Learning To Fly: Ground School

Ever been to a concert of your favorite artist and it made you want to sing, or play the guitar, or "that" instrument? I wonder how many instruments and lessons are sold as a result of that kind of influence. I know why I bought my first guitar. Guys thought it was cool, and girls, cooler. I felt the same way about baseball. Except it was even deeper. I love the game. it has a "smell", a certain feel. it has a nostalgia with which no other sport can even compare. But, my poor vision stifled my hidden talent ...just boiling under the surface! My eyes didn't cooperate with my hand's and heart's passion for the game. And my childhood pride refused to dawn a pair of spectacles. How foolish! Most recently, I enjoyed an air show at an Air Force Base. It was phenomenal! It was awe inspiring! I knew I couldn't fly like those guys, but it renewed the old love for flying. A close friend turned my wife and I onto the beautiful art of flying many years ago, but I quickly learned that a great deal of work and knowledge go into experiencing that joy. I could at least learn to fly! Had the air show been in my home town I'd have likely signed up for flying lessons at the local booth. 

We naturally calculate, it seems, the cost of learning an art or particular skill, but I wonder if we consider how much work, preparation, sacrifice of time and all our resources go into following Christ?

Are you considering following Christ? Be warned!

"And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" (Luke 9:23-25)

Sincerely and genuinely following Christ will cost you. If not your physical life then, to varying degrees, your proverbial life. Our lives will, all of us, ultimately be demanded of us. Question is.... for what will we sacrifice it?

Already following Christ? ...be committed.

"Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)

This saying is true.... "What doesn't cost something is worth nothing." James said.... "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Listen to what Luke continues in his gospel.

"Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."       -Luke 14:25-33

There are truths we can learn from these Scriptures, and they make following Christ a worthwhile endeavor; a worthwhile sacrifice.

1. Count the cost (v. 26)

-How bad do you want it?

-It is expensive.

-Following Christ may, indeed, cost family, friends, a good name. It may cost your credit score and your American dream.

2. Consider the cross (v. 27)

-Why do you want it?

-What motivates you to follow Christ? Is it social involvement? Is it your own need? Or is it because you believe that He is Lord? Social balance or selfish need will not convince you to pick up your cross. Recognizing who Jesus is, and His love for us, will.

    Your cross is testament to Jesus' cross. (vv. 28-30)

    Your cross is testament to Christ' cross' value. (vv. 31-32)

3. But don't count it loss (v. 33)

-Why would you go into battle ....unless by sheer force, or a courage of conviction, a hill worth dying on, a Savior worth sacrificing for.

"but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

-Isaiah 40:31

Learn to spread your wings, powered by the Holy Spirit, underwritten by God, provided to you by Jesus Christ. It's the only thing truly worth investing everything in.

A Hill Worth Dying On

We seem to be positioned to place a lot of focus, these days, on where our resources (time, money, efforts, etc.) are spent. While this has always been a truth, it appears that Christ-followers are increasingly put to the test, today, as our nation, and our world, loosens its conservative grip in lieu of a softer, gentler, more accepting, and more tolerant world-view. I wonder if we know why we're fighting the battles we do fight, and when to even fight them; specifically as Christians? Boycotts of businesses for what they do or do not support, deciding where we spend our money, where we invest it, etc. As the world becomes smaller we are less and less an island unto ourselves. Every action and transactions in our lives affects more than just "me". Every thought seems to become captive, be it by the world's standard or by God's.

Is being accountable for these "resources" that significant? I believe it is, and I believe God's word demonstrates it and demands responsibility of us. This is a question of stewardship, to be sure. I believe it is also a question of faith and discernment. To what extent do we account for each "transaction" (not merely monetary) as we walk through each day in our lives?

Titus 2:7 indicates... "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity," Luke speaks of stewardship in his gospel... "And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes." (Luke 12:42-46), "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." (Luke 16:10)

But how do we work this out in our own lives, in these days? How do we decide what is a.hill worth dying on?

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 tells us....

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds."

The battles we face, and those we might choose to fight, are often of greater significance than their earthly outcome. As we teach our children that it's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game, so it is true in our walk with Christ and the battles, the struggles, we face. Before going "into battle" it is indeed important to be "prayed up", distinguishing obedience to Christ from our own agendas and bents. As we navigate these murky waters it is important that God's word serves as our guide.

Do not be motivated by fear

"for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2Timothy 1:7)

1. Fear generates selfish decisions.

2. Love generates selfless decisions, and is stronger than fear.

Don't allow your own pet peeves to become a soapbox by which to defend your service to God. He needs our obedience before our ability.

Do not be motivated by winning

"This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. mAnd I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand." (1 Samuel 17:46-47)

David's purpose, in battle, was to demonstrate the power of God ...not his own ability. Our love for God may call us to take a stand. It may also call us to take a seat. Knowing His will, as demonstrated through His word, will be our guide.

Do be motivated by Christ

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete." (2 Corinthians 10:5-7)

The battles truly, and ultimately, belong to the Lord. We must check our egos, our own definitions of what is acceptable to the Lord, at the foot of Christ' cross, and pick our battles carefully and prayerfully, so as to not become a stumbling-block to the gospel; wise as serpents, gentle as doves.

