Ascent Week 22

Psalms 125

Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion;
   they will not be defeated but will endure forever.
Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,
   so the LORD surrounds his people, both now and forever.
The wicked will not rule the land of the godly,
   for then the godly might be tempted to do worng.
O LORD, do good to those who are good,
   whose hearts are in tune with you.
But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O LORD.
   Take them away with those who do evil.

May Israel have peace!

Down in My Heart

I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart!

   Where?

Down in my heart!

   Where?

Down in my heart!

This popular children’s worship song is most likely known to most (if not all) of us. We used to sing it when we were kids and most of the time we may not have even stopped to think about the words we were singing, but rather thinking about how loud we could shout, “WHERE?!”

But when we think about these words, and the meaning behind them, we should take pause and think about what we are singing. We are singing about the Joy of the Lord! We sing that we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts…deep down inside. But here’s the problem: most of us live as if the joy, joy, joy, joy was down in the gutter, not in our hearts. We sulk, we worry, we pine, we fret, and we are anxious, nervous and just plain grumpy at times. God’s word commands us in Philippians 4:6 to not be anxious about ANYTHING. And yes, friends, it is a command.

So what are you doing today to make joy a part of your life? Are you listening to the voices of the world that are telling you to fear, fret and freeze? Or are you listening to the voice of Jesus saying, “I’m here, I will always be here, and I will never leave you.”

Please understand that I know we live in a world of perilous times. We are surrounded by sin on every side and there is little to nothing we feel we can do about it. But to listen to those voices that tell us to take worry as our own and hold it tight is to miss the really joy and blessing that God has for our lives.

So choose today to be joyful. And you will see amazing things happen.

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

Celebration Week 21

One from the early 90's...

And one from today...

How Can We Do It?

Yesterday's blog challenged us with some very difficult things. We were challenged to love those who have betrayed us, hurt us, gossiped about us, and so forth. We were challenged that those people deserve our love, because they have God's love, and because Jesus died for them. We are called to love like Jesus loved, and therefore, we are called to love them as well.

But as I thought about this, the obvious question that came to my mind was, "How? How can I love those who hurt me, my family, or my kids?" Today I want to explore that just a little bit.

It is my contention that the only way we can truly love those who have hurt us in such a way is because of the love that we have been shown. Jesus, in Luke 7:36-50, tells the story of two men. One owed his master the equivalent of $60,000, the other owed him $6,000. The master canceled the debt of both of them. Then Jesus asks this question, "Which of these two men loved their master more?"

This is poignant question because it gets to the heart of the matter. It speaks to the fact that our love for God is based on the love that He has already shown to us. 1 John 4:19 speaks to this when John says, “We love because he (Jesus) first loved us.” We are able to love those who hurt us, betray us or whatever, because of the love we have already received from Jesus.

Chris Tomlin sings a song that talks about God being a “Good, Good Father.” This song demonstrates the love that God has for us in that He is a Father who looks after His children. He loves us so much that nothing stood in the way of Him getting to have a relationship with us. He loves you and He loves me. This love is the springboard from which our love for the people around us swells…no matter what.

It is my hope that you can love the way Jesus loved because of the love that you’ve been shown.

God bless, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

Love Like Him

Yesterday we touched on the fact that God is seeking followers who will love like Jesus loved. We noticed in John chapter 13 that Jesus washed His disciples' feet, a task that was reserved for the lowest servant. Jesus even washed Judas Iscariot's feet...the man who He knew was going to betray Him later that night.

Now I touched on this a bit in my sermon, but I wanted to expound on this just a bit in this blog post. Namely, that Jesus' love didn't stop with just those who loved Him and treated Him with respect and dignity. He loved Judas, even to the point of serving him by washing his feet (John 13:1-28). He loved His captors even to the point of healing one who had been injured (Luke 22:49-51). He loved those who crucified Him even to the point of forgiving their sins (Luke 23:33).

So what does this mean for us? Simply this: showing love to our neighbors, families, even our enemies, doesn't stop...no matter what. We are to love the way Jesus loved. He showed love by laying down His life for His friends, yes, but He also laid down His life for His enemies as well. Jesus' death and His life was for all people. Men and women; Americans, Muslims, Mexicans, Canadians, Brits, and all other people groups of the earth; Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and all other skin colors; His life and death and were for ALL of them. So when we live our lives, when we love through our service, sacrifice and smile, we should do so for all people everywhere.

Love like Jesus...there is no greater way to show the world that you are His disciple!

We'll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 21

Instead of the Psalm this week, I want to allow you to hear the end of Dr. Tony Evans' sermon, "The Root of the Problem." Please click below and enjoy.

Another Post From Dr. Tony Evans

Good morning all. It is my hope that you will indulge me once again to focus on what our world and culture is doing and needs. Here is the second installment of Dr. Tony Evans' message, "The Root of the Problem." Please listen today as Dr. Tony Evans concludes his message on what is going on in America today.

