Being Reminded in the Garage

At around 10:15 tonight, I was going through some boxes I brought back from Waco several weeks ago from my parents house.  In one of the boxes are a series of books that are sermon compilations from the 1920's.  I started glancing through them and was reminded of something in my garage.  The last 3 weeks have been tough for me, as I am having to work a full time job to make ends meet as we start the church.  With my commute and the hours worked, well, let's just say that many hours are being logged and they are not in the area of my calling and gifting. I so want to work full-time at the church, but we are simply not there yet.  I don't know how it is with you, but when we find ourselves in a different place that is really stretching us, it is good to get reminders of what Christ's purposes for us are.  I needed one and got it.  It was nothing magical and no bells went off in the garage, just the booming voice of God in my heart as I read the pages of one of those books.  In 1926, the 2nd president of Southwestern Seminary, L.R. Scarborough, wrote these words:
"The preaching of the gospel is probably the most potent factor in human society, aside from the immediate hand of God.  The voice of the preacher is heard around the world in every circle or uplifting life.  The proclamation of the Good News by faithful preachers is the mightiest human power aided by divine strength against sin, for righteousness and world betterment.  The preacher is God's key-man in the saving agencies of this world.  He is needed today as never before.  His office rightly filled outrules kings and outwars armies.  The force or program that corners or belittles gospel preaching is the enemy of God and man.  Any power that furthers good preaching is God'sagency for bringing in the universal rule of righteousness."For me, these words serve as a reminder of the calling upon all of our lives to be the people who herald the gospel story to a lost world.  I was reminded tonight, in my garage that there is a call upon my life that is bigger than me and that I must, above all things, embrace the truth of God and be a passionate pursuer and proclaimer of his glory.  

The Legacy of 90 Years

Last Friday, I drove to Waco for the celebration on the 90th Birthday of my grandfather.  He is a WWII Veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and someone who has walked with God and invested his life for the last 50 years to the cause of Christ.  I wrote him a letter expressing my thoughts upon his life.  I hope someone one day writes of me the way I did of him.  I want my life to count - not for that which fades, but continues on well after I leave.  Here is my letter:

Paw-Paw,

First of all, I wanted to wish you a very happy Birthday. 

I wanted to express from my heart today how thankful I am that you are my grandfather.  You have been one of the best models for ministry that I could have ever had.  As a kid coming to Amarillo for two weeks every summer allowed me the opportunity to watch and learn how to be passionate about preaching the word of God.  I believe that my passion to preach the word has come from seeing and hearing you preach so much as I grew up.  Thank you for instilling this passion in me.

When I think of the years you have lived, I cannot help but think of Deuteronomy 6.  You and MeMaw both exemplified the truth of this passage.

1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

You have taught your children to walk with God, they have taught their children, and now your grandkids are teaching their children to walk with God.  You have lived a life that fulfills this passage.  Of all of your accomplishments and praises that you have been given during your time on earth, this one, in my opinion stands above them all.  You have established a spiritual heritage that has been and is being passed down to the generations and will continue on after us all.

Thanks is not enough, but know that my thanks to you comes from the depth of who I am.

What will live on after we have gone?  That which we have invested in our families and friends. 

What will you and I live for?

Book Recommendation

I wanted to recommend a great read to you.  With my current schedule I have not been able to read as much as normal, but back in early September I began a book that I finally finished today in my lunch hour.  It is a biography of the life of Rich Mullins.  I found myself so moved as I closed it today at around 1:40pm.  Wow!  I don't recommend books much, but you should go by the book and allow a man who lived simply and passionately for the greatness of the glory of Christ, impact you and challenge you to live as he did.

The book is called - An Arrow Pointing Toward Heaven by James Bryan Smith.  

It is worth every sentence.

Friendship with God

In the middle of Jesus longest recorded discourse in the gospels (John 13-17), we come to a place where Jesus offers up his view of what friendship with Him looks like.  Here are the 4 verses:  John 15:13-17 - "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you .  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask in my name, he may give it to you."

