each week. You will find below what they told me and maybe it will help you pray for them.

Prepare sermons
Oversee small groups
Lead worship and worship practices
Lead the team spiritually
Website -
Create and develop
Develop promotional material
Make and prepare Podcasts
Manage the Stage/Platform
Media computers, sound system, projection software
Praying at altar over congregational members
Connection/ follow up with individuals
Counseling and mentoring
Disciple young and new believers
General administration
Plan events
Develop leadership
Plan outreach event
Plan fundraisers
Prayer over team

Schedule leaders for ministries
Manage operations of nurseries, preK and elementary rooms
Prepare children’s message and series
Prepare outreach events for neighborhood
Reach out to hurting parents, missing parents
Model worship and lead worship for kids
Do fundraisers for kids
Christmas outreach
Summer camp
Summer outreach
Sport camp
Planning events (ie picnic)
Social media
Maintain children’s area
Family/parenting Seminars- setting up
Pray for Kids in transitions, and hurting kids

Computer repairs
Social media updates
Representing the church before the city
Connecting with local schools
Administrating
Planning outreaches and fundraisers
Sermon prep
Counseling
Telephone counseling
Prayer for the congregation members
Hospital visitation
Social engagement with other ministries
Maintenance (everything from digging holes to changing toilets to rewiring light fixtures)
Fill in for musicians on vacation
Meet with staff to administrate weekly
Meet with the council to report on the general fiscal and spiritual health of the church
Encourage the broken hearted
Snow removal, mowing grass
Work days-
Prayer meetings-
Leadership development
Meet with denominational officials
Accountability partners
Meet with missionaries
Plan marriage retreats and seminars
Develop security plans and safety plans for church

Teach young people about Jesus
Plan game nights, sleep overs, activities
Lead worship
Counsel hurting teens
Telephone counseling of former teens late at night
Develop leadership team for youth events
Computer and media development
Purchase of computer equip for church

I hope that you will lift up your pastors as they seek to live for Jesus and serve him. We need your prayers!

Primal Instinct

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:34-36‬ ‭NIV‬‬


Cancer. I had suspected that this word was going to come out of the specialists mouth. Still it hit emotionally. Leaving the doctor and walking down the street I was in a mental fog. Thoughts of loved ones filling my head, "how to tell them?", then the wave of sad and morose thoughts, and finally the prayers, "God give my wife and I the strength..."

The next wave of emotion came and stuck pretty strong with me. It was the will to fight. The desire to live. It is so instinctive, so basic and primal, so fundamental that it surprised me. It didn't have to be ginned up, or wound up. It was just a Primal Instinct.

As I was reading the Word this morning, it came to me that what Jesus demands of his followers is a denial of this most primal instinct. We must live our lives in such a way that denies the instinct of life and surrenders the heart to the will of God. Choosing to lose my life for Christ and living a yielded life is not morose or depressing. It actually can be freeing. Suddenly, I can come to see what really matters in the long run. It gives a sense of divine perspective. Jesus taught his disciples to live out the invitation to the gospel. That whatever battles they might fight inside themselves, this battle to preach to all an invitation to the kingdom of God was the greatest battle. It might require abandoning the amassing of wealth, the investment of self in every other seemingly good thing. It really demands we live out that "Seek first the kingdom of God..." Verse. It is an abandonment to the gospel.

Today I am fighting a battle for survival. It isn't easy. Battles are messy, sweaty, smelly things. But it still remains that my highest call is to deny my instinct for survival, and preach the Word when I can.

Driving Forward

“...I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to 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 Corinthians‬ ‭9:26-27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There it is again! The need for self discipline is exposed in the self revelatory fashion of the Apostle. Self Discipline is the most despised of Spiritual Fruit (Gal 5.23). It might be possible to blame our lack of love or joy upon some lack in the Spirit's motivation in our life but it is not logical to blame him for our lack of self control. It simply defies logic. Here is a challenge to the very soul of the man or woman of God. It is a challenge to rise up from the pathetic state of being a helpless sinner to being an empowered saint. But , alas, we are more content in assuming the state of helplessness. We are comfortable in being one who is out of control and in need of divine rescue. Certainly, each of us has confessed our 'helpless estate" before the Lord, at some time or another. But something happens in redemption that empowers the sinner into spirit empowered saint. We find ourselves with the reigns to our lives, able to yield or surrender to which ever power we have determined best. That we choose sin so often probably means that we need a good mental cleansing. Rom 12.1-2 reminds us that understanding the good, pleasing and perfect will of God comes at the cost of "a renewed mind". Such a mind refuses to identify with what it once was, or what the surrounding culture tells us that it must be, and stands n its own as one both redeemed by God's infinite grace and surrendered to God's perfect plan.

