Brian's Blog

Making a Difference – Part 2

// March 15th, 2010 // No Comments » // Messages, Sunday Messages

Ephesians 5:15-20 (NLT)
¹⁵ So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶ Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. ¹⁷ Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
¹⁸ Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, ¹⁹ singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. ²⁰ And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, according to this scripture, we are to make the most of every opportunity and understand what God wants us to do. I believe that we are given opportunities every day to affect lives around us with the love of God. Too oft en people say that they don’t understand what the Lord wants them to do, well, really, you only need to look into scripture to see.

Verse18, the literal translation of the Greek word for “be filled” is “be being filled;”

· It is in the imperative mood, which means it is a command.

· It is in the present tense, which means it is a continuous thing, not a once for all experience.

· It is plural, which means it is for every believer.

· It is in the passive voice, which means the subject (you) is receiving the action.

o Meaning, it is not our doing, but it is done to us by the Father.

When you are in a place of “being filled” it is a constant flow, like being plugged into the power source. I use the example of a desk lamp, it has the potential to produce light, but it will only produce that light when 2 criteria are met. One, the lamp must be plugged in, and two, the switch must be activated so that the bulb will produce light. It is the same way for us, we need to be plugged into God’s power through the Holy Spirit.

You can only be continually being filled if you have some way of using what is coming in. Again, using the lamp as an example, it isn’t really using any power until you turn it on. God isn’t continually filling us for our own purposes, He is continually filling us for His purposes. We use the power of the Holy Spirit to do the will of God.

God’s will is that we reach people, but what is our motive for reaching people?

· Is it to make our church bigger?

· Is it to make ourselves look better?

· Is it because God requires us to?

· Is it because we have experienced His love, acceptance and forgiveness and we want others to do the same?

Being Christian, means being “Christ-Like,” in order to be Christ-Like, we need to understand what He was like. I believe that most of His interactions with people who were in need could be summed up with one question, “What can I do for you?”

The Love of God working in and through Him affected every interaction. I believe that even in His interactions with the established church leaders he still showed love.

Love is an action, not a feeling! I love because I choose to, not because I feel like it. Loving someone is caring for them, seeing the world and the person you are looking at through the eyes of a loving God.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love is the greatest gift, in fact it tells us that we could have every other gift of God, but without being based in His love, they are useless to us.

Who should be the recipients of God’s love through us?

1. Other Christians.

John 13:34-35 (NKJV) ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Look at the church in the 2^nd chapter of Acts;

Acts 2:44-47 (NKJV) Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

I hear a lot of talk in the church today of wanting to be like the “Acts” church. If we truly want to be like them we need to act like them.

They interacted with each other daily. I believe part of the reason the church grew was because people saw the incredible sense of community that existed among the believers and wanted to be a part of it.

In John 13 He tells us to love one another the way He loves us. His love is sacrificial, unconditional, patient, well, just read 1 Corinthians 13. Through love we are Christ to each other. When I love you, it is the Father loving you through me, because I don’t think I would be the person I am without His influence in my life.

Love for each other creates a healthy church body. A healthy body grows naturally, I believe that we put too much emphasis on getting people in the door and not enough emphasis on just loving people.

2. Our Neighbors.

Mark 12:28-31 (NKJV) Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"
²⁹ Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these."

Anyone around us is a neighbor. Luke 10; Jesus interacts with a young man who is asking who his neighbor is, and Jesus tells him the parable of the good Samaritan. To a Jewish person the Samaritans were dogs, they didn’t want anything to do with them. We are Christ to those around us, especially to the ones that we see as “un-lovable.”

3. Even our enemies.

Matthew 5:38-48 (NLT) “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.
⁴¹ If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. ⁴² Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. ⁴³ “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. ⁴⁷ If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. ⁴⁸ But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

We are even Christ to our enemies. Do we recognize the work of the enemy in the lives of those that we would call our enemies? Why do we get upset when worldly people do worldly things? We aren’t called to judge people, we are called to love them!

So, if we are to love people the way Jesus did, what does that look like?