Steady As She Goes

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2)

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

In maritime culture the old term "steady as she goes" verbalized the idea that if you take care of her [the ship] then she'll take care of you. In these times of strange, yet direct, challenge to the Christian faith we must be, as has always been true, decisively and deliberately turning to the trusted source of our faith; God's inspired word in the Scriptures. Be ready for challenges of it, for justifications of what God's word dubs an abomination. But be steady. Be passionate but kind. Wise as serpents and gentle as doves; leaving a lasting mark of grace as our Savior left His blood stains on the ground at Calvary. The "battle" truly belongs to the Lord, but we must put on the full armor of our faith to navigate these choppy waters. Always ready to give a reason for the message, the gospel, the good news. God's unchanging truth, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Filter all you read, see, and hear through the lens of God's word. Steady as she goes.

My Country 'Tis A Plea

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."    (Colossians 2:8)

May our thoughts be in Christ as we clammor for answers to things which seem to not make good sense in our country today. And may we be "unified", lest the enemy befall us. These are my thoughts, and surely many, many other patriots, as we struggle to gain our bearings for where we're going as a nation, and how we get there. That's the problem. The idea of where we're going is more fragmented today than ever.

In order to maintain this union ....sacrifice will be required. It is a "marriage" of citizens. That reminds me of a little boy who asked his dad one evening, "Daddy, how much does it cost to get married? "I don't know, son," he said. "I'm still paying for it." As with the unity of marriage between a man and a woman ...we do not count the cost of citizenry very well .....not as citizens of the United States of America, or of Christ' Kingdom.

With recent news that at least 19 states have petitioned for succession from the United States of America .....my heart is broken. Has it come to this? I feel like a child, sitting in wait, wondering if his parents will dissolve their marriage or find purpose, reason, to remain ....a union.

I fear we have all but dismissed what it means to live simply, to live humbly, to live sacrificially. We want to start out, on our own, living as we grew up, often neglecting to see our parent's sacrifices before what we knew. My generation wanted to live in a house resembling the one we grew up in; not realizing the drafty, pieced-together house our own parents started out in.

It is time we counted the cost of citizenry ....of this nation, and heirs to Christ' Kingdom.

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have." (Philippians 1:27-30)

Our Pleas.....

Be First-Rate

v27a... Hold on to what has been valued

Be Firm

v27b.... Snuff out our differences with our like goals

Be Fearless

v28 ....It's like a poker-face without the bluff.

Be For His Sake

v29 .....It has been granted to you to do so. "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." 

Can our idea for a nation be ideal forever? Not without revisiting and re-establishing the very principles upon which we were founded. John Adams said this....."Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." – John Adams (1814)

Democracy - rule by the people

Republic - rule by elected officials

Representative Democracy - elect representatives to study and vote on the issues for them.

Direct Democracy - the people vote directly on every issue; a bit unwieldy for anything much larger than, say, a small town

Mobocracy - the majority makes laws and governs by passion, prejudice, or impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences). Mobocracy involves the government ruling and making laws for the "greater good" of all people, they may abolish personal rights in doing so.

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:1-8)

We should listen to Paul. For our nation's sake, for souls' sake. 

Be Like-minded - If there is an inkling of Christ-likeness in people .....then we must first, be willing, then be ready to do whatever it takes to become like-minded.

Be Love - without Christ-like love ....sin and selfishness will overcome.

Be Humble - put other's needs before our own.

Be Lowly - This doesn't fit with our conceited culture today. We're programmed to he the best.

Be Dead - ....to ourselves. Re-imaged in Christ' likeness.

Hearing God Hear Us

I was talking to my neighbor the other day and he began to tell me that he had just bought a new hearing aide. Said it cost $4,000, "but it's state of the art", he said. Said all his hearing problems are over! Being fascinated with technology as I am, I asked.... "Well that's great. What kind is it?" He said.... "Twelve-thirty."

As with my neighbor's difficulty hearing ....our spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness are surely two conditions with the same cause. As we lead into a week of national Thanksgiving, and we wonder if, and how, we can be more thankful than we were last year ....I would contend that a promise that God made, even knowing of our consistently inconsistent condition, is certainly worth repeating. I believe it gives us reason to seek His voice and His face.

Mankind often wonders whether or not God hears us. I wonder how often God asks if "we" are even listening? Highly spiritual speak says we just don't know how to listen. Practically speaking ....I think we just choose when we really care. And when we do care ...we seem to need that God repeat Himself.

"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

God's chosen in history

In 1492, while Columbus sailed to what would become the Americas, Jews were expelled from Spain; once again driven to exile. But this exile propelled what would be a homecoming to their true homeland.

This homecoming, and claim to ownership by covenant of God would never be without great struggle. On Nov. 29, 1947 a resolution was established for Jacob's nation, God's chosen people, to once again occupy "Israel" as a state. Even before her establishment on May 14, 1948 battle ensued; primarily from Muslims; 98% of which occupy Palestine (Sunni Muslims).

