What Are You Playing For?

I was reminiscing about something that happened around this time about 37 years ago. If you have some time, watch this clip from history:

Why do I have you watch that? For 4 reasons. First, I want you to think about what that moment meant for our nation. I know for many today they might look back and think, “It’s just a hockey game.” But for the country at that moment in time, it was so much more than that. We had issues in Iran, Russia, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The economy was in the tank, the overall morale of the country was at an all-time low, there were gasoline shortages, and to top it all off, the 70’s were over and the 80’s were on their way in. This was much more than a hockey game…it was the first bit of good news this country had a very long time.

Secondly, I dare you to tell me where even one of those men who played in that game for the United States is right now (without looking it up on Google, Yahoo!, or any other search engine on the net). Seriously, these were a bunch of guys who loved to play hockey, and who came together some 7 months prior to be a part of a team that did the unthinkable.

That’s the third reason I wanted you to consider this today. In the Disney movie titled, Miracle, we get a glimpse behind the scenes of this incredible story. Coach Herb Brooks took this band of misfits, who, at the start, were only thinking about themselves, and molded them into a team that was more than a team, but a family. They began to not just play with each other, but to play for each other.

The fourth and final reason I want you to consider this game is because I want you to ask yourself the question that is the title of this blog post: What are you playing for? These 20 guys and two coaches were trying to win a medal that will eventually burn up when this world is over. But in the “game” of life, you’re playing for much more than that. There are souls who are going to die and spend eternity in hell if we don’t start working together as a team. We are the church, and we have been called to be the hands of Jesus and the feet of Jesus to the world. It is up to us to share the message of the Gospel with those around us, and we cannot be second best at it.

So what are you playing for? Are you playing for yourself? Or are you playing for each other? Are you playing for the Word of God to be known everywhere people are breathing? Let’s not shrink back from this task! Let’s go for the gold that will never fade or perish!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

And Now For Something Completely Different

It’s Monday, and I have a sneaky suspicion that most of us wish it were not Monday (unless it’s your birthday today, or you have a hot date tonight, or something like that). But fear not, for I’m of a mind to help you find some sort of excitement in your Monday…the final Monday of February this year (which, in case you were wondering, happens to be 2017).

What is that different excitement? This verse from the book of Joel:

“The LORD’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the LORD will be a refuge for His people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.” –Joel 3:16

This verse speaks to us about the mighty love that God has for His people (specifically in this verse, Israel, but also able to be applied to the people of His Church as well). God’s mighty love for His people will never fail, and it will never stop. He is the One who will cause the earth to shake from the thunderous roar of His voice. When He brings judgement on the earth (for this is the context of the verse) He will cause the world to see it. And He will not spare those who have been careless when dealing with Him. However, those who are His, He will protect. He will be a refuge for those who love Him, and a fortress for those He calls His own.

What does this mean for us? Several things, in fact. It means that we can know that we have a place to go to when the world around us falling apart. We have refuge where we can be safe, and where we can be taken care of.

This is a reference to one of the “Cities of Refuge” that is mandated in the Old Testament. These cities were places where if you accidentally killed someone, you could run to these cities and they would take you in, protect you from the family of the one you killed (for they would have the right to take your life), and let you stay there until your case could be heard and ruled on. The picture is that when the time of judgment comes, we don’t have to run to a city, because God is the one who will keep us, protect us, and decide what to do with us. He is the Ruler and Judge.

But He is also our fortress. In Israel today there are a number of places in the hills of the Judean wilderness that have fortresses built on the hills or even in the hills. These were places that David would go to hide from Saul, or that the Romans had built up (like Masada) where it would be difficult for an attacking army to get at you. This is what God is also calling Himself for His people…a place that they can go and be defended.

All of this, God does for His people…and that is what we are. We are the sons and daughters of God. We are the ones whom God has called to take the message of His love and goodness to the world. And sometimes that world will try to chew us up and spit us out. And when that happens, we need to run to our “refuge” and “fortress,” Who is God!

So this Monday, take stock in the fact that you are loved by God, and that you have a place to run when you are feeling attacked. Run to the refuge and safety of your God!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Ascent—Week 9

Hebrews 3:1-6

        And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are bound for heaven, think about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s Messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully and was entrusted with God’s entire house. But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a fine house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but God is the one who made everything.

        Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house, but only as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, the faithful Son, was in charge of the entire household. And we are God’s household if we keep up our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.

