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Friends 

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1 Samuel 18:1

“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

The relationship between David and Jonathan is one of the most beautiful and encouraging in all of Scripture. We find that these two young men met while serving the Lord and furthering His kingdom. Their relationship was built on love, humility, and self-sacrifice. It was this relationship that proved to be a constant source of encouragement to David, and a means by which Jonathan learned to discover God’s plan for his life.

Friendships are essential to a healthy Christian life. Solomon wrote, 

Proverbs 12:26

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Proverbs 27:17

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

David’s life was greatly enhanced by the relationship he forged with Jonathan. Like a knife being rubbed against  steel, David’s character was sharpened by Jonathan. The jealous rage of king Saul often beat upon David’s countenance, and it was Jonathan who encouraged and strengthen him. In one of the more revealing passages we read,  

1 Samuel 23:16

“Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.”

Jonathan did this by simply visiting his friend in time of need, and reminding him of the promises of God. This provided David with hope and strength to continue in that which God had called him. 

We would all be better off with a friend like Jonathan, but it is important to keep a few things in mind. First, David and Jonathan met while serving the Lord. The best and healthiest relationships are the ones forged in the service of Christ. The more we dive into “Kingdom work,” the more likely we are to meet others who will provide encouragement to help us keep on with Christ. Second, in a very practical passage, Solomon gives the following advice, 

Proverbs 18:24

“A man who has friends must himself be friendly…”

The secret to establishing good relationships, is to seek to be the friend you desire others to be. We all want a Jonathan in our lives, but perhaps a better approach is to seek to be a Jonathan in the life of others. He laid his life down, and sought to encourage David to become all God had called him to be. 

Pastor Jim 

Will This Ever Work

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1 Samuel 7:13
“So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel…”

Israel faced a constant threat from the Philistines. They had come into the territory promised to Israel, taken land, and threatened the people. Earlier in 1 Samuel, the nation mustered all its strength to drive the Philistines out of their territories, only to suffer a devastating loss. In that earlier battle, the people gathered around a religious artifact, went forth in all the strength they had, and were defeated. Now, some years later, we find them once again facing the same threat. This time, however, their efforts resulted in a great victory. What was the difference? How were they able to defeat an enemy which had plagued them for so many years?

1 Samuel 7:3
“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.’”

Notice the steps that led to their success. First, they were to return to the LORD and put away foreign gods. The order here is of the utmost importance. Too often, we think we must make great changes in our lives, in order to come to the LORD. We think all that is wrong with us, must be cleaned up and fixed, before we can take the steps forward and receive forgiveness for sin. This may be the ultimate in putting the cart before the horse. We don’t clean up our act and come to Christ. We come to Christ and allow Him to clean us up. The first step is to come, and let Him transform our lives.

Step two in their return, was committing themselves to the things that mattered to the LORD. We read that they “Served Him only…” One of the main reasons people fall away from the LORD is they never really committed themselves to Him. There was the initial realization of the need of forgiveness, but never the commitment of their lives to Christ. If we want to ensure victory, there must be a commitment to serve. Ask yourself “In what way do I serve Jesus at my church?” If you have no answer for that question, then figure out how you can get involved. Help in a Sunday School class, hospitality, greeting, parking lot ministry, or join a Home Fellowship. The possibilities are endless and the impact in your personal walk will be tremendous.

Pastor Jim

 

Parting Words

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Joshua 23:2

“And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: ‘I am old, advanced in age.'”

 

The sun is about to set in the life and ministry of Joshua. After spending years being mentored in ministry by Moses, he ventured out as Israel’s leader. He led the nation as they furthered the kingdom of God, and became established in the land. Now that his time is coming to an end,  Joshua will give his final message to the people he has so faithfully served. His message could be divided into four main points of exhortation that would lead to their continued success. 

 

Joshua 23:6

“Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left.”