Jacob, in the Old Testament, was called Israel after his struggle with the angel of the Lord. In struggle Israel has remained, but greater than the struggle lies a promise to God's chosen people. While this promise appears conditional it is far more perpetual. God simply awaits His chosen's return to Him.

This perpetual promise is extended to you and I today. Whatever judgments, whatever curses ...God's faithful love endures forever, and any struggle is intended to draw us back to Him.

I'll list, here, some truths which this oft referenced portion of scripture speak to us today; our own country as well God's people.

His People

"if my people ..."

Paul said... "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

By way of beautiful adoption, anyone who will "confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in his heart that God raised Him from the dead will be saved." You and I are "His people" if we choose to join His family.

His Namesake

"...who are called by my name..."

When God "calls" people listen. 

The Hebrew word for "call" is 'qara'

"God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day." (Genesis 1:5) When God calls a duck a duck .....it's a duck.

His Humility

"...humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,..", 

We want to challenge God, and ask "why" this trial, or "why" do I need to change my life. Consider how God humbled Himself.... "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:8)

His Ear

"... then I will hear from heaven..."

When scripture indicates that God "will hear from Heaven" we need to understand that He doesn't have a committee awaiting our judgment. The Hebrew word used as "hear" in our passage is shama, which means to give ear to, to give attention to. He IS the Judge. Yet He promises that He will hear us from His Kingdom ....if we'll but cry out to Him. His promise to His chosen, when escaping bondage in Egypt, demonstrate.

"Then the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites." (Exodus 3:7-8)

Our Sin

"... and turn from their wicked ways,..."

Scripture is clear about the reality of our sin. "as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;" (Romans 3:10) "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," (Romans 3:23-24)

Our Land

"...and heal their land..."

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.O r which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:7-11)

Our land is in need of healing. We masque that reality. The world wants you to believe that we have certain entitlements which are not, and never were, ordained by our Father. The only way our country will heal is if each individual, who God greatly desires to redeem, will humble themselves, and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways then He will hear from heaven and will forgive our sin and heal our land.

Grappling With God

And the LORD said to Job:

"Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

He who argues with God, let him answer it."

(Job 40:1-2 ESV)

Do you remember the "wisdom" of your youth? Do you remember when mom and dad knew nothing, understod nothing? And do you remember when they suddenly got smarter?

It is important, as a God-fearing, Christ-following, believer ....to have some understanding of what makes God "tick". If we are to serve a sovereign God we must agree with Him. We can only agree with Him if we are willing to submit to His way, His means, His purpose, and His Lordship. It is important that we understand God's attitude toward His creation. Only then can we come to an genuine agreement that He is Lord and His decisions and control are sovereign.

Four truths of God's attitude toward us as His creation....

1. God is not discouraged by our disregard

""Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me."

(Job 40:7)

Praise God that He rules and over-rules when necessary.

2. Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God?

a. God is less occupied with our happiness, as He is our holiness.

"since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16)

3. God is compassionate when we are critical.

He sent His Son to take our place for our own sinful nature.

4. God is open to our ideas ....and He is closed to compromise 

Now, the real truth is that we simply do not, cannot, will not fully "agree" with God, who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and sovereign in His will and ways. Humble submission is the only possible response ....sooner or later. "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:10-11)

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

What CompelsYou?

It is with great honor that I proclaim God's sovereign truth, this morning, in the presence of those who have given an oath to protect these truths, these rights, for these United States of America. It is difficult to speak of the blessings we have, as a nation, without a lump in my throat. Add to that, now it is my own son who has now committed to protect the freedom I enjoy. "Proud" fails to display, through me,  the humble strength and character that has developed through my own son, and I see these same characteristics in his two younger brothers.

I've observed his mother laugh, cry, smile, beem, prepare, and yes worry as his own adventure began as one of the few, the proud, a Marine. I've observed his brothers' interest grow, and curiosity, as trials were accepted and conquered.

In all of this I have wondered..... What is it that compels one to sign-up for such a difficulty? It is well said... you haven't truly lived until you've found something worth dying for. 

So what compels one to volunteer for such a challenge, such a sacrifice? Not to over-romanticize... there are many reasons to join the military, but to become a Marine in a time of war is courageous. I'm reminded of a story I heard, on the very grounds where my son received his own basic training. 

As the sun rose over MCRD San Diego, the senior drill instructor realized that one of his recruits had gone AWOL. A search party was dispatched immediately. After a few hours the recruit was discovered hiding in some bushes. He was sent back to the base and promptly escorted to the drill instructor's office. The instructor asked the young recruit, "Why did you go AWOL?"

The recruit replied, "My first day here you issued me a comb, and then proceeded to cut my hair off. The second day you issued me a toothbrush, and sent me to the dentist, who proceeded to pull all my teeth. The third day you issued me a service rifle, and I wasn't about to stick around and find out what would follow that SIR."

Whatever the compelling reason behind any Marine's, any Soldier's, any Sailor's, any Airman's decision .....it can only be true that he, or she, has committed to a purpose greater than him or her self.

