Careful Consideration

As we think about the things we say, we must be very careful about what comes out of our mouths. These words will judge us. Either what we say is in accordance with how we act, or it is not. We are either people of integrity, or we are hypocrites. The Scriptures bear this out in that they call those of us who are Christ Followers to be, at the very core of who we are, real. That is not to say, "perfect," because we will never attain to that (the Apostle Paul didn't either). But if we are who we say we are, and we live out the things we say we believe, then that goes a long way to showing the world that Jesus is who He claims to be.

So today, I want to challenge you to take careful consideration of what you are saying to people. Because if you call yourself a Christ Follower, then there is a certain amount of activity in your life that needs to be demonstrating that. Last week we spoke about the fact that our actions will demonstrate to the world that we really are who and what we say we are. This is what we are talking about here again. We must be careful that what we do matches what we say, and what we say matches what we do.

So how about it, Christ Follower? Are you doing and living in a way that backs up what you say you believe? Is the truth of your words born out in your actions? Or are you hypocrite? There really isn't a choice if we want to see the world won for Jesus Christ.

Feel free to comment below about some of the things that you are dealing with in your life where your actions aren't lining up with your words. And we will see you on Sunday!

The Deception of the Nation

Today I want to talk about something that is probably going to be a bit controversial. But I feel that it needs to be said. I'm going to post here and I'm also going to be posting this to my Facebook page as well. I feel it is a challenge that everyone needs to here.

Our nation is living in the midst of the greatest deception that we have ever seen...and we have done it to ourselves. I will explain what I mean in a minute, but first I want to lay down some facts.

FACT: The majority of our nation today has denied the existence of absolute truth. We see this in the growing numbers of people who claim that all people who are sincere in what they believe will eventually make it to heaven. We also see this in the number of people willing to take lives for the sake of a "cause" or "principle." We see it in the "decision" of the FBI director to not prosecute individuals who are clearly guilty of breaking the law. In fact, that last one stinks of the basic tenant of relativism, "what is truth for you may not be truth for me."

FACT: The majority of people living in America today would classify themselves as a part of the "Christian religion". This means that most people, when asked what religion they are would identify themselves as Christians, but would most likely be so in name only.

FACT: When people claim to follow Christ (that's what the term "Christian" means..."Little Christ") and then refuse to do what He said to do, they deceive themselves. James 1:22 says, "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves; do what it says." We live in a society that claims to know Christ, but refuses on every hand to obey Him.

Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the church of America. We have been deceived, Church, and it all stems from the fact that we KNOW what God says to do and we REFUSE to do it.

For example, we know that the church is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the world. But the missions efforts of the church in America are now lagging behind the missions efforts of places like South Korea, Ireland, Malta and Palestine.* We are seeing our country lagging behind because (I believe) we have failed to emphasize from our pulpits the importance of walking in obedience to the Word of God.

We are hearing the Word of God, but we are not doing it. Friends, this needs to change. If we are going to save our nation, we must begin to wake up from the deception that it is okay to simply know what the Bible says, and not necessarily have to do it. If we are going to call ourselves people who know how to live rightly, then we must begin to obey God's Word.

Please feel free to comment below and we'll see you on Sunday!

*This is in terms of number of missionaries sent per 1 million church members.

Getting to Know James

Yesterday we looked at James in the context of being one of Jesus' half-brothers. We looked at an account from the Scriptures that showed us a moment in time when Jesus' brothers and mother were trying to get in to see Him, but Jesus shut them out. I'm pretty sure that Jesus did love His earthly family, but He also knew that their thoughts about Him were not the thoughts that the Father had for Him.

This Sunday we will look more in-depth at that, but today I want you to read John 7:2-9. These verse share the account of Jesus' interaction with His brothers just before the feast of Tabernacles. His brothers want Him to go show Himself to the world at this feast, but Jesus says His time has not yet come. There is something here that is troubling, and as you read it, see if you can pick up on what it is. Then come back and read the rest of this post...

Are you done? Good. Did you see what it was? Jesus tells His brothers in verse 8, "I am not going up to this festival." But then in verse 10, he goes up to the festival. So this begs a few questions. Did Jesus lie to His brothers? Was there ulterior motive in what Jesus did here? Did Jesus not keep His word? These are questions that we will discuss more in detail and try to resolve Sunday morning, but suffice to say, we know that Jesus does keep His promises, that He is not a liar and that His sincerity is unquestionable. So there is definitely something else at work here, and we will talk about it Sunday.

But for today, I want you to think about those who would push you to do things that you know God does not want you to do...or to not do something that you know God wants you to do. I had a youth who told me that he wanted to go to Moody Bible Institute and become a youth minister some day. I cannot tell you the joy that my heart felt when I heard him say that. But a few weeks later I found out that he had told his parents and they discouraged him from it because "there's no money in that". I wish I could tell you that this young man listened to God over his parents, but he did not. Today he is an agnostic and has nothing to do with the church, and very little to do with spirituality.

So when God is calling you to something, do not settle to do something else easier, or more comfortable. Do what God is calling you to do.

Please feel free to leave a comment or question. And we will see you on Sunday!

Who Is James?

Welcome to week 1 of our journey into making Sunday the focal point of our week. These times together will be short, but will (hopefully) help you to focus on what we will be discussing together on Sunday morning. It will also help you to identify with how you may be challenged to respond, thus giving you ample time to mull it over.

This week, we begin our study of the book of James...a study that will take us slowly through a book that demands our understanding if we are going to live out God's purpose for our lives. Our Scripture this week will be James, chapter 1, and verse 1. We will be looking at who this "James" really is, and what he was like. So today, I will ask you to look up three passages and read them in preparation for this week's sermon.

The first group of passages (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; and Luke 8:19-21) all relate the same event. It is when Jesus mother (Mary) and His half-brothers (of whom James is one) seek to meet with him. As you read these passages, think about how you might have felt getting this answer from Jesus if you were trying to spend some time with Him...and He was your brother!

And what do you think of Jesus response in general? What does this say about His followers, and about you and me as we follow Him? Pray today and thank God for the spiritual kinship you have with His Son, Jesus.

Please feel free to leave a comment or question. And we'll see you on Sunday!