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Being Transformed 

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2 Corinthians 3:18
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Have you ever looked around at the circumstances you are facing and wondered what God is doing in your life? Why it is that you are facing these particular trials, while someone else seems to be immune to them. The answer to that question is tucked away in this verse. Paul writes,

“We… Are being transformed into the SAME image…”

All who have trusted Christ for salvation, have been born again and are in the midst of a process that began at conversion, and will continue until we reach heaven. It is the process of being conformed into the image of Jesus. Paul instructed the Romans that God uses all things to reach that end (Romans 8:28). Every difficulty, every blessing, every person, every trial, is a tool in the hand of the Master to make us more like Jesus. Earlier Paul wrote,

“. . . who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant . . . ” (2 Corinthians 3:6)

One of the ways we are made effective ministers, is that we are being made more like Jesus. The longer we walk with Him, the more we should become like Him. If we are struggling to understand what God is doing with a particular trial, we must look into the pages of His Word, at the person of Jesus, and determine what is lacking in us. I am often frustrated by the way others treat me, but then I am reminded of the way Jesus was treated. I realize God desires for me to love those who don’t love me, to be merciful and gracious to those who are unkind or even hostile. The work of Jesus is being done in me.

Notice, Paul not only tells us what God is doing, but how He does it. He writes, we are being transformed, “by the Spirit of the Lord.” This work of becoming more like Jesus is a work of the Spirit. It is not something that can be accomplished apart from the work of God, or by sheer resolve of heart. It is a work done by allowing the Spirit of God to work within us. A number of years ago, I was sitting on the floor of a church listening to Pastor Chuck teach through John 15. As he explained what it meant to abide in Christ, he said, “God does not want to walk through the factory and see all the work you are doing, He wants to walk through the garden and enjoy the fruit.” I remember being particularly struck by that example, realizing that the secret to my growing in Christ, becoming like Christ, and bearing the fruit of Christ, was spending time with Christ.

It is God’s desire for each of us to become more like Jesus. The more like Him we become, the richer life becomes and the more effective we are in reaching others for the Kingdom. However, it is a work of the Spirit; we must allow the Spirit free reign to speak to us, lead us, and correct us through the Word of God. As we subject ourselves to the work of the Spirit, we will also find that the power of the Spirit is available to us. We will truly become “able ministers of the New Covenant.”

Pastor Jim

 

Drowning

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Ezra 9:6
“And I said: ‘O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.’”

After some initial reforms, the remnant, who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity, soon began to drift from the Lord. The ways of the world are always tempting for the child of God; as such, many of the people began to pick up the customs of the day. Soon, it was difficult to see any difference between believer and unbeliever. News of the people’s behavior devastated Ezra, and he began to cry out to the Lord. His prayer reveals what to do when we find ourselves overwhelmed by our own failures.

There are times in the life of many believers when we are drawn away from the Lord, and find ourselves caught up in sin. Tangled like Jonah in seaweed, we find ourselves caught in sin, with seemingly no way to escape. The guilt can be so great we are ashamed to even begin steps of repentance. I think Ezra was experiencing this. He realized how they had taken advantage of the goodness of God by pursuing the ways of the world. Instead of remaining in his failure, Ezra reminded himself of the grace of God, and His desire to restore the fallen saint. It was the grace of God that caused Ezra to seek forgiveness, even when he was neck deep in the guilt of sin.

Perhaps you have failed in a big way. Perhaps the guilt of past, present, or continual sin, is keeping you from moving away from it, and toward the Lord. Can I encourage you to do what Ezra did? He went before the Lord, confessed his sin, trusted in grace, and made the appropriate changes in his life. God is willing to forgive. Are you willing to return, receive and repent?

Pastor Jim

 

It’s All Good

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Romans 8:28-29
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

The bible is filled with great and precious promises. Of these, the one recorded here may be the pinnacle. For the past two thousand years countless saints, facing a vast array of difficulties, have clung to this promise and found God to be ever faithful to His word. The promise itself is both simple and all encompassing. We are told, God is able to create good out of all things that life throws at us.