Woman caught in Adultery…

John 8:2-12 (NKJV) Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
³ Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, ⁴ they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
⁵ Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" ⁶ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. ⁷ So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." ⁸ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹ Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. ¹⁰ When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" ¹¹ She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
¹² Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

This all happened in the middle of a crowd, the Pharisees were trying to put Jesus on the spot, in public; they wanted to make Him look bad in front of the crowd. But look at how Jesus treated this woman;

· He didn’t condemn or judge.

· He didn’t lecture her on her misguided ways.

· He didn’t give her a speech.

· He didn’t ask her to repent.

· He didn’t even address the situation to the crowd after she left.

Why do we feel like we have to do all of these things? If someone is truly repentant, then they don’t need us telling them how messed up they are, they already know it!

We are the revelation of Jesus to the world around us. Our interactions should be as “Christ-like” as we can achieve, and that is only achieved in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the reason we need to be constantly living “plugged in” to Him.

I am the church, Christ’s body in this world, I am His representative, am I representing Him correctly? Are people getting a clear picture of Jesus in me, or is the picture distorted by my own human thinking?

I want to make a difference in my world for Christ, I want people to experience the love, acceptance and forgiveness that I have received.

(This post contains a lot of thoughts spurred by two books I’ve read, “Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness,” and “The Monday Morning Church” both by Jerry Cook. I highly recommend these books, but be warned, they will challenge you.)

Breaking Free from Fear

// December 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // Sunday Messages

Fear is a prison! It holds you captive, it keeps you from recognizing your full potential.  This prison of fear can seem inescapable, but there is good news, if you are a Christian you already hold the key to your release!

Luke 12:4-5 (MSG) “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

We all deal with the “fear of Man” in one way or another, worrying about how others are going to respond to us, this fear, though, will keep you from the “fear of God.” 

The “fear of God” is not a sense of being afraid of Him, it is a reverence and respect for Him, a deep love and admiration. 

1 John 4:17-18 (AMP) In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

(NKJV) “Perfect love casts out all fear.”

Love is the “anti-fear.”  I love my wife so much that I would die to save her life, my love for her would override any fear in a life threatening situation that would normally cause me to want to hide to protect myself.  I wouldn’t even give it a second thought at the moment, I would just act.

This passage tells us that as we live in union and communion with Him our love is perfected.  Webster’s defines communion as, “intimate fellowship or rapport.”  This intimate fellowship is the key to breaking free from fear.  As we love Him and He loves us back we will come to a place where our love for him will override the fear of man.  When this happens we will be able to walk into a normally fearful situation with the confidence that He is on our side and won’t let us fail.

Insecurity, inadequacy, worry and timidity (shyness) are all products of fear.  These are all weapons that the enemy uses to destroy our ability to do the things God has called us to.  God’s Spirit living in us should produce boldness in our lives!

Fear brings the thought of judgement, or the feeling that punishment is coming.  The only people that have to be afraid of God’s punishment are those that have not accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made.  His death was for the purpose of receiving our punishment.  Once you accept His sacrifice your punishment has been settled!  God is not waiting to punish anyone, he is waiting to restore anyone who will come to Him and apply the sacrifice of His Son to their life.

I encourage you to listen to the audio from this last Sunday morning as I was given the opportunity to address this issue to our congregation.    Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

class="wpaudio">Brian Rake-
Break Free from Fear

If you have never prayed a simple prayer to apply that sacrifice to your life, I encourage you to do so now.  “Dear God, I recognize that without the sacrifice of Jesus, I will be punished for my sin.  I ask you to apply that sacrifice to my life.  Thank you for allowing Him to take my punishment, I receive Jesus as my Savior, my rescuer.  Help me to live my life in a way that glorifies and shows You to the world around me.  Amen”

If you prayed the prayer, please leave a comment letting me know, and find a Christian church that will encourage your walk with God.  If you need help finding a church I will do my best to help you.

