Insidious Pride

2 Kings 5:1 The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.

² At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. ³ One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”

Namman was a bad dude. He was a military hero. He had distinguished himself as a master strategist, courageous, and was in the Kings inner court. He had it made.

He also had a death sentence; leprosy. This incurable disease carried with such social stigma that it would take everything he had gained away.

Right in the middle of his dire situation there is a little slave girl, a witness of the power of God, a girl taken from her land and her family by this very man.  She is a nobody, he is a somebody.  She has no name, his name is revered.  She is low, he is high.  She knows a Godly man back in her hometown could do something about this.  She had seen God work through this man before.

How easy it would have been to ignore her voice, but he didn’t.

⁴ So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold,and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “This man sends me a leper to heal! Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”

⁸ But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”

⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”

¹¹ But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! ¹² Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.

Elisha is in the house but doesn’t even get out of his chair; instead, he sends out an intern, a servant. The intern says. “Go; wash yourself seven times in the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

This is Gods message for Naaman but pride blinds him. “Wash in the Jordon,” he thinks to himself, “this must be some kind of a joke! Who does this Elisha think he is? I thought this would be a major production.  He’d come out in person and wave his hands around and pray with big southern accent —I’ve seen how this is done on television. I’m a man of great deeds I’m prepared to do great things for this God—fight his battles, defeat his enemies, present him with great gifts and now some intern tells me to wash in the Jordan River?”

So he turned and went off in a rage, the Bible says He is offended. The last place he expected to find God was in the Jordan River. He hasn’t been treated like a great man at all.

This is an epic failure. There is a God sized moment waiting for him and he walks away.

Here is his and our epic failure: pride and anger.  The bible words for his anger are telling; he was raging, hot, on fire and furious.  Why?  Because of pride. Pride is my stubbornness and my resistance to admit that I am wrong or to acknowledge any other way but my way. His pride is hurting Himself, his king, his family, God, and his country. Pride says stuff like this:

-      “Doesn’t he know who I am?” People should recognize your brilliance, intelligence, competence, spirituality, sense of humor, good looks, skills and abilities.

-      “This is beneath me.”

-      “I’m entitled to more respect than this.” The proud are above the rules; they don’t have to go by everyone elses rules.

-      “I can’t hear you.” The proud are unable to listen to others or to God’s messages.

Our pride is anti-God, and pro-self. My pride is my desire to be rid of God; I declare that I can do better than God, that I can be a better god than God.

When I am God, This world exists for my pleasure, for my glory, and your sin is when you interfere with my sovereign will. My wrath falls upon those who do their will instead of mine.

 

When I am God, I desire to be worshipped. I don’t want anything interfering with my plans, with my slumber, with my pleasure, my socializing, my amusement.

When I am God, sexual fulfillment is my right; sex exists to bring me pleasure and the value of other people is measured only in their ability to fulfill what I am convinced that I need.

When I am God, direct your love to me, the one most worthy of it. True love is when you do what I demand. Greater love has no man than this—that he lay it all down for me.

When I am God, I am the smartest one in the room. Don’t question me.

Pride leads to anger.  Anger is my emotion that I use to force you appreciate me like I deserve.  Anger is my way of saying, “you owe me.” And anger leads to drama.  Pride, anger and drama, the three stooges of failure.

So here is a man with an incurable disease on the brink of a miracle cure and he refuses to take it because he doesn’t like it.

Isn’t PRIDE an insidious thing? We stare at obvious remedies to problems, but we won’t take them. Why?

We say hurtful things and won’t admit it or apologize for them, WHY?

We are caught in a lie, but defend the lie like it is the truth, WHY?

Naaman isn’t alone…ME TOO.

How many times has my damnable pride caused me to walk away from God’s touch?

How many times as the holy spirit spoken me and said, “you’re sick and this thing that’s growing on you is going to kill you,” and I said, “I’d rather it kill me that have to do what you’re asking me to do.”

I know you NAAMAN.  I have been Naaman.  You have been Naaman.

Naaman wanted to be healed, but he wanted to be healed his way.  He’d rather be sick then get in the Jordan River.  Ridiculous.

-      We say, “I want a better marriage” but God said I would have to love my wife instead of trying to change her and I don’t want it that bad! I thought God could just wave his hand over her and fix her!

-      I want a better relationship with the opposite sex but God said, “don’t be unequally yoked and no sex until marriage” and I said, “well then forget it God!”

-      I wanted a better church but Jesus said to wash someone else’s feet; no way am I doing that!

-      I wanted to be a better leader but Jesus said that his leaders get great by serving and I said, “no thank you.”

-      I wanted more joy but Jesus said I would have to learn to forgive…  I can’t do that.

-      I wanted more financial blessing but God’s way for me to give first…  that doesn’t make sense to me so I refuse to do it.

-      I was all about talking about the White House but God said, “let’s talk about was happening in your house.”

How many times in our foolish pride have we told God we wanted a miracle but we wanted it our way and there was no way we getting in that dirty Jordan river?

When God says the hard stuff and it doesn’t fit our program we have a tendency to stomp off and stay unhealed.

Me too.  I have done it, you have done it, some of you are doing it, we all have done it.