A Post From Dr. Tony Evans

Good morning all. It is my hope that you will indulge me once again to focus on what our world and culture is doing and needs. I was listening on my way into church to Moody Radio's broadcast Today in the Word. Dr. Tony Evans was speaking and he said a couple of things that piqued my interest. So I got online, looked up the broadcast and listened to it in its entirety. I was moved by his words and he speaks directly to where we are as a culture. Please listen today and tomorrow to Dr. Tony Evans.

Celebrate Week 20

This morning we have two songs that help us to celebrate prayer. The first is a redo of a classic 80's rock song called "Pray in the USA" by Morgan Cryer. I would encourage any of my fellow products 80's to look up the original song. It's really good. 

Our second celebration song is that classic hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

ENJOY! 

And we'll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 20

Psalm 124

What if the LORD had not been on our side?
    Let all Israel repeat:
What if the LORD had not been on our side
    when people attacked us?
They would have swallowed us alive
    in their burning anger.
The waters would have engulfed us;
    a torrent would have overwhelmed us.
Yes, the raging waters of their fury
    would have overwhelmed our very lives.

Praise the LORD,
    who did not let their teeth tear us apart!
We escaped like a bird from a hunter's trap.
    The trap is broken, and we are free!
Our help is from the LORD,
    who made heaven and earth.

Amen!

Continuing to Prep for Sunday

Yesterday, we started talking about preparation. I want all of you as can to listen to the second part of this two part message from Chip Ingram. It's only about 20-25 minutes of your day, but I think that what he has to say is significant and it has radically changed my thoughts about this election cycle. If you missed the audio from yesterday, please take the time to listen to part one by clicking here, and then listen to part two. Please take the time to listen to this following message (just click on the image to start the audio in a new window):

Have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Sunday!

Preparation for Sunday

Preparation is something we all need. I told you in church that we would be discussing our national situation and what my thoughts were on the coming election in November. I do plan to make a few comments on that, but I want all of you as can to listen to this two part message from Chip Ingram. It's only about 20-25 minutes of your day, but I think that what he has to say is significant and it has radically changed my thoughts about this election cycle. Please take the time to listen to this following message (just click on the image to start the audio in a new window):

Part 2 tomorrow. We'll see you on Sunday.

Apology

Dear faithful readers of this blog,

Yesterday, we had a bit of a malfunction with a new router system that we installed to improve our internet capabilities. With that said, I want you to know that the issue is being looked at and the blog posts will resume as soon as the situation is rectified, hopefully today. God bless you all, and we'll see you on Sunday!

Pastor Jim Augustine

Pray About Everything

"Be anxious for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

--Philippians 4:6-7

There is something in these verses I want you to grab hold of because if we fail to do so, it will cripple our prayer life. The idea that I want you to hold onto is the very first phrase of these verses... "Be anxious for nothing." Another translation puts it this way, "Don't worry about anything!" Does this mean it is a sin to worry? No, but if we allow our worry to steal our peace, then it is a sin. 

Worry is something that we can't always control. As parents we worry that our kids won't learn from us all they need to be productive members of society. As children, we sometimes worry that our adult parents will need care beyond what we can give them. As employees, we worry that we might not have a job to go to in the morning. These are legitimate worries that people have. But when those worries begin to invade the peace that that God wants us to have, then it becomes a problem.

Paul says that the cure for worry is prayer. When we find ourselves beginning to worry about this or that or the other thing, it is time to go to prayer. Actually, the time to go to prayer is way before worry and anxiety begin to show their ugly faces. We are to give all that we have and all that we are to God, not so we can be blessed or rewarded, but so that He might be glorified in our lives.

So all this to say, keep worry at bay and find that inner peace that says, "God is here with me, and I will not be afraid of my circumstances, or my fears!"

Thanks for reading our blog today, and we'll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 19

Psalm 123

I lift my eyes to you,
O God, enthroned in heaven.
We keep looking to the LORD our God for his mercy,
just as servants keep their eyes on their master,
as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest
   signal.
Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy,
for we have had our fill of contempt.
We have had more than our fill of the scoffing of the
   proud
and the contempt of the arrogant.

Pray Some More!

When we last talked, we were discussing the teaching that Jesus gave His disciples regarding prayer. We looked at the first two parts of that teaching, now let’s look at the rest.

The next thing that Jesus says to His followers is that they need to pray for their needs. First, He addresses the physical needs by telling them to ask for their daily bread. Notice that the emphasis is on daily bread. We are to ask God for the things we need today.

This point is illustrated in the account of the children of Israel as they walked through the desert for 40 years. Each day they were to collect enough “mana” for that day. If they tried to collect more and save it for the next day, it would rot and they wouldn’t be able to use it. But God provided for them each and every day. There wasn’t anything that they wanted for. It was enough for the day.

In the same way, God is calling us to pray not for what we need tomorrow, but what we need today. We can only be given what is necessary for today. Pray then that way.