7 Days of Discipleship—Part 7

Here we are, on the final day of our discussion on discipleship. I would love to hear from you, if you have thoughts about what you’ve read these past couple of weeks. Let me know by shooting an email to jim.augustine1970@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Today’s final topic has to do with allowing the Holy Spirit to empower everything we do. Let’s face it, making disciples is not a humanly doable task. It’s a supernatural thing. So we have to rely on the Holy Spirit to have His way in us.

It’s a matter of trust. We do what we can, and then pray like crazy that the Spirit will take what we’ve done and go even further with it. There have been so many times as a preacher that I’ve ended a sermon thinking, “Well, I will just have to do better next time.” And then someone comes up to me saying, “Pastor, that sermon really spoke to me! Thank you!” My friends, THAT’S the Holy Spirit at work. And doesn’t just do that with preachers. He will do that with you, too, if you ask Him to and you let Him.

So take the time to be in prayer about those whom you are discipling, and make sure you do all that you can…but rely on God to do what you cannot!

Think about that today! And God bless!

7 Days of Discipleship—Part 6

The topic for today may surprise you. When it comes to discipleship, we focus on the Gospel, we focus on the simplicity, we focus on lifestyle and Christ, but how often do focus on the practical aspects of making a disciple. What do I mean? Read on…

When it comes to reaching out and really having an impact on people, we need to be in proximity to them. In other words, we are not going to disciple anyone if we just spend an hour a week with them. We have to go deeper.

We do this by opening up our lives to others. This is a trait that is most commonly referred to as “hospitality.” Now I know when you hear that word, you think of opening up your home to have people in, get to know them, share a meal, etc. But what I’m referring to is the opening up of our lives to others. Really being willing to have them be a part of everything we do.

How does this look? Well, it could look like going to a ball game with them, or going fishing together, or doing book club, or 4-H, or anything else that is a natural part of our lives. It’s simple, it’s doable, and it doesn’t take any extra effort on our part except for spending the invitation to the person who needs to see Christ in us.

So what do you do that you could include someone else in it? I can’t answer that for you, but when you do answer it, spend some time in prayer and ask God to help know who you can include in your life.

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Celebration—Week 8

This week we celebrate with a blast from the past (my past, actually). The first song is from a group called Whiteheart and their song, We Are His Hands. (As a side note, this song’s final chorus included some guest appearances by other famous artists at the time including, Russ Taff, Steve Green and others.)

The second song is a song by a band called The Imperials, and the song is called Let the Wind Blow. The video I found looks like raw footage for a music video that they were trying to put together. Either way, this song speaks to where we stand when the storms of life come!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

7 Days of Discipleship—Part 5

So the fifth part of disciple making that I want to address with you is the idea that those who are effective in disciple making are those who do so simply. What does this mean? Read on…

In the above quote from Albert Einstein, makes the assertion that those who truly understand their subject matter can make it simple to those to whom they are trying to explain it. In other words, if you know your material, the easier you can help others understand it.

When it comes to the Gospel, and that which is important in it, we need go no further than 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. In this passage, Paul lays out for us what is truly important in our presentation of Gospel. Here’s five very important elements that need to be in any Gospel presentation you give.

        1)  THIS IS GOOD NEWS! (1-2)

When you share the Gospel, you need to express it as good news for people. What Jesus has done for them is something that no one else in all the world ever would or ever will do for them. So the fact that their sins can be forgiven and that their sin debt can be paid is of utmost importance…and it’s GOOD!

        2)  CHRIST’S DEATH (3)

Christ’s death is central to the Gospel. If Christ did not die, then did not pay the sin debt, because the payment of sin to those who commit it is death. So for us to eliminate or even downplay the death of Christ strips the Gospel of importance and of its power.

        3)  CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD (4)

Christ’s death is important, but just as important is that Christ rose from the dead. If he did not rise from the dead, then death won and there is no hope for the future. But He did rise, and He did show Himself to those who followed Him (more on that later). So whenever we tell of the Good News of the Gospel, we need to make sure that the risen Christ is part of that presentation.

        4)  EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNTS (5-8)

Paul goes on to say that the Gospel is also about the eye-witnesses who saw Jesus following His resurrection. He mentions Peter, the rest of the Apostles, a group of 500 people at the same time, Jesus’ half-brother James as well as His other brothers, and then Paul Himself had an encounter with the risen Jesus. These eye-witnesses are vitally important because they make the claim that Jesus rose from the dead valid…and the fact that 500 people saw Him at the same time tells us that it wasn’t just hallucinations either.

