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1 Peter 3:15
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”

Shortly after coming to Christ, I was driving down PCH in Southern California and found myself stuck at one of the many red lights, waiting for the arrow to turn green so I could continue to my destination. It was a summer day, and since my car did not have AC, my windows were rolled down. A car pulled up next to me and the driver called out to get my attention. I had never seen him before, and to my knowledge have never seen him since, but what he said to me has stuck with me for more than 25 years.

After getting my attention, he asked if I was a Christian, the “Jesus Loves You” bumper sticker gave me away. I replied that I was, and he then asked how a person could be saved. I was caught off guard, and was not clear on how to articulate the Gospel, so I sat there stunned. As the signal turned green and he sped off, I hollered out “believe in Jesus!” At that point, I determined, I wanted to have an answer for others who were seeking to find the truth about Christ. It would be quite some time before I stumbled across Peter’s words recorded here,

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”

Peter explains how we can be ready, when the opportunity arises, to help point someone to Christ. This readiness involves two things. First, we must sanctify the Lord in our hearts. Sanctify means to set apart. Christ must be set apart from all other things to which your heart is attached. It is not enough to simply have Jesus as one of the many things you are devoted to; He does not enter a life and take second place. Remember when He said “You cannot serve two masters”? (Matthew 6:24) Jesus demands and deserves first place in our hearts and lives. He calls for us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to give Him first place in our lives. If we want to affect others for the kingdom of Heaven, it begins by giving Jesus first place in our own life. Perhaps other things have risen to the top, or crowded Jesus out of His rightful place. If that is the case, take a moment right now to recommit yourself to Him.

Second, Peter says, “be ready.” We do this by getting to know the Bible. Paul wrote that we should “Study to show yourself approved to God.” (2 Timothy 2:15) As believers, we are called to become students of Scripture. We do this by taking time daily to read our Bibles. Over the years, I have been amazed at how often the answer someone is seeking, comes right out of the passage I read that morning. Jesus promised us help in this area when He said, the Holy Spirit would remind us of the Words that Christ had spoken (John 14:26).

If someone were to ask you today how to become a Christian are you prepared to give them the Biblical answer?

Pastor Jim

 

Moving Forward 

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Galatians 4:8-9
“But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?”

Paul is reminding the Galatians that many of the behaviors and activities they were involved in, before coming to Christ, are no longer fitting. Before accepting Christ, much of our existence is spent trying to find the meaning of life, or at least some semblance of meaning. We realize something is missing, and continually search for it. We may party for while, thinking that will make us happy, or get involved in a relationship or multiple relationships, all in pursuit of filling a void or adding something to life. Some are able to realize the inability of these cravings to satisfy, and move on to something else. However, many become addicted and find themselves in bondage to the very pursuits that falsely promised freedom. Whatever your story is, you will not find life’s missing puzzle piece until you come to Christ. It is in Christ that we are made complete. “. . .and you are complete in Him, . . .” Colossians 2 :10

Paul wrote, when we come to Christ we are redeemed with the blood of God, adopted as sons of God, filled with the Spirit of God and we become the heirs of God. Those are amazing benefits, especially when we consider all we did to receive them was believe Jesus Christ is the Savior, and invite Him to rule our lives. The moment you received Christ, those things became true of you. If you felt like a different person it was because you were. We might say, you are now a complete person.

Now that you have been so dramatically changed by Christ, the things you once sought in life are no longer necessary. Returning to those trappings, would be like an idol worshipper meeting the true and living God, then returning to bow before his little clay image. We would say to that man, “You don’t need those things any more.” In the same way, you don’t need to go partying, live in an ungodly relationship, or use sin as a stimulus in life any longer. YOU KNOW GOD and you can experience the life that is found in Jesus.

“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:12

Pastor Jim

 

Armed And Dangerous 

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2 Kings 11:12
“And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, ‘Long live the king'”

There are times in life when we are required to do things that seem almost impossible. The odds are stacked against us and it looks as though we will never be able to do what is required. That is certainly the case when Joash was crowned as king of Judah. His grandmother killed all other heirs to the throne, and his life was spared only because a priest hid him away in the temple for six years. Now, at the ripe old age of seven, the crown was placed on his head and his reign began. The nation of Judah was in complete disarray: the throne had been stolen by an evil woman who surrounded herself with ungodly men, the people were given over to the worship of Baal, the enemies of Judah were threatening to attack, and the Temple was in need of repair. How in the world could a seven year old king and a handful of priests make a difference with so much stacked against them?