The word for self control used both here in 1 Cor 9 and in the fifth chapter of Galatians is the word egkrateia which means, according to Wuest, "Possessing power, strong, having mastery of possession of, continent, self controlled'. It refers to the mastery over one's own desires while engaged in the stadium athletic games. Here there is a picture of competence and strength. Paul writes describing this Christian Life as both focused (I do not flail at the air) and determined to bring his body under the mastery of God's purpose for his life. To those outside the faith, the willingness to endure difficulty for the cause of Christ, the determination to press through hardship and suffering to bring God glory, even the living of a spiritually determined and life surrendered to the principles of the Kingdom of God is a strange pressing forward. "Why can't you relax, enjoy, and rest a while?" some will say. But the surrendered heart, knows there are broken hearts to mend, souls to win, and the comfort of heaven that is ours to mete out to the confused.

Paul gives us his reason for his diligence in gaining such mastery over himself. He fears disqualification. Some theologies have difficulty with Paul's words here. Immediately they assure us that there is nothing we can do to "earn" our salvation. But Paul is quick to remind us that we can neglect a salvation, even one this great, by taking it for granted. Paul's warning is to the self satisfied, lazy and undetermined. His warning is to anyone who thinks he stands- take heed lest he fall. Fall into a faith that is undisciplined and completely subject to the desires of the flesh.

There is a term I have heard in the past from those who live this lifestyle. It is not a term of comfort and complacency; it is not a term of rest and renewal; and it is not a passive term. It is the term "Driving Forward". Like the Pauline term, it is a sports term. It demands of us that we dig in our feet and push forward toward the Kingdom Objective that Christ has laid before us. It demands that we not stand complacent and comfortable in the Kingdom half-come, promises partially answered, and prayers unanswered. We must discipline ourselves, bring our bodies under the Spirits control, and push forward to make a difference. Drive Forward.

Raising Godly Kids

Raising children is important. “Of course,” you say, “Everyone knows that.” The sad reality  is that not everyone know this. Some believe that children are born completely blank slates and that they will be able to find their way from this life to God’s kingdom with little help from believing parents. In fact, kids are born with some clear indications of their future path. They have the genetic components that might lead them in a direction toward addictions or alcoholism, they have biological directors that point them toward health issues. There are cultural pressures to move in a direction (usually away from the God of the Bible). Everyone of us has a very real enemy that strives to lead us down paths that embarrass, damage, and trap us. The spiritual ramifications of evil are implications that most in our society does not want to deal with.

Influences
Our kids are under the influence of many forces. Neglecting direct involvement in their lives all along their developmental path is necessary for us to allow them the good choices that they need to make. Instead, too many are leaving it to forces under the control of ungodly influences. Our kids watch, on average, 24 hours of TV each week. The public school system has them for nearly 40 hours a week, too. After school they might run with a few of their local friends for an average of 8 hours a week (including Saturday's). So 72 hours a week our kids are getting a steady diet of the world’s values and ungodly world views. How do we counter act that powerful influence that is built right into the system of their lives? With a 1 hour Sunday School lesson? Come on friends, it takes more than that.

Home influence has to be strong. 
So here is a check list of the things that we must be absolutely sure to do to raise kids who love God in our world. I am sure that it is not a complete list, but it is a good start

1. Live a godly and genuine life. Are our church I talk about being the real deal. How do we live out our faith? If we have a Sunday morning only faith we will lose our kids to the influence of the world as sure as the sun shines every morning. We have to be examples of God influenced people. We must be people who have a profound love for God (Luke 10.27) and others.

2. Seek to lead them to Jesus early. It is important that parents guide children to Jesus and disciple them in the ways of Jesus. It is okay to ask them if” Jesus lives in their heart?”

3. Disciple and teach them. We used the dinner table to have faith-relevant discussions on topics of the daily news or events in our children's lives. Your teaching at home will be reinforced by Children’s Church pastors and Youth pastors. We need to prioritize impact in our kid’s lives.

4. Pray for your children. Kids need to be involved in prayer times, and prayed over everyday. Bed time prayers, prayer for protection in the morning, family prayer times when facing difficult times as a family, etc. These show the living faith and give God opportunity to demonstrate his power in the life of your child.


5. Attend church. We need the help of others in raising our kids. Many times a person from the church has earned a hearing in the life of your child because of their position or simply a listening ear and a caring heart. You need to be thankful for the added influence.  Relationships cannot be developed unless you attend church faithfully. Prioritizing your  children means making sure they are at midweek services and Sunday mornings. Quality relationships is spelled T-I-M-E.