In our culture, and in this time, there is little known a greater respect of ambition than to serve one's own country through military service. Standing before you today, bearing the weightiness of that respect myself, I can think of only one greater sacrifice, One compelled with an even greater love; that of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

"Now He who has prepared us for this very thing  is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."

(2 Corinthians 5:5 NKJV)

"14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."

(2 Corinthians 5:14, 15 NKJV)

In these passages I observe several compelling reasons to follow Christ into a battle we'll all face one way or another.

His Lordship - Duty, obligation, service .....all terms we would apply to anyone serving his/her country. Though given a choice, we are compelled to serve Christ because He is Lord. Would you serve anyone who called himself otherwise?

"Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things  done  in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences."                                                  (2 Corinthians 5:9-11 NKJV)

His life - In fact, Jesus years of earthly ministry were just about that of the amount of time a Marine commits to serve his country. 

QUESTION: What are you doing with your time? Jesus began serious study, and teaching, at age 12 in the synagouges.

"For we who are in  this  tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing  is  God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee."

(2 Corinthians 5:4, 5 NKJV)

His loss -  Verse 15 of our text says.....

"and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."                                 (2 Corinthians 5:15 NKJV)

-His loss was our gain.

-His loss gained Christ "nothing"! 

QUESTION: How do you gain anything when you own everything?

His love - His love compelled Him to make such a sacrifice for us.

QUESTION: If that doesn't sound compelling .....if "you" were God would you have made this sacrifice?

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."                                                        (John 15:13 NKJV)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."                                    (John 3:16-19 NKJV)

Comfortable Christianity Is Compromised Christianity

"Unfortunately too many of us are known more by our politics than by our Christianity." - www.defendingcontending.com

As we enter a major political season I consider how much each decision matters, how much a vote matters. I once held a more firm belief that lack of voting for a "lesser of evils" was, in fact, voting for the greater evil; conceding a vote if you will. I still hold, as most do, that our "right" to vote is a privilege not to be discarded. There are nations who long for such a privilege.

But is choosing a lesser of two evils a choice which God would have us make, as followers of Christ? This question is valid in political choice and with all decisions in life. Consider this question as well.

"Do you vote for the candidate that will best help you to achieve the American dream or preserve your current prosperous economic status? If so, I have to ask a serious question of you: Has the American dream been a help or a hindrance to your faith?"

- www.defendingcontending.com

"14 "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

(Joshua 24:14-15)

Doesn't that broaden our focus a bit? Consider, also, this..... "if the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, then the luxury and security of the churchgoer is certainly the death of it."

- www.defendingcontending.com

We DO have a better choice still to contend with. A choice that requires faith, which I believe clears the fog of our political landscape and our lifescape. Consider this.....

1. Choose Whom You Will Serve

"And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word." (1 Kings 18:21 ESV)

"Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;

I hate every false way." (Psalm 119:128 ESV)

"Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." (John 8:47 ESV)

2. Serve Faithfully And Without Apology

"You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you." (Deuteronomy 4:2 ESV)

"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!" (Revelation 3:15 ESV)

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8 ESV)

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." (Revelation 22:18, 19 ESV)

3. Serve Him With Gladness

"Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."  (Deuteronomy 8:11-14)

Christian, do not be fearful, as The Lord has not given you such a mind. But be bold, with all graciousness, empathy, and love, based upon the foundations of your faith.

Unbeliever, forget about the hypocrisy of the Christian or the so-called. The mere realization of another's lack of genuineness won't alter your own eternal decision.

Choose, this day, whom you will serve. Be sincere. Then don't look back.

Another Perspective

Instead of searching God for what he can do for me ...what if I search him out for what he has already done? I wonder how that might change my perspective in regard to what we deal with in "life", and how we deal with it. I've heard that stated another way I guess. "If God never did another thing for me beyond what He has already done I would have already gotten more than I deserve." I agree with that too. If I were less self-centered I would believe that and live that way more consistently I imagine. But honestly, the statement terrifies me! What "if" God decided to do nothing further for me? What if he left me completely to my own devices, left me to simply die here?

His sovereign, yet loving and ever mindful of me, graceful, merciful "being" not only "has" done more for me than I could ever deserve ...it continues to provide life more abundant! Recognizing that he "could" drop me like a hot potato, while also recognizing that he has NOT done so ...brings me to the question I started with... instead of searching for God for what he can do for me ...what if I search him out for what he HAS done for me ...long before I was born or thought of, long before I rebelled against his will, and I have a strong belief that he WILL CONTINUE to bless me in ways that the world may not count as blessing. So I am humbled to take another perspective. His.

Focus on Christ, Not Compensation

The highway to heaven will not, cannot, detour the cross of Christ. Our knowledge of scripture, or debate of canonicity, nor any pursuits of proof alone will replace the requirement for our own sanctification. All may be very intriguing and even edifying, yet it cannot replace what Christ did on the cross. "We" cannot replace what Christ did on the cross. This is a roster upon which no Christ-follower can ever find himself on game-day. Only one pitcher on the mound, and no reliever. He did what you or I cannot do, are not equipped to do, were never designed to do.