Jesus is doing the defining of what friendship means.  It means we...

1.  Do what He says (vs. 14)

We are not to talk about it, write books about it, have conferences about it.  We are to do what he says.  How this would fix most of the issues in our lives, if we would be obedient.

2.  Acquainted with what He is doing (vs. 15)

Do we know what he is up to in our cities or the nations?  We as his friends should be intimately acquainted with what he is doing both in us and around us.  We should be concerned about this.

3.  Live with a "Going" Mindset that bears fruit (vs. 16a)

We are not to simply exist, but to live in such a way that bears the fruit resulting from obedience.  We are to do this "going", not just being lived out in the confines of the safety of the Jesus Bubble.

4.  Bear Fruit that Remains (vs. 16b)

This one is important.  So much of our lives are up and down and a re-learning of things we should know by now, but seem so often to forget.  Friendship with Jesus results in fruit that remains and continues to have impact.  How is this in our lives where we have been and served?  Do people think of us?  Does our investment continue to shape their relationship with God and how they are investing in the world?  Sobering questions.

5.  Ask for things that are in line with His name (vs. 16c)

Friendship with him means that we can freely ask the Father to do things in the name of Jesus and Jesus says that the Father may give it to you.  The request have to be in line with his name (his will), and when they are, he gives his friends what they ask for.  Just think of the implications.

So, what does our friendship with him look like according to his words above.  Maybe it is time to get some things "righted" in this friendship. 

Meeting in Homes

Where should one meet for worship, community, and discipleship?  One of the places the bible speaks  about - are homes. Just in case you think I am just one of those new church kind of thinkers, I would say to you that I am just making myself in line with the New Testament.  Read the  passages are listed below. 

 Acts 2:46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, Acts 5:42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 12:12-13 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. Acts 16: 39-40 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left. Acts 20:20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. Romans 16: 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 5Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 6Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.1 Corinthians 16:19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla[a] greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. Colossians 4: 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. Philemon 1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker, 2to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church that meets in your home:

 It appears the early church from Jerusalem, Rome, Philippi, Corinth, Ephesus, Colossae, and the letter to Philemon they either utilized a model of public worship as well as gatherings in homes, or simply did church in homes, which naturally because of size, were smaller. Some of these were churches, one was a prayer gathering (Acts 16:39-40), and the Acts 2 ones give the idea of community and worship in the home throughout Jerusalem. Obviously, Christ was the centerpiece of what they did both publicly and in the homes.   

Who are you inviting over this week?  Whose home are you going to where you will experience community and focus on the glory of Christ?  

Gas

Here is some real excitement for the day - I bought gas this morning at Walmart for $3.11 a gallon.  Wow!  Does that knowledge help you today?  I needed to tell someone. Okay, I feel better now.

He Called Her Over

I do not exactly how your relationship with God works, but since you are human like me (you are human right?), you more than likely do some of the things that I do.  I came across a familiar story this morning, but as I read it, it was seen with fresh eyes.  It forms the basis for the devotion this week.  Let’s read the scripture to get the full picture.                                                                                                                                                                                                              Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for 18 years.  She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.  When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”  And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.  Luke 13:10-14                                                                         This day was not unlike other days in Jesus ministry.  He was at church with a bunch of other people worshiping and focusing on God.  One of the things we can forget about, is that when we come to church there are people all around us who, like us, have secret things that no one knows, they have pain and sickness in their bodies, some are disillusioned, and others have been in a certain condition for years without relief.  We sometimes come to a bible study or church and our focus in entirely on us.  Will I like the music?  Will the sermon be good?  What am I doing after church?  Where will go eat later?  Who is playing soccer today?  It is amazing how we come to worship for the sole purpose of honoring God and spend our time focusing on the things that have to do with our lives – all in a place where we have come to focus solely on God and others.  When we focus so much on us, we forget that there are so many other people around us who need a friend, an encouraging word, someone to sit by them, or just a friendly smile or handshake. 