When It Just Won't Stop

Resistance from the demonic realm comes to all believers at one time or another. Usually it's purpose is to take us off our game. One thing our enemy knows is the mental warfare game. When we are young in the Lord, it might only take a few moments of resistance to cause us to shrink back from our assignment. God gives us a word in Ephesians  that is crucial to remember. 6.10 " Be strong in the Lord...." We are called to a walk of spiritual strength. That strength comes from the Lord. We must draw nearer in prayer, calling out humbly to our Father, and pressing in to receive from him our supply of strength. We must resist the temptation to gin up our own strength. No matter how formidable our physical stamina, we are small and frail in comparison to the Devils that attack us. Our strength must be spiritual in nature, and our faith must be in the Lord our God.

But there are also times when the attack is simply unrelenting. A constant bombardment, a thrashing of situation after situation, seeming defeat after seeming defeat, and a piling on that simply is overwhelming. We must ask ourselves if we still believe in the One who has called us. War is an exhausting and demanding effort. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. Once again Ephesians 6 gives us direction. "“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”V 13. AS the enemy comes with relentlessness, we recognize that we must be standing on holy ground that he wants back. We have somehow advanced, and gained a place of worth in the spiritual dimension. 

Shamefully, it is at this point that we often lose our patience with God's seeming slow response for reinforcements. We give up on the fellowship of believers, or we run off to chase a blessing somewhere else because we can convince ourselves that that is better than standing. Yet understanding the motivation of the dark kingdom should stir up a Holy Resistance, a Divine Refusal to release the territory that we have gained and the Savior has conquered by his blood. Do not give in, fight the fight. Stand your ground, do not give up! Even though doubts arise, even though the fire burns for weeks, even though it seems relentless, do not alter your course.

Just don't give up.

Who? Me? Judge?

I’m not sure how it happens but pride and arrogance have a difficulty staying in the grave. We begin slowly to think that we are better than we are. We think that we are superior to others around us. It begins to show by little actions of hubris, our humility seems to dissipate, and we begin to judge others. Its crazy! In direct defiance to the command of our Savior and Lord we look down on another. We assign evil intentions to another’s actions. We pass judgement on them. 

Matthew 7.1,2  Do not Judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 

                When the rebuke comes, it is offensive to us. Whether it comes from the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit, a private word questioning your actions and attitudes, or whether it comes publicly. We have entrusted what was circulating in our hearts to be revealed by our lips. There is enough hubris to salve over the course and ungodly action of speaking it out. Soon we are accustomed to speaking without guarding our lips. Then the rebuke comes. It causes our spirit to recoil. We are offended, we withdraw, and, if we respond well to the Holy Spirit we are ashamed!

Judging another is forbidden. It is necessary to look at another’s actions and discern that those actions are sinful and unwise. It is possible to judge another as ‘unfit for hire’ as an evaluation of their character. These kinds of benign judgments are not what the scripture has in mind. It is the condemnation of another. David Hill says the disciples of Jesus are “not be censorious or condemning in their attitude toward others.” James 4.11 ties the action to include slander of another’s character.

My experience is that this temptation comes to us all very frequently. Be sure to know that this is a revelation, not of your spiritual superiority, but of your pride. For this condemnation can only exist in a heart that is tainted with an inflated sense of self-righteousness. This is why it is so offensive to be confronted with our carnality and sin!

Jesus warned that our judging invites an equal condemnation. This is not something to be taken lightly. God does not wink at his Word. We must be careful to exercise due diligence in judging the sins of our own heart. (It is so easy to let ourselves slide in mercy while wielding a sword of judgment on another) James repeats the threat and adds “Who are you to judge your neighbor?” That maybe where we really fail. We judge thinking we are ‘somebody’. In reality, we are ‘somebody’s’. We belong to another who has an answer to our pride. It is the Cross of Jesus Christ.

We judge thinking we are ‘somebody’. In reality, we are ‘somebody’s’.

 The Apostle Paul said “I die everyday…” (1 Cor 15.31) There is an obligation to die to self and to our ego. Only in the self-less life can we find freedom from the invitation to be “judged with the measure we use”. I pray that you will find the freedom of humility and that you will guard your heart from the troubles caused by the in-creep of pride.

RISING

““Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58:6-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For a while now there has been oppression and difficulty. But God challenged us at CLC with this promise. Like many of God's promises this one is conditional. It is a promise that we will RISE and that the glory of the Lord will make sure this happens when criteria are met. (I recognize that this is an unpopular message to those who misunderstand the grace of the Lord, as it requires some obedience. Let God be true...)