God says, “Naaman, Ill meet you—if you’ll let me but I will choose the place and it’s not where you’d expect. You’ll have to meet me at the Jordan”

¹³ But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” ¹⁴ So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed!

A tiny voice yelling…STOP IT!!!  GO BACK to the river!

He relents. Imagine Naaman as he strips off military hardware, his attitudes, his anger, his objections, his pride and goes down into the water.

He is healed.

Did the dirty water heal him?  No, God did but he chose to use the dirty water.  We need to see that there is a connection between our healing and our wholeness and doing what God has told us to do.  Some of us are stuck and it’s because there is something that God has told you to do and you refuse to do it – you think that you can move on with life but God won’t allow it.

God deals with us one thing at a time. You are never going to move spiritually until you deal with this thing. Like Naaman I urge you to go back and deal with what God has spoken.

¹⁵ Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” And though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused.

¹⁷ Then Naaman said, “All right, but please allow me to load two of my mules with earth from this place, and I will take it back home with me. From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other God except the Lord. ¹⁸ However, may the Lord pardon me in this one thing: When my master the king goes into the temple of the God Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow, too.”

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman started home again.

Salvation.

WHAT IS YOUR JORDAN RIVER TODAY?

Is there something God has asked you to do and you have refused? Is there a place God wants to meet you but you just can’t see it? Maybe it is your pride that has stood in the way, you just didn’t want to get in that muddy water, it was below you.

Maybe your Jordan River is this altar and what it stands for. Maybe this is the most daunting place on earth right now for you. Maybe this is the place that God wants to meet you. But you reject it because walking to this place means you have a need and you surely don’t want to admit that, our pride refuses. But God insists…

Maybe it is a relationship that needs mending. Maybe that is the place where God is going to meet you, your Jordan River. Maybe you can’t believe that this relationship is that important, or that it could have any possible effect on your walk with God. Maybe your pride says, “They were wrong, why should I have to fix it?”

Is it baptism?

Could it be your money? Tithing? God has asked you to do certain things with your money and you have refused and God’s blessings have been withheld ever since?

Could it be an apology that needs to be made?

The thing about the Jordan River is that God has chosen that place to meet us, but we simply have a hard time believing that God will meet us there. It seems so plain, so unglamorous, and so mundane. “Can’t I get healed somewhere else? Can’t I get this done some other way?” The thing is, God is in that water. God has chosen to do it this way and you are not going to get the blessing, the healing, and the freedom until you get into the water and do it his way.

Resurrection Power is For You

Eph. 1:19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power ²⁰ that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. ²¹ Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. ²² God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.

How can we describe God’s power for us? Paul uses the miracle of the resurrection; the mighty power of God doing the unthinkable. Resurrection took a dead Jesus, gave Him life and then raised him up to a place of honor. Now the same Jesus who once was dead and defeated by the worldly and hellish powers is not only above, but FAR above those who once killed Him! That is cool!

Resurrection power means;

-      Hold on

-      Holdout

-      Something’s coming

-      Something’s up

-      God is working

-      What you see isn’t always what is happening

-      Believe the impossible

-      Believe the improbable

-      Believe that dead things are raised

 

-      The resurrection says there is more

-      There is a higher power

-      There’s a better plan

-      There’s a better place

-      Stop limiting Him

-      Stop watering Him down

-      Stop doubting Him

-      Stop demeaning Him

-      Stop ignoring Him

-      Stop quitting on Him

-      Stop arguing with Him

This is for you – this is for me – this is for us – this is ours –this is for all.

The Exact Moment God Moves

Mark 5:21 When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. ²² One of the synagogue officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet ²³ and *implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” ²⁴ And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

You gotta love Jairus, this synagogue ruler who runs to Jesus and face plants himself at His feet to get healing for his daughter.

Let’s call this the “Jesus come into my life moment.”

Jairus is a lot like us; when we have used up every other option we go running to Jesus!  I need to tell you that Jesus is not an option; he is the plan, he is the man, he should be the first one that we run to.

Jairus is saying a lot of what many of us are saying; “Jesus, it’s a mess, I need you to come into my life, my home, my family, my problem, my situation.”

“This is what you can do for me.  This is where I need you.  This is the thing you can fix.”

And Jesus says, “yes” and heads your direction.

That is how it starts for many of us but God has a deeper moment ahead.

²⁵ A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, ²⁶ and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— ²⁷ after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. ²⁸ For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” ²⁹ Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰ Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” ³¹ And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” ³² And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. ³³ But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

At that moment Jairus had to be real encouraged? “He can do it!!…”

But the moment of encouragement was followed by incredible discouragement.

³⁵ While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”

At this moment I’m thinking two things:

1.  She got my miracle and I’m mad. You only had one miracle to give away today and she took it! It’s like the guy that cuts into line ahead of you and gets the winning ticket that should have been yours!

2. Jesus, I invited you in and it got worse!!

What do you do when the profound promises of God that you have banked on and that you have relied on don’t happen?  We hear the promises; promises of a “future and a hope,” promises of prayer, promises of “more than you can ask or think.” What happens when you don’t get them?

