I’d have to agree with Dr. David Jeremiah who recently wrote, “As I wake up and scan today’s headlines, I am often tempted to think,  “Toto, we’re not in America anymore.”

What’s happening in our country?  What’s going on in the world today?

The answer is that there is a huge battle raging!  It is a spiritual battle. It is an attack to distort and destroy God’s original design and purpose for our lives.

Think about the impact of sin …

In short, it has the potential to bring everything down.  It destroys.  It degrades.  It desensitizes.  The cost of sin is great and it must be stopped!

That’s what the Gospel is about. Behind the Gospel is a Heavenly Father who wants to stop the destructive cycle of sin.  This is why He sent His Son to pay the debt of our sin Himself, and to give us the victory over sinful habits on a daily basis.

*****

One of the misconceptions about Jesus is that He allowed some people to “walk right over Him.”  But that is far from the truth.  While Jesus is likened to a lamb during His crucifixion, this would not be an accurate description of Him during His earthly ministry.  For example, in chapter three of Mark’s gospel when an “official delegation” from Jerusalem charged Jesus with being demon possessed, Jesus fought back!  He did not allow inaccurate information about who He is to go unchallenged. He replaced the false information with accurate information. Truth was worth fighting for, and we need to follow His example!

Christians, we need to report for duty …

We need to fight the good fight of faith! We need to stand up and say, “The destructive and deadly cycles of sin stop with me!”. This is why the Lord has you in your marriage, family and work. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.”  Salt was an antibacterial–a preservative that was very valuable in the first Century.  Christians are the preserving influence to fight the good fight of faith with the salt of truth, purity, commitment to marriage and family, mercy, love, justice, and faithfully upholding the inspired Word of God.

The battle is raging … let us all report for duty … clearly, there are some things worth fighting for to God’s glory!

The Lord wants us to believe this and when we do it is called faith and faith becomes the funnel through which God blesses our lives.

You can perhaps better understand why Scripture says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

Think about the nature of what takes place when you CHOOSE to believe something. It immediately sets your thinking in a particular direction. What a person believes influences how they perceive things and how they live.

For example, if the fire marshal ran into your office warning you of an approaching fire you would then face a decision whether to accept the threat or not. It impacts the direction of your thinking. If you disregard the warning, you remain in your office. If you believe the warning you run out of your office.

Can you see how “belief” triggers thinking, and thinking impacts your outlook and ultimately what you do?

Now, the opposite of faith is doubt! Doubt is the lack of assurance and confidence that God will keep His promises. Doubt is not believing what God will do. It is a choice to live in uncertainty.

Remember: everything that God has said is true and will come to pass! The Lord wants us to believe this and when we do it’s called faith and faith becomes the funnel through which God blesses our lives. So, what are some of the promises God has given us that He wants us to believe and accept to be true? Let me boil down some great “God-Guarantees” for you …

#1 He will provide our needs Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

#2 He will protect us from enemies Is 54:11 “No weapon formed against you shall prosper …”

#3 He will prosper us for our highest good Ps 84:11”No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly…”

#4 He will bless us with His presence Luke 11:13 “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

#5 He will hear the call of the heart that turns to Him Romans 10:13 ” …everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Every day your faith will be tested on whether God will provide, protect and prosper your life. I encourage you, trust the Lord. Believe Him today. Accept His Word is true! Stand on His guarantees – His, promises! As you do, it will impact your thinking, your outlook and the way you live. When you believe Him and His word you will “please” the Lord and experience His approval and blessing.

HIGH EXPECTATION OF THE FATHER’S FAVOR

#9 He has a high expectation of God’s favor!

He understands that his relationship with God is based upon, grace!  That he has been rescued by grace. That he is sustained by grace. That he will be glorified by grace.  Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is His unconditional, provisional, redemptive and eternal love. God’s grace exchanges the man made “performance treadmill” of works (where a person seeks to earn God’s favor and attention), with His free gift of grace which allows for a face to face relationship and intimacy with the Heavenly Father–who knows everything about the believer and still loves them!

Therefore, a man of God enjoys the security of having the Father’s love, (which is provisional and redemptive today and forever) and his life says to others, “Our Father has us in His hands.  We are victorious in Christ!”

Men of God inspire others with an outlook that sees the redemptive and provisional possibilities. (Phil 4:13; 2Cor. 12:9; 1Tim.1:15-17; Rom.8:28-39)

CHRIST-CENTRIC

#10 He is Christ-centric!

In the first sermon preached in Jerusalem after the cross, resurrection and ascension — Peter began his message to the multitudes saying, “You men of Israel hear these words” and the first words out of his mouth were, “Jesus of Nazareth …” (Acts 2:22). Paul underscored what his chief objective was with the church in Corinth saying, “I am determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2). Acts 4:12 reads, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (II Corinthians 4:3-4) “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”  (II Corinthians 11:3). If you “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10)

WHOLE COUNSEL

#11 He is committed to the whole counsel of Scripture.

