Faith

What’s In It For Me? 

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Job 21:15
“Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?”

images.pngJob raises an interesting question, worthy of our time and attention. If he asked it today, his question might be posed like this, “Why should a person be willing to trust in, follow after, and serve Christ? What are the benefits?” I know many people who have decided to devote their lives to Christ. I have friends and acquaintances who have moved to foreign countries, giving up their personal comforts, in order to serve the Lord. Are they wasting their lives by living for eternal things or are there benefits to following Jesus? Allow me to share a personal experience.

Years ago my wife and I began praying about leaving the comforts of our life in Southern California and heading out on our own venture of faith. We were informed about a group of Christians in Vero Beach, Florida, who were looking for a pastor. We began to pray, and soon after booked a flight to check it out. After a few months of praying, we determined to move our family across the country in order to serve the Lord. Almost immediately, after making the decision, we were plagued with self doubt. Is this the right decision? What will happen to our four children growing up in an unfamiliar place, without the support of family and friends. While we struggled through these and many other questions, I was reminded of a promise Jesus gave His disciples,

Mark 10:29-30 “So Jesus answered and said, ‘ Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.'”

Essentially, Jesus was reminding us there are benefits to serving Him. These benefits fall into two categories. The first would be eternal reward. Elsewhere, Jesus instructed the disciples to store up treasures in heaven that cannot be lost or destroyed (Matthew 6:19-21). In God’s economy, nothing we do for eternity will be forgotten. There is a day coming, for every child of God, when we will be lavishly rewarded for a life lived for the kingdom. There is another category of benefits, those we do not have to wait until eternity to receive. Jesus spoke of receiving reward in this life. He promises blessing will flow from obedience.

As I look back over the years, I am amazed how God has blessed us for our willingness to follow Him. It has not always been the easiest journey. We have had our share of painful experiences and times where our faith has been greatly stretched. But I can attest, the benefits of following Christ far outweigh the difficulties we have had to endure.

Pastor Jim

 

The Church’s Got Talent 

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1 Corinthians 14:29
“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.”

Confusion broke out in the Corinthian church. Instead of meeting for the worship of God and the study of His word, the church had become a place for people to show off their spiritual gifts. Those with the gift of tongues saw the meetings as a time to speak or even sing in tongues. They thought the church existed to hear them sing. Others had the gift of prophecy, or at least they thought they did. To them the church existed as a place to share the things they thought were most relevant for the people to hear. I can imagine what the scene must have been like as the church gathered, opened in prayer, and then one by one, each louder than the last, the people began to share their thoughts and sing their songs. To the onlooker, it must have appeared to be a Christian version of “America’s Got Talent.”

Paul writes to correct their behavior and bring the fellowship back to something that honors God and impacts the community. In order to accomplish this, he reminds them of a responsibility that each Christian bears. He writes, “… let the others judge.” The standard of judgment that must lead the Christian, and shape the church, is the written Word of God. Paul is exhorting them not to accept everything done in the name of Jesus, as being from Jesus. This is a critical principle with much application, not the least of which has to do with the daily function of the local church. Scripture informs us, the purpose of the church is to glorify God, preach the Gospel, make disciples, and train up the next generation of leaders. To that end, the church is to teach the Word of God and provide an atmosphere where people can worship, pray, and develop godly relationships. Paul put it like this,

Ephesians 4:12-13 “. . . for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

We should view the church as a place where we are fed, instructed, built up, and equipped, in order that we might go out into the world, impacting our circle of influence for the Kingdom of Heaven. Sadly, today, many see the church as the Corinthians did. They think the church exists solely as a place where they can exercise their gifts, and when they are not allowed to, they become frustrated with the leadership and complain to others. In many cases, they leave their church and go to another one that will let them perform. While gifts are necessary for the church to function properly, the gifts are not given so we can showcase our talents. If you are not getting to do what you want at your church, don’t behave Corinthian. Instead, look at the fact that God may want to use you in a totally different way than He has in the past. Come to the fellowship looking to be built up and equipped for service, then ask God to set before you an open door to impact others for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Who knows, God may even want to use you in the children’s ministry…

Pastor Jim

 

Striving Against Sin

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Romans 6:1
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?”