When I look at Jesus, when I read about Jesus I’m just thinking boundless, limitless, powerful, loving; I’m not thinking it’s going to get worse. I remember when I started pastoring and thinking of all the great things God would do through us and things got worse, not better. There were complainers, critics, gossips, the church split and I felt alone and defeated.

Just recently on the very Sunday that I was talking about some rather big goals for 2012 a person that I depended on a lot came up to me and told me he was probably going to leave the church because he wanted to be with other family in worship that didn’t attend here.  If that wasn’t bad enough his decision affected a dozen other people in his family.

I say to Jesus, “I thought you wanted me to do this and things got worse!”

Have you felt that way when we say; “Jesus, I invited you into my life, my home, my family and instead of things getting better, they got worse!”

³⁶ But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”

Let’s call this moment the moment Jesus says, “come into my house, my kingdom, what I am doing.”

What Jesus is saying to Jairus – it doesn’t make sense – it’s not logical – it’s not rational – it doesn’t look good on a piece of paper – it won’t stand up to scrutiny as a business model – it goes against our feelings and what we know – no one understands it…  But what he says is, “I know what’s going on, I know it looks over, but Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”

Don’t be afraid.  Jairus was afraid.

-      Afraid if death

-      Afraid of what people might think

-      Afraid that maybe Jesus was crazy

-      Afraid that it might not work

-      Afraid of the talk

-      Afraid of what might happen to his status

-      Afraid that he might look bad

We’re all afraid of something.  We’re afraid to trust God.  We are afraid the money will run out.  We are afraid that we will be found out.  We are afraid of failure, of people not approving of us, of taking a step of faith.

But Jesus is offering an invitation; “you asked me to come into your house now I’m asking you to come into my house and the door into my house is called believe…  Believe in me.”

It’s blind faith.  Its radical trust.  It’s depending on something outside of your control.

Believe is the door into God’s house, his riches, his Glory, his miracles, his power, his salvation.

He wants to show you what he can do.

He wants to show us what he can do.

He wants us to trust him.

This is like a second conversion.  When we invite him to into our house that’s one thing; but now he’s inviting us into what he’s doing.

So this is Jairus moment of truth, his walk on the water moment.  Will he step over the side?

Maybe this is your moment.

Listen to the next thing Jesus says…

³⁷ And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They *came to the house of the synagogue official; and He *saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. ³⁹ And entering in, He *said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” ⁴⁰ They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He *took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and *entered the room where the child was.

In verses 37 to 40 Jesus does two things;

1. He gathers a small group of encouragers around him. You need to gather a few people who will pray and support you.
2. He puts out all the skeptics, critics, laughers and those causing a commotion. Those are the people who want to speak into your life but they never speak a good word; it’s always negative or undermining your faith.

 ⁴¹ Taking the child by the hand, He *said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). ⁴² Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. ⁴³ And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

What a great ending.  What a surprise ending.

So when is the exact moment that God worked in this situation?  I believe it was the moment when Jairus could have bailed out and played it safe and did normal but didn’t.

It was when in the face of bad news, people laughing, people crying, that he stuck with Jesus.

Don’t talk yourself out of walking with Jesus even through the most unwinnable situations. Jesus is inviting you into His program.

To Me or Not to Me, that is the question

Does anyone else feel just plain stupid after attending a conference like I do? I am asking these questions of myself and of my ministry after the latest conference:

-      Why does his church fill up from front to back and mine fills up from back to front?

-      Why do the people at his church arrive early to get a good seat and my people arrive 5 minutes late?

-      How does he get so many smiley volunteers and it seems like I’m always begging for one more?

-      Why are his people so excited about their serving and we seem to have to drum up excitement?

-      Why do we have less than we need but they seem to have more than they need?

-      Why is our budget $300,000 and theirs is $30,000,000?

-      How have they broken the mold and we seem so traditionally moldy?

-      How is it that they have the young people and we have the middle aged people?

-      Why are they meeting in a 5000 seat state of the art auditorium and I’m still meeting in an outdated plaster tunnel we call a sanctuary?

 The biggest question really is this one; why is it that God has chosen to work such a great work in that place and in comparison it seems that he has done such a puny work where I am?  What makes this especially vexing is the desire that I’ve always had to be part of such a great work.  It puts me to shame.  It makes me feel stupid.

 I know what is being said; “stop comparing yourself to others!” I know that comparing myself to this mega monster is not going to lift me up.  The question still runs in my mind; what happened that God was able to do something so great there that hasn’t happened here?  Are there any answers to that?

 Is it a different culture?

Is it a Type A personality leader that drives that church and I’m not one?

Is it the right place at the right time?

Is it a lack of leadership gifts or training?

 

Maybe all of the above, maybe none of the above.  I just don’t know. 

 All I do know is that there something in me that is kindled that says, “God is bigger.  God is great.  God can do more.  You haven’t seen the best of what God can do yet.” It is discouraging and encouraging all at the same time!

 I have always felt like something big was just around the corner.  I have always had an expectation that one Sunday might be the Sunday that revival breaks out.  I don’t want to lose that.