I don’t think it is difficult to understand what Paul meant by the word ‘all’. The English word means, “every member or part of, and the whole number or sum of.” The Greek word “Pas” speaks individually of each and every part of a whole, and collectively, it refers to the sum of all the parts that make a whole. Essentially, Paul is saying that every situation in life, no matter how random, unforeseen, difficult, painful or repeated, is like a tool in the hand of God that will be used to produce good in our lives.

Perhaps the most important word in this promise is the word good. If Paul is suggesting everything we face will ultimately be worked out for good, it is essential that we have a proper understanding of his terms. The word good is defined in the next verse where Paul writes, we are being conformed into the image of Christ. Every thing we face in this life is designed to bring us to Christ, and make us more like Him. My busy schedule, broken leg, fender bender, marriage, difficult boss, or trouble with the kids, are all tools that the Spirit of God will use to conform me into the image of Jesus. He will often do this by exposing things in me that need to be changed, then He will begin the process of removing them. The key is that we learn, in every situation, to cling to Christ as He performs a new work in us.

If you are struggling to see the good in what you are currently facing, remember that the good will come out as you cling to Christ, and allow Him to conform you to His image.

Pastor Jim

 

Compassion 

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2 Chronicles 36:15
“And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.”

Compassion is a necessary ingredient in order to bring about change. It is more than an emotion, it is a sense of pity that stirs one to action. The compassion of God flows from His love for humanity. He looks at our condition because of sin, and His heart breaks. Rather than simply feeling bad for us, His compassion stirs Him to action. In the days of Jeremiah, we read, God’s action was to send men to declare the truths of His Word.

Even the best of believers, tend to drift from the Lord. Rather than leaving us to this course, God moves to bring us back to Himself. He will no doubt use circumstances to grab our attention, but His compassion also stirs Him to send others to remind us of the ways of God. It is sad how often a person involved in prohibitive actions, will respond with an accusation of being “judged,” instead of being thankful for the compassion of God, Who loves them so much He rises early  to send a messenger.

Those in Jeremiah’s day reacted to these warning with anger, hate, and persecution. We need to be careful to react with repentance and change.

Pastor Jim

 

Turn Around 

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2 Chronicles 33:12
“Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,”

Hands down, Manasseh was the worse king to ever reign in Judah. In a few short years, he undid all the reforms his father had effected, and seduced the people into sins they had never dreamed of committing. The spiritual climate in the nation was at an all time low, and the morality of the people followed suit. It is not surprising to read the Assyrians defeated Judah, and carried the king off captive to Babylon. What is surprising to read is, during his affliction, he not only cried out to God for help, but he truly committed his life to the Lord. This turn around forever changed life and eternity for Manasseh. Through his downfall, he came to realize the Lord was God, and he began to make great reforms within his life and the nation. Altars, which had previously led him into sin, were removed. Repairs were made to the Temple of God; making worship and sacrifice easier and more appealing.

I wonder, have you failed in the past? Is the road you have travelled, marked with times of failure, and days where you have walked away from the Lord? If so, be encouraged by the story of Manasseh. No matter how badly you have fallen, you can turn around and be restored. The problem is, while most come to realize their failure, too many never make the turn. It is common to hear of someone who faces affliction, because of the path they have chosen to walk. Sadly, it is uncommon to hear of people making real and lasting decisions to turn from their sinful ways, and be committed to following the Lord. It is not that God cannot clean up, transform and change a life, it is that we are unwilling to let go of certain behaviors.

Don’t be like the rich, young Ruler, who, unwilling to change his ways, missed out on all the Lord had for him (Luke 18:18-23). Instead, be like Manasseh, make a complete turn around, giving all to the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

Pray For Me 

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1 Kings 13:6
“Then the king answered and said to the man of God, ‘Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.”