So here is a simple checklist. Perhaps you will go over it from time to time to check to see if your life is the kind of life that God can bless. I encourage you to make adjustments according to the Spirit of God's leading.

FASTING-Are you more interested in what heaven see's when you fast or what men see?
INJUSTICE- Are we speaking up against the unfairness of the system? The systemic racism, economic disparity, the blindness of the eyes of those who have and the oppression of those who have not?
YOKES- Are we interested in keeping people in their place of ignorance or are we teaching them the way of righteousness? Are we living, speaking, and teaching kingdom values?
OPPRESSION- Are we standing in the gap for those who are oppressed by darkness, the demonized and the downcast? Are we setting people free?
FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING- Are we meeting the physical needs of those who come to the Lord's house? Are we giving to benevolence funds? Are we sharing what is rightfully ours with those who have little?
GOSSIP and MALICIOUS TALK- Are we done with the petty trifles of interpersonal politics? Are we more concerned with what kind of person we are rather than what he or she thinks about us?

Then we can expect that our "light will rise" even in the environment of darkness. Then we can be assured that the Living God will strengthen us and be our supply; that he will hear our prayers and answer; that he will satisfy us and guide our lives. Then we can know that faith in the Living God is more than the words from our mouths but has become our lifestyle.

And that is the life that God can bless.

Blessings and Curses

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:26-29‬ ‭NIV‬‬


I occurred to me as I was reading this text a while ago that the key to a Successful Christian Life is consistency. The roadway of life is littered with the spiritual corpses of those who have been fervently hot one moment and ice cold the next. In this passage, Moses is reminding the people that God was on their side. God was longing to bless. He was (and is) leading that rally for success, blessing, and a lifetime of grace and mercy.

He tells the Israelites that they must proclaim from the hills the blessings of the Lord and the cursings of the Lord. God doesn't change his requirements to keep blessing us. He expects us to navigate life with a desire to be under the blessing of God. Our behavior needs to be oriented towards the blessing of God. In times of victory or success, in times of calm seas and times of relative peace, we are prone to forget that we must steer clear of the rocky shores of compromise. Only in holding a steady course oriented on the blessing of God will we be sure to find all that the Lord desires to give us.

Ironically, while God Almighty longs to bless us, we can be an obstacle to that blessing. So as a reminder God wanted us to be constantly made aware that there is a right way and a wrong way, a way of blessing and a way of cursing. Clearly, God is desiring to bless. But the Almighty is not willing to overthrow your personal will and volition. You choose. Your choice, sometimes daily, sometimes moment by moment, is the way that you will stay under the cloud of his blessing.

Since the choice comes to us over and again success is the consistent navigation of life with the priorities of God and the commands of life's design clearly in your vision. I pray today that you will hear from both mountains the echoes of God's desire to bless you (Deut 28) and also the negative consequences of becoming shipwrecked upon the shoals of disobedience. God desires for your blessing and success in life. God's people, too, are cheering for you to choose rightly. The witness of heaven itself is choosing for you to choose obedience over selfish disobedience. But your choice is the deciding vote!

A Christmas Meditation

“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬


So far the season has failed to represent accurately what Christ's first coming was really about. Far from festivities, over-indulgence, and family, Christ's first coming was all about establishing a relationship with mankind. We are so far from that very first angelic announcement that it is lost in the  holiday shuffle.

He came to the lowest place on the globe to demonstrate no one was too far below him to be LIFTED up by him. He came to those oppressed and lacking freedom to show that he could break EVERY bondage. He walked among the poor to show that God was willing to SHARE his riches. He came under Rome's AUTHORITY so that he might use the Roman roads to share the gospel. He gave his Son to a woman born under the Torah, to show that his life would FULFILL the law, every jot and tittle.

Jesus came that we might receive the spirit of adoption into our hearts. That Spirit only cries out "Abba". Abba is the name of intimacy with the Father. He comes to draw us into the Life giving relationship with God. Have you entered into that relationship with Christ? Have you opened the doorway of your heart to receive the adoptive love of Jesus? This doesn't happen by church attendance, nor by church membership; it doesn't happen by familial teaching or by connections to others who walk with Christ. It happens in prayer. You must pray to receive that which God has procured for you in the coming and dying and resurrecting of the Son that he sent.

The results of such an adoptive relationship, established by our Father in Heaven, are spelled out by Paul. He came to make us his children; He came to set us free from slavery to sin; He came to make us heirs of God. What great fortune that God would set us in his forever family- loved, free, and heirs with Christ!