Treasure Hunt

// October 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Youth Service Messages

This week we started a series on the treasures of God, this first message is about what it takes to find those treasures…

Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT) So now the Lord says, "Stop right where you are! Look for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

The word translated as old is a word that means: old, concealed, hidden, perpetual, eternal, timeless, from eternity. Maybe the path that we are on is not the one that was created by God, but a path that was created by man. We need to look to the Word of God and see that the roads we are on on the right ones.

Jeremiah 18:15 (NLT) [My People] have deserted me and turned to worthless idols. They have stumbled off the ancient highways of good, and they walk the muddy paths of sin.

God never intended for his people to live in sin.  It’s time for us to stop accepting mediocre Christianity from ourselves.  It is time for a generation to take up the call of God to find the old paths, and the way that we find the old paths is by using the road map, the Word of God.

Ignorance is no excuse! We need to begin to dig for the truths of the Word and apply them to our lives.

Church should not be about just meetings, it is about being a movement.  Don’t be someone who comes to church and gets touched by God, but not changed.  We need to be people that come to church to get fueled up, then go out and use those experiences to touch others and share the love of God with them.

A movement is something that impacts a society, such as the civil rights movement, these were people who were no longer willing to live life the way “it’s always been.”  They decided to challenge the rules that suppressed their rights as equal human beings.  Our movement is not about breaking human laws, but about challenging the spiritual world around us.  Our movement is about destroying the works of the devil. 

If we want to be a movement, we need to find the treasures of God. Those treasures are the gifts that God has put in our lives, and those gifts are not there just for our own benefit, but so that we can reach others with the Good News!

Matthew 13:44 (NLT) "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field—and to get the treasure, too!

When we were kids we dreamed of finding a map to buried treasure and what we would do if we found that treasure.  As Christians we dream of the gifts of God, but we never get out our map and uncover the treasure.  God has treasures for us, but we get caught up in our earthly treasures.

Matthew 6:21 (MSG) It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

If your treasure is in relationship with God, then that is where you will find yourself wanting to be.  What are the treasures in your life that are more important than God?  What things end up distracting you from spending time with Him?  One of the devil’s greatest tricks is to get us busy with stuff.  He gets us distracted by all the busyness of the world around us and we end up at the end of our day realizing that we failed to give God any of our time.

We need to begin to look to the Word first for our instruction. The Word is the map to the treasure; the treasure is the Word working in our lives.  We must follow the map to the treasure then do the necessary work to uncover it.  We need to value the treasures of God more than the treasures of this world, or we will never reach them.

This generation wants to experience God, not just hear about Him, but they will only be reached by a generation that has the willingness to work to uncover the treasures of the Gifts of God. We need to get desperate to see the gifts of God in our lives.

Matthew 5:3 (NLT) “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

The word poor here means like a beggar, We need to be like beggars coming to the table of God.  We need to be desperate to find everything that he has for us, and we need to be unstoppable.

Luke 16:16 (NLT) "Until John the Baptist began to preach, the laws of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and eager multitudes are forcing their way in.

Matthew 11:12 (NKJV) And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

If we begin to press in and cry out for more, God will give it to us.  We need to stop looking at ourselves as a Church meeting and start being a movement.  We can’t be a movement if nothing moves.

Tomorrow

// October 20th, 2009 // No Comments » // Messages, Slovakia, Study Thoughts, Youth Service Messages

I believe that there are 2 ways that tomorrow cripples us…

1. We worry about tomorrow… wondering what will happen, will I have everything I need? Etc…

2. We use tomorrow as a reason to procrastinate, “I can do that tomorrow…”

What does the Word of God say about worrying?

Matthew 6:34 (NLT) “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

These are the words of Christ, Jesus is telling us not to get caught up in worrying about what the future brings.  He isn’t telling us not to plan or prepare for the future; it’s just about not worrying.

Worry will do nothing except distract you from today and ruin your health. Worry consumes time that could be better used in meeting the needs of today.  When we really think about it, worry doesn’t add anything of value to our lives.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

This scripture can be easy to quote but hard to apply to your life when you are facing tough situations.  I am learning right now to really live this passage, I think a key in this scripture is Living in Christ Jesus. We have to keep ourselves in His hands, under His covering.  A friend of mine was recently talking to me about Psalm 91, he said the bottom line of that chapter is this, “God’s got it covered!”  That’s a great thing to recognize, God’s got everything covered, He knows what is best and when it is needed.