Paul boldly declares, because of the manifold grace of God, it is unreasonable for a Christian to continue living in sin. He explains why we should put our old lives behind us, and also gives practical steps on how that is to be accomplished. Notice, he explains what happened to us when we received Jesus Christ. Declaring, we were buried with Him through baptism into death.

We have seen, over and over, as we journey through the Bible, the result of receiving Christ is life. We become the partakers of eternal life as we follow Christ; we begin to experience abundant life. Here, Paul speaks of another truth. In addition to being made alive, he explains that coming to Christ also involves dying. The life lived for self, in pursuit of sin, and driven by fleshly desires, is crucified when we receive Christ. Paul declares, since we died to sin, it is unreasonable for us to live in sin. After laying down the doctrinal aspect of this truth, Paul gives some practical insights in how to lay sin aside, and live a righteous life.

He writes, “Reckon yourself dead Indeed to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:11).  The word reckon is a thinking word, meaning to consider. Since you are dead to sin, consider yourself dead to sin. Treat sin the way a dead man treats food. It is no long driving him. Dieting is difficult, it seems the moment we decide not to eat something, it is the moment we find ourselves surrounded by it. Our senses step into hyper mode, and we can smell sweets from a mile away. The battle rages within us, like a soldier fighting off an enemy invasion. We battle against the sights, smells, and memories of the delicacies we are trying to avoid. But truth be told, the moment we die, that battle will be over. Dead men don’t diet, they don’t need to, because the cravings of the flesh are gone. In the same way, if we consider that we are dead to sin, it is something of the past life, then we have taken the first step toward overcoming it’s hold on our lives.

Next Paul writes, “don’t let sin reign in your life.” Reign means to rule. Sin has a way of getting a hold of us and forcing us to do its bidding. When we first begin to toy with sin, we think we are the master, and it serves our desire. But it does not take long before the roles are reversed, and we realize we are under the control of sin. Paul is warning of that danger, but also instructing us on how to overcome sin’s hold on us.

He goes on to say, “do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13).” Our members are our body parts. Before coming to Christ, we used them to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. We used our minds to think of clever ways to sin and avoid getting in trouble for it. We used our eyes to look at sin, our ears to listen to it, our feet to lead us into it, and our hands to accomplish it. Now that we have come to Christ, we should use our members as instruments for righteousness. How have you been using yours? In what way have you used your mind, eyes, ears, feet and hands for the Kingdom of God?

Practically speaking, there is only so much time in the day. If we are giving ourselves over to the service of the Lord, we are going to have less time to give to sinful folly. In addition, we will find, the grip sin’s hold on us begins to weaken, and we, like Paul, will be able to speak of many of our struggles as victories.

Pastor Jim

 

Believing God 

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Romans 4:3
“For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.'”

A right standing before God is not received by the good works that we do, but by faith in the finished work of the Cross. This is illustrated in the life of both Abraham and David. These are two of the three greatest heroes of the Jewish people, the third being Moses.

Abraham was justified, not by the good works he accomplished, but by trusting in the promises of God. In fact, when he was first chosen he was an uncircumcised idol worshipper.

Likewise, David was not justified by his works. The Psalm referred to was written after David had sinned with Bathsheba and attempted to hide his rebellion from God. The great release from the burden of sin was found when, in faith he confessed it to the Lord, and forgiveness and righteousness was imputed to him (Psalm 32:1-2).

The same is true for us today. Our standing before God is never based upon our good works. We were loved and chosen before the foundation of the earth. We were separated, called from the womb, pursued and prayed for before we ever responded to Christ. We are made right with God when we trust in the finished work of Christ on the Cross. We have access to Him every day, not because of how good we have been the day before, but because of the efficacy of the Cross. If you are avoiding the Throne of Grace, thinking you are not worthy because of something you looked at, said, thought, or did, you need to understand trusting in Christ results in your sins being placed on Him, and His righteousness imputed to you.