 

Step one, they needed to read and obey the Scriptures. Clearly, the lifestyle, as well as the daily struggles of an agrarian society of thirty-five hundred years ago, would be drastically different than the challenges we face today. However, regardless of what we face, reading and doing what the Bible says is the secret to success. Set aside a time, daily, to be in the Word. 

 

Joshua 23:8

“But you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.”

 

Step two, cling to the Lord. Clinging implies closeness; it is impossible to cling from a distance. The secret to clinging to Christ is to remove anything from our lives which creates separation. David learned that compromise placed a wedge between him and the Lord. The one who once experienced sweet fellowship with God, found that unconfessed sin put a distance between him and the Lord. If you are hiding some sin, it is time to bring it into the open. Tell the Lord about it, and confide in a trustworthy believer who will pray for you.

 

Joshua 23:11 

“Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.”

 

Step three might be step one. God created us to be in a love relationship with Himself. Jesus told us the most important of all  commands is to love God. We love Him by placing Him above all else. When my desire is to please God above even my desire to please myself, I am expressing true love and devotion. When we allow other things to stand on the same platform as the Lord, those things will begin to vie for our time, devotion, and obedience. Perhaps it is time to take inventory and remove anything which has been exalted to that place in life which only God should have. 

 

Joshua 24:14

“Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!”

 

Step four is to serve the Lord. Without a doubt, there is a common denominator in the life of every successful follower of Christ. The common denominator is that they have gone from simply believing, to beginning to serve. This was true of the original followers of Christ, and it is equally as true today. If we want to see our Christian life begin to take off, we need to get involved in regular service. It is there, we will find healthy relationships that will encourage our growth, and where we will find ourselves in daily dependance upon the help of the Lord. 

 

The generation that heard Joshua, continued to follow and serve the Lord. Sadly, his exhortations were lost on the next generation, and they soon began to drift from God and experience defeat in life. 

 

Pastor Jim 

  

 

Serve God 

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Joshua 24:14
“…Serve the Lord!”

Years ago Bob Dylan wrote a song that included the phrase, “You’ve got to serve somebody.” Centuries before, the Psalmist declared, we will become whatever we choose to serve. He stated, if we serve false gods we become like them, but if we choose to serve the True and Living God, we will become like Him. Our lives will be determined by what masters us.

Romans 6:16
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”

Sin is a reckless master. It makes promises it will never fulfill. When we choose to disobey the Word of God, getting involved in practices He forbids, it is not long before we are controlled by the very things we thought would be pleasurable. Drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity, are all harsh taskmasters, destroying the lives of those who serve them.

With his final breath, Joshua pleads with Israel to serve the One who will transform their lives, and who promises to give them life. All those who stood before Joshua on that day have long since passed from this life. They found the exhortation of Joshua to be true. They came to realize the brevity of life and the length of eternity. Won’t you follow their lead, and choose today to serve the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Pastor Jim

 

Wait There’s More 

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Joshua 13:1
” Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: ‘You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.’“

As the sun begins to set on Joshua’s life, he has yet, another encounter with the Lord. This time God refers to the age of his servant and to the work he is doing. Joshua is reminded that while he is old and has accomplished much for the kingdom, there still remains very much land to conquer and possess. The application of this truth for Joshua was that he needed to gather the tribes together and exhort them to get busy, finishing the work he had started. The application for you and me is that there is a lot God still wants to do in our lives, no matter how long we have walked with Him, or how much we have accomplished.

Each tribe had taken some land and established themselves in it. They had walled cities to live in and pasture and farmlands for their sustenance, but there remained large portions of the land they were yet to conquer, possess, and reap rewards from. If they were to continue what they had started, it would require daily obedience and faithfulness to the Lord. They would have to seek God for direction, strength, and victory, as they continued to overcome their enemies.

The same is true for us. It is very tempting, as a Christian, to settle into the comforts of the accomplishments of our past victories, while neglecting to realize, there is still so much more God wants to do in our lives. Many of the attitudes we have come to accept as part of who we are, may be an enemy encampment God wants to destroy. Instead of resting on what we have done, let’s look forward to what else God may want to do in and through us.