We have to apply every step in this scripture for the peace to truly guard our heart and mind.  When I am living in Christ and allowing Him to have control of my life, it is easier to allow Him to hold my worries for me.  When I get outside of Christ and try to make things work on my own, the worry is going to be in my hands.

This doesn’t mean that I sit back and do nothing; it means that I listen for the voice of God and allow Him to direct my actions. If He is directing my actions then I KNOW I am in the right place!

The person that is filled with worry tends to reach for anything in sight. The person filled with peace is able to look at each option and opportunity and decide which ones fit in the vision given them by God.

What about Procrastination?

Proverbs 3:28 (NKJV) Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.

We shouldn’t be saying this to God either, “Ok God, I’ll go tomorrow.” God is asking us for our talents today, how can He use us today?  That thing that God has put on your heart is something He wants you to work on today!

Tomorrow is an excuse. Tomorrow is either an excuse for laziness, or it is a cop-out for fear.  If it’s laziness, then the only thing to do is start moving, today!  If it’s fear, then we need to deal with that, the fear is usually of not knowing what to do or say.  Look at what the word of God says about this:

1 Peter 3:15, “Always be ready to give an answer,”

Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the 12, he tells them not to worry about what to say, but that the Holy Spirit will give them the right answers at the right time. This was part of their training, they weren’t complete yet.  If we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us we are always ready!

James 4:13-15 (NKJV) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

We don’t really know what tomorrow holds, today may be our only chance to speak into the lives that are around us.

Tomorrow never comes… we tend to keep saying tomorrow and before we know it a year has passed. If the Lord is willing, I will do this in the future, but for today I will do what is in front of me to do.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (NLT) For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

Our God is the God of Today! He gives us what we need for today!  If He doesn’t give it to me today, then I don’t need it today.  If I spend my time worrying about when He is going to give me what I think I need, I won’t be focused on what is in front of me for today.

Today is the day of salvation! God isn’t waiting for a magical moment in the future for us to begin living the way he has called us to… He wants us to start today!

· Today is the day to speak to your neighbor…

· Today is the day to find your place of ministry in the church…

· Today is the day to honor others…

· Today is the day to live the dreams that God has placed in your heart!

God’s Point of View

// July 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Camps and Conferences, Youth Discussions

Tuesday Night – Summer Camp 09

We need to look at misconceptions that we have of God that get in the way of our relationship with Him.  I think that we have a lot of wrong ideas about how God reacts to us and thinks about us.  For some of us our lives have been full of disapproval and disappointment from people who we look up to.

This can lead us to thinking that God somehow sits “out there” somewhere looking at our lives and shaking His head at us.  He is not a distant God!  He wants to be in close relationship with us!

So, just how does God see me?  He sees me through the sacrifice of His Son, the following are some of the scriptures that show His point of view.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

He thinks good thoughts about me!  He doesn’t spend his time rehearsing my past, He thinks about my future and what I He can accomplish through me!  He wants to listen to me and he wants me to pursue relationship with Him.

1 Thessalonians 1:4 (NLT) We know that God loves you, dear brothers and sisters, and that he chose you to be his own people.

Not only does He love me, but He chose me!  He wants me no matter what I may think of myself!

1 John 4:16 (NLT) We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

Not only does He love me and chose me to belong to Him, but he chooses to allow me to live “in” Him and chooses to live “in” me!  Living in Him means living in all that He has.

Galatians 4:5-7 (NLT) God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.

He purchased my freedom, I don’t have to be controlled by sinful desires.  He doesn’t want me to be just a servant, He wants me to be His child and He wants to give me access to everything that belongs to Him.

Romans 5:11 (NLT) So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

I am His friend!  Not only does he allow me to be His child, He wants me to be His friend as well.