In Romans 3 Paul asked, “Where is the boasting then?” Clearly, the answer is in Christ. I do not stand before men and brag of my great accomplishments, self-righteousness, or unwavering faith. I bow before God, rejoicing in His marvelous grace. I stand before men, declaring that all who come to God through Christ, can have their sins forgiven and His righteousness imputed to them. I am reminded of the words of the Psalmist who declared,

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two edged sword in their hand” Psalm 149:6

Instead of justifying our sin, or allowing failure to keep us from God, let’s join David in praising God, and Abraham in continuing to pursue the promises of God.

Pastor Jim

 

A New Song 

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Psalms 149:1
“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints.”

Sometimes, worship can have a tired feel to it because we are singing the same songs over and over again. It is so refreshing when the worship team brings a new song; partly because new songs come out of new experiences with the Lord. I spent many weeks of my early years of ministry serving at a Christian camp. Those days were filled with lessons I still benefit from today. One afternoon, while sitting by the pool, I struck up a conversation with the worship leaders wife. While her children were in the pool, she was relaxing in the sun, but her husband was noticeably absent. I will never forget her response when I asked where he was, she said, “He is taking some time alone with Jesus because that is where the songs come from.” He realized, in order to have a new song to sing, he needed a fresh experience with the Lord. Anything done over and over again can become tedious or stale, even our relationship with the Lord. We might wake up each day, read a chapter or two, get the kids up, make breakfast, clean up, make lunch, clean up, make dinner, clean up, run out of energy, go to bed, and start it all over again the next day. Our days become routine, and soon our relationship with the Lord has grown stale. How can we have new experiences with Jesus that result in new songs of praise?

I am reminded of the story of Caleb. We are first introduced to him when Moses selects him as one of the twelve spies sent to check out the Promised Land. When the people refused to enter, we read in Numbers 13:30, Caleb quieted the people and said “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Sadly, the people rejected his encouragement and suffered thirty-eight years in the wilderness. When the generation who refused to enter the land died off and a new generation stood within the its borders, it was Caleb who set the example of how to press into what God had for His people. Scripture tells us, at eighty-five years old, he came to Joshua with a fascinating request. In Joshua 14:9, he reminded his leader and old friend of the promise he had received from Moses,

‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’

Then he pointed to the most difficult terrain within the land and asked that it be given to him. His words are one of the most striking statements ever uttered. He declared,

“Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.” Joshua 14:12

Anakim were men of great stature, bred for battle. They were the most feared of all the inhabitants of Canaan. To make matters worse, they lived in fortified cities and inhabited the hill country which was easily defendable and almost impossible to overthrow. Caleb, a man described as one who had a different spirit in him, and who wholly followed the Lord, looked at the greatest obstacle facing the people of God and said, “Give me the mountain because it might be the Lord.” IT MIGHT BE THE LORD! I think I would want to know for certain that it was the Lord before I ventured out like that. However, Caleb was a man who trusted the Lord to be true to His promises, and was willing to venture into new ground in his walk with God.

Has your relationship grown so tired that you have no new song to sing. Perhaps it is time to look back into the promises of God and step forward into a new area of service. You will find God is true to His promises and your relationship with Him will be ignited with a fresh fire. What are you waiting for? The church is need of a new generation of Calebs who are willing to see just what might be the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

The Challenge 

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2 Samuel 23:8
“These are the names of the mighty men whom David had…”

David was a man mightily used by God. Although he started his journey walking alone into the valley to fight the giant, he did not remain alone. David’s faith was magnetic, and he was soon surrounded by men of great faith. This chapter tells the story of some of the men who surrounded the king. Among those listed are:

* Adino – He had killed eight hundred men at one time.

* Eleazar – He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day.

* Shammah – He stationed himself in the middle of a field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

* Three mighty men – broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem and brought it to David.

* Abishai – He lifted his spear against three hundred men.

