Jump in the lake!

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” Romans 1:16

In the message yesterday, I mentioned A.W. Tozer’s comment on “Civilized Christianity”. Civilized Christianity could almost be compared to going to the lake with a group of friends but not jumping in. Here are a few thoughts:

Civilized Christianity is…

               …blending in…

               …careful to not step on toes by not sharing God’s Word…

               …politically correct…

               …weak…

True Christianity is…

               …having confidence in Christ…(Acts 4:13)

               …teaching and proclaiming Jesus…(Acts 4:2)

               …filled with the Holy Spirit…(Acts 1:8)

               …pursuing one heart with fellow believers…(Acts 4:32)

Civilized Christianity doesn’t…

               …pray on the spot for people…

               …get uncomfortable to help those in need…

               …talk in public about Jesus being the Only Way…

               …deal with sin…

True Christianity does…

               …speak the word of God with boldness…(Acts 4:31)

               …get uncomfortable to care for other’s needs…(Acts 4:34)

               …result in being together to lift our voices to God…(Acts 4:24)

               …proclaim Jesus as the Only Way for salvation! (Acts 4:12)

Have you jumped in? 

Have a Great Week!



Basketball Player, Astronaut, Wife

“for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

There is a phenomenon happening in the world today…have you noticed? This phenomenon doesn’t apply to everyone…only to Christians. Tell me if this seems to ring true with your observations…there seems to be many Christians that don’t think they have what it takes to speak to others about Jesus.

Have you observed this?

Does this seem rather odd?

A Christian…that can’t talk to others about Jesus…?

Wouldn’t it be odd if a basketball player couldn’t tell you the basic rules of basketball?

Wouldn’t it be odd if an astronaut couldn’t tell you the first thing about space?

Wouldn’t it be odd if a wife couldn’t give a basic description of her beloved husband?

Don’t get me wrong…I used to be one myself…that is…a Christian that didn’t think I could talk to others about Jesus…I never want to go back there because that was not a good place to be.

Christians are…well, Christians…They follow Jesus. Christians get to know Jesus. Christians grow in their relationship with Jesus…Christians talk to others about Jesus.

My encouragement for us is to be Christians…speak about what you have seen and heard about Jesus!

Have a Great Week!



Help Me!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Help!…

A pastor once said, “the simplest prayer of all is… ‘Help!’”

I am so thankful that I serve a God that is willing and able to help me in time of need. This is a truth that I will cling to.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to a lady about her thoughts about God. She shared with me how she believed in Him and how He has helped her along with some of her family members. As she spoke about her belief about God, I wondered if she had faith in Jesus or if it was simply a belief that there was a God who could help.

Believing there is a God and having a saving faith in Jesus Christ are not the same. One recognizes there is a higher power and a reason for existence, the other is surrendering a life because of the recognition that salvation comes through no other name.

God wants to help! Ultimately, He wants to help people come to know His son Jesus Christ. Why? Because faith in Jesus will not only help in this life, but for eternity!

God will also help you tell others. Are you willing?

Have a Great Week!



Find a Soul and Plant a Seed

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him…” John 1:45

January is here and spring is coming! That means that I have lots of work coming my way to get my yard into shape. I don’t have a clear plan…all I know is that I want to have green grass and some nice looking bushes. I may need to plant new seed for the grass…

I’m not a gardener. I don’t have a green thumb. But, I do love to plant seeds!

The seeds I love to plant are not grass, flowers, or trees that grow from the soil of the earth. The seeds I love to plant are the seeds of God’s Word that go into and grow out of the soil of a human heart. These seeds grow and make people into beautiful creations of God!  
 
Last week, my wife and I had the opportunity to pray with a lady to receive Jesus! We have been praying for her for a couple months after some seeds had been planted.
 
Planting the seed of the gospel and then getting to see it grow is the most exciting thing in the world! 
 

Even though I am not a gardener, I do plan on planting some flower seeds that we have been collecting at our church. We are collecting Nasturtium seeds for every gospel conversation we have with people in the community. These Nasturtium seeds that will be planted in the soil of the earth represent the seeds of the gospel that have been planted into the soil of a person’s heart.

Let’s be like Philip above and go find another soul to tell about Jesus!

Have a Great Week!



Shining Brighter in 2018

“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5

I know I’m not supposed to talk about Christmas for a New Years’ blog…but… I got an LED Work Light for Christmas. It shines brighter than any other light I have in the house. The really nice thing about having a really bright work light is when there is a dark area that I am working in, I can have my work light shine in the darkness!

We live in a dark world. We live in a world where death, disease, and destruction seem to be winning right now. We live in a world where fear, anxiety, and depression are the norm. Friends, this is not the way it is supposed to be. The reason our world is dark right now is because of the one who is ruling. Scripture says the devil is ruling as the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4). This will not be the case forever. I’ve read the end of the Book!

Those who follow Jesus are the ones God is using to bring light to the world. Jesus said this when He told His disciples they were the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

Truly shining for Jesus is sharing Jesus in the darkness!

Yesterday, I gave my church family three ways to Shine in the Darkness:

  1. Prayer

Christians must penetrate the darkness with prayer by praying for the lost!