Colossians 1:22 (NLT) yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

Not only am I his friend, but because of the sacrifice of Christ applied to my life I am perfect in His eyes!  He chooses not to see my imperfections, he chooses to see my potential.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

He sees me as a masterpiece, a brilliant work of art!  I am not a mistake or an accident! Not only that, but he had a plan for my life before I was even born.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, God planned for me!  He created me!

Romans 5:1-2 (NLT) Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

I am “righteous” in God’s sight, and I stand in the highest place of privilege.  I can be confident that my future is bright and full of great things from God!

1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT) But the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

I am “one spirit” with Him, this is deeper than just friendship.  This is an intimate relationship, knowing each other deeply.

Colossians 1:13 (NLT) For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son.

I am a part of His Kingdom, I no longer live as a part of the corrupt world.

Colossians 2:10 (NLT) and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.

I am complete!  I’m not broken!  Everything I need to have a complete and full life is found in my relationship with Him.

Romans 8:1-2 (NLT) So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.

I am not condemned or rejected and I am free from the power of sin.

1 John 5:18 (NLT) We know that those who have become part of God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot get his hands on them.

· I am secure, as long as I remain in Him the enemy can’t attack me.

Ephesians 3:12 (NLT) Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.

I don’t have to be afraid of God, I get to have a relationship with him where I know I am always accepted and He wants to spend time with me!

God always looks at us through the Blood of Christ applied to our lives which filters out all of the imperfections and leaves us looking like the people he created us to be.  He created man so that he could have relationship with us!

Knowing His Voice

// July 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // Camps and Conferences, Youth Discussions

Summer Camp – Session 2

John 10:27 (NLT) My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

If you’ve ever read about real shepherds you will know how well sheep respond to their voice. A real shepherd only has to speak a word or two and all of the sheep will gather and begin following him wherever he goes, they know his voice and they know that as long as they are near him they are safe.  A true shepherd doesn’t drive his flock, he leads them.

We need to train ourselves to hear His voice and follow.  So how do we know when we are hearing His voice?  For me it isn’t an audible voice, but thoughts that come into my mind.  Learning to hear His voice is not really as hard as we make it sometimes, it’s simply taking time to quiet ourselves and hear what He is saying.

Psalms 46:10 (NKJV) Be still, and know that I am God.

It is in the quiet times of prayer, when we silence all of the things around us and in us, that He speaks to us.  Notice here that he says “be still and KNOW that I am God.”  After some time of training ourselves we know very clearly the voice of God.  We can learn to instinctively separate His voice from all the others.

John 10:10 gives us a clue about the difference between God and the enemy, God’s words bring life, peace, calm, etc. while the enemy’s words will bring agitation, nervousness, distress, fear, etc.  God’s words will always line up with scripture.

In the process of learning to hear His voice we can test what we are hearing, we can ask God to give us some kind of confirmation.  In the book of Judges we find the story of Gideon, God came to him and gave him some direction, he wasn’t sure that he was really hearing God, so he asked God for confirmation, twice, and he got it both times.  God is not afraid of us testing his voice, and He is always patient with us!

Another of my favorite passages about hearing God’s voice is found in 1 Kings.

1 Kings 19:9-12 (NKJV) And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Elijah had seen some pretty big things from God, but he was in a tough place, he was being hunted, people had turned on him because of his stand for righteousness.  He comes to this place and God teaches him a lesson, sometimes we are looking for the word of God carried on thunder and lightning, or a big booming voice, when in reality He speaks to us in that quiet place with a still, calming voice.

Ginny (my wife) pointed out that another good lesson from this story is that sometimes when we remove all of the loudness around us, then we will find his voice speaking quietly to us. 

Take some time today to “be still and KNOW that He is your God.”

Face to Face – Part 1

// July 20th, 2009 // No Comments » // Camps and Conferences

This year our theme for Summer camp is “Face to Face.”  Our key verse is Exodus 33:11, “Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”

Our journey this week is one of exploring a level of intimacy with God that would bring us to the place where we can meet with our God and speak to Him “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”  How would our lives change if we had that level of relationship with God?