 Recently I heard a man speaking and he said that he thought he would preach his way to greatness but he learned that he had to serve his way to greatness.  That is God’s way.  He said he now understands that he, as a Christian, and we as Christians, are janitors in this world; all we do is go around and clean up messes that everyone else has made.  That is a powerful analogy.  Maybe what’s needed is a little bit more serving those whom God has given to us and where God has put us and a little less comparison.

 “Father, help me to reach my full potential right where you put me.  Help me to rejoice with this successes of others.  Help me to stop comparing myself to other servants.  I am not stupid for I am in the place that you put me.  Give me vision for better, for greater and for more.”

 What do you think?

10 Giving Facts

God has a different economy then we have. Do you know that the Bible talks about God’s storehouses – a place where he has incredible resources stored up for you?  That storehouse even has a window that God opens so that blessings will fall down on you.

The Bible talks about “riches in glory.” Phil. 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. That sounds like a good place to have an account.

God is associated with abundance, generosity, going over and above, doing more than enough, and never coming up short. This could be your experience of God if it isn’t already. Heaven itself is above our wildest dreams!

God’s generosity isn’t just about money; it’s about how He takes care of all kinds of issues in life; just check out  Psalm 145.

God’s generosity is not in doubt.  What is peculiar is that God seems to tie his blessing on your life to your generosity!  Let me give 10 quick facts about giving:

1.  God promises givers an abundant return. Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Not one bank or investment firm in the world can guarantee you that you will never lose money when you invest it; but God does!  He says that what we give all come back to us in a variety of ways.  In fact Jesus even dares us to go crazy with our generosity because of his guarantee.

2.  More money makes you more of what you already are. Luke 16:10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.  I laugh at the people who say that when they hit it big then they will be generous.  Now they won’t.  How you handle $1, one person, one responsibility tells us how you will handle $1,000,000, 100 people, and 10 responsibilities.

3.  Money and giving is one of the most basic spiritual tests. Luke 16:11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?  There is no doubt that God links the handling of our wealth with how much he will trust us with a “true riches of heaven.” Fair or not fair what you do with your wealth determines if God is going to allow you to have a level of influence and power in his work.  That simply means that before you get any true power you have to test the money test.  By the way, if God can trust the non giver with true power, why do we put a non giver in positions of leadership in our churches?

4.  There is some portion of your wealth that belongs to God. Matthew 22:21“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” What belongs to God?  If it belongs to God why do you have it and what are you going to do with it?

5. We can rob God. Malchi 3:8 ”Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” If you have something that belongs to God and you keep it for yourself you are a thief.  God lays claim to the tithe, the first 10% of our blessings.  If we choose to keep that for ourselves as well as the other 90%, we are stealing from God just as much as if I were to take money out of the offering plates for my own personal use.

6.  Our giving fills God’s house with food. Malchi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  God wants his house to be filled with food; nourishing food, healthy food, good food, baby food, meat, food for the sick, food for the community.  When we refuse to give we’re simply saying that the mission of the church, the existence of the church and the ministry of the church doesn’t matter and that you don’t believe in it.  In essence we are saying; “let the children starve, let the youth starve, let the world spiritually starve because I will do nothing to finance God’s house in the world going to hell.”

7. Greed is the assumption that everything I have is for my consumption.  Greed sells everyone else down the river just so that I can have more for myself.

8.  If you think the lottery can solve your problems then you’ll have bought the lie.  More money won’t solve your problems; God will.  More money won’t give you a better marriage; God will.  More money will not bring peace; God will.  More money will not create joy; that is a gift given by Jesus.  More money will not save your family.  More money will not stop your porn addiction.  More money will not heal your body.  More money will not fix your character.

9.  Its not how much you make that impresses people, it’s how much you give. Get more interested in increasing your standard of giving than your standard of living.

 10.  God’s teaching on giving is so anti what any financial planner would tell you that it is either insane or a supernatural God sized dare to experience a miracle! Malchi 3:10 Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

What you give to and where you put your dollars is what is important to you.  Whenever is valuable to you will receive the $$ God has entrusted to you.  What message are you sending with your money?  In a country where the average person spends more on dog food and specialty coffees than to the church, what message do you think that sends?

What I Believe About the Church (a Sunday sermon)

One of the great frustrations of loving Jesus and being called to pastor is when it’s evident that there are some people who should get it but they don’t get it. It’s makes me mad.  I want to say, “get in or get out but get off the fence.  Go all the way or get out of the way but you can’t go halfway.  Belong and serve like you mean it, give like you mean it, live like you mean it, or go do your own thing somewhere else.”

This is one of those challenges where you can define where you stand and then do appropriately.

Matthew 16:13  When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

 ¹⁴ “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

 ¹⁵ Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

 ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. ¹⁸ Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hellwill not conquer it. ¹⁹ And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permiton earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Jesus said he was building a church. A hell resisting church. A hell busting church. A church not afraid of hell. A church not intimidated by hell. A church not going to hell. A church not losing to hell. A church not out manned by hell; not out armed by hell and not out played by hell.

 God has only one church, are you part of her?  Jesus Christ founded the church and all the fury of hell will never prevail against it. Are you in it?

God’s church is the assembly of the born again, brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ, adopted into His family, and we are family with all those who know him wherever they may be found

-      Rich or poor

-      Black or white

-      North side or south side

-      The gifted or the ungifted

-      The educated and the uneducated

-      The ghetto or the suburb

-      Man or woman

If they know Jesus they are family. And we are for our family!