Pastor Jim

 

Here I Am Lord 

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Acts 9:10
“Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.'”

A disciple named Ananias is a somewhat obscure character in the narrative of Acts. We do not know how he first heard about Christ, what his occupation was, or his role in the local church. All we know is, when he was called to service, he rose to the occasion, and became an influential player in the life and ministry of Paul, the Apostle.

We read that Ananias had a vision. A vision is much like a dream, but happens while a person is awake, instead of when they are sleeping. There are many cases in Scripture of God speaking to His people through visions.

We are not told what Ananias was doing when God interrupted and commissioned him. We only know he obeyed. Notice, his obedience was not without trepidation. In fact, we might even say, he was a little reluctant to obey; and it is not difficult to understand why. Saul of Tarsus was the greatest human threat the early church had ever faced. He had authority to arrest and imprison Christians; and like a wild animal, was threatening them with death.

We read in Acts 8 that he was the driving force behind the death of Stephen. God was calling Ananias right into Saul’s line of fire. It does not surprise me that he would say, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, . . .” Acts 9:13

I know it is my desire to hear from the Lord. I want my life to count for the kingdom, and to have a positive impact upon the lives of others. I also understand, that sometimes, the Lord asks us to do hard things. Sometimes, the call of God will take me outside my comfort zone and ask me to do what will make me very uncomfortable, and may even put me at some level of risk.

I think it is important to follow the example of Ananias, whose willingness to obey the Lord resulted in helping in the growth of one of Christianity’s greatest heroes. Let’s all live by the motto of, “Here I am Lord.”

Pastor Jim

 

Unsung Heroes 

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Acts 8:5

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.”

 

Philip was one of the men selected to serve tables at the church in Jerusalem. Now we find him heading out to Samaria as a missionary and winning many souls to the Kingdom. His ministry became so effective, it drew the attention of the apostles, who came to aid him in discipling those who had been saved. As quickly as he arrived in Samaria, Philip leaves.  God calls him away from the masses, to reach an individual with the message of salvation through faith in Christ. After a muddy baptism in the desert, he headed out once again, this time making his way to Caesarea, where he settled down and raised a family of followers of Jesus. 

 

Philip’s story is a fascinating one, filled with application for our daily lives. One of the most important lessons he teaches us is, in God’s economy, all service is the same. When Philip was serving tables, raising children, or leading revivals, he was simply doing what God had called him to do. Sometimes, I think we lose sight of how God wants to use us today, by being overly consumed with what the future holds. Spending all my time thinking about how God wants to use me tomorrow, will cause me to miss the opportunities He has placed in front of me today. 

 

Keep your eyes open! Perhaps, today, God may lead you right into an opportunity to share Christ with someone like the Ethiopian, a man who God had prepared in every way for Philip’s arrival.

 

Pastor Jim  

  

Seven Men

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Acts 6:3
“. . . seven men of good reputation . . .”

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Scripture does not follow the stories of all seven of these men, but we know that both Stephen and Philip were remarkable men. Stephen carries the honor of being the first martyr of the church. While martyrdom is not something we should aspire to, his testimony is one of a man who refused to shy away from the threats, and boldly declared the Gospel to his community. It seems very likely his life was influential in leading to Paul’s conversion. Philip was used to begin one of the great revivals of church history. It was through his life, the people of Samaria heard the Gospel and were saved. Later we read, he raised four daughters who followed and served the Lord.

Acts 6 records for us what these men were like. We are told they were men of good reputation, filled with the Holy Spirit, wisdom and faith. The text also alludes to how they became these men. We are told, the apostles gave themselves continually to the Word of God and prayer. Something happens to us when we get plugged into a healthy church, where the Bible is being taught. As the weeks pass, we begin to develop a desire for more of the Lord, and ultimately to serve the Lord. After one of the outreach events that our church was involved in, one of my kids made the observation that it was so cool to see people come to the church, get fed the Word, and over time start serving. He said it was almost as though they could not help it.