He then addresses their spiritual needs, which is by far more important. He addresses them by telling them to confess their sins, and to seek forgiveness. They are to receive forgiveness in the same way they grant forgiveness. In the passage in Matthew, Jesus follows this up by telling them if they refuse to forgive those who have sinned against them, they shouldn’t expect God to forgive them.

This is a hard teaching because we see God as an all loving God (and He is). But He is also a just God and He will not allow us to go free if we are unwilling to set others free, too.

Prayer is important because we have needs. And God wants to meet each of these needs. Each day we should be praying that God will forgive us our sins because we sin each day. We need the physical needs of the day (food, shelter, etc.) and God is willing to grant us those things if we are willing to ask Him for them.

So how has your prayer life been the past couple of days? We’ll see you in church on Sunday!

A Time of Prayer

“It is no more possible to be a Christian without praying than it is to be alive without breathing.” Martin Luther King, Jr. said this, and I believe he’s right. Prayer to the Christ-follower is as essential as breathing. We cannot go for long holding our breath. In fact, the Guinness World Record for holding one’s breath is 18 minutes and 32.59 seconds (check it out here, if you don’t believe me).

Now some of us seem to think that we can go a lot longer without praying to God. Sometimes days and days at a time. But the truth of the matter is that without the life-giving “oxygen” of prayer, we will die in a hurry.

This week, I want to lead you on a search for what the Scriptures teach us about prayer. Let’s start with the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray. You’ll find the text of this prayer in two places. Matthew 6:10-13 and again in Luke 11:1-4. These are two different times that Jesus teaches the same lesson (as a side, it’s nice to know that disciples had to be taught things more than once, too!).

As we look at these two lessons, Jesus always starts by making sure we address God as “Our Father who is holy.” We must remember that God our Father is holy. He is a holy God, who desires to have a relationship with those He created (that’s you and me). But in order for us to have a relationship with Him, we need to come to Him in holiness as well.

So how does that happen? It can only happen when we have a relationship with Jesus. Through our relationship with Jesus, we are given Christ’s righteousness. When we have Christ’s righteousness, we are then holy…not because we are holy, but because HE (Jesus) is holy. So we can come to a holy God on the basis of what Jesus has already done.

He next teaches them to pray for the Kingdom of God to come. In the Matthew passage, He also adds the idea of asking for God’s will to be done on this earth as it is in heaven. The idea is that we need to ask God to have His will and His way in all that we do. When God’s Kingdom is evident on earth, His followers will be doing the things He wants them to do.

We’ll talk more about what the Lord teaches us about prayer tomorrow, but for now, why not spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to help you be holy, and live according to His will.

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

Celebration Week 18

Celebrate the peace that comes from putting our trust in God!

And we'll see you on Sunday!

Patience with God

"Why am I going through this? I have served God faithfully for so long, and now this happens to me?"

"I'm serving God; I'm doing what He asks me to do...why am I suffering this way?"

These may be things you've said in one way or another, or perhaps they are things you have heard others say. How do you respond when you hear these questions from others or even from yourself? Do you cringe a bit? Or do you stop and say, "Wait! I believe that God loves me. I believe that God is always looking out for me and has my best interest at heart!"

Thinking this way helps us put our emotions in their proper place. The facts of who we are, what we are and to Whom we belong ought to bolster our faith. It ought to help us to put those negative feelings in the background, and allow the fact of God's love, grace and goodness to be at the forefront of all we do and say. It's a freeing thing to know that God is with us and that He'll never leave us.

So when you feel that God has abandoned you, remember that He has said:

"Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you!"

Remember that this week and you'll be fine.

See you all on Sunday!

Patience with Each Other

"Do you know what he did to me!?"

"Did you hear about my job? She took it from me!"

"He cheated! I should have won!"

"She took the credit for what I did!"

All of us, at one point or another, are forced to deal with the hurt and disappointment of someone doing something against us that causes us pain. Whether it's done directly to us, or indirectly, it is always painful. But what does the Bible tell us about such things?

When we are hurt, offended, passed over, rejected, betrayed or just ignored, remember that Jesus suffered the same kinds of things. When we think of all He suffered, how can we moan and complain about what others are doing to us.

So remember, friend, that God's Word is clear. Be patient in suffering...especially when it is the result of what someone else has done.

God bless you, and we'll see you on Sunday!

Ascent Week 18

Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me,
    "Let us go to the house of the Lord."
And now here we are,
    standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a well-built city;
    its seamless walls cannot be breached.
All the tribes of Israel--the LORD's people--
    make their pilgrimage here.
They come to give thanks to the name of the LORD,
    as the law requires of Israel.
Here stand the thrones where judgment is given,
    the thrones of the dynasty of David.

Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
    May all who love this city prosper.
O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls
    and prosperity in your palaces.
For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,
    "May you have peace."
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
    I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.