Paul declared, “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) Jesus said the Word of God (Tanach) “cannot be broken” (John 10:35). He said, “…until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Mat. 5:18, NIV).

2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” “Inspiration” speaks of the Word being “God breathed”. “Doctrine” tells us what is right.  ”Reproof” tells us what is not right. “Correction” tells us how to get right. “Instruction” tells us how to stay right. “Equipped for every good work” tells us that God wants to transform our life!

Do we face challenges when studying the Bible? Yes. Are there Bible difficulties? Yes.  Are there errors in the Bible? NO!

There are no mistakes in the revelation of God in Scripture, but there are wrong interpretations of the Bible by man. So asking the question, “Are we interpreting the Bible correctly?” is a relevant and important one, especially when you consider the fact that the Bible contains a variety of literary methods. For example, there is the highly emotional poetic expression of the Psalms.  There is the wisdom literature in the Proverbs, which emphasizes principles not promises. There are the instructional and specific applications in the epistles, which in origin were directed to communities that existed two thousand years ago. There is also the narrative history of the Gospels.

Ultimately the Bible gives us the wisdom for Salvation in Christ, pointing us to Jesus Christ, and ultimately it is Jesus, who authenticates the authority and inspiration of the Bible!

Remember, God gave us His Word “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This means that God does not just want your life informed with right doctrine according to the whole counsel of Scripture, He wants your life transformed by His Word and the ministry of His Spirit. In order for this to take place you will need to think, Biblically! You will need to get the Word of God inside of you. You will need to have your mind renewed by the Truth of God’s Word. How does this take place? One way is to get in the habit of asking yourself, “What does the Bible say about ____?” “What does God’s Word say about ____?” You want to learn to “flex the muscle of recall” and “memorization” of Scripture throughout your day. You want to learn to see more and more through the lens of the Bible. This is possible for all of us! If you know how to worry, then you know what it is to have developed a mental habit. What you need to do now, is learn to switch your attention from thinking about your problems to thinking about Bible verses. In doing so you’ll not only have less to worry about — but your faith will soar!

EXCELLENCE IN EFFORT

#12 He is dedicated to giving his best effort.

Giving your best effort is the basis of excellence. On the other hand, success is more often measured by culture and weighed by name recognition, materialism and influence.   Excellence however, is what God notices and rewards whether or not there is cultural success.1 Cor 9:24-27 is a fantastic passage that identifies what excellence looks like in application.

#1 It is to give your best effort.

(Vs. 24 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”)

#2 It is to give your best effort aligning with specific objectives and goals.

(Vs. 26 “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.”)

#3 The catalyst that brings it all together is, discipline! Discipline is making consistent choices. This will require the right management of one’s body.

(Vs. 27 “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”)

#4 The motivation behind the application of excellence is that God is glorified!

(Vs. 25 “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.)

Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men!” (Mk 1:17)

What did Jesus mean by this?

For Jesus to say, “Follow me …” tells us that Christianity is highly relational. It’s a relationship with, Jesus Christ! When Jesus said, “…I will make you fishers of men” He was communicating that those who follow Him will have a unique influence upon their fellow man. He wants our lives to have an impact in the work of the Gospel. The Lord wants our lives to have a godly, healthy and inspiring influence to those around us. Boiled down, Christian’s are to lead in this way!

Here’s the question I want to pose to my fellow brothers in Christ, “What does a man of God’s influence look like?” Or, “What does it mean that a man of God, leads the way?” Below are eight points that begin to answer that question. It is not a complete list(there’s more to come), but it’s a good start!

MAIN THING THE MAIN THING

#1 Keeps the main thing the main thing (I Cor 2:2; John 15:26; John 14:6; Phil 3:12-14)

Men of God love Jesus, grow in Jesus, and obey Jesus! What is the main thing? The Son of God, the Word of God and the Spirit of God! When the main thing is the main thing: the Spirit of God is satisfied, the Word of God is prioritized, the Son of God is glorified and the Church of God is edified! When this takes place the church is a powerful influence that will make Christ known and make new disciples of Christ!

STEWARD

#2 He is a Steward (I Cor 4:1-2; 1 Peter 4:10; I Cor 6:20)

A man of God lives with a high level of awareness that he is responsible with what is not his. He is a steward of the Gospel message. He is a steward of the resources, opportunities, gifts and the time that has been given to him. He is also a steward of his own body knowing that his life does not belong to himself.