        5)  THE CHANGED LIFE (9-11)

Finally, Paul tells about the change in his own life that came about because of the Gospel. This Gospel and the grace that came with it was the foundation of a changed life. Paul was persecuting the church, putting people in jail and even to death who were following after Jesus. But when the Gospel took hold of him, God’s amazing grace changed him into the hardest working apostle of all time.

So here’s the challenge: will you allow your presentation of the Gospel to include these things? Or will you continue to just share something that’s watered down and not very persuasive? This is the Gospel, folks! This is what we need to be sharing with our loved ones, our friends, those who we meet day by day, and demonstrating it with our lives. Christ died, rose again, was seen by people and has changed MY life.

It’s just that simple!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

7 Days on Discipleship—Part 4

When it comes time to share the gospel, what’s your “go-to”? Do you use a tract like Knowing God Personally, or The Four Spiritual Laws? Or do you use a verse of Scripture, like Romans 6:23? Whatever your “go-to” may happen to be, it is vitally important that we learn to share the gospel in ways that are relevant to the people we are talking to.

Let me give you an example from the Scriptures. In John 4, Jesus encounters a woman who is coming out of the town of Sychar in Samaria to the town well at noon to draw water all by herself. This, in and of itself, tells us a number of things about the woman, even before Jesus starts talking to her. First, she’s coming out at noon…the hottest part of the day…to do a labor intensive task that would be better suited to be done either early in the day or later at night.

Secondly, we find that she is alone. Normally they town well was a local meeting place to catch up and find out what was going on in the lives of all of your friends (think of it as Facebook before Facebook)…kind of like the watercooler at work. But this woman is coming alone. No interaction with anyone, or perhaps she’s trying to avoid interaction. Either way, she comes alone. This tells us that she most likely isn’t accepted by the rest of the town.

The third thing we see is that she is coming to the well to draw water. This is the main thing. She has a need. She is thirsty. The water from this well would be used to drink, to wash, to clean, and possibly even to use in religious ceremony. So when Jesus sees this woman, He processes all of this in a split second (not a supernatural thing, by the way) and decides that He’s going to interact with this woman.

When He does it shocks her, because typically Jews don’t associate with Samaritans. Also, she’s a woman and He’s a man…also a cultural no-no. But Jesus asks her for a drink of water. She immediately tries to shut Him down by saying, “You’re a Jewish rabbi, and I’m a Samaritan woman. Why are you even talking to me?”

But then Jesus says to her, “If you knew who I am, then you’d ask me and I’d give you living water so that you will never thirst again.”

As you read the rest of the conversation, Jesus broached the subject of her sin in kind of a supernatural way, but the truth of the matter is that we don’t need the supernatural to be able to tell where people are in their lives. We can look at them and the Holy Spirit tells us that they need Jesus. And as we look for opportunities to share Christ in their present circumstances, we will find even more opportunities to share.

So the challenge for us today is to look for ways in which we can share the good news of Jesus Christ to those around us as we see where they are in life. We then tailor the message (not the content, but the delivery) in such a way as to maximize effect in their lives.

How do we do this? Practice, practice, practice. We need to do it more and more. Look at people, see where they’re at. We live in a society that is more disconnected from each other even though we have all these ways of staying connected. We need to learn the art of connecting with our neighbors. So practice it today, and see what happens!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Ascent—Week 8

Hebrews 2:5-18

        “And furthermore, the future world we are talking about will not be controlled by angels. For somewhere in the Scriptures it says, “What is man that you should think of him, and the son of man that you should care for him? For a little while you made him lower than the angels, and you crowed him with glory and honor. You gave him authority over all things.” Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all of this happen. What we do see is Jesus, who “for a little while was made lower than the angels” and now is “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death for us. Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. And it was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation.

        “So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. For he said to God, “I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among all your people.” He also said, “I will put my trust in him.” And in the same context he said, “Here I am—together with the children God has given me.”

        Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

        We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, no to help the angels. Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself had gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted.

Think about that today! And God bless you!

7 Days on Discipleship—Part 3

One of the most important parts of disciple making is keeping Jesus at the center of it. The reason that this is so important is because when Jesus is not at the center, we tend to become more focused on the results than the relationship.