Jeroboam had been called and anointed as king of Israel. He was given the same opportunities and promises that David was given. His problem was, instead of drawing near to the Lord, he followed the gods of the surrounding nations, and turned Israel away from the Lord. God, in His unparalleled mercy, sent an unnamed prophet to win Jeroboam back to the ways of the Lord. The man of God declared a powerful message of rebuke to the king; and with a stunning show of the power of God, the altar split in two. Jeroboam’s heart had become so hardened, his response was to demand this young man be imprisoned. As the king’s hand stretched forth condemning the prophet, his hand suddenly withered. With a withered hand, and a broken altar, the king pleaded with the prophet to pray for him. Sadly, his prayer was not one of repentance, he simply wanted things restored to the way they were.

Unfortunately, Jeroboam is not alone in this. Too often, when calamity comes our way, as a result of wandering off the path of God, we seek only to have things returned to normal. The king should have taken this as a time to repent of ungodly activities, and get to the business of following the Lord. It is both wrong and dangerous, if we are only seeking to have the Lord take our difficulties from us, and not seeking to live a life that is well pleasing to Him.

Pastor Jim

 

A Turning Point 

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1 Samuel 20:19
“And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.”

The stone Ezel would forever mark a turning point in the life of David. He had been sensing more and more that Saul’s jealous fits of rage would result in his own death. To clarify the matter, he and Jonathan had developed a plan to uncover Saul’s true desires. David would skip out on the palace celebration. In a few days, it would become evident he was not there. If Saul’s reaction was hostile, they determined David must flee for his life. In order to keep David informed of the news, Jonathan would shoot three arrows into the distance. If the arrows fell short of his location, David would know it was good news. If they flew beyond him, he would know Saul’s rage had escalated, and he must live the life of a fugitive.

After three days in hiding, David stood by the stone Ezel to await the news from Jonathan. Three days of silence would be broken by the course of the arrows. Finally, the moment arrived, and David heard the sound of voices in the distance and the faint release of the bow. He watched as one by one the arrows flew beyond him, and landed in the distance. At that point, his whole world changed. He could no longer enter the palace, go home to his bride, or visit his family, but would begin a life “on the lam” that would last a decade.

David is not alone in his distress. Others have had events forever change their lives, too. For some, the results of a medical test, the loss of a loved one, or a message left on their phone, has forever altered the course of their life. Perhaps, what started as any other day, has become the turning point of your life. While in no way trying to lesson the severity of your circumstances, please allow me to encourage you with the example of David. Instead of looking at this day as the end of his life, David continued to cling to and serve the Lord. It was in his wilderness experience, he wrote some of the most inspiring poetry of all time. There, with a cave as his home and criminals as his companions, David would learn the mercy and love of God in a deeper way than he ever thought possible.

In your struggles, cling to the promises of the Lord, and allow your turning point to transform your life into one that magnifies the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

Help! 

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Psalm 12:1

“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!

For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.”

 

Have you ever been in a situation where you were forced to cry for help? A good friend of mine told me a story of a time when he was cutting tree branches to make some extra cash. He leaned his extension ladder against the tree, climbed to the top, reached up and cut a large branch. As soon as the branch was cut, the tree shifted and the ladder fell. Reacting quickly, he was able to grab another limb to keep himself from falling. However, he found himself hanging twenty five feet above the earth’s surface. Knowing he would not be able to remain there for long, he began to cry out for help. Sadly, no one could hear him and after his arm strength gave out, he was forced to let go and fall to the ground. Fortunately, he was not seriously hurt. 

 

This Psalm is David’s cry for help. He is not hanging from a tree branch or going under for the third time. His cry for help is due to the fact that godliness seems to be on the decline. His nation is filled with people who are claiming to be followers of God. They keep the Sabbath, bring offerings to the Temple and even sing the Psalms, but their lives remain unchanged. Things have not changed so much since David’s day. People remain very religious. Every Sunday morning churches across our nation fill with with people who sing songs, give offerings, and remain unchanged. 

 

How about you? Has your Christianity changed your living? Since you began walking with Jesus, have you changed the way you treat your spouse, your children, your parents, you neighbors and your co-workers? Or do you just enjoy a good sermon and some contemporary worship music? When I look around, my heart cries out like David’s because, although church attendance may be on the rise, it seems that the godly men are decreasing.

 

Let’s determine today to be those who not only profess faith in Christ, but live it. 