CAUSE, FIRST

#3 He puts the cause of Christ, first! (1 Cor 6:7; Acts 20:24)

This means that a man of God is willing to give up their rights and liberties for the greater good for the cause of Christ. They are willing to be disadvantaged personally, so  that the community is advantaged corporately! They are willing to suffer privately in order to avoid contributing to influences that undermine the greater good of the body of Christ. Paul wrote, “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24

 WILL OF GOD

#4 He understands and is committed to doing the will of God! (Eph 5:15-17)

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” 

The word “time” carries the idea of opportunity or special moments. It does not refer to time on the clock. (i.e. Chronos)

Perspective: The speed of the “game of life” is faster than ever! Information, transportation and expectation have all picked up in pace! Unless a man of God has identified the chief opportunities and priorities that are to define his life, there is a high likelihood that his his witness for Christ will get left in the dust. Ask yourself, “Lord, what are the priorities that are to define my life and glorify you?”

 LOVE

#5 He has a heart of God for the people of God (John 13:35; Acts 2:46; Rom. 16:17-18).

Jesus said “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jn 13:35)

This means that a man of God demonstrates love to all Christians, not just some. What is love? Love is patient, gracious and kind. A Christian is to love all who make up the most diverse family on earth. A man of God exemplifies unity in the essentials, liberty in the non-essentials, but love in all things!

TEACHABLE

#6 He is teachable and is always learning (I Tim 4:15-16; Pr. 9:9; Mt 11:15)

Eight times Jesus said, “He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. Paul instructed Timothy, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” (1 Tim 4:15-16)

Leaders are learners!

Pr. 9:9 reads,“Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” Abraham Lincoln said, “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”

Peter grew as a man of God, as a leader, and became more influential in his generation largely do to the fact that he remained teachable. In Matt 15:15 Peter asks Jesus to explain a difficult parable. Matt 18:21, he asked how he needed to forgive. Matt 19:27 he asked about the reward that the disciples would get for following Jesus. Mark 11:21, he asked the meaning of the withered fig tree. John 21:20-22, Peter asked questions of the risen Christ. He wanted to know what he didn’t know. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading!

It’s been said …

“The quality of your life in any area of your life will be determined by the kind of questions you have the courage to ask yourself in that area. If you don’t ask the right questions in your life you won’t get the right answers. If you don’t get the right answers you can’t build the right strategy. If you can’t get the right strategy you won’t get the right results. So regardless of what you do in life you have to ask the right questions. Questioning is an art. It is a skill that you can develop. You can get good at it.”

 INTEGRITY

#7 He is a man of integrity (Eph. 5:18; 2 Tim 2:21)

A man of God is not perfect but he is honest and authentic. Men of God do not allow compartmentalizing in their life. They are the same behind closed doors as they are in public. Integrity carries the idea of a unit of one. It comes from the word, “integer”. They are Spirit filled (i.e. controlled) Eph 5:18. God can overlook a lack of intelligence. He can overlook a lack of gifts. But God will not use a dirty vessel. 2 Tim 2:21 reads, “Those who make themselves clean from all those evil things, will be used for special purposes, because they are dedicated and useful to their Master, ready to be used for every good deed” (2 Timothy 2:21 TEV).

 PERSEVERES

#8 He never gives up! (2 Tim 4:7; 1 Cor 15:58; James 5:11; Heb 6:10)

Men of God persevere. Without perseverance there would be no redemption, church, missions, evangelism, godly legacy or family! Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Tim 4:7

A man of God understands that at times their efforts will produce measurable results but at other times they will not (at least before men), and often not until the next generation. But they know that the Lord’s Spirit is always at work in and through His people and more often beyond comprehension. Ultimately, whether one’s efforts are measurable in this lifetime or not, faithfulness is always seen by God, weighed by God and rewarded by God — and glorifies God!

So be encouraged and remember Paul’s admonition: “…my beloved brethren be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58.

The Three Things You Can Give God

Below is a blog written by pastor/ author Greg Laurie. I really enjoyed it and I know you will too!!

As we enter into a new year,here is something to remember-

When it’s all said and done, we have three things we can offer God: our treasure, our talent, and our time. Each of these is given to us by God, and each of them should be given back in generous portions.

First, there is our treasure.

I urge you to commit yourself to give faithfully and generously to the Lord in this coming year. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21 nkjv). Whenever we put our money into something, we develop a vested interest in it.

It makes sense to us that we would place our treasures where our hearts are. If we love reading books, or being entertained, or the latest technology, we spend our treasure on those things. And if our heart’s desires change, that changes where we put our treasure.

But it works the other way too: Where we put our treasures, our heart will follow.

Do you want your heart to be in the things of God? Then put your treasures in the things of God! Develop a vested interest in God’s kingdom.

The second thing we can give to God is our talent.

God has gifted each believer in different ways. Everyone has something to offer for the work of the kingdom.

Romans 12 says, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us different work to do” (nlt).

Finally, there is our time.

Let’s say that one day your phone rang and it was the president of the bank that you use. He told you that an anonymous donor who loved you very much had decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your bank account each and every morning.