Jesus’ church is the church triumphant and the church militant.

It’s Jesus’ church. Not my church, not the popes church, not your church.

He is the head of his church and he calls his church…

-      His bride – he loves her so much

-      His body – because we represent Him on earth while He is away.

And…

-      He’s building his church

-      He’s arming his church

-      He’s equipping his church

-      He’s blessing his church

-      He’s gifting his church

-      He’s resourcing his church

-      He’s adding to His church daily

-      He’s sending his church into all the world with a singular message, with a singular love, and a singular mission.

 

It’s Jesus’ church…

 

He defines the church.

The wines and dines the church.

There is no barrier that can hinder him from pouring out his love on the church – not death, not life, not angels, not principalities, not powers, not things present, not things to come, not height, not depth, nor anything else will ever separate the church from the love of Jesus.

He loves His church.

His church is invincible and indivisible but always visible.

His church is undiluted, unpolluted, doctrinally sound and on solid ground.

His church is the ultimate achievement and the joy of every nation.

 

His church resists temptation, saves people from damnation, preaches salvation and baptizes the nation.

The church is God’s house, a prayer house, a glory house, the house of refuge, the house of healing, the house of encouragement, the house of training and the house of grace.

His church meets, whether 2 or 3 or 20,000, in His name, for His glory, for His will to be done, for His purposes to be accomplished, and Jesus himself is there with Him. Jesus meets with His church. Jesus goes to church; do you?

His house is filled with people who are not trying to increase their standard of living with their standard of giving. His house is filled with people who don’t show up to served, but to serve and give their live.

His church has changed the world, outlasted the Roman Empire, the dark ages, communism, atheism, evolution, Mormonism, poverty, plagues and every elitist who pronounced the church dead.

It’s Jesus’ church…

And his church wrestles, and fights against sin, against wickedness, against strongholds against principalities, against rulers of the dark world, against humanism, against hopelessness and against Satan himself.

Jesus’ church lives a strict standard of holiness, forgiveness, love, service, putting others first, humility, laying down their lives, and Bible belief.

His church is the chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people who shout the praises of the one who called her out of darkness into the light.  His church consists only of every single Jesus follower on this earth or in heaven – no more than that…  No less than that…  That is his church.

And in the end it will be Jesus coming to take his church home to be with him forever…

-      Not the republican party – that’s not His bride

-      Not the democratic party – that’s not His bride

-      Not the drinking party – that’s not His bride

-      Not the shrine club – that’s not His bride

-      Not the Masonic lodge – that’s not His bride

-      Not the moose, elk, owls or any other forest creature – that’s not His bride

-      Not the good people – that’s not His bride

-      Not the person on the membership roll of the Baptist / Methodist / catholic / Presbyterian / Pentecostal / Episcopal or Church of God church – that’s not His bride

He is coming back only for His church – Those who have declared with their lips and life that Jesus Christ is Lord.

His church has been attacked, persecuted, make fun of, outlawed, killed, called names, misrepresented, forsaken, lied about, sent underground, quit, talked about, gossiped about, kicked around…  But his church Marches on as the light of the world,

the salt of the earth,

ambassadors for her king,

doctors to the sick,

hope to the hopeless,

vision to the blind,

holders of the keys of the kingdom,

opener of prison doors,

satan’s nemesis,

reaching the unreached,

loving the unloved,

doing what others won’t do,

serving the unserved,

saving the unsaved,

with anointed men and women and boys and girls despised by the world but honored by God.

His church is filled with Jesus lovers who know how to carry crosses and trust Him when there are losses.

His church is radical, admirable, fanatical, implacable and international.

His church is on fire

See’s the worlds situation as DIRE

Is not bogged down in MIRE

Lifts Jesus and people HIGHER

Isn’t afraid to PERSPIRE

Not about to RETIRE

Doesn’t have a FLAT TIRE

And will never call a CEASE FIRE

It’s time for us to be INSPIRED!

His church started hospitals, fed the poor, built homes, ended slavery, resisted racism, elevated women, toppled governments, started movements, fought for justice for those who had no voice, and preached the gospel to every nation. His church is filled with those who aren’t looking to be served but to serve and give their lives for others.

This church isn’t full of wimps, pimps, or simps.

The immoral are not in it, the halfhearted can’t make it, and the lukewarm can’t take it.

The self centered feel out of place and the greedy are a disgrace.

And His church doesn’t breed litters of cowards and quitters.

Have you heard the call? Jesus is building his church, his followers are called together, built together. His church is his crowning achievement on the earth.

I don’t know about you but I’m sick of the naysayers, the doomsdayers, and the critics of the church; yes, we all have had a bad experience with some church somewhere but that experience will not define what I believe about the church!

1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

 ¹⁰ “Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”

Amazing!

What I believe about the church:

We are a great church with an awesome God and a huge responsibility to make known Jesus Christ and his power to a difficult community.

Isaiah 58:12 (NLT)
¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.

That is what we will be known as.  That is what you will be known for.

To put it another way; we are a bridge from heaven to earth.  If you’re a bridge you will probably be stepped on!