False Prophets

In thirty some years of ministry I have rubbed elbows with a number of "prophets". I have seen the genuine and the phony, the astoundingly accurate and the sweeping generalities, and the teaching prophet and the stirring prophet. Even though I have been disappointed by some people who have called themselves prophets, I have been enriched by many others. So how does one tell the pretenders from the genuine?

Pretenders follow their own insight, their own heart,and their own spirit. I came to church once and a "prophet" had painted in 6 foot letters on the side of the church exterior that I would be gone in one year. 23 years later I am still the pastor of this church. In fact, that brother was angry with something. His own spirit provoked him to deface the building. False prophets are guided by their own hearts Ez. 13.3

Often the false prophet claims all manner of unbiblical things. They preach fear, they stir up trouble, they spread deceptive accusations in the name of the Lord. We are reminded in scripture that "No one who uses the name of the Lord in vain will be held guiltless (Ex 20.7) I can usually tell a false prophet by the general tenor of his speech. He assumes authority not given, and speaks without the unction of the Lord.

Frequently, the false prophet has a personal history of deceit. They have a track record of rebellion, deceit and lies. Sometimes this is covered in bluster, other times it is overlooked altogether and the pleasantries that are declared are simply false assurances. (Ez. 13.10,15) The spiritual gifts of God are cradled in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the character of the prophet matters. When he speaks his life must bear testimony to his unction and calling.

I have also noticed that there is a difficulty for a pretender to be under a spiritual covering. Frequently they are lone Rangers, moving in and out of different bodies. This difficulty with authority within the local body is a part of their psychological make up, I think. They frequently speak against a person, or a leader. The NT concept of prophecy is described as edification, encouragement and comfort (1 Cor 14.3) yet their harshness betrays the human spirit (or demonic divisive) spirit that drives them.

While all prophets are frequently direct, there is a sense in which the pretenders don't really care for the sheep. They want to discharge a message that judges others by a standard which they themselves cannot live up to. They are inordinately harsh.

The appropriate response is to evaluate the prophecy spiritually (1 Thess 5.21) Test everything. Everything. We do so by comparing it with the written objective Word of God. Jesus and the Apostles as well warned against false prophets. It is helpful to know that there are only three sources for any "word" given. God, the Devil, or human flesh. Pastors need to stay close to God so that when the false word si spoken they recognize it immediately. They should not be put off by a blustery "thus says the Lord" but rather they should evaluate everything.

In spite of the pretenders, I have seen prophetic brothers and sisters, confirm the will of God in the lives of his children, I have watched people called into ministry succeed when there was no inkling of successful ministry skills, I have watch the spirit of God call out hidden sins, and prison sentences to the year, and healings yet to come. When the Spiritually Genuine Gift of God is moving in the midst of Gods church it is a wonderful thing. No wonder we are told to covet the gift of prophecy. BUT we must never speak a word that God has not assigned us.

The drive for the prophet is simple to dispatch in obedience the Word that has been given him or her for the building up and edification of the body of Christ. Financial gain, personal glorification, and personality conflicts are never the driving force behind the Word of the Lord.

Keep Step with the Spirit.

For further study Ezekiel 13, 1 John 4.1-3; Deut 18.22, 2 Peter 2.1-3; Amos 8.11; 1 Thess 5.21

Spots?

“Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭13:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These days it is not thought proper to speak of your self in a negative light. We like sermons that leave us "strengthened and edified" and "empowered". So Jeremiah is kind of a downer here. His insight, though, is one which every thoughtful believer eventually comes to. It is the recognition of hopelessness. Ouch, we don't like those kinds of negativity. But frequently we recognize with Paul in Romans 7 that "...the things I ought to do are not the things I do..." As the scripture says in another place, "the flesh profits us nothing. "

You and I are hopelessly bound to what we are. Perhaps I could have been an acrobat, though it is unlikely, but it is certainly beyond the horizon now. The paths that I have chosen have limited me. Got any thoughts regarding your choices? Have you limited your options by your choices? But the prophet goes further. He insinuates that there are inborn characteristics, imprints of who you are to become are woven in you from the womb. That is disconcerting! I cannot do good, because I am accustomed to doing evil. Double Ouch!

Once you reach the point of hopelessness you will need to accept another truth or you will be stuck in despair. God deals in hope to the hopeless. No matter the limitations of your human strength you are not stuck being what you are now. For at the simple invitation from your heart in prayer, God mercifully attends us with the power to change everything. Yes, on your own you cannot change, but there is power in the name of Jesus. Rise up.