At first, maybe that didn’t seem like a lot. But then you figured out that it was $864 a day. At seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, those pennies add up to almost $315,000 each year!

But the bank president added one thing: “The anonymous giver said you must spend all of the money on the day you receive it! No balance will be carried over to the next day. Each evening the bank must cancel whatever sum you failed to use! Remember, what you don’t spend is lost.”

That may sound like fantasy, but here’s the reality: Every morning, Someone who loves you very much deposits into your “bank of time” 86,400 seconds, which represent 1,440 minutes, which of course equals 24 hours each and every day.

God gives you that much to use each day. Nothing is ever carried over on credit to the next day. There is no such thing as a 27-hour day.

It’s called time, and you can’t escape it. Time is ticking away right now. The Bible tells us to “redeem the time”—to make sacred and wise use of every opportunity.

Offer God your treasure, your talent, and your time. Live this year as if it were your last…because it could be.

Make those minutes count!

The Bible places a huge importance on belief and faith, why?

Below is a five-fold-perspective on why what you believe is important:

One, what you believe will fuel and inform your outlook on life – your decision making – your priorities – your choices – your lifestyle and the direction of your life and how you respond to the circumstances of your life!

Two, what you believe has consequences good, bad or ugly. Jesus identified what could be called “blessed beliefs” or “dead end beliefs!” A blessed belief would be for example, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” (Matt 5:6) A “dead end belief” would be what Jesus was referring to when He identified beliefs that led to the destruction of the Jerusalem saying,  “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!” (Lk 19:41-44) Their belief led them to a dead end and brought bad consequences.

Three, what you believe is like a “door”. It literally has the potential to bring realities into your life or shut them out. Jesus said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36). So depending upon what you believe will determine whether “everlasting life” enters the door of your life or whether it remains outside the door of your life. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” (John 6:47)

Four, what you believe will either be the result of intentional thinking or nonthinking. Many people form beliefs about God not because of intentional thinking but because they are parroting the ideas of others. Boiled down, you’ll either determine your beliefs or someone else will. Each of us have the moral responsibility to validate our own beliefs. And each of us will be ultimately responsible before God in what beliefs we held and what beliefs informed our lives.

Five, God commands that we take hold of the management of our mental processes that shape our beliefs. God calls for us to make a turning point in our life. He calls for a paradigm shift in our life! This paradigm shift is called “repentance!” In short, repentance means to change your mind which is the key to the blessed-beliefs of God! There needs to come a time in each of our lives that we choose to have our thinking shaped and changed by the Word of God. This will result in a change in our heart which will then result in a change in our lifestyle! The most important area that our thinking needs to change is accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord!

p.s. Please join us for a new teaching series called, “Credo” beginning Wednesday, January 4th, 2012. “Credo!” (Latin = “I believe!”). These studies will be in-depth on the subjects of Bible Doctrine and Christian Growth. Don’t miss it!

The Gospel of John chpt 9 tells us that Jesus took an active interest in a blind man in Jerusalem. This was a man who had been blind since birth, having never seen the light of day, the brilliance of a flower, not even his mother’s face.

 What did Jesus do? He put mud in the mans eyes and instructed him to wash in the pool of Siloam and the man was healed!

Today we visited the sight where this miracle took place in Jerusalem, the pool of Siloam.

But before we read the passage as a group at the pool, I asked everyone to consider what the key to the mans healing actually was? Was it the mud? The waters of the pool of Siloam? 

What we concluded was that the man simply listened to Jesus and responded to His directive. Though he could not see, he could hear! The key to his healing was his hearing. Would you believe that hearing is often the key to seeing? In fact often what we see trips us up. Often the key to seeing reality more clearly  begins with hearing! 

Maybe you’re in a place where you can’t “see” clearly what’s going on? You’re in a trial. Your amidst a hardship. The circumstances of your life are confusing. Here’s the good news — you can hear.

Jesus said, “If you continue in my word you will be my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free!” (Jn 8:31-32) In other words, “do you want to “see?” Do you want to see what often you can’t see? Than “hear” and “respond” to the Lord. And you will “see”, in fact, you will be “set free!” 

Paul wrote, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” 2 Timothy 4:14-17

How could Paul say this? Because Jesus said “Lo I am with you always!” Mt 28:20 The key to Paul “seeing” the Lord and being encouraged and comforted was hearing the promise of Jesus!

The question that I want to ask you is, “What does God want you to ‘see’ today?” 

Here’s what I want to encourage you to do:  open the Scriptures today with a heart to hear. Ask the Lord, “Lord what do you want me to see/ understand?” The most important reality that we all see is that Jesus is the Son of God and that we follow Him! 

Blessings on you from Jerusalem!! We send our love!!
Greg and Stephanie