2. I believe that we are sent to do good everywhere.

 Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

3. I believe that we are not only sent to do good, but to verbally talk about Jesus Christ.

4. I believe that we are sent out with power and we don’t have to be afraid or ashamed of anything.

 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL! God’s church is not filled with indecisive chickens!

5. I believe that God wants to use us to get Satan a beat down.

 Ephesians 3:10
God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

6. I believe that there are other churches that God is using, but there aren’t a lot of them so we must do all that we can do.

7. I believe that the future is bright for God’s people.

So are you in or out? Don’t give a level of devotion to the world that you are unwilling to give to Jesus’ church!

In the world you show up rain or shine, sick or well, headache or backache but when it comes to the church we skip it at a whim! How many times have you gone to work after a fight with the family but skipped church saying, “I won’t get anything out of it today?” That is BULL!

In the world we are professional and prepared and why? We are hoping for advancement! Yet in the church we come half ready and when we are asked to take on advanced roles we balk like it is a punishment! We desire advancement in the world but not in the church? That is BULL!

In the world we work with hypocrites, lazy people, people who get away with everything but we still show up. Yet in the church we let the hypocrites become our excuse to stay away! That is BULL!

In the world we obligate ourselves financially to everyone; mortgage company, electric company, gas company, cable company and we faithfully pay those bills without missing a beat yet when it comes to keeping up God’s house we only do it if we have enough leftover! That is BULL! The world makes us pay out of obligation but in God’s church we give out of devotion!

It’s time to increase our standard of devotion to God’s house, the church Jesus is building!

Solid Food…or…Gagging on Meat

I am a carnivore, I love meat. I believe that God gave me teeth to eat meat, not lettuce.  For me there is hardly a better meal than a nice, charbroiled steak sitting right next to a baked potato.  That’s good stuff!

Little children and babies can’t handle meat like that.  First of all they can’t chew through it.  Second of all they don’t appreciate it.  That meat may well end up spit out in a napkin or left on the plate.  What a waste!!

Let’s talk about meat; solid food, for grownups.  Let’s talk about spiritual meat, moving away from milk and pabulum.  The Apostle Paul was heartbroken over the immaturity of the Corinthian church when he wrote these words;

1 Cor. 3:1 Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life.

It’s funny how people talk to babies.  They dumb down their language, they spit, they make sounds; it’s a whole other world of communication.  And here’s Paul who wanted to talk to them about some serious issues and he can’t communicate except on a childish level.

He goes on…

² I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, ³ for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

Paul is basically saying that babyish Christians are still controlled by “your sinful nature.” The sinful nature is self centered like children are. When Jesus followers are selfish that means that they act like babies and babies always want what’s best for them.

Babies want easy.

Babies want them amusing.

Babies want what they want without any thought to the consequences.  Babies have no manners; they will poop and burp and throw up and cry and squeal and not mind right in front of you.

Babies are takers, they don’t provide anything to the home, they just take.  Babies bite, babies hit, babies grab toys, babies won’t share.

Paul tells these people, “your babies.” The sinful nature, selfishness, was  the same nature of a baby.  The sinful nature is all about me,

what I want,

I don’t like the rules,

I want to be amused,

I don’t want responsibility,

I want to play in the toilet,

Give me a cookie,

Let me do what feels good.

We all have a sinful nature.  The sinful nature is our selfishness.  Babies are selfish.

I don’t think I would want Paul talking to me like that; calling me a baby.  Can you imagine that church when they got that letter how excited they must have been to read it only to hear Paul call them babies? Ouch!    I certainly wouldn’t want Charles Stanley, or Chuck Swindoll or Billy Graham showing up here and telling us that we were a bunch of lightweights and weren’t cutting it!

But that’s exactly what Paul did.

Read almost the identical words in Hebrews…

 Heb. 5:11 -6:3 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. ¹² You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. ¹³ For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. ¹⁴ Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

That’s a problem. That’s not normal. They were perpetual students. They never grew up.

 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deedsand placing our faith in God. ² You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

How many times do we have to go over baptism?  Heaven?  Hell?  The basics?

Mark Driscoll wrote a piece called, “Boys Who Shave.” He explained that always used to turn into men but now they get stuck in perpetual adolescence.  In other words they never grow up.  They never move out.  They never get a real job.  They are always enamored with toys, expensive toys.  They never marry.  He calls it the “Peter Pan Syndrome” where men want to remain boys forever.

That’s not only a problem in our culture but it’s a problem in the church as well.  Boys and girls would never turn into spiritual men and women.

I have tried to identify eight doors that we must go through to make the transition to adulthood spiritually speaking.  These eight things represent solid food that gags children but pleases grownups.  Here they are:

Responsibility.

Responsibility is putting your shoulder into it.  Responsible adults say, “people are counting on me and I have a part to play.” Give a kid a responsibility and he whines and moans like it’s the end of the world and tries to find a way out of it. Adults carry responsibilities and carry out responsibilities; they don’t leave them for someone else to do.  Are you willing to let others depend on you?

Have you gone this far?

1. Serving.

Servants say, “It’s not all about me.” Serving is putting your hands in to it. Jesus set the standard of adulthood what he said that he did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.  Spiritual maturity proves itself by loving others enough to meet their needs and not just your own.