* Benaiah – He killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day; and he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.

With heroic faith, these men stepped out, risking their own lives, for the furtherance of the Kingdom. Living like that, they had an impact upon their generation, and upon every generation that followed. Countless Christians have been encouraged in the work of the Lord, by the faith of David’s mighty men. They are an example of living recklessly for the Kingdom of God.

As I read their stories, two things happen within me. First, I am encouraged, second I am challenged. It is the challenge I would like to bring before you. Take a moment to examine your life. What are you doing for the Kingdom? When is the last time you took a risk, of any kind, in the service of Christ? Perhaps you need to recklessly approach your personal sanctification, using the Sword of the Spirit to cut out some things that do not belong. Perhaps it is time to examine the use of your time, and enlist yourself in service for the King. Whatever the case, when this life, which is like a vapor, comes to an end, we want to be on a list as one of the mighty men.

Pastor Jim

 

It Happened One Day 

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1 Samuel 14:1
“Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.’”

There is no doubt, while all of the Bible is inspire by God and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (Titus 3:16), there are certain passages that stand out to us. They seem to strike a chord in our lives, or present a truth that is so profound, it will transform our living. This is one of those passages. The scene is set in the previous chapter. The Philistines had been oppressing Israel for years. The weak, scattered tribes of Israel were no match for the immense army of the Philistines. They had been defeated time and time again by the Philistine raiders. All weapons had been confiscated from Israel, leaving them incapable of mustering a resistance against the Philistine lords. With all his effort, the best Saul could do was muster a six hundred man standing army that was no match for the enemy.

This is the backdrop when we are introduced to one of the greatest stories ever told. It’s underlying truth withstands the test of time, and is as powerful today, as it was then. Jonathan, the son of the king, and his armor bearer boldly step out, confident in the ability of God, and lead Israel to victory. There are a few key lessons we can draw from their story.

“It happened one day…” the significance of this day was not that it started differently than any other day. The enemy still lurked in the distance, the armies of Israel remained weak and scattered, and the sun rose as it did every day. What made this day different, is that Jonathan chose, on this day, to trust the Lord and step into service. If we are waiting for the colors of the sunrise to change, or our circumstance to alter, before we step into service of the Lord, we will find ourselves waiting forever. On an ordinary day, their world was forever changed.

1 Samuel 14:6
“For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”

Confident, not in himself, but in the Lord, Jonathan trusted in the promises of God. He was willing to look at the circumstances he faced, in light of the Lord. Suddenly, the innumerable army of Philistia, paled in comparison to the great power of the true and living God. That kind of triumphant confidence does not remain alone for long. Immediately, his armor bearer joined Jonathan in this bold crusade, and before the days end, thousands in Israel were battling at their side. Confidence in the promises of God, and the boldness to step out in faith, will always be accompanied by others who want to be a part of the work of God.

Too often, we are waiting for something dramatic to change in life before we will step out and serve the Lord. In other cases, we are waiting for someone else to go, when all the while, God desires that we would trust His Word, and go forth in faith. Perhaps today is the day that God wants to use you to impact your family, friends, co-workers or acquaintances for the kingdom of God.

Pastor Jim

 

Trust

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Psalms 9:10
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

A few years back I was teaching in a Bible school in Ghana on the subject of trust. I invited one of the students to come forward and asked him to put his arms at his side, close his eyes, and face the class. He had no difficulty doing what I asked until I added, “now remain stiff as a board and fall backwards.” He immediately opened his eyes, turned around, and looked at me as if to say, “No way!” I assured him that I would catch him, and asked him to face the class again. I counted to three and told him to fall back. To his credit, he tried, but once he began to lean, he stepped back to catch himself. The remaining students erupted in laughter as their friend was afraid to fall back.

The simple fact was, he did not trust me. He did not believe I was able to catch him when he fell. He was not my first victim in this twisted experiment. I had done it many times before with my children. They would close their eyes and fall back without hesitation. There were even times when they stood on a table and fell back. They looked forward to the opportunity to entrust their lives into the hands of Dad. Why would my children trust me and this young man be so frightened?