For a moment of clarity put down your discipleship and pick up the only cross you can ever carry; the cross of followship and dying to self; reclaiming and re-stating Christianity; genuine Christianity ...not support groups, causes, or boycotts which make us feel more Christian, and look more Christian with our Christian clubs. In striving for a likeness of Christ let us not dismiss the cross of Christ; the one only He could carry, and chose to carry so that you don't have to. Indeed, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. It is written... He [God] will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning, He will thwart. (1 Corinthians 1:18-19) The only substitution we should consider is the one Christ made for our atonement, and our at-One-ment.

Focus On Christ, Not Sacrifice

"If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him." (John 12:26)

Will anyone follow Jesus? That is the real question of life, eternal and here on Earth. Intellectualize any way you want it, it comes down to your will or His.

Anyone

Anyone can serve. "For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:11-13 ESV)

SEE ALSO ACTS 2:21

Not everyone will serve - "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21 ESV)

So who will enter the Kingdom? - "....whoever does the will of my Father..." Jesus said.

Follow

Look before you leap. Jesus gives fair warning to those who open their mouths to follow Him. "Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead." (Matthew 8:18-22 ESV)

Jesus

Jesus said... "and where I am, there will my servant be also." This wil surely mean a life of sacrifice, though the focus is on Christ, not sacrifice. Paul said it best. "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21 ESV)

The reward for following Christ will come from the Father, to a true servant of Christ. As a merchant honors genuine cash money, so will the Father honor a genuine follower of the Son. Counterfeits will be discarded.

Don't get caught up in the sacrifice required to be a genuine Christ-follower. Trust Him to provide all your needs, according to His riches in glory. Put your focus on honoring and obeying Christ. The rest will work itself out. Yes, this requires "faith".

The Art of the Heart: Using the letter of God's law to fulfill the heart of God's law

"The heart" of man is a quandary to be sure. Untrustworthy, contradictory ....yet a very essential part of us, an element of our existence that could only be designed by God Himself. Perhaps we can parse this paradoxical thing by comparing it to other of God's creation.

Last Summer we spent a few days in south-central Texas; just in cactus ccountry apparently. Adam brought some cacti home to transplant. I've often thought that we do little to care for the plants. So far, they're alive. I was reading a story about another person who did manage to kill some plants she was given. As she mourned the fact that she was less nurturing than even the desert ....she began to learn that even the cactus needs more than just watering. It needs to be brought in on heavily rainy days, there are certain amounts of water it needs, even re-potting at times.

Even as Believers and Followers In today's world we often focus on not doing what is wrong, instead of focusing on what we need to do right.

As Christ-followers, it may be easier to avoid a sin of co-mission than to recognize our sins of o-mission. Practicing so hard to not do wrong ....we fail to do what is right; what Christ really desires of us with a changed heart.. We attempt to follow the letter of the law, missing the heart of the law. Jesus had thoughts on the matter.....

"As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:9-13 ESV)

1. Do the work of an evangelist

II Timothy 4:5 reminds us "...always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

While we are repeating, re-tweeting, and re-posting our favorite t-shirt slogans about being in the world, but not of the world .....let us recognize the fulness of what that means; considering that truth with what Jesus speaks according to Matthew's own recollection.

"But when He heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick."

Folks need not only to know they are sinners, and that God hates sin,, but they need to hear the solution to the problem of sin. Be an evangelist! Preach sinners to repentance!

2. Study to show yourself approved

Again, as paralleled by Paul's admonishment to Timothy teaches..... 

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)

Jesus encouraged these otherwise learned men to "Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." Jesus used His words wisely, with the right audience, and within the right context. We would do well to do likewise, with a heart desiring that other sinners come to repentance. He instructed these Phrisees to "Go and learn". This was a language, and phrasing, they used as they, themselves, taught. He cited the words of Hosea... "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6 ESV)" ....from the Old Covenant these men so rigidly followed.

3. Practice the art of having Christ' heart

As Jesus rightly handeled His Father's word of truth, citing this same truth from the book of Hosea, He continued to "fulfill" His work. He told us ,concerning the Law or the Prophets...... "I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17 ESV)". With complete consistency Christ teaches the heart of the law, which fulfills, completes, the letter of the law. 

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31 ESV)

With the confidence, and full backing, of Christ Himself ....we can boldly claim all of God's truths; truths that we are depraved, and all sinners who have come short of God's glorious standard. Yet let us never cite the problem without providing The Solution, and doing so with Christ-like love and empathy. Practice the art of having Christ' heart.

Believers.... let's first be Christ-like, and then be Christian. If we do the work of an evangelist, studying to gain God's certification, we'll come away with a heart that, like Jesus, desires mercy, not sacrifice.

Un-Believer / non-follower..... are you willing to recognize your sinful condition, laying aside blame or earthly cause, realizing you are estranged from your Creator, but now seeing that with a surrendered, and humbled, heart you can be reconciled. God always desires you. He craves you being with Him. But He will not contradict Himself. It is we who are the transgressors.

Truth Is

Truth is a temperate creature, or so it seems to us, people, humans I mean. It seems fleeting, inconsistent, or at best relative to our circumstances in life. Like beauty... it is often in the eye of the beholder.