A lot of us have learned in our lives to pray in ways that really aren’t conversation.  We end up throwing words at God then ending the conversation.  How many of our friends would stick around if we talked to them the way we talk to Him?  A lot of time it is just a one sided conversation when God is waiting for us to be quiet long enough to hear Him say something.

I know that He is my God and my Father,  but I also want that friend relationship with Him.  I want to make time to hear His voice speaking to me, sharing His heart, learning about Him.

Moses wasn’t some “special” creation of God, He was a man who learned to relate to God the way that God originally created all of us to relate to Him.  I believe that God wants this type of relationship with every Christian.

Take a look at Enoch…

Genesis 5:23-24 (NLT) Enoch lived 365 years in all. He enjoyed a close relationship with God throughout his life. Then suddenly, he disappeared because God took him.

Hebrews 11:5-6 (NLT) It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—"suddenly he disappeared because God took him." But before he was taken up, he was approved as pleasing to God. So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Enoch was a man who pleased God so much that God pulled him from this earth, straight into heaven without having to die.  That is an incredible relationship!  That is the kind of relationship I am looking for, that it could be said of me that I was “approved as pleasing to God.”

Notice in Hebrews it tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God.  Bill Johnson of Bethel church said, “God does not respond to need, he responds to faith.”  We see in this passage that its true.  Faith will cause us to believe that if we take time to talk to Him, he will respond and talk to us.  “He rewards those who sincerely seek Him,”  He is waiting for us to come to Him believing that He will respond, the reward is that He will respond!

Take time today to spend some time not just talking to God, but listening to Him as well.  Have a notebook handy and write down all the things you hear, no matter how small.  God is wanting to talk to you!

The Power of The Cross

// April 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // Sunday Messages

I was asked to share the Easter message in our church this year, while praying and seeking direction, the song “Mighty is the Power of the Cross” came to my heart. I love this song by Chris Tomlin and decided to talk about what the Cross means to me.

The following are my thoughts;

The Cross gives us our value.

While I was in Slovakia this year I was asked to speak to the ACET club about personal value.  Where does our value come from?  What do we use to determine our value in life?  Most of the things that the world would use to give a person value are things that constantly change.  If someone is willing to give their life for you, does that increase your value? 

John 3:16 (GW) God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.

The best place to find your value is in the Cross of Christ.  On that cross, where Jesus died to pay for our sins, our value was shown for what it really is.  This verse says that God sent His only Son to die for us so that we could live, what an incredible thing!  As long as we take our value from the work done on that cross it will always remain the same. 

The Cross cancels the punishment we should receive for our sin.

Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT) You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.

Don’t you just love those last two sentences?  Our record of sinfulness was destroyed by the blood of Christ!  Every wrong I have ever done can be wiped away by simply applying the sacrifice of Jesus.  I don’t have to fear the punishment for my sin, Jesus already paid that price! 

The Cross is our source of our righteousness or right-standing with God.

It justifies us with God, “Just as if I’d never sinned.”

Romans 4:23-25 (NLT) Now this wonderful truth—that God declared him to be righteous—wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit.
It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.

Romans 5:18 (MSG) Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life!

The work of the cross erased the sin of Adam, it bought for us the opportunity to be in relationship with God!  The cross was about restoring back to us what the enemy had taken in the garden. 

The Cross gives us access to God.

Being Justified or Righteous, makes us able to come directly to God.

Galatians 4:4-7 (NLT) But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because you Gentiles have become his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you.

What a statement, “everything he has belongs to you!”  The cross gave us the ability to become a part of the family of God, we become his children, we are not just servants.  We shouldn’t be happy with just serving Him, we should be pursuing that intimate relationship that only a child can have.

The Cross gives us Fullness of Life

John 10:9-10 (NLT) Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. ¹⁰ The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

One of the purposes of the Cross was to bring fullness of life to us.  The words used in the New Testament for salvation mean to heal, preserve, save, do well, and be made whole.  Salvation isn’t just to get us into heaven someday, it is supposed to make us live in heavenly reality here on earth.

The Cross gave us authority over the enemy.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NLT) I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God.