Have you gone this far?

1. Giving.

Giving is putting your wallet into it.  Givers say, “I must contribute and not just take.” A huge step into adulthood and Christian maturity is that we stop keeping all of our stuff for ourselves and start giving it.  It’s not wrong to use it for yourself it’s just wrong to use all of it for yourself.  Jesus was more than adamant about how money competes for the primary position of our life.  He is adamant that if you can’t handle your money God’s way that God will never trust you with true power.  He is adamant that money is a spiritual indicator of our maturity or lack of it.

Have you gone this far?

1. Fellowshipping.

When we fellowship we put our arms into it.  People in fellowship say, “I need others.” There continues to be a notion that we don’t need anybody else, we don’t need a church, we don’t need a group and that we can manage all by ourselves.  Even if that’s true does that mean that nobody needs you?  A step away from being a spiritual baby is learning how to put your arms around others and join them on the journey.  You can’t do life alone.  Serving is you giving to others, Fellowshipping is you allowing others to give to you.

Have you gone this far?

1. Witnessing.

When you share your faith you put your heart into it.  People who witness say, “others need to hear the story.” I will admit that sharing faith will take some things that kids don’t have: knowledge, courage, planning and endurance. It kids who always want the easy way out, who don’t want to have the hard discussions. Don’t take the easy way out which is what I have heard for years; “if they can’t figure out who Jesus is by watching my stellar life they it’s too bad for them!”  Witnessing is an adult responsibility.

Have you gone this far?

1. Obedience.

Obedience is when you put your legs into it.  People openly say, “God knows best, I’ll do what he says even if I don’t understand it.” One of the marks that we have crossed the threshold from adolescence to adulthood is when we trust God enough to know that whatever he says has to be our game plan.  Adults have figured out that the rules of God are not for God’s benefit, they are for our sake and they benefit us!  Spiritual heavyweights run to obey.

Have you gone this far?

1. Holiness.

Holiness is when we put our private stuff into it.  People who strive to live holy lives say, “This body doesn’t belong to me, it belongs to God.” Ever have a parent say, “You’re not leaving the house wearing that!” God does that it what he does it’s called holiness!  Holiness is learning to conduct your values, your morals, your speech, your words, your sex life, your dress, your habits, your drink, your character, your word, in a way that represents that we have a Father in heaven and he’s not going to let us go outside looking less like that!

Have you gone this far?

1. Teachable.

Being teachable is putting your brain into it. Learners say, “I don’t know everything and I need to grow.” Every kid wants to quit school.  A lot of kids do.  But adults know that an education is important.  When you put this bible into your hands knowing that you don’t know enough and that this book will unlock and reveal your destiny you will stop treating it like a kid treats text books from school.

Have you gone this far?

False Advertisement

What I was a kid I didn’t get to go out and eat at restaurants very much.  With six brothers the food bill could be rather staggering.  Fast food restaurants were just getting a foothold in popular culture at that time.  One of my favorite burger places was Burger King.  No matter where you went the Whopper was always the same.  It was big, it was hot, it was juicy, it was messy and it was delicious!  I could go years between Whoppers but that taste, when I would get one, was always the same and brought back childhood memories.

Until recently.

In my last two trips to a Burger King I discovered that the Whopper has become a whimper.  I remember the commercials depicting the meat moving over the open flames as the announcer scolded those who fried their burgers.  I remember being at the restaurant seeing that flame kissing the dripping meat and salivating at the impending taste treat.  What I got in my last two visits was anything but that burger.

I sat down in both visits with a lukewarm, sloppily made hamburger.  I looked at the piece of meat, if it was meat, that lay on the bun.  It’s sort of looked like a brownish gray air hockey puck about ¼ inch thick.  I don’t think it had seen an open flame in its short existence.  I actually got up and went to look at the picture of the Whopper that they had displayed at the ordering window and there was no comparison!  The picture made it look like the Whopper actually had a piece of ground beef on it, not a meat like disc shaped substance!  The sandwich faintly reminded me of the Whopper but it was a huge disappointment.

I came away thinking about that burger the way I think about diet drinks; why bother?  It may look like the real thing but the moment you put it into your mouth you know that there’s something missing.  Why bother with it if it’s just a shadow of the real thing?  Why bother if the substance of the sandwich, that flame kissed slab of ground beef, has been replaced with an imitation?

The hamburger is just a shell of what used to be and it no longer makes my taste buds come alive!

You know we have to spiritualize this, right?

The heart of the church has always been Jesus. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcomeit…  ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the Word.  The creator of all creation.  The power beyond all power.  The knowledge behind all knowledge.

The limitless one.

The invincible One.

The one who cannot be held by time nor space.

The imperially powerful one.

The unparraralled and unprecedented one.

The one who is indestrucable, invincible, incomprehensible, and yet loving and inviting me to be near him.

John could only describe him as “glory.”

His forgiveness is more forgiving than any other forgiveness.
His power is the most powerful, unique from any other power.
His wrath is more dangerous, set apart as the most dangerous.
His purity is the most pure, unique in its purity.

His greatness is unfathomed and unchallenged.