The dictionary defines truth as......

a verified or indisputable fact.

Examples.....

Does life exist on other planets?

Did we form from a cosmic bang, or an intentional Creator?

Do I have purpose in life? Even in ourselves we desire confirmation of purpose.

David said, in Psalm 139.....

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 

Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 

So how do we get to "the truth"? Who do you trust for the truth? Jesus stated verily, verily (or truly, truly) about 69 times in the New Testament. In the life-quest for truth the question today is ....do you believe Jesus "is" the embodiment of the truth? I'm here to tell ya'.... there is no way you'll follow Him very long if you do not believe so.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father." (John 8:31-38 ESV)

Truth is ......we think we are free.

A popular movie epitomized the real human quest; the search for true freedom, who we truly are. The story demonstrated that the life we wake up to everyday is not "real". It's a cover-up for our real lives. The truth, in this case, was not nearly as attractive, but at least it was "real".

It seems that we are ok with a false-life, until it doesn't agree with us or turns on us.

Truth is ....we do not want to answer to anyone.

These Jews, to whom Jesus was speaking, knew their lineage back to Abraham, the father of their faith. They also well knew the truth of their bondage, slavery, in Egypt. They knew that God, through Moses, had freed them. How could Jesus speak of being "free indeed"? They thought they already were!

Truth is .....Jesus IS the truth

In his own skeptical quest for the truth Doubting Thomas asked...... "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 13:5-6

In Christ-followship our search for "facts" will require "faith". Without it, there is no joy of living in Christ.

What Would My Kids Believe?

Ever have doubts about what you believe? What you think you believe? Are you unsure whether to even trust yourself about belief in this day and time? Ask yourself this simple question.....

 "What would I want "my" children to believe?'

If that seems simple ....well it has to be, coming from me. As a disclaimer for anyone who might run the train off its tracks ....I would caution that by no means should one formulate his / her entire system of beliefs on what they would have their children believe, but it does remove some personal bias from the equation and get ya' started on your quest. The courage of consequence typically only applies to self, so it is at least a bit of a measuring stick to help get ya' down the road of searching for the truth.

I don't believe that truth, itself, is so slithery as much as it is that we, instead, have a hard time displacing what we "want" to be truth. If we look through the lens of someone else,  we would care about, we tend to be a bit more deliberate in our thinking. In other words ....who wouldn't (..exceptions granted..) throw themselves under the bus in lieu of their own children?

And never underestimate child-like faith.

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

-Luke 18:17

Letters Home: Must Be Attitudes for Believers

"Being" Christian doesn't happen overnight. Neither a prayer nor lip service make an effective Christ-follower. A genuine confession, to God, that you are a sinner can "save" you, but that confession comes from the well-spring of either a heart broken by Christ, or for some other purpose. Only you and God know your heart. Now, this is not to say that anything other than humble-brokennesss won't produce a genuine life in Christ. God already loves you and desires that you be with Him. Once you've asked to be His ....He is overjoyed and faithful. But don't think that the Christian-life begins and ends there. God's plan is already mapped. You won't change that. However, God's plan for "you" is open to your influence.

My son is in the process of becoming a Marine. I am unsure if he went into this journey for the right reasons. In fact, had he known all of what to anticipate it is reasonable to consider that he would have changed his mind. Will this make him a lesser Marine? Is it more honorable had his heart already been fully aware? His mother and I can confirm, through letters home, even in doubts and unexpected scenarios and circumstances ....he is being strengthened and proven, and that again! His letters home reveal evidence of this "changing" occuring before his, and our, very eyes. It is a change for bettering him, humbling him, and yes... breaking him to a degree. He is seeing a bigger picture of life outside himself.

No differently... Paul wrote his letter to the Philippian church to encourage them; not with words that there is no battle, or there are no worries, or no suffering for Christ' cause ......but to encourage them that within them exists everything needed to live a full, satisfied, completed, un-regretful life as a Christ-follower.

Paul was imprisoned at least twice for his belief and servitude to Christ. He ultimately died as a result. He was imprisoned for things such as exorcising a demon. This "hostility" toward him as a Christ-follower was not such that he could write his senator of a gross injustice nor would it be on the evening news. No, his only real option was to live "through" the injustices. And "how" he did that was key to Christianity.

"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ."

-Philippians 1:12-13

Do folks know you're a Christ-follower?

Will you take ridicule for being a Christ-follower?

Will you take, even, inconveniences for being a Christ-follower?

We must be ON-TRIAL CHRISTIANS.

"And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."

-Philippians 1:14

How do unbelievers act when around you?

How do you respond to their actions?

We must be ON-PURPOSE CHRISTIANS.

"Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. To Live Is Christ Yes, and I will rejoice,"

-Philippians 1:15-18

Do you "own" your faith?

Ultimately, being Christian is not about "you". It benefits you, and that is God's desire. But if we view our Christianity through the lense of our own benefit we can only live a taker's life in Christ. Viewed through a lense of being willing, and ready, to suffer for Christ ...God can "use" us.

We must be ON-DEMAND CHRISTIANS.