The Desire to Bless

 This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls..." Jer. 6.16

Jeremiah is declaring as an oracle of the Lord to the people of Judah, lamenting the fall of the surrounding nations, and literally begging the people of God to walk in obedience. The plight of the herald is that he can see what God wants to do, what he longs to do, how he longs to bless his people and reward their faithful obedience. That is the heart of the Everlasting God! He longs to embrace a flawed people, who strive to please Him rather than themselves. But Jeremiah could not find any who had a "bless-able" life. (Jer 5.1 "If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city...")

It is easy to sing, to attend services, and to ask for mercy in prayer. This is what passes for evangelical Christianity these days. We react out of weakness, failure and disobedience. From a human perspective it can be very frustrating. From a pastoral perspective it is the feeling of helplessness as words of warning flow from the lips only to be ignored by the multitude. We are the proclaimers of the the "ancient paths" and the sign posts that point to the "good way". Yet there are few takers, few obedient, few repentant.

Yet the heart of God is pregnant with goodness. He longs to bless the obedient. Obedience is measured by the difficult things. It has to do with choosing God's ways over our own. Obedience cannot prioritize self over God. Obedience is measured in sacrificial giving, sacrificial loving, and sacrificial living. The raw truth is is that there are lifestyles that cannot be blessed by God. I say this with tears and sorrow. Some strive in all the wrong ways to achieve the blessing of God. The key is finding a life that God can bless.

Obedience is measured in sacrificial giving, sacrificial loving, and sacrificial living.

How can one find such a life? The prophet tells us the way. Stand and look...ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it... God can and will bless, give rest, guide and direct our lives if we will DO what he commands. Yes, this is a faith walk. But it is not a matter of intellectual assent but of the kind of faith that moves in obedience to the commanding voice of the Master. God desires to bless your life, is your life bless-able?

Perishing People

Proverbs 29.18  Where there is no vision, the people perish...

The Vision of the House

It is the Pastor's responsibility, with the help of key leaders in the body,  to establish the vision of the house. Each local church has an assignment from the Almighty and to miss that assignment, no matter how many accolades for good and fine things that are done is to miss God's Purpose. Missing God's purpose will also be missing God's blessing.

But how does a spiritual leader determine the assignment (vision) for the house. Earnest Prayer is the only thing that I know will lead a pastor to determine if his church is supposed to be a worshipping center or an evangelistic rescue mission. Is it supposed to be a hospital for restoring spiritual health to those wounded or a discipleship center teaching the ways of God?  Every church has this assignment and the leadership team, and especially the Sr. Pastor is called to catch the vision from God.

Communicating the Vision

Some how the vision has to be communicated. Likely it will need to be communicated in many ways. From the pulpit, through the leadership, on stationary, on websites, etc. It should be clear that the assignment from God was pursued and found. It is necessary, too, that even the leadership see that over and over since there are many good things that can be a distraction from the calling of God to a particular church.

Originally here at CLC we saw ourselves as a worshipping community primarily. Our tag line, meant to communicate that was "Where Worship is a Way of Life". And while we continue to be a church that is worship oriented we also recognized a redefining a few years back. It seemed that God was drawing us into a more mature season of discipleship training. our tag line changed to "Real Faith for the Real World".

Loving Rejection

Not everyone will agree with the vision of the house. Of course, there are many who simply will not understand that you cannot do everything from rescuing folks from sex trafficking to having the greatest Sunday School in the Western Hemisphere. We are very involved in missions and do mission trips around the world. We endeavor to help the poor here at home. We train and educate the newly saved, teach leaders to develop into more mature servants, believe for the miraculous, intercede for lost and broken, develop worship leaders, and a dozen other things here at CLC.

And if we have to part ways with people who need to separate to fulfill their God given call we do it lovingly. Honoring the call of God in their lives. It isn't always easy to understand but we know in whom we have believed.

The main thing for us all is to understand what God's main thing is. And then to busy ourselves pursuing the main thing for his honor and glory.

10 Ways to "Affair Proof" your Marriage

Marriage is an endeavor worthy of our hard work.

1. Watch Your Step.

Avoid intimate situations with people not your spouse. Late night working together, traveling alone with a person of the opposite sex, etc. Affairs begin when people start talking about their personal problems with another person besides their spouse. Never complain to a person of the opposite sex about your spouse. Emotions and attachments can begin in unguarded moments very easily.

2. Date Often.

Establish a “date night” each week and treat this time as hallowed. it doesn't have to break the bank but it should be enjoyable for the both of you. Rule out complaints about the unfinished laundry, the unpainted bedrooms, and the kid issues. Spend time talking about what you love to do.