Let me try and explain it this way: When I am the focus of the discipleship process, then people begin to depend on me for all their answers instead of depending on Jesus. In a sense, I become an idol to those I am discipling…and that’s a bad place to be.

So we have to keep Jesus at the center of everything we do. We’ve talked about this many times…Jesus has to have first place (or the “preeminence”). If He doesn’t, then He’s not what people will see, and people will start worshiping other things rather than God…and that’s not good at all.

How do we keep Christ at the center of everything? It’s a daily discipline (do you see the word “disciple” in that word?) of prayer, reading the Scriptures, and seeing Jesus in all that we do. When that happens, we are able to walk in the ways that God intended us to walk.

We also do it by being intentional about looking for God at work in the world around us. Did you witness a beautiful sunrise this morning? That’s the hand of God! Did you see someone be kind to someone who hurt them? Thanks God at work. Were you able to respond calmly when someone yelled at you? That’s God’s grace in your life. So keep an eye out for those moments…they’re always there. And it will help you keep Christ at the center!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

7 Days on Discipleship—Part 2

On Tuesday, I challenged you to think about the process of evangelism. Today, I want to talk a little more about that process. One of the 7 habits of effective disciple making is to make discipleship a part of the rhythm of your life. With that being said, let’s talk about what that would look like.

When Jesus was choosing His disciples, at first blush it looks about as random as can be. He’s walking along the lake and happens to call out to four fishermen to come and follow Him so He can make them “fishers of men.” While this is pretty awesome in and of itself, it seems to make no sense that these four men would simply walk away from everything that they had known all of their lives to follow this guy. From the accounts in Matthew and Mark, it looks as if this is the first time that they’ve ever met Jesus. But when you look at the book of John, you realize something different.

In John, we see Jesus shortly after coming out of the wilderness where He had been tempted. John the Baptizer sees Him and declares, “Look! There’s the Lamb of God who will take the sins of the world away!” Andrew and John (two of those four men called in Matthew and Mark) are with JTB at this time, and they decide to leave John and follow after Jesus. Jesus notices them following and asks them what they want. They ask Him where He is staying (this was a common question asked to Rabbis when certain persons wanted to become their disciple). He invites them to where He’s staying and He spends the day with them.

We are then told that Andrew immediately goes and tells Simon (Peter) about this man they’ve found. He brings Simon to Jesus and Jesus changes his name right there to Peter. In the chronology of the gospels, we find that this event takes place right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The calling of the four fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James and John) comes around one to one and a half years into the ministry. What does this tell us? It tells us that Jesus spent significant time with the men He called prior to calling them. This changes everything for the Matthew and Mark passages and makes perfect sense as to why they would leave everything at that point to follow Jesus…because they already had significant relationship with Him.

That’s why when we make discipleship a part of the rhythm of our lives, people will be ready to allow us to teach them what God has taught us.

So how are you doing in this area? Are you allowing your life to be used of God to disciple those around you to become more like His Son? Or are you keeping it to yourself? Friend, there is nothing more exciting than watching someone come to understand God the way you do, and when that happens, you are a disciple maker…just like Jesus commanded you to be.

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Celebration—Week 7

Today we will celebrate first with the song we watched in our service on Sunday, Casting Crowns’ song Slow Fade:

Then we’ll rejoice in the Lord’s forgiveness as we listen to the great old Hymn, “Redeemed!”

Think about that today! And God bless you!

7 Days on Discipleship—Part 1

I was cruising the internet the other day when I found a link to a video that talked about the seven habits of effective disciple makers. Some of what they said I agreed with…some of it I didn’t. But the fact of the matter is that we are all called to be disciple makers. The call comes to each of us as we read the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, where He says the following:

“I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth (i.e., there is nothing that is beyond my authority). Therefore (i.e., because of this), go and (i.e., as you are going throughout the world) make disciples of all the nation (i.e., anyone and everyone you meet), baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (i.e., immerse them in who God is). Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you (i.e., once they come to Christ, teach them what you know). And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (i.e., He’s going to be with us with all of the authority of heaven and earth at our disposal).”

–Matthew 28:18-20 with obvious emphases added by the author.