More Than I Deserve

The longer I live (..I turned the corner on 41 a couple of days ago in fact..) the more I am reminded of the seemingly simplistic reality that people just need the Lord Jesus. I know.... terribly un-original isn't it; even cliché? I'm not doing, living, or preaching to be profound, nor original. As I turn on the news, or listen to human beings right in our communities turn toward the logic and sway of the world, as it desperately tries to solve its own problems, I am ceaselessly, and desperately, though not yet despairingly jerked back in my memory to the words.... "trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do mot lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

It seems the further in our own man-made holes we get ...the more fervently we clamor and claim.... it's not so bad here in the hole. This is just how it is. This is just who we are. Maybe it's just easier to wallow in the mud than to clean a shower stall. Either one is a bath I suppose. I'm beginning to conclude that if I am not seeking Christ desperately, then maybe I'm not seeking Him at all. Do we "really" want the truth? Without pulling out the... "woe to me, a sinner" card ....I keep praying and living ..knowing that very statement is truer than true about me. I read a Psalm this week....

 "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;" (Psalm 103:10-11)

WOW!! While me being a lowly sinner may be a truth ....even truer is that a redeeming, a loving, God "chose" not to deal with me according to my sin. Whatever I "deserve" is not part of the calculation of my worth, my value, to my Father and Creator.

To God be all glory!

Steve Terrell

grace alone

www.reclaimchristianity.com

Christ' agenda for special interest groups

Everyone has an agenda these days. I guess that has always been true. Lately in the news special interest groups work to promote their agenda. Not a question of right or wrong. Nope...... the agenda itself is the issue. Words are spun to meet the needs of a party's interest. Words redefined, or attempted, to meet our own needs.

What was Christ' response to special interest groups, and their agendas? All three of the synoptic (similar) gospels demonstrate examples of special interest groups and the agendas they strive to uphold. In contrast, and as affirmation of Him being who He claims to be, Christ had / has a slightly different agenda.

"One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. And he said to them, "Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?" And they could not reply to these things." -Luke 14:1-6

The legalizers had, in previous encounters with Jesus, accused Him of breaking God's law of how to act, and what we do or do not do, on the Sabbath. If you say this is like telling Col. Sanders how to fry chicken ....you'd be right. But that is the problem; these Pharisees didn't believe Jesus was Lord, Messiah.

Jesus' question / challenge simply proved that they, and we, dumb faith in Christ down to a legalistic maneuver. If there are rules, they exist for our ultimate benefit, though it so often appears not for our short-term benefit.

Good news is... we all have common ground with Christ. While our agenda is about "us". His agenda is, too, about us. Don't make what God intends to be for your benefit into something to try and gain His favor, or morph it into something evil. That is, by definition, blaspheme. You already have His favor .....or He wouldn't bother with benefiting you. He said clearly.... "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Thanks be to God.... we all belong to Christ' group of special interest.

Gospel For The Middle

The following exercise is from the synchroblog at http://frankviola.org/2012/07/09/gospelforthemiddle

Fielding Melish and his wife Felicia have two children, ages 10 and 6. They live in a very remote part of Maine, USA. They are surrounded by extended family, none of whom are Christians. The nearest churches are one hour away, and by all evangelical standards, none of them are good. These churches are either highly legalistic, highly libertine, or just flat-out flaky.

One of Fielding's cousins is a practicing Christian. They see each other once a year. Fielding's cousin has shared Christ with Fielding many times over the years. Whenever they've talked about spiritual things, Fielding shows interest.

Felicia grew up in a Christian home. She's received Christ, but she isn't evangelistic and is overwhelmed with working long hours and raising two small children. She would love to find a church nearby for the spiritual support and instruction, but none exist.

Fielding has no college education. While he is capable of reading, he is not a reader. He doesn't use the Web either. He's a man who works with his hands, both for his career and for recreation. He's an "outdoorsman." He hunts, he builds, he does manual labor, etc. In his spare time, he helps his elderly parents with various building projects.

Fielding is not an atheist. Neither is he an agnostic. He believes in God. He believes Jesus is the Savior of the world who died for our sins and rose again from the dead. He hasn't fully surrendered his life to Christ, but he is not sure what that looks like exactly. His children know a little about the Lord, mostly because of what their mother has taught them.

Recently Fielding asked this question:

When I'm with my cousin once a year, I want to learn more about God. But when I come back home, and I'm around everyone else, my mind is off of God, and I am back to working, raising my kids, and helping my parents. Someone needs to come up with a solution for people like me . . . people who are in the middle. (By "in the middle," Fielding means someone who believes in Jesus, but who isn't fully absorbed in the faith yet either. They simply don't know enough nor do they have any spiritual support system around them.)

Relocating is not an option for Fielding and his wife. Even if they wanted to relocate, they don't see a way they could do it financially.

Remember: Fielding and his wife don't personally know any Christians. None of their extended family or coworkers are believers either. And the nearest churches (which are an hour away) aren't recommended.

Question: If you were Fielding's cousin, how would you instruct him and his wife the next time you saw them?

