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Thursday, March 31, 2011

He is at work!

God is at work changing lives. At times His work is very obvious. There are other times when His work is not so obvious. There are seasons when the life changing work of God is easily seen. There are other seasons when that life changing work seems so hard to see. It can be so hard to see the work of God that people begin to believe that His work is not happening.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the life changing work of God to the believers in the city of Philippi. He was trying to encourage them. He wrote:

I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6 NLT) He was trying to encourage people, who were going through a season where the work of God wasn’t so apparent.

It is interesting that Paul writes these words of encouragement, to the followers in Philippi, while he is in chains for being a follower of Jesus. (Philippians 1:7, 13-14, 17) Paul is in chains – chains – did you catch that? CHAINS. Paul is under lock and key. Even while locked up - Paul writes about God, who began a good work, continuing to work in discouraging circumstances.

Paul is attempting to do is encourage discouraged believers. The words have a similar tune to the words of David in Psalm 23.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me. (Psalms 23:4 NLT)

Are you going through a rough patch? A rough patch relationally? A rough patch financially? A rough patch in your health? A rough patch at work? Be encouraged! God is at work!

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Playing Dress-Up

Playing ‘Dress-up’

An activity that is common to almost every person growing up is pretending to be someone. Children ‘dress-up’ to be movie stars, athletes, musicians, doctors, nurses, policeman, firemen, soldiers, teachers, husband or wife. It would be hard to find someone who hasn’t ‘pretended’ to be someone that they admire.

The proliferation of the internet has taken pretending and has lifted ‘dress-up’ to a whole new level. People are now able to be almost anyone they want to be in a ‘virtual’ life. The news regularly reports on people who spend more time living out their ‘virtual’ life than they do their real life. In the virtual world I can be younger/older, taller/shorter, lighter/heavier, and richer or have more achievements. I can have the personality that I wish I really had. I can remove the ‘warts’ that are so apparent to people in the ‘real’ world. Whatever I would like to be – I can be – in the virtual world.

Down through the centuries - ‘Dress-up’ has been the activity of not only children but of adults too. Adults regularly ‘dress-up’ to impress people. ‘Dress-up’ happens literally. ‘Dress-up’ happens figuratively.

Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor. (Proverbs 13:7 NLT)

People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they're deceiving you. They pretend to be kind, but don't believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils.
(Proverbs 26:24-25 NLT)

One of the clear teachings from Jesus and from the first days of the life of the church is that God really hates ‘Dress-up.’ He never approves of people pretending to be something of someone other than who they really are.

Jesus said it this way: On judgment day many will say to Me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God's laws.' (Matthew 7:22-23 NLT)

These are strong words to people who ‘Dress-up’ – people who ‘Dress-up’ as miracle workers no less!

Get Real!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Living a Lifestyle the Draws

I read a quote recently that I’ve been mulling over. I want to believe that what the author of the quote has observed and stated about the church is not true. I just don’t want to think that things are really like he says. I want to think that there are external forces totally responsible for people rejecting Jesus and the church.

The teaching of evolution has to be the number one reason why people reject Jesus and don’t want to be involved with the church. The constant bombardment of media and information has to be the number one reason for peoples’ response. The options that people have today – from 750 TV channels, internet, shopping, endless sports and entertainment – that has to be the reason that people stay away from God. Could it be that it is something else?

"The greatest single cause of atheism today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but deny Him by their lifestyle. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Brennan Manning

Could this be true? Could it be that the way I live or fail to live could stand in the way of people responding to Jesus and participating in a family of faith? Could it be that if I were to take how I live as seriously as Jesus told me to, it would have a far greater impact on those who have not crossed the line of faith?

Could it be that Jesus declared: “… let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16 NLT) because how His followers live does impact those who have yet come to faith?

When Jesus declared --- “… if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. "But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! (Matthew 5:19-20 NLT) --- was He actually talking not about what has often been referred to by the church as ‘legalism’ but instead He was talking about living a ‘lifestyle’ that has great appeal to those who have not come to faith?

Am I living a lifestyle that draws people toward faith or a lifestyle that gives people an excuse to not believe?

What about you?

Friday, March 11, 2011

Easter is around the corner!

Easter is fast approaching. Easter is April 24th this year. Easter is one of the times of the year that people are most open to attending a worship service.

Pray
I want to encourage you to begin praying regularly for people in your circle of life. Pray for family members, neighbors, co-workers, friends, fellow commuters and those that you attend school with.

Pray that they will have a desire to know God and have a relationship with Him.
Pray that they will sense their need of forgiveness, peace, hope and new life.
Pray that they will accept an invitation to join you at a worship service on Easter.
Pray that their hearts will be open to the message of Jesus and the resurrection.

Invest
Look for ways that Jesus would have you invest in the lives of those that you are praying for. How should you love them? How can you serve them? In what ways can you invest into their life and further your friendship with them?

Once you’ve prayed and once you’ve invested – the next thing to do is invite.

Invite
In the next month determine who you are going to invite to join you and invite them. We will provide invitations the 2nd weekend in April. Use as many invitations as you need. Give them to people. Invite them. Plan to meet them here.

I have already been inviting people to join us. I have been telling them that I will remind them in a few weeks and that I really hope that they will attend. I invited a man who I talked with at breakfast today. I’m going to remind him as we get closer to Easter.

Pray. Invest in relationship. Invite.

I’m anticipating a wonderful day celebrating!

Matt

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Jesus Story ... Continued! - Repent

When John the Baptist was traveling the countryside he had one message that he continually spoke. He sounded like ‘a broken record.’ Whether he was talking to the common Jewish person, the religious leaders or King Herod he said the same thing over and over and over again: ‘Repent.’ ‘Turn from living a self-centered life.’

The start of Jesus’ ministry is described this way: From that time on Jesus began to preach, Repent, … The message has always been: Repent. Turn from living a self-centered life.

Josephus, the first-century Roman historian, wrote that there were times in Israel when Jewish rebellion against the Roman government became catastrophically intense. One of the consequences of this insurgence was that the Romans would crucify more than 500 Israelites a day. He wrote that there were so many crucifixions, that there was no more room for crosses along the roads around Jerusalem and that they ran out of crosses to crucify people on.

There is a passage in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy that declared that anyone who dies hanging on a tree is cursed. The Jewish people always took down the bodies before nightfall.

In order to deepen the punishment on the Jews for their revolt the Romans would leave bodies up on crosses for days, weeks and even months. The rotting bodies hung there in front of everyone as the birds picked at their flesh. The message sent to the people of Israel was very clear. This is one of the reasons why people were so anxious for someone to set them free from Roman tyranny.

Scholars say that when Jesus said: Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38 NIV) or, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24 NIV), he probably did so while he and his entourage traveled on one of the roads into Jerusalem. Jesus looked up at one of those hanging on the cross and spoke these stinging words.

Everybody who was traveling with Jesus knew what he meant: "Be ready to die."

He was using a life event, in all of the sounds, sights and smells to illustrate the same old message: Repent – Turn from living a self-centered life!

The message has never changed. Every part of life that could be described as ugly, broken, wrong, unjust and damaging is the result of self-centered living.

The message is: Repent – Turn from living a self-centered life!