“And he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony…”

On the day of his coronation, Joash was not armed with sword, spear or javelin, but with the testimonies of God. Long before this, Moses had written that the kings of Israel were to be given a copy of the Word of God, and read it every day. A grasp on the Scriptures is more valuable to a leader than natural resources or highly trained armed forces. The Word of God was designed to give guidance to rulers, so they can effectively lead the nation in righteousness. Solomon wrote,

Proverbs 14:34
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

Joash’s success as a leader did not result from his own wisdom, strength, or ingenuity. He did not succeed because he had brilliant plans to bring about change in the nation. Joash was a good leader because he looked to the Word of God for guidance. His successes came from his obedience to God, and his failures were directly related to the times when he ignored the Scriptures.

We are living in challenging times in our nation. Isaiah’s statement that people would call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20)  is an apt description of our world today. It seems as though our moral compass is broken and people are going insane. We are in need of leaders armed with the Scriptures, and willing to stand for what is right in the eyes of God. While we should be praying for those in authority over us, we also want to keep in mind that God might want to use someone who has not yet come on the scene. Time will only tell how the Lord might use us if we give ourselves totally to Him, and devote ourselves to His Word.

Pastor Jim

 

When All Else Fails

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Genesis 25:21-22
“Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, ‘If all is well, why am I like this?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord.”

2015/01/img_1325.jpgHave you ever heard the phrase, “When all else fails”? This seems to be the approach of many, as it relates to prayer. We often try everything at our disposal, before we ever come to the place where we truly plead with the Lord. It is almost as if life were a game show. We lean on our own strength, or use one of our life lines to ask the audience, or phone a friend, instead of taking advantage of the greatest resource available to every child of God – prayer.

Jesus made many promises that would be utterly preposterous if He were not Divine. One of those is when He declared;

John 14:14
“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

The context in which Jesus made this statement makes it very clear, He is not suggesting He is a heavenly Genie who will succumb to our every whim. He is making an amazing promise, which is all too often disregarded by His followers. Jesus is promising that whatever we might be facing in life, we can cry out to Him and He will have a solution.

Here, in Genesis 25, Isaac and Rebekah were facing difficulty; she was barren. When she finally conceived, she knew there was something wrong with the pregnancy. Marital and family matters were solved for them by seeking the Lord.

Whatever you are facing, it is time to follow the example set by this ancient couple, and cry out to God for assistance, direction, intervention, guidance or strength.

Pastor Jim

 

Answers

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Proverbs 26:4-5 “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest  he be wise in his own eyes.”

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/b9a/30989304/files/2014/12/img_1254.jpgSometimes, determining what God wants us to do can be quite difficult. We can have opposing principles, which can be found in the pages of the Word, applied to the same situation. That is the case with the advice Solomon is providing here. On the one hand, it is folly to attempt to correct a foolish man. Since his thinking is irrational, it is impossible to rationalize with him. The conversation becomes nothing more than a vain argument. On the other hand, if he is not corrected, he will continue on the same path with no hope of escape. When faced with these encounters, we are forced to make a split second decision, seeking God’s best for the situation. Many times we walk away having a much longer conversation with ourselves than we did with the other person; talking out all the things we should have said. Allow me to give just a few tips.

First off, since we do not know what encounters await us around the corner, we must prepare in advance. We will be prepared by spending time with the Lord and walking in the Spirit. I cannot express strongly enough, how often my morning devotions have prepared me for the encounters I face throughout the day. I have almost come to expect, I will have a conversation where I am able to draw from my morning reading. I have found, daily Bible reading puts me one step ahead of the situations I will face. Prayer is also a critical factor in being ahead of the game. Taking time in the morning to devote myself, my day, and my time to the Lord, will get me in the right frame of mind to be available when ministry opportunities arise. When Paul addressed the Ephesians, he wrote of “being filled with the Spirit.” Morning prayer time is the place to make that happen. As we begin the day pouring out ourselves and our needs to the Lord, we find we are filled with His love, power and Spirit.

Finally, when Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus he said, “the wind blows where it wishes, we do not know where it comes from or where it goes. Such are they who are born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) Walking in the Spirit involves making myself available to the Lord and looking for His leading in my life. A chance encounter at the market, park, or school recital may, in fact, be a ministry opportunity. Often, taking the time to listen to someone and prayerfully considering how to answer, may provide the open door we need to see a person come to faith in Christ. Walking in the Spirit involves not being driven by emotion or circumstances, but being open to and looking for ways to be used by the Lord.

Pastor Jim