War of The World

As we offer memorial, today, for those who have served sacrificially for our country ....I've had thoughts and recollections about war, why we prepare for it, why it exists, what starts them? I was reminded of a couple of events; one historic, one personal ....which connect to "war" or the fear of.

(1) In 1938 radio host and narrator, Orson Welles, found worldwide fame by reportedly causing a scare of a Martian invasion. Though the panic was largely overstated it brought Welles instant noteriety.

(2) I recall a similar scare which effected me personally as a youngster. It was late night comedy television and unfortunate timing that did it for me. I flipped the set on just in time to catch what was to later be determined as a convincing commentator indicate that the then USSR had hit the proverbial button and had launched nuclear weapons aimed for the United States. It was a late night comedy talk show! I began to breathe again.

The causes and effects of war, whether declared or threatened, are numerous. James chapter 4 draws a picture of the very root cause of conflict, the battles ensued, and the ultimate result.

I. War Declared

"1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?"

There is only one single origin which preceeds any cause of "war"; whether on a staged battlefront, gerilla warfare, or warring between individuals..... it is the conflict which stems from man's own desire. We covet what another has or what we feel threatened to lose. And then man's desire becomes his passion. Our flesh cries out for that which even the soul knows will not sustain it. And so the battle begins.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9) Whatever justification wells up amongst men splls over into conflict. Yet the true conflict is within.

II. The Battlefield

"2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel."

On any battlefield there is bloodshed. Wounds, if not fatal, leave lasting scars; events which, sooner or later, cause each of us to question "why", to question whether or not a hill is worth dying on.

"You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."

Our motivations are ill-aimed at best. Our motives are never truly pure. Our best laid plans should be sized up next to our God and Creator.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

III. The Result of War

"4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

We need to be very careful with our allegiances. "For love of God and Country", while a bold and proud statement, must always be predicated firstly by our love for God; with obedience to civil authorities resulting from a humble heart which is submissive to the authority God has granted man over each of us. Any motivation to follow the world's wisdom is in direct opposition to God's wisdom and His provision thereof.

"We have met the enemy and he is us." -Pogo

A motivation to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness will most certainly provide all things unto us (Matthew 6:33). We cannot lean on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him, and trust that He will make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

So when you desire, when you crave, and you will do both ......measure the worth using God's yard-stick and ask yourself.... Is this battle a hill worth dying on? If not, dust the dirt from your sandles as you walk away from it. If yes, prepare for the death, as dying to self is a requirement either way.

"10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."

Homegoings

May 20, 2012 "Homecoming" sermon, at Mt Pisgah Baptist Church.

Welcome to Mt Pisgah's Homecoming bash!

This may be Homecoming, but maybe we should make this a celebration of our 1st Annual Home-going. Some of us may be closer to "going home" than others, eh? By the way... lunch will follow this sermon ....but I promise ...the drinks aren't spiked; i.e. Jim Jones. 

As important as it is to know, and to reminisce about, where we've been ....it is all to the purpose of knowing where we are going. I'd like to read something which  I recently read myself....

"Week by week we drowsily summon the God who shouted Job down out of the tempest, and blithely invoke Him who toppled Pharaoh's empire with wave after wave of catastrophe. We glibly propose to encounter the King of kings who could wither a tree with a glance and who cracked death itself in two ....[all] as though we were taking a trip to the post office."

A right quote and a revealing one. We often treat God either as a genie whom we can summon, or a disconnected baron of whom we can only but speak. He is neither. Rather, we must hold, in faith, that He is the God of the scriptures, and to believe or SAY that we believe requires that we know Him through His inspired word; lest He be dwarfed to our own imaginations, ponderings, and needful desires. He is, truly, King of kings and Lord of lords. And before we get too cliche.... Let me be clear. It is not that He is Lord of all or not Lord at all. No, He is Lord of all whether or not we like it at all.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions-is not from the Father but is from the world.

17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.                                                           1 John 2:15-17 ESV

It is rightly said that.... "This world is not our home." Yet I see two extremes in existance today.

(a) we hold on to life & prosperity as if we'll have either long enough to satisfy us

(b) or we neglect life and living as if we were honorary members of God's   

      Kingdom.

I think another cliche is true....... "Though we are in the world, we are not "of" the world."

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.                                                                                    John 17:14-16

1. So how do we keep from "the desires of the flesh / eyes?

    After all, isn't it all we know?

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

idolatry, sorcery, enmity [hostility], strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

                                                                                      Galatians 5:19-21

How do we NOT love the world? 

The short answer is.... we love God more.

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.       

                                                                                        Matt 22:37-39

How do we know that we love God more?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.                                                          Galatians 5:22-24

2. Why should we not take pride in possessions?

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.                                                                1 John 2:17 ESV

   

Homecomings are a wonderful tradition .....but they're only as good as compared to last year's, or as anticipated against next year's. We aren't here to celebrate ourselves; our accomplishments, or accolades. We aren't here as Christ' church to celebrate homecomings, or even home-goings .....as is humblingly evident upon each marked grave in that cemetary right behind you. No, we are indeed here to worship, and commit to full-service followship of, King Jesus Himself.