Category: Uncategorized

As Christians we have security in Christ. Because we are His we know we have value and purpose. How should this make us different from those who live without Him? He promises us a full life so consider this:The lost, lacking the security that comes with Christ, have difficulty establishing good, lasting relationships. If someone doesn’t recognize their value, they can’t imagine that they can add value to anyone else’s life. Without the belief in having something to offer another, real relationship isn’t possible. As Christians we should be blessed with good, lasting relationships.. The insecure (the lost) are often viewed as prideful or snobbish. Lack of confidence can cause  withdrawal from others, which can easily be mistaken for an act of arrogance.What often appears as snobbishness is often lack of security. As Christians, we should be humble. We know we have value, but not because of what we’ve done; but because of who He is. The lost are often indecisive and fearful. People can be so consumed with self-doubt that they can’t make any decisions at all. They wonder, What if I make a mistake? They don’t have a standard by which to make decisions. As Christians, we […]

I don’t like August and I don’t like Sunday nights. So Sunday nights in August are a real downer for me. August is just too hot. “Dog Days” (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere, they usually fall between early July and early September, so basically… August. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress. So basically, we are still talking about August. We have trees in our yard that start dropping their leaves in August. It isn’t because of the first chill of fall. I think they just give up from the heat. Talk of football is in the air, but it isn’t football weather yet. I guess these feelings come from my youth when August signaled the end of vacation and the threat of school days ahead. Sunday nights are similar. I suppose the emotions they bring come from the days when I had to go off to the office on Monday morning coupled with the realization that a too short weekend was over. My office has been in my house for years and […]

…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:8-11  I had a colonoscopy a few years ago. When I woke up from the procedure I was given bad news.  They had removed a growth. The doctor told me that it was “the kind we worry about.” He said it would be biopsied and he would call me with the results in a few days. It took over a week and when he called it was good news, It was  not malignant. If someone tells you, you don’t have cancer. It isn’t a big deal unless you’ve had some time to consider that you probably do have that dread disease. The lesson here is that […]

Train up a child in the way he should go;            even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6 When Christian parents are young and their children are even younger, this proverb is shared with them. They pray with their children, take them to church, and tell them about Jesus. They read them bible stories, try to direct their television watching and friend selection and generally feel this wise proverb is working out. When these parents are a bit older and their children are teenagers, they begin to think of this proverb in terms of condemnation. “What did we do wrong? Where did we fail?” These are the common refrains of parents of the young ones who start to drift (or sometimes run) away. Some try to comfort them with advice about everyone having free will and “You did the best you could.”  Maybe the Amish have it right. When young ones get to a certain age, they let them loose. They spend some time in the world and, their parents hope and pray, that they will find the values of their parents have merit and that they will return […]

But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” —Mark 1:38 You would think with all the Christian media out there that American Christianity would be booming. But it isn’t. In most sections of the country there are many churches, but it seems the congregations are made up mostly of folks who have left other churches. What’s the problem? The problem is that we are not following Our Lord’s plan: to share the gospel one to one. Most people come to Jesus because someone shared with them, not because they heard about Him on television or from a screaming street preacher.  The pattern for evangelism has been summarized as: “Make a Friend, Be a Friend, Introduce a Friend to Jesus.” This pattern emphasizes a couple of important point. If we are to obey the great commission we need to be where the unsaved are… in the world. We are often too comfortable in our churches and families. Jesus went to where the lost were. He hung around with the outcasts and the lost. He spoke to the woman at the well in Samaria […]

“They [followers of Christ] were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42). What makes an assembly of Christians a good church. A recent article by Hank Hanegraaff asked “How do I Find a Good Church?” But since most new church members have recently left a church, a primary question ought to be “How do I evaluate my church?”  Obviously, a church should be a place of worship. Hanegraaff suggests that should include prayer, praise, and proclamation.  These days the focus seems to be on praise, specifically that portion of the service devoted to music. Clearly worship includes praise, but the balanced church places equal emphasis on prayer and proclamation. Praise takes a front seat because it can so easily be a spectator sport. One can stand and mouth the words and maybe even lift an occasional hand and seem to be praising. But prayer is more personal. That requires a personal connection with God and proclamation, the sharing of God’s word, really requires individual effort. Hanegraff also declares that a well-balanced church is evidenced through its oneness.  Oneness is manifested through community, confession, and contribution. We […]

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1  The term “faith” gets kicked around a lot. Many claim to be people of “faith.” Politicians, for example, are all people of faith during elections; not so much later. As Christians we know that it’s faith that enables us to live the Christian life. It’s helpful to consider what faith is not. Adrian Rogers has pointed out: Faith is not a hunch. Faith is not positive thinking. Faith is not responding to emotions, feelings, or icicles up and down your spine or miracles, signs and wonders. Faith is not believing that God can do something. Faith is knowing that God will. Faith is taking God at His word. Real faith dies to doubt. It is deaf to discouragement. It is blind to impossibilities. Faith is like a muscle; it becomes stronger with use. All things are possible to the person of faith; not because they are capable, but because they recognize their own incapacity and his great power. Faith is a gift from God and it’s growth is a gift as well. If you are His you have it. If it seems […]

This week our Pastor presented the above video from David Wilkerson “A Call to Anguish.” If you don’t see a video above you can catch it here. It’s a great video with a great message. In fact, I believe it deserves some further comment. Pastor Wilkerson distinguishes “anguish” from mere “concern.” True anguish is a gift from the Holy Spirit. It call us to action. For the Christian, the first real anguish is self-centered. It is anguish over our spiritual state. It is that deep abiding concern about our own spiritual state. It’s purpose is to lead to true repentance and to Christ. Christ inside should quench that anguish. It is not spiritual to continue to wallow in anguish once we have truly turned our lives over to Him. Folks who live a life-time in such a condition have either never really committed to Christ or have fallen victim to Satanic lies. The focus of anguish after salvation turns outward. It focuses us on our God-called mission.  Christians have much to be concerned about: the lost, the state of our country and world, the impoverished, widows, those in prison, the persecuted church throughout the world. Such concern should lead […]