So, as we look at what Jesus is saying here, what are some things that disciples must do? According to the video I watched, there are seven things. They include making Jesus central in everything, sharing faith in culturally relevant ways, making discipleship a natural part of their lives, using simple patterns and practices, being hospitable, and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. These six ideas I agreed with wholeheartedly. However, the seventh one (which was actually the second one) I had issue with. They said that there was a “strategy” that God uses to identify disciples. Now, I’m all for not wasting time with people who are just not interested in going deeper in their faith, and I think that’s what these guys were meaning when they used the word “disciple”. However, if discipleship is a process (and it is), then there is a process by which one becomes a disciple. If that’s true, then there is a sense in which all people are being discipled, and every relationship we have (with both believers and the unsaved) is a discipling relationship.

Let me put it another way. If I want to make a table, I don’t start with a table, and then make the table more of a table. No. I take the pieces that go into a table, fashion and design those pieces and then put the table together. The same is true with disciples. We don’t find disciples and then make them disciples. If they’re disciples when we find them, they are disciples. We were called to “make disciples!” So we find the pieces (individuals who are newly saved, or even unsaved) and from those pieces through the power of the Holy Spirit, craft a disciple.

So, are you making disciples? Or are you just hoping that someone else will do it? If we are going to be disciple makers, we need to learn the process…and that’s what we will be talking over the next several days.

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Are You Paying Attention?

The challenge that I gave my congregation yesterday went something like this: “If you fail to pay attention to your choices, your obedience and your gospel, then you are failing to be a Christian.” The fact of the matter is this: when God calls a man or woman to be the person He wants them to be, there is responsibility on the part of that person whom God has called to pay attention to the “product” of the life that is lived.

Let me try and explain it this way: Let’s say I own a business that makes widgets of some kind. Now I want to build this business to become something great so I hire people into my company who do all sorts of things. Some people actually build the widgets, some test the widgets, some prepare the widgets to be shipped, others manage all of the people who do all of this stuff. But each individual, while called to the greater purpose of building widgets, is responsible to produce the product of a widget. If even one of the people in the production line fails to do their job properly, the widget will no longer be the widget that I wanted to be produced.

Now, let’s take this analogy and put it in terms of the church. God is the one who owns the business, and this business is called the church. He is the one building the business and He is the one responsible for the hiring of those who will work in the business. Therefore, He has a reasonable right to expect that those who work with and for Him to hold a certain standard of excellence when doing their work. If we fail to pay attention to the work we are doing, it will not be long until the work fails and becomes less than what it was intended to be.

So, Christian, let me ask you the question: Are you paying attention to the life that you are living? Are you paying attention the gospel that you are proclaiming by your word and your deeds? Are you paying attention to be obedient to the Word of God as it is defined in your life? If not, allow this post to be your wake up call. Because there is no better time than now to get up and to PAY ATTENTION!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Ascent—Week 7

Hebrews 2:1-4

“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Constant Grace

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see!”

The words of this great hymn are often sung without a second thought. It’s used in everything from worship services to rated “R” movies. We love to sing about God’s grace, but how often are we willing to demonstrate God’s grace.

If grace is so amazing (and it is), why don’t more of us demonstrate it to the people around us? I’m just as guilty of this as anyone, so please don’t think that I’m trying to single anyone out here. I’m simply trying to help us think.

What do most of us (or maybe it’s just me) do when we get cut off on the road? I get angry at the way people are driving. Sometimes I mask it in indignation that this person would put my family in jeopardy, but mostly I get mad because they got in front of me, or just were not thinking of anyone but themselves.

But what if I was to show that person grace…AMAZING grace? Would it be sweet, as the song suggests? I know that this song is about the grace of God to save a person from their sins, but seriously, do we not consider that grace shown to a person who has treated us unfairly might not just do the same thing? Oh please don’t hear me saying that we can save people from their sins, because we can’t. But the grace we show (while not nearly as amazing as God’s) can and will draw people to God and His Son, Jesus.

So try and show some amazing grace to someone today. Who knows? You might just help them be able to sing this old hymn with the same meaning it holds for you!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Love That Shows

“If you love me, then you will keep my commandments.” –Jesus

Jesus was very clear in what He expected from His followers. He knew that they would have trouble knowing if they loved Him or not. If most of us are honest, I am sure there are times that we would wonder if we really are following Jesus the way we ought to. Truth of the matter is that it’s hard to know when we’re “doing it right”.

So Jesus tried to make it very plain for us to follow. He said, “If you love me, then you will do what I tell you to do.” Now that is a paraphrase of the words of Scripture, but it means the same thing. An if/then statement says that if the requirements of the “if” side of the equation are met, then the outcomes stated in the “then” statement will also be true.