Make sure you get plugged into a healthy church! The more time you invest in your relationship with Jesus, the more you will become a person whose life impacts those around you, for the kingdom of God.

Pastor Jim

Old Testament:
Joshua 1- Secret To Success
Joshua 2- Story Of Redemption

 

Service

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Numbers 4:4
“This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most holy things:”

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The Levites are divided into 3 groups, with each group having a role in serving around the Tabernacle. Gershon’s role was to carry the exterior coverings of the Tabernacle. Kohath‘s role was to carry the utensils, the Ark, the table of showbread, the lamp stand, etc. Merari’s responsibility was to carry all the heavy stuff; the silver blocks, the gold plated walls…those were all carried by Merari.

If you could be a priest, and you could choose from among the roles of the Levites, I think the highest honor would certainly be carrying the Ark. Yet, we will see later in Numbers, it was Kohath that complained about their role in the ministry. God had a role for them, but they weren’t happy with it. They complained about it, they wanted to serve as priests, and were not satisfied carrying the holy furnishings.

Sadly, this happens so often in the church. A person is called by God to a particular area of ministry and given an opportunity to serve, but instead of seeing it as a way to assist in furthering the kingdom of God, they become envious of someone else’s position. They begin to neglect the area they have been called to. There could be no Tabernacle ministry without someone to carry the blocks, or care for the articles of worship. Let me encourage you not to look for a new area of ministry, but perhaps, look for ways to be more faithful in what you have been called to. If you are a greeter, exercise the gift of hospitality, and love on each person that comes in the door of the church. Did you know the word “hospitality” means “to love strangers?“ Make them feel welcomed and comfortable, then when the word is presented, they might be able to receive what God has for them.

Jesus taught us a very important principle of ministry, “he who is faithful in little will be faithful in much” (Luke 16:10). This is one of the most important principles to learn if you are seeking to be used by God. Calvary Chapel Vero Beach did not grow in numbers for the first 4 1/2 years that I was the pastor. It wasn’t because we were doing the wrong things, but because God had to do a work in me before he would do a work through me. I had to first learn to love, care for, and minister to 20 sheep before the Lord would give me the care of 250. And the same will be true for all of us. Be faithful in what God has called you to do and remember promotion comes from the Lord.

Pastor Jim

 

Best Of The Best

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Leviticus 22:20
“Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf.”

20140225-070519.jpgI once heard of a farmer whose cow had given birth to twin calves. In his excitement, he decided to dedicate one to the Lord. As the days passed, his wife reminded him of his promise, she inquired if he had decided which calf was the Lord’s. Sadly, one of the calves became ill and the farmer did all he could to nurse the animal back to health. Late into the evening, he returned from the barn, and slumped into a chair. His wife, asked what was the matter, to which he replied, “The Lord’s calf died.” Too often, this is typical of our offering to the Lord. Whatever we have left, do not want, need, or use any longer, is offered to the Lord.

God instructed His people, when they give, they should offer the best. Anything defective might still have a use, but it was not worthy of being presented to the Lord. A lamb with a broken leg, would still make a wonderful meal, but was not the lamb to offer to God. When it comes to giving, we should always seek to give our best. If we are giving of our time to teach a Sunday School class, we should do all we can to be well prepared; that is our offering, and God deserves our best. If we are involved in a men’s or women’s group, we should give ample time to prayer, and to completing the lessons, so we have something of value to bring to the discussion; that is our offering, and God deserves our best. If we are involved in worship, we should practice the songs, pray for the church services, and the people of God; that is our offering, and God deserves our best.

The principle is simple. When we give to God, we want to give our best. Imagine if you were having an important guest over for a meal. Would you serve up the leftovers from the past few meals; stuff the kids picked at, but didn’t finish? Would you toss it down on paper plates? Or would you go out of your way to discover their favorite foods, and do your best to serve them in a manner worthy of their office? Certainly, God deserves more from us than we would give to one another.

Pastor Jim