The Good News of the Cross is where the power of God is found.  We must recognize that sharing the message of the cross breaks the works of the enemy.

The Cross completes His work in us.

Colossians 2:8-10 (NLT) Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Jesus didn’t just die to get us into Heaven, He died to restore us to the relationship that God originally created man for!  Let’s begin to pursue that kind of Life!

Breaking Free from Fear

// February 10th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Sunday Messages

Fear is a prison! It holds you captive, it keeps you from recognizing your full potential. This prison of fear can seem inescapable, but there is good news, if you are a Christian you already hold the key to your release!

Luke 12:4-5 (MSG) “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.

We all deal with the “fear of Man” in one way or another, worrying about how others are going to respond to us, this fear, though, will keep you from the “fear of God.”

The “fear of God” is not a sense of being afraid of Him, it is a reverence and respect for Him, a deep love and admiration.

1 John 4:17-18 (AMP) In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

(NKJV) “Perfect love casts out all fear.”

Love is the “anti-fear.” I love my wife so much that I would die to save her life, my love for her would override any fear in a life threatening situation that would normally cause me to want to hide to protect myself. I wouldn’t even give it a second thought at the moment, I would just act.

This passage tells us that as we live in union and communion with Him our love is perfected. Webster’s defines communion as, “intimate fellowship or rapport.” This intimate fellowship is the key to breaking free from fear. As we love Him and He loves us back we will come to a place where our love for him will override the fear of man. When this happens we will be able to walk into a normally fearful situation with the confidence that He is on our side and won’t let us fail.

Insecurity, inadequacy, worry and timidity (shyness) are all products of fear. These are all weapons that the enemy uses to destroy our ability to do the things God has called us to. God’s Spirit living in us should produce boldness in our lives!

Fear brings the thought of judgement, or the feeling that punishment is coming. The only people that have to be afraid of God’s punishment are those that have not accepted the sacrifice that Jesus made. His death was for the purpose of receiving our punishment. Once you accept His sacrifice your punishment has been settled! God is not waiting to punish anyone, he is waiting to restore anyone who will come to Him and apply the sacrifice of His Son to their life.

I encourage you to listen to the audio from this last Sunday morning as I was given the opportunity to address this issue to our congregation.

If you have never prayed a simple prayer to apply that sacrifice to your life, I encourage you to do so now. “Dear God, I recognize that without the sacrifice of Jesus, I will be punished for my sin. I ask you to apply that sacrifice to my life. Thank you for allowing Him to take my punishment, I receive Jesus as my Savior, my rescuer. Help me to live my life in a way that glorifies and shows You to the world around me. Amen”

If you prayed the prayer, please leave a comment letting me know, and find a Christian church that will encourage your walk with God. If you need help finding a church I will do my best to help you.

Conformed Vs Transformed

// January 9th, 2009 // No Comments » // Youth Service Messages

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The word conformed means, “To act in accordance with prevailing standards or customs.” The Word here tells us not to allow ourselves to get caught up in the world’s way of doing things. While the standards and customs of the world around us are constantly changing, God’s Word and Will are constant and unchanging.

Conforming is taking something and molding it into a shape, when we conform to the world we begin to look like everyone else, holding the same ideas and values.

Transformed means to “Change in Character or Condition,” God wants to transform us into that person that He created us to be. So transformation is about becoming a “one of a kind” person.

We are transformed by “the renewing of our minds,” this means that transformation begins with the way that we think. By spending time in the Word and prayer we begin to see ourselves and the world around us the way that our Heavenly Father does.

We are told in this passage that by living a transformed life we will prove the Will of God. In other words a transformed life is a life that proves the existence of God by displaying the working of His Will.

A transformed life brings the supernatural life of God into everyday living. Jesus told us to pray that His kingdom would come to earth, that happens through the transformed life of a believer. Our transformation is from the natural to the supernatural, from being one of the crowd to being one of a kind!

We were created for greater things but we will never achieve them by living a life of conformity.

Questions to consider:

1. Where are we conforming to the world in our lives?

2. What stops us from walking in the Supernatural?