  1. Do the Right Thing

Christians must penetrate the darkness by doing the right thing even when others are not

  1. Build Relationships with Non-Christians

Christians must penetrate the darkness by building relationships to tell others about Jesus

Happy New Year! Let’s Shine Brighter for Jesus in 2018!



Merry Christmas…Darth Vader?

“When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” Luke 2:17

We have a tradition of getting a yummy hot drink and going to look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. This Christmas Eve (yesterday), it snowed…! I cancelled Christmas Eve communion service because I did not want to put anyone else at risk for traveling on the slippery roads. But,..that didn’t stop us from going to look at lights! For the most part, we stayed to neighborhood roads that were less traveled in order to avoid other crazy drivers.

I saw Santa…I saw Reindeer…I saw Peanut’s characters…I saw Disney Characters…I even saw Darth Vader! Who knew Darth Vader was a Christmas decoration!? Merry Christmas…,Darth Vader?
 
The lights were beautiful! Some simple, some elaborate, some crazy…some told a story!
 
One house sticks out among the rest and that one had a Nativity scene along with a cross.
 
Just as the shepherds started spreading the word about the Messiah once they saw Him, I got to see families spreading the word about Jesus through their Christmas decorations!
 

Those who have seen Him, spread the word about Him!

Have a wonderful Christmas as you spread the word about Jesus! He has come to save us from our sins!

Merry Christmas!



Hope, Not F Bombs

“And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.” Luke 1:30

Setup: What does (1) a man yelling an F bomb at me, (2) a woman yelling at the other driver after a car crash, and (3) an irate postal worker yelling at a customer…have in common?

Punch Line: No Hope.

Not very funny, is it. These three situations plus some others I could share with you from last Tuesday, reveal an underlying problem in people’s lives today. Many people are living their lives without Hope.

Hope is realizing that you can have favor from the God of the universe.

Those who have hope are those who have the understanding they have been made right in God’s eyes. All those who receive Jesus are those who find favor with God!

There may be some out there that curse at you for trying to tell them about Jesus…but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to share the hope that we have in Him!

Let’s be bold and share our Hope in Jesus with the people around us this Christmas!

Merry Christmas!



Light Those Lamps!

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight.” Luke 12:35

I love the Christmas song Days of Elijah! I know this song is not normally considered a Christmas song, but it is tied to Christmas in that Jesus came to give His life and now He is returning to give us life forevermore!

I like to be prepared. I don’t always achieve it. But, I try.

Yesterday at church, we lit the Peace candle. The Christmas Season is a reminder of the fact that Jesus came to the earth to be with us. Jesus didn’t stay a baby in the manger. He grew up into a man that sacrificed His life on the cross to save us from our sins. Jesus didn’t come to the earth for us to continue to ooh and awe over a baby but to present our lives to Him as our King and Lord. Now, we are waiting for the day that Jesus comes back to set everything right again.

Jesus tells us above how to be prepared for His return. He expects His followers to be ready to act when the time is right. He expects His followers to have their lamps lit so that they can see when He gets here.

Are you prepared for His return?

Preparation Checklist:

  1. Prayer
    1. Are you talking with Him often? Do your prayers reflect His Lordship in your life? Do your prayers involve reaching the lost with the Gospel?
  2. Bible
    1. Are you growing in your knowledge of the scriptures? Are you doing what God’s Word says?
  3. Others
    1. Are you giving yourself to others? Jesus came to give Himself to others. He expects His followers to follow His example. One of the best ways to give yourself to others is to figure out how to share the gospel with them in a way they will listen!

Peace is the result of knowing you are Prepared to meet the Coming King!

Merry Christmas!



Silence the Alarm!

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.” Revelation 22:12

The lights were flashing, and the horn was honking but nobody was around. Last Thursday morning, I was doing my prayer walk in a different city and different neighborhood. I spent a considerable amount of my time, praying for a loved one who recently received bad news from the doctor. I was walking past a shopping center when a car alarm started going. The alarm startled me and then a thought went through my head, “God gives people alarms to wake them up”. We often don’t view bad news from the doctor being an alarm. But when you think about it, it fits.

An alarm wakes you up… An alarm brings us to reality… An alarm tells us it is time to act.

Isn’t that what happens when we hear bad news from the doctor?

Bad news wakes us up…Bad News brings us to reality…Bad News tells us it is time to act.

Thankfully, there is ALWAYS GOOD NEWS…Jesus Christ died to save sinners!

God, in His graciousness and mercy, gives people alarms so that they will wake up, face reality, and realize it is time to act.

Let’s give people the GOOD NEWS to silence their alarms

…Tell them about the Lord and Savior, Jesus!

And, remember, we need to always share the truth with gentleness and love!

Have a Great Day



Dad, Can We Climb the Hill

“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” Isaiah 40:9

Growing up I would visit my dad in Roseburg every other week. He would come get me and my three siblings and we would spend the weekend with him. Near his house was a big hill with a radio tower on it. I don’t remember who initiated the first climb up that hill. I have a hunch that it was my dad.

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