 

Pastor Jim 

Psalm 12

  1. As we grow we learn that sticks and stones don’t hurt nearly as much as unkind words. How did the loose tongue seem to affect David? How is it affecting you?
  2. In contrast, how does He describe the Word of God?
  3. Take a few moments to write your own praise of the Word of God.

 

  

 

 

Jerusalem In An Uproar 

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Acts 21:31
“. . . all Jerusalem was in an uproar.”

The scene in Acts 21 might best be described as a riot. The people of the city had lost all sense of the Temple worship, and had become a violent mob determined to put Paul to death. Their rage escalated to the point where the Roman soldiers had to almost beat them back, in order to pull Paul out of their clutches. We read, when they reached the stairs (the way of escape) Paul could no longer walk on his own, but had to be carried by the soldiers. It seems that even after the arrival of the soldiers, the crowd was still taking shots at Paul.

We have all seen this kind of rage leading to riots. Some of us remember the Los Angeles riots of the 90′s, others back to the riots of the Civil Rights movement. People became enraged, violent and destructive. What was it that caused this intense, violent rage among the people of Jerusalem? What had Paul done that made them so angry? The fight started because someone falsely claimed Paul brought a Gentile into the Temple area. As things escalated, it became clear their rage was really brought on by the fact that Paul was teaching things that were not culturally acceptable. It was his preaching of ideas, contrary to popular opinion, that made him an enemy of the people.

The Gospel always has that effect. The teachings of Jesus are not just contrary to popular opinion in Paul’s day, but in every day. The Gospel message is counter-cultural in every age and to varying people groups. No matter when or where we live, when we believe, follow, and proclaim the teaching of Jesus, we will be going against the tide. The louder we speak, the more controversy will arise. This is due to the fact that Jesus came as king to set up a kingdom unlike any of the kingdoms of men. Remember Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2? He saw an image that represented the kingdoms of men, then he saw a kingdom unlike all others. He saw the Kingdom of God.

The teachings of Jesus are revolutionary, not because He wants to create an army and battle men, but because He loves humanity, and wants to save them. When you feel like the odd man out because you do not buy into the world’s view on sex, sexuality, marriage, worship, God, religion, human dignity, the unborn, or countless other positions, understand that you follow a different King, and are living for a different Kingdom.

Even in the midst of all this violence, Paul remained in love with the people of his world and desired for them to come to Christ. I pray we do not allow the opposition we face as believers, to turn us against the unbelieving world, but instead, to give us the resolve of Paul to see them won to Christ.

Pastor Jim

 

I Was Blind…

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John 9:25 
“One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

John 9 records an event that changed a man’s life forever. That event was an encounter with the Son of God. John tells his readers that Jesus sought out a man who had lived his whole life in darkness, and with the power of God, removed his blindness and provided him with sight. We would expect the rest of this chapter to be filled with rejoicing. Instead, we read of an environment where the work of God in a person’s life put him under scrutiny. Even this man’s parents are afraid to celebrate the work of God, because of the way they will be treated by their culture. How sad, that a nation birthed by God, would become a place where those most impacted by God, would be the most persecuted.

Our world is not unlike that today. It seems the moment a person makes a decision to receive and follow Christ, they become the object of harassment. For some, our families try to talk us out of the decision we have made. For others, our friends make it their aim to get us to return to the lifestyle we were involved in before coming to Christ; even if that lifestyle may have been destructive or deadly. For all, we find ourselves on the receiving end of mockery, prejudice and verbal persecution from the media and popular opinion.

I am encouraged by the response of this young man to the hostility he faced. As he sat before the religious and political rulers of his community, they attempted to convince him that Jesus was not the Christ, the Son of God. This young man did not get into an argument, he did not attempt to answer all the theological questions they threw at him; instead he simply shared what he knew.

“One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

One of the most effective witnessing tools in a Christian’s arsenal is your own personal testimony. How did you come to Christ? What has Jesus done in your life since you received Him? What is He doing in your life today? Take some time today to reflect upon the work of God in your own life, then open your eyes to see someone with whom you can share your testimony. More powerful than all the theological arguments of the Pharisees, was the sight of a man born blind.

Pastor Jim