His armies are immeasurable and scarier than any other army.

His wisdom is wiser than any other wisdom.

His glory means His absolute otherness – there is just nothing like Jesus, nothing even close. He is so unlike us in all his ways.

As Ann Graham Lotz so beautifully puts it in her book, Just Give Me Jesus…

He’s the centerpiece of civilization

He stands alone in Himself.

He’s the miracle of the age.

He supplies strength for the weak.

He’s available for the tempted and the tried.

He sympathizes and He saves.

He’s mighty God and He guides.

He heals the sick.

He cleanses the lepers.

He forgives sinners.

He discharged debtors.

He delivers the captives.

He defends the feeble.

He blesses the young.

He serves the unfortunate.

He regards the aged.

He rewards the diligent.

He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the heroes. He’s the leader of the legislatures. He’s the overseer of the overcomers. He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. He’s the mighty God!

The point is when you take the meat out of the sandwich you don’t have much left.  When you take Jesus and diminish his Glory I say, why bother?  When you compare what we’re getting in many churches with a picture of Jesus in the bible, it doesn’t even look the same.  It’s false advertisement.  Why bother? How many people have come to church looking for a Whopper and got a whimper?

Wishy Washy Believers

I’m reflecting on the number of people who call themselves Christians who sort of blow in and out of my life.  If there is a scripture that describes them it might be Ephesians 4:14: Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.

Or Mark 4:14: The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. ¹⁵ The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. ¹⁶ The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. ¹⁸ The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, ¹⁹ but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

Seed that doesn’t take, or takes for a short time; people who are windblown by their latest feelings.  I’m never quite sure about these people.  I never really know where they stand, who they are, where they will be next, and I certainly don’t depend on them.  They just show up with all kinds of promise and fizzle out.  Here are a few categories of “believers” that I’ve seen:

The traumatic believer.  These are people who have rarely attended church or given God or their faith much serious thought until a dramatic and traumatic event in their life.  Suddenly they have a faith surge and the promises of change and promises to God come effortlessly!  Those promises are kept with diligence until the trauma begins to fade and things start to go back to normal.  God and the church never were normal for them so they fade over time as well.

The traveling believer.  Sometimes seasons of our life bring about new habits and new opportunities.  I have seen those whom I would call “rock solid” and “dependable” get real soft because of their new habit of traveling.  It works like this; the kids grow up and leave the home and have babies but they are 3 hours away!  The proud grandparents now make it a habit to travel 2 to 3 times a month, on the weekends, to see those babies.  These travelers may have been great leaders, good teachers and the backbone of the church but all of that is circumvented and rendered unusable by the constant need to be away.  Travelers come in all shapes and sizes; the snowbirds, those with kids in college, those with recreational vehicles, etc.

The “Sunday is my only day off” believer.  The title pretty much tells us that this person can’t devote their Sunday’s to Jesus because it’s their only day off and they just might need it for themselves.  The car might break down and the only time they can fix it is Sunday morning between 9-12.  It’s unbelievable how many things can only be addressed on Sundays.  That leads to the next one…

The sick believer.  I will meet someone in the mall who was once a regular churchgoer but eventually stopped coming and they always bring up the sickness excuse; “well, I’ve been sick…” I immediately want to say, “you’ve been sick for an entire year?  Every weekend?” It is amazing how often sickness visits homes on Sundays.  Either the parents are sick, or kids are sick, or the grandparents are sick, and everyone knows you can’t leave a sick person alone, especially on Sunday, for even 10 minutes!

The “something better came along” believer.  There are those who I once shared leadership in the church with.  I saw them week in and week out and then something happened.  I’m not sure what happened but they started giving up things and replacing them with other things.  I don’t know if it was boredom, a loss of vision or just busyness, but it seemed to me that something better came along and they gave their time and energy to that instead.  It might have been marriage, building the new home, or a career change; all I know is that the fire that once burned hot became rather cold.

The “I mean well” believer.  Some people believe that they should only be judged by their intentions, not by what they actually do.  That creates a group of Christians in every church who mean to be in church, who mean to follow Jesus, who always intend to participate, whose hearts are always in the right place but it always seems like something comes up.  They want others to value them for their good intentions, not what they actually do.  They live in a fantasy world where they actually think that intending to do something is as good as doing it.

The list can become endless.  I’ve seen them all.  The common denominator is that they start with every intention of becoming a fully committed follower but an obstacle appears in their road and they give up trying to get around it.  Something else that is common among these wishy washy believers is that they have accepted their plight as normal and rarely do anything about it.

So what have you seen?  What/who would you add to the list?

Top 10 Church resolutions for 2012

10. I will not intentionally steer away from people I don’t know! I’ll introduce myself.

9. I will sit closer to the front of the church.

8. No more texting / playing angry birds / googling Lady Gaga during the sermon!

7. I will get involved in a lifesource group.

6. I will be more regular in church – like every week!

5. I will learn to say “Amen” or “Help him” or “That’s right” or whoop during the sermon.

4.  I will sing – not mumble, not hum, but really sing!

3. I will work like it depends on me and pray like it depends on God.

2. I will start giving generously.

1. I will fill up a pew with people I am reaching.