3. Keep Your Mind Pure

Pornography destroys people and relationships.  Porn creates unrealistic and false expectations for your sexual relationship with your spouse.  It teaches the lie that relationships are all about getting, instead of giving.  Reign in your fantasy life and surrender your lusts to God. Never erase your computer history.  Allow your spouse to hold you accountable.

4. Be Thoughtful and Romantic.

It doesn’t take much to be romantic. A short hand written note only takes a few minutes to write. Flowers for women are always welcome, even if you picked them up from the grocery store on the way home. What is your spouses love language? Respond accordingly.

5. Start A Fire.

Couples who are affectionate with each other stay together. Be spontaneous, touch affectionately, hugs before kisses. Hold hands when you’re out.  Invest in the physical connection. These small gestures will help strengthen the physical connection that every relationship needs.

6. Have Sex Regularly.

If we only have sex when both of us feel like it, it will grow increasingly less over time. Men sometimes stray because their wife is just not interested in having an intimate sexual relationship.  Sex grows infrequent because we are tired, busy, emotionally distant, overwhelmed, etc. Physical intimacy needs to be practiced frequently.

7. Listen Regularly.

Have meaningful conversations with your spouse. After the kids are in bed discuss your day with each other. Talk about your high points and low points. Share your dreams with them. Practice good listening skills by dropping what you are doing, making eye contact, and showing that you are genuinely interested in what they are saying. Prayer together is powerful on both the divine end and the human end.

8. The Best Policy.

Simple honesty is often overlooked. Don't get dragged into power games in your relationship. Be vulnerable with honest feelings, be careful how you word your disappointments to as not to indict your spouse but truly share those things that cause you hurt. Pray together over your heart vulnerabilities.

9. Be Kind.

The power of words cannot be overestimated. Words and tones are used to communicate. Every action should be loving and kind toward our spouse. Remember this is the place we practice servanthood and love. 

10. Take Care.

Eat right, exercise and do things that will bring you health and confidence. You don't have to be a super model, just a super you! That spare tire isn't doing you any good anyway. Burn it off. work out at the gym or just go for long walks (2-3 miles) each day. Avoid the fade diets, just monitor intake and outtake.

I'm sure there are more ways. If you have any others let me know.

Loving Your Gay Friends

It's not hard to love somebody, is it? Well, of course it is! Jesus challenged us over and again to love, not because it was easy but because it was right! In fact, Jesus compares those who only love "easy" with the most selfish people of his time... the tax collectors.

Matthew 5.46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

So as a Christ follower I have to put in the work so that I may love like Jesus. Often this is difficult because I am lazy, ill informed, and selfish. In order for me to love someone I often have to understand what it is like to walk in their "moccasins". I may have to have some frank and uncomfortable conversations with my friends who live a different lifestyle than I. And for many Christians, that is stressful. Nevertheless, it is a gut check for believers. Will you come out of the closet as a follower of Jesus?

Be Loving
When Jesus came to the woman at the well in John 4 he had a situation. First, it is unseemly for He, a man, to be conversing with a woman. Next, she her Samaritan theology is a mess. Thirdly, Her lifestyle of promiscuity is also glaring problem. But Jesus loved her. He loved her with the intention of giving her the truth. He prophesied to her in a way that she brought others back to see Him! Yet he didn't withhold truth.

Is it possible for us speak the truth so compellingly that it will provoke a spiritual curiousity that draws them closer? So often the disciple of Jesus speaks out in angry confrontation rather than love. Perhaps we need to be more dependant upon the gifts of the Holy Spirit to speak with these friends who are living in a fashion that is damaging their soul.
 
Be Honest
If you are uncomfortable celebrating the homosexual marriage of your friend tell them that in a loving way. Rather than blaming your church for not being progressive enough, tell them what it is that Jesus said that makes you uncomfortable. You don't have to preach, just talk.

"Look friend, I really want the best for you. I think we have been friends long enough that you know I am a follower of Jesus.  But I am so convinced that this is damaging to you that I can't join your celebration. Sorry. I hope you can respect my faith and my decision."

Be Dependent
Be dependent upon the Lord, that is. Too often we are so codependent we cannot imagine disagreeing with another. We live our lives as slaves to other peoples opinions. Disapproval is the ultimate rejection. What if they don't want to be your friends any longer? Get off the cross! Its not about you, right? It is about communicating truth.

Be Busy
This is not the time to delay. This is about eternal destinies. The further down the rabbit hole to hell our friends go the more damaged they become. Likely, they will not snap out of it without some loving truth told. Sure they will have found new friends who agree with them regarding their lifestyle but will you be remembered as a truth speaker?



Love them enough to speak out.
 