Here’s an example: “If I step off the edge of a 100 story building, then I will fall to my death.” So what this is saying is that if one steps off a tall enough building (in this case, 100 stories), then they are going to die. Hopefully that clears it up for us enough to understand what Jesus is trying to tell us, His disciples, here.

He is simply saying that if we truly love Him, not just saying that we do, then we will live that out in obeying His commands. This is how we show Jesus we love Him. When we obey, we demonstrate our love for Him.

So what does that mean for us today? I hope that it is obvious, but just in case it isn’t, let me help you with it…demonstrate your love for God today in the way you obey His commands. Is God asking you to forgive? Then forgive! Is God asking you to give up your comforts to go talk to a neighbor who is hurting? Do it! Is God asking you to give up your job and take another one with less hours so that you can spend more time at home with your family? Don’t wait! Do it!

When we obey God, we demonstrate our love for Him…and in so doing, demonstrate to the world around us how much He is Lord of our lives!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Celebration—Week 6

This week, we celebrate that God is with us! Please take a moment and listen to these two songs that help us remember, God with us. The first is God With Us, by MercyMe.

The second is With Us, by Hillsong Live.

Enjoy!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Comebacks

Sunday night I watched one of the greatest sports comebacks ever. I am not a fan of the Patriots, or Tom Brady in particular, but the “come-from-behind” mentality that this team didn’t need in the past two games of their playoffs was something that took a while to get kicked into gear, but once it did…whoa! Baby!

I felt most sorry for the owner of the Falcons. There were a couple of shots of this guy when the Patriots were going in for that winning touchdown, and he looked stunned. He had come down from his luxury box to be with his team when they won. He saw it as a forgone conclusion when his team was up by 25 points with just over a quarter to go. He stood there shaking hands with his team and his wife was all smiles and laughing. But just before that final play? She was looking at him like he was a 25 megaton bomb about to go off. She didn’t look like she knew whether to run or hang on for dear life.

But life is like that sometimes, isn’t it? Sometimes we’re the Patriots. We’re down and out, no way to win and we feel like the end is inevitable. But somewhere deep down within us we decide we’re not going to let losing be our destiny…we’re going to win! We are going to out-do, out-shine and in all other ways out-perform our competition. And it happens, and we’re elated and we think, “Did that really just happen?”

Other times, we’re the Falcons. We’re sitting on top of the world, knowing that there is nothing that can beat us. And then, all of a sudden, there we are, standing on the sideline watching the end come like deer in the headlights. We can’t move, we can speak, and we can’t even breathe. It’s like we’ve been punched in the guts so hard that if we even tried to utter a word or even take a breath our bodies would protest so vehemently that it would just shut down, and we’d die.

For all of the people who have been on both sides of that coin, let me offer you some perspective. When you rise up to overcome the obstacles in front of you…remember Who it is that lifts you up. Remember that when you succeed, it isn’t you that does it, but God at work in you. Give credit where credit is due and remember that if it had not been for God giving you your ability, your talent, or even your strength (or even putting you in the opportunity to begin with), you wouldn’t be able to do what you do.

For all of the people who have had the rug of victory pulled out from beneath their feet only to begin the free-fall of doubt, second-guessing and worry, remember that there is One Who is ready to stand up with you, hold you and catch you! He will never leave you or forsake you. He is with you today as He was with you yesterday and as He will be with you tomorrow. Don’t look back, except to remember and not duplicate your mistakes. But look ahead, knowing that when you get to the destination, God will be there by your side…and every step in between!

Think about that today! And God bless you!

A Note on Our New Tagline

For those of you who read our blog regularly, you’ll notice that our tagline since the beginning has been “We’ll see you on Sunday!” I got to thinking the other day that this tagline might be a bit confusing for some people. Not everyone who reads our blog attends our church, and while the tagline is meant to encourage people to go to church, I fear that some may think that I am actually hoping that they will come to my church. I know for some of you that it is physically impossible to do so, so that was not my intent.

For what it’s worth, the tagline was meant to say, “If you go to church on Sunday, we are all together in spirit.” But that seems to be confusing. 