I believe the simple answer is, my children know me a whole lot better than he. David is declaring that same truth here, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You.” Trust is something that grows out of relationship. The longer you walk with God, the more you get to know Him, the more you know Him, the easier it becomes to trust Him. If you are having a difficult time trusting the Lord in your current circumstances, the key is to spend time getting to know God better.

Paul wrote. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

In other words, our faith in God will grow as a result of reading about Him. The Word of God is filled with examples of people who are facing trials much too big for them to handle; yet they find God is completely trustworthy. We read of God parting the seas, providing water from rocks, knocking down walls, defeating giants, curing diseases, and even raising the dead. God has not changed, He is still in the business of providing aid to those who trust Him. If He was able to calm the seas with a word, don’t you think He is able to deliver you from the trial you are facing? Instead of cursing or questioning God, perhaps it would be better to follow the example of David and seek Him.

“For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” After all, David knew what it was to face difficulty. We are told this Psalm was sung to the tune of “The Death of a Son.” I cannot imagine a trial greater than that, yet,even then, God proves that He will catch us when we fall.

Pastor Jim

 

Fear Factor 

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Judges 7:3
“Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead. ’ And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.”

God is selecting a team for a specific task. They will be led into hand-to-hand combat against a Midianite army too vast to number. As the people gather for the selection process, the first cut is made. Twenty-two thousand men are sent packing for one simple reason – fear! Gideon may have asked for a show of hands, or for those who were afraid, to take a step backwards. Whatever the case, his army was immediately reduced by 70% and the reason for their departure was fear. They were afraid to be a part of the work of God.

After a second selection process, Gideon’s army was reduced again. Now there are only three hundred men left standing on the eve of battle. Here, just hours before they will step into the fight of their lives, something else very interesting transpires. After giving the battle plan to Gideon, God declares in Judges 7:10-11,

“’But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.’ Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.”

Did you catch that? After sending ALL those who were afraid packing God says, “If you are afraid go and listen to the talk in the enemies camp.” If all those who were afraid went home, then we should read that Gideon and his servant had no fear, but as the story continues they, filled with fear, sneak into the enemies camp, as the Lord instructed.

I think this passage sheds light on the connection between fear and faith. I have often heard, fear and faith are mutually exclusive. A person cannot be afraid and exercise faith at the same time. I have not found that to be true. I have found, at the times I had to exercise the most faith, I have also been filled with great amounts of fear. Faith is trusting in the Lord, despite the fears which unsettle the soul. Those who allowed fear to win the battle, went home that day, never realizing the power of God. Those who put faith over fear, saw one of the greatest victories in all of Israel’s history.

Pastor Jim

 

The Good Old Days

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Judges 6:13

“Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about…?”‘

 

Gideon voices a sentiment vey common among believers today. He looked at the conditions of his world and began to wonder where were all the miracles. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, why was he not seeing great and miraculous changes happening in his lifetime? I find it very interesting how the Lord responds to Gideon’s accusations.

 

Judges 6:14

“Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?'”

 

The response from heaven seems to imply that if Gideon wants to see the miraculous, he will have to get out of his hiding place, step out in faith, and allow the Lord to work in and through his life. What follows for Gideon will be a bold and courageous stand against the idolatry in his own life, his home, and his community. Shortly following this incident, he will step into the battlefield with a handful of ill-equipped and untrained soldiers, in an attempt to drive the Midianites out of Israel. 

 

As the pages of the calendar turn, the methods of God do not change. Just as in Gideon’s day, God is seeking to stir the heart of people who will be willing to commit themselves completely to Him, and step out in faith to see what God may want to accomplish through them. If we want to see great things done by God, we have to get out of our caves of security. It is time to stop allowing fear to keep us from the amazing things God may want to do through us. Just like Gideon, we will not be left alone once we make those first courageous steps. 

 

Judges 6:16

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.'”

 

Pastor Jim