In our story, there was a woman who for 18 years was stricken by something that caused her to be bent over and not be able to straighten herself.  Can you imagine that?  18 years of a body that could not get straight.  Could that describe you and I in some area of our lives?  Most likely all of us have issues that are so heavy they cause to not walk straight emotionally and spiritually, but the weight of them causes us to be “bent”.  No matter how much we try, the issue just seems to remain.  After a long time, it feels defeating and we may even wonder if we can ever find relief. 

            We do not know if she had gone to many doctors for help and we do not even know if she came to church on this day knowing that Jesus would be there.  We simply do not know.  For me personally, here is where the story gets unique.  The text indicates that she was not near Jesus, she was not coming to him,  it simply says that she was there in the synagogue.  Too often I am afraid, I find myself coming seeking out God for what I desire him to do in me, for my family, or in Germany.  Of course we should come to him and say what is on our hearts, we just need to make sure the request lines up with His will.  She may have had no idea that her hope was going to be at church that day.  She most likely did not come expecting God to move in her and bring his healing.  But God, is different than you and I.

What is interesting in the story are these words, “When Jesus saw her, he called her over.”  Jesus sought her out in the worship service.  He saw her need and he called her to come to him.  Think about that for a moment.  She did not come seeking him, but she found that he was seeking after her.  She was not looking at him, but he was looking at her.  We forget that Jesus is a seeking God and deeply desires to bring his healing into our lives in moments when we may least expect it. 

She did not come looking for an encounter with Jesus, but she got one because Jesus is a God who seeks encounters with us.  

The bible her says , “He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”  And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.She comes, Jesus touches, and the crooked part of her life is immediately made straight.  Is it really any wonder that she glorified God.  Jesus can and will come at times when we least expect it, and what a moment that is when we taste and experience his presence.  

New Beginnings

We had a great day yesterday and I wanted to share it with you.  We officially started our new church yesterday - LifePointe Fellowship.  Not only did that happen, but we experienced these things:

• Our largest attendance in my 6 Sundays here - 117.  That is almost double from my first Sunday in September.
• 8 New people joined the church through our new member class.  (15 total in last 2 weeks)
• Baptized 4 people

There is much more that I could share, but wanted to share these things.  God is moving in our church and we are excited about the days ahead.  It is so great to start new and experience all that Christ is doing in our lives, our church, and our new friends that we are walking through life with.  Thanks for all of your prayers and don't stop.  We still have much to do, but we want to enjoy the journey as it unfolds.

Running from God

1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. 2 He said: "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry.3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.'5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 

I highlighted 3 things above and each of these are vitally important when we have run from God and find ourselves broken, lonely, and need of his rescue.  I will write them here and briefly comment on them:

    1.  Call to the Lord – The trouble came because he was running from God and not being connected to him, therefore his hope was in calling out to the one who had the power to help and from whom he had run.                                                      

2.     Restore our focus on God – Jonah knew that the worship of God and his glory would heal him, therefore he knows that he will worship again in the temple and praise his God.  Nothing focuses our life more than seeing and seeking God for who he is.                                                                                                                                                                                     

3.     Remember the LORD – As it had all broken down around him, he finally remembered that God alone can give us life, hope, and love.  Jonah, in that moment, remembers how great and good God is and finds comfort in his thoughts of God.  It is usually in "belly of the whale" places where we remember God's goodness.

 We have much to learn from Jonah when we have run from God and what we should do when we are there.  Where do you find yourself today?  Near him or are you on the run?  If you are on the run, then it is time to stop and come back to him as your hope.  Though you might not find yourself in the darkness of a fish, the darkness of our pain can be enough to help us know, that God alone is our hope.  This is my prayer for those of us who are on a boat for “Tarshish” and thinking we can find hope away from the purposes of God.  Let’s come back to him.