So our new tagline will simply be, “Think about that today! And God bless you!” It seems to more accurately describe what we hope the blog will do for you and your life, family, and ministry. We want you to first of all think about the things that we talk about here. Don’t just read them, but actually think about them and if you disagree with something, say so. We love to discuss what you think and hear what you have to say, too. We also want you to live in the blessings of God, and so the second half of the tagline encourages you to recognize God’s blessings in your life...from the breath you just took, to the situation you find yourself in today, to the home you will go to tonight. It all is a blessing from God!

So, that being said…

Think about that today! And God bless you!

Ascent-Week 6

Hebrews 1:1-4

        In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Amen! We’ll see you on Sunday!

Surrender

Yesterday we talked about Jesus being the Supreme EVERYTHING. And I hope that as you read that post, you found yourself agreeing with what was being said.

Now if you did, there is a natural response that needs to take place. And that response is complete and total surrender. Surrender is not a word that we like to think about in our society. We’re Americans. We do not surrender. We’ve never surrendered in war, and we’re not about to now. We think of ourselves as independent and we don’t need anyone or anything to prop us up.

But if that’s your attitude, can I honestly say this: “You are not living the Christian life that God has called you to live.” The fact of the matter is that the Christian life that God wants us to live is first of all characterized by surrender.

Case Study #1:

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. That’s how they made the money that they needed to feed their families and build their homes. It was their livelihood. Jesus comes along, and tells them to follow Him because He was going to make them “Fishers of Men”. Now if you’re reading Matthew’s gospel, you’re going to see an interesting word used here. As soon as Jesus calls to them, it says “and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him” (emphasis added).

Why is this important? Two reasons. First is that they recognized who Jesus was. This wasn’t the first time these men meet Jesus. In fact, they had been spending time with Jesus for about a year before this. But now, Jesus calls them to follow Him…to be His disciples…and they respond immediately. This shows that they trusted Jesus, to be sure, but it also shows that they were convinced that He was the One who would show them the way to the Kingdom of God.

The second reason this is important is that they left everything to follow Jesus. Notice that they left the boat. This represented their work, their livelihood and their security. It represented all that they had put their faith in up to that point. Now they were going to put their faith in this builder from Nazareth. They also left their father, which represented the surrender of their past. Their families were still important to them (we see this through the gospels as James and John’s mother comes and asks Jesus if they could sit by Him in the Kingdom), but they were not as important to them as following this man they believed was Messiah.

So now the question comes to us. Do we love Jesus, do we trust Jesus, enough to surrender everything to follow after Him. For some of us, we are going to be asked to give of our lives, but others of us need to surrender our hobbies, our comforts, our personal freedoms in order to follow after the King that leads us to triumph. If we are willing…if you are willing…let’s let Him know that we will lay it all on the line to follow after Him.

And we’ll see you on Sunday!

Supreme

In our day and age, everything we have is supreme. There is a supreme size, supreme shape, supreme pizza, supreme taste…everything comes with an offer of being supreme.

But if we want to know what is truly supreme, we need look no further than Hebrews 1, in which, the author tells us that there is only One who is supreme…and that is Jesus. Throughout his letter, we find that he is comparing Christ to the angels (beats them), to Moses (beats him) and even Melchizedek (beats him, too, even though he was great enough to have Abraham give offerings to him).

Jesus is greater than the supreme pizza from Pizza Hut, and He’s better than any other supreme you can think of. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever! Don’t forget it folks. This same Jesus is not going to relinquish His title of “SUPREME” anytime soon. Why?

First off, He is the creator of all things. And the person who creates is greater than the creation. Therefore, He is far above them. Not only that, but He holds all of these things together…He keeps them from spinning out of control. He’s greater than anything or anyone. If you doubt it, read Colossians 1:15-18 again, and tell me it isn’t so.

So, dear reader, may I make a point here…make sure that your life is in submission the Supreme. Don’t look back or look to one side or the other. Keep on track with Him. Allow Him to have the rule in your life. This is called having Christ as the LORD of your life. It’s important, and we’ll talk about it more tomorrow.

In the meantime, have a great rest of your week, and we’ll see you on Sunday!

Celebration—Week 5

This week’s celebration is giving us a wake-up call. I hope that you find these songs challenging and enjoyable.

First up is Casting Crowns who challenge us with their song from 2003 entitled, If We Are the Body…. Enjoy!

The second song for this week is an old hymn of the faith entitled, Rescue the Perishing. I hope you enjoy it…

And we’ll see you on Sunday!