Grace-Giving vs Tithing

Frequently people will speak about New Testament giving as opposed to the tithing principle of the Old Testament. Tithing is the principle of giving that God instituted in Genesis (before the law, by the way) that required an offering of 10% of all the increase from the Israelites. I find this a very strained argument. Frequently it is proffered by those who mask their stinginess with religion. But let’s look at the NT record to see if Paul is differentiating between the two. We will find the teaching in question in 2 Corinthians 8-9.

“For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.”

I guess the first thing to notice is that Paul is lauding the generosity of these folks and holding them up as an example to be followed by the Corinthian followers of Jesus. He teaches them that giving is a privilege that believers may share. He recognizes that this generous giving sometimes exceeds what common sense would dictate. This is likely because they are sacrificially joining together with his mission. Further, he calls this action a grace that may be excelled in.

“ I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.”

So called grace giving is an act of love for the Lord that he ‘measures against others’ giving. But it takes faith and so he challenges their faith by reminding them that they can expect a supernatural supply in response to their sacrifice because the very purpose of Jesus becoming poor was to bring plenty (literally riches) to his followers. He further challenges them with a timeline for this benevolent gift that is going to be given to the poor in Jerusalem. He reminds them that Christ judges the gift not by what is in the basket but by what is left in the pocket. Cf Luke 21.4

“ Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.””
‭‭‬‬
Paul explains that equality of giving is not in view merely equality of  sacrifice.It levels  the playing field,eases suffering, and gives everyone the opportunity to practice generosity. That the privilege is in the giving not the receiving.

“So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Paul reminds them of their pledged support and urges to finish the work. He encourages with the axiom of scripture that he who sows sparingly can expect little in return but he who sows generously,cheerfully, and of his own volition can expect God to come through for them big time. Of course, the amount that is given is not to be compelled by church leadership but by the faith in the heart of the disciple.

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. “

Once again they are reminded that God’s able and willing to replenish the supply of your resources so that you will be able to step to every giving opportunity. Giving to God,the Apostle reminds us, guarantees all you will need everywhere you go, every time. This biblical mandate to sow a financial “seed” brings supply and increase and enlargement of your reward. God does not limit his blessing to merely financial enrichment but in every way he is our supply.

“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:5-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

And all this beings praise to God in the lives of the receivers, and the givers, and the onlookers!

So Grace Giving is the financial gift of love cheerfully and sacrificially given to the work of God. It is proportional to each man's income, given in faith, with the expectation of divine blessing and reward for giving it. It is an act of obedience that every believer should practice, indeed, excel in. See the difference between Tithing and Grace-giving? Me neither! Giving to God has been an obligatory act of worship since fresh out of the garden (Gen 4.4) and 10 percent was the figure that started long before the old covenant (Gen 14.20). So why not start obeying by faith the Lords mandate to give today?

I

NT Losers

The doctrine of eternal security is often argued in the pews of the congregation. Good people are often found on either side of the argument. I thought I would stir the pot a bit today to remind us that the exhortation to stay faithful is a warning to avoid real spiritual tragedy.  I once spoke to a brother in Christ who told me that if I could produce one person in the New Testament that lost his salvation he would believe that salvation could be lost. Let me produce a few for your perusal.


1. 1 Tim 1.20 Hymnaeus and Alexander- these two failed to "hold on to faith and a good conscience" consequently the Apostle Paul tells us that their faith had been "shipwrecked". They were no longer in the care of the loving arms of the Savior. They were "handed over" to Satan.

2. Gal 5.2-6 Certain of the Galatian believers had fallen prey to a group known as the Judaizers. They began to seek justification before God by the works of obedience to the Law. These, the Apostle says, have "fallen away from grace" and are "alienated from Christ".

3. 2 Peter 2.20 These teachers had fallen into error. They were once free from the "corruption of the world" which came through "knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". Now, however, they have fallen into sins of the world, and are "overcome" by them. They are "worse off at the end than they were at the beginning". (In that they were damned at the beginning, they are worse off now, because they are doubly condemned, having once been saved but now lost)

4. Heb 6.4-8 Among the Hebrew believers there was a number who had "tasted the heavenly gift" and "shared in the Holy Spirit". These also had "shared in the power of God" and the "Word of God". But now they had fallen away. The author says that it is impossible for them to be "brought back" or "renewed" to repentance. Then he likens them to land that produces only thorns and thistles, promising that in the end they will be burned. Compare Heb 12.16

While it is sobering to consider the possibility of throwing it all away, it serves as a warning to us to walk with a determination that we will finish well. We need the grace of God in our lives from salvation experience all the way to the gates of glory. Let us, then, "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised"