05/31/18 - Acts 19

May 31, 2018

Some of the listeners became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.  So Paul left them.  Acts 19:9

People who have to prove something publicly are often hiding something privately.  Be careful your public attitude is not a defense for a private problem.

It’s often the loudest people who have the biggest problems – they are just better at deflecting the topic toward someone else.

Remember the old childhood story of the boy who cried wolf?  He was loud enough to get peoples’ attention, and drew a crowd.  His loud shouts got something done, but the problem wasn’t really a security issue … it was an insecurity issue.  His biggest problem wasn’t the wolf, it was the broken character of his soul.  Eventually, the boy wasn’t believed, and the wolf did show up.

There are times to be loud, and even to speak up, but when a person is loud often, or constantly speaking, they tend to be covering up a deeper problem.  It’s easier to hide behind our arguments than repent humbly from our sins.  That’s why these men in Acts 19 used their loud arguments against Paul when their sin was exposed.  They went public, bad-mouthing Paul and the Christians, instead of dealing privately with their failures.  And even though it seemed like a victory when Paul left them, they were defeated when the Truth of God was heard by everyone else.  That’s the problem --- our loud opposition often ends up killing the truth that can help us!

Take a week and watch the way people use their voices to hide themselves.  You’ll notice it with a friend who is constantly talking so that you can’t question their behavior.  You’ll see it with kids who are trying to avoid bedtime by keeping their parents talking.  You’ll even notice it from salespeople who are pushing their products, or a spouse who covers their loneliness by talking about useless information.  All of those loud voices are covering up the pain and sin within. 

Paul wasn’t deterred with the message by these men, he just changed his strategy to communicate it.  Instead of getting into an argument, Paul took the truth to more & more people, leaving these loud mouths more and more isolated by the crowd of people who knew better.  It all goes to show us, we can run from the Truth and we can shout at the Truth, but we can’t change the Truth.  Jesus is Lord, whether we scream and holler or not.

Be careful what you take public – make sure you have the Truth figured out before you start maligning anything.  Otherwise, you might just find yourself alone when the wolf comes prowling.

05/30/18 - Acts 18

May 30, 2018

The Lord spoke to Paul: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you..." Acts 18:9-10

The safest place to be is fully in the will of God---He is our might & protection.

Fear has a way of making us take cover.  When faced with uncomfortable odds, the logical answer is to retreat to safety and regroup. 

Elisha and the city were outnumbered by an enemy force, and the whole town was in fear.  Even the king was losing hope, and trying to figure out an escape strategy.  The only person who wasn’t retreating was Elisha.  He had confidence in God to rescue them, in spite of the odds.  Elisha’s servant was trying to convince his master to retreat, when Elisha prayed that the servant’s eyes would be opened and see all of God’s angels prepared for battle.  Even being the only one willing to stand against the enemy, Elisha was safe from danger.  (Read the rest of that story- and see how God put fear into the enemy’s minds, scaring them away without a single sword being drawn!)

Often our eyes and our minds can play tricks on us.  We think we are safe because of our numbers.  Or we think we’re unsafe because of risks we imagine.  Both are incorrect.  The safest place to be is not based on our surroundings or circumstances.  The safest place to be is in the will of God.  For it’s in His Will that we find the Lord of the Universe fighting for us!

Obedience is often considered negative and restrictive, but obedience is all about SAFETY!  When we obey God, His Will continues to operate and His plans are executed flawlessly.  We find ourselves fighting God when we disobey, and even the safest house or car or career is no match for the God of the universe when we oppose Him. 

Listen to the instructions of God to Paul – you are safe when you do His Will.  You are protected when He is with you.  Don’t be afraid to speak God’s Word.  Don’t hesitate to display your faith.  Don’t back down when an enemy fights against you and you are doing the right thing.  Our God is an AWESOME GOD!  Trust in Him and stay the course with His Will.

That will not be easy.  The rest of the world will be bailing out.  But the believers will be in the foxhole with you.  Trust Him to overcome.  He’s been doing it for millions of years.

05/29/18 - Acts 17

May 29, 2018

In the past God overlooked our ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30

Jesus brought grace, but also eliminated all excuses---we must turn back to God and obey before judgment comes.

Sometimes we have WAY too many choices, and it leads us into problems.

I remember when I started dating Dianna, we had the constant challenge of choosing a place to eat when we would go to dinner.  It turned into a joke:  I wanted to start a restaurant called: “I don’t care”, “Whatever you want”, “Not that one”, “You Decide”.  J  With all the choices of places to go, we would take forever figuring it out.  It’s SO MUCH EASIER when you only have two choices.

God knows that sin is rampant with multiple choices.  When given many options to choose from, we’ll often choose a ‘better’ one than the ‘best’ one.  And especially when many options exist for sin and only one is the righteous option, people find themselves choosing a sin option that doesn’t cost so much (or so we think).  That’s the story of the Old Testament!  Compromise over commitment.

Jesus was the ‘bearer of Grace’ to the world.  His birth, ministry, and service to men has continued to bring grace and mercy to the human race, and a second chance for sinners to be saved.  Instead of having to know every action and attitude that was a sin, we have been given a new “tree” as our single choice.  Where Adam & Eve were ignorant to sin and only had to choose NOT to eat from the Tree of knowledge of Good & Evil, we have been given the single choice to repent and EAT from the Tree of Life Himself. 

Jesus has made it much easier for us.  Choose Jesus as Lord, or choose yourself.  It’s no longer about the sin options, it’s a simple choice, just like Adam & Eve had.  Which tree will you eat from?

But be aware there is no longer any more excuses or ignorance.   There is no 3^rd option coming.  Jesus is the final choice (and the final answer).  Make your choice.

05/25/18 - Acts 16

May 25, 2018

At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. Acts 16:33

Don't delay obeying what The Lord tells us to do... Take action immediately.

Here’s a secret that Satan doesn’t want us to know … his number one weapon against our faith is not attack or trouble, it’s simply DELAY!  All Satan wants to do with us is delay our obedience one more day… sometimes even just one more minute.  The longer he can get us to delay, the more his temptations can have their hooks in us.

That’s why DAILY Decisions for God are so crucial!  Every single spiritual decision or moral decision is practice on whether we will listen to God or listen to Satan.

All of us feel that struggle daily – we decide whether to sleep in 15 more minutes or get up and spend 15 minutes with God.  We postpone that decision to go to church, or be baptized, or serve the Kingdom, or invite a friend, avoiding the effort or change it will require in us.  Many have felt the whisper of God to get involved and pushed the calling down for “later”.  And I would bet every person has delayed calling or visiting a person they needed to ask for forgiveness or restore a relationship with.  Delay is not in God’s Dictionary … it’s in the book of Satan!

To be clear, that doesn’t mean God speedily does things.  He is the author of ‘Wait’.  Waiting is not delay, it is active preparation for God’s perfect timing.  God prepared daily for the right time to send Jesus.  Jesus served and taught while waiting for the cross.  The Holy Spirit waited 50 days to appear at just the right time on Pentecost.  Waiting is not delay, because waiting is deciding to prepare and take action FOR the day the wait ends. 

Are you truly waiting or delaying?  God says: Today is the Day of Salvation.  Are you delaying or deciding?  Jesus called us to: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Delaying or Deciding?  We are instructed to: Follow Jesus, and to : Go and Make Disciples.  Delay/Decide? 

Every Sunday at Journey (and most Christian Churches), people are given a choice.  DECIDE!  Stop listening to the delays of Satan.  Make the choice to DO what God tells you to do.  Even in the middle of the night when you discover God has offered you the chance to DECIDE – just like the jailer.  Don’t let Satan spoil your future (and your eternity) by delaying another minute.

05/24/18 - Acts 15

May 24, 2018

No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved... Acts 15:11

God’s grace is not a license to sin, but a pardon to live holy again.

Grace is one of the hardest and yet simplest concepts about God to figure out.  It is also one of the most amazing, and uniquely Christian doctrines.

Grace is God’s unmerited favor.  We seem to need reminded of all three words of that definition.

1)      It’s an act of God – God decides what He wants do and does it.  As much as we try to figure out the “recipe”, it is always a decision of God alone.  We cannot coerce Him or justify ourselves to get the grace we want. It is wholly in the hands of God to give as He sees fit.

2)      It’s unmerited – We don’t earn grace… as much as we try.  And it is not restricted… as much as we wish it was for some people.  Grace is not a “system” that provides blessings based on our performance.  In fact, our performance has very little to do with it.  Becoming more righteous sets us up for promised rewards, but doesn’t set us up for grace.  God hands out Grace as a part of His plans, not our performance.

3)      It’s favor – Favor is blessing.  Sometimes God’s favor is a windfall that fulfills our desires, and sometimes His favor is a restriction to prevent our failures.  But either way, grace is a blessing upon our lives that helps direct us to better outcomes.  We say God is Good, not because we get everything we want, but because we get everything that’s best from Him. 

You are not saved by acts of ‘goodness’.  You are not saved by religious traditions.  You are not saved by the level of accurate knowledge.  You are only saved by God’s desire to save you.  He offers it as Grace.

That makes Grace a gift, and as all gifts, we can either choose to accept it, or choose to leave it unopened.  God’s grace can be treated like an incredible treasure or thrown out with the trash.  Either way, He offers it to us, and gives it freely.

Some turn grace into a license to sin.  Because God forgives, they take advantage of the grace to pursue their own wishes.  Others don’t accept His grace, thinking they have to clean up their act first before they can open the gift.  Still others accept His grace, then try to spend themselves as martyrs earning back the payment for the gift they have received.  All are corruptions of the Spirit of Grace. 

When God blesses us with kindness, forgiveness, or love, our response must not be to leverage the grace in order to keep sinning.  By doing so, we damage the gift, and destroy the blessing His grace could do in our lives.  We also should not delay the gift until our ‘wild oats’ are sown, because ongoing sin has a way of closing the door to God’s grace.  And certainly, God doesn’t give us grace as a debt to pay back, that turns His Grace into religion, and leaves us back in the guilty state God tried to removes us from.

When you receive Grace, treat it as a pardon to be a citizen again in His Kingdom.  The case is over, the sin is forgiven, the opportunity is available – you can live fully free of the past, and start living the design of life He intends.  Let Grace transform you into the likeness of Jesus that God always wanted for you.  And watch how God uses you to be a channel of grace into the lives of others.

05/23/18 - Acts 14

May 23, 2018

Paul was strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. Acts 14:22

All good things take work, so growing a relationship with God will be the greatest work of all.

Imagine how Paul must have felt on his first missionary journey.  He was seeing God create new churches out of nothing – in places he likely had never visited.  All around him daily was the hand of God doing miracles in his life … yet with that were the bitter pains of people’s words and actions.  How could the God who wanted Paul to start churches also permit stoning and attacks to His servant?

In the midst of these extremes, Paul had the insight (or maybe prompting), to quote a statement that we prefer to avoid.  “It takes hardship to grow the Kingdom of God”.  While we may see that for everyone else, we question that for ourselves!   We want to protect the new believer from ANY risk or challenge, making it as easy as possible to be a new believer.  We want our kids to be kept safe and never have to feel any pain.  We prefer that God would meet our needs (and our wants), versus having to sacrifice anything to support His agenda.  We are like customers in the drive-through line at McDonald’s, wanting things made for us ‘our way’, and fast.

Hardship is the only way faith grows stronger.  Like the palm trees along the coast that handle the near-hurricane force winds, we must be tested harder to grow deeper.  Moses had his years in the desert, David was on the run from Saul, Jonah was caught by a fish, Jeremiah laid on his side for weeks, and even Jesus had 40 days in the desert as well as a cross to bear.  Why would we be any different?

These days, if the work becomes too hard at a church, we just jump ship to the more comfortable church down the street.  If devotions are too hard, we look for a tool that makes it quicker.  If serving takes too much time, we drop it for a season.  Stop following the crowds on easy street and start seeking the narrow gate!  Our faith is only as deep as our struggle – so take up the struggle instead of running from it.

Taking up the struggle IS the thing people recognize later.  Later is when they look at you and say “how did you make it through those tough times?”.  Later is when you realize the blessings that came with the pain.  Later is when you hear the words of Jesus saying “well done”.  Permit God to use this struggle now, knowing there is something coming Later!

Before getting married, I heard from MANY how marriage is hard work.  That’s not very believable when people are feeling in love, but becomes evident when you try to do life together!  I would say that it’s not marriage that’s hard work, but growing together that’s hard work.  If growing a relationship takes work, then growing a relationship with an Almighty God will be the greatest work of all!  Expect struggle, but know that God is using it to make you stronger.

05/22/18 - Acts 13

May 22, 2018

Through Jesus everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law. Acts 13:39

We are set free from sin by trusting Jesus’ words, and stay free from sin by practicing His habits.

Here’s a challenging thought: Anyone who hasn’t been forgiven of a sin is doomed to repeat it. 

Think through that for a minute.  Let’s say a teen lies, and eventually gets caught by the parents.  Instead of forgiving the teen, they punish and don’t trust the kid, and the teen now feels the weight of their guilt and failure every day.  Eventually, instead of trying to gain back trust or avoiding a lie, the teen starts thinking there is no way to succeed, and starts lying whenever necessary.  The story perpetuates with every lie, reinforcing the belief of the parents that the teen will never change, and reinforcing the behavior of the teen that changing never matters.

Apply that same concept to every area of life – teacher/student, boss/employee, pastor/member, husband/wife, and you will find that the greatest problem in repeated sin is NOT the sin.  The greatest problem is a lack of forgiveness.  Because the ONLY way to break the cycle is to completely clean the slate.  Forgiveness doesn’t mean the consequences are always removed, but it does mean the guilt is gone.  Without it, we are just doomed to continue to sin, and lose our mooring of righteousness.

That’s why Jesus is so clear on this topic of forgiveness.  The best way to help others stop sinning is to FORGIVE them!  Without it, they cannot move away from the sin, and without it nor can we!

Sometimes we combine forgiveness with other aspects of sin repair.  Forgiveness restores the relationship, penance restores the damage, and discipline removes the temptation.  Jesus gave us forgiveness on the cross – He took away the guilt.  That didn’t change the consequences:  if you murder someone, there is still a cost, but your soul can be saved.  The only way to repair the physical/social damage is through penance.  (And I’m not talking about a donation to the church.)  Extra chores, apologies, paying back the damages, serving a sentence, and many other things are a form of penance to help restore the damage in this life.  But penance doesn’t doom us to repeating a sin.  It’s the lack of forgiveness we may feel which pushes that button.

Jesus taught us many things, including a number of spiritual disciplines to help us in dealing with sin.  Practices like prayer, bible study, service, giving, fasting, worship, and more are tools that help us grow muscles of righteousness to avoid sin.  They don’t make us perfect, but help us become more perfected in our relationship with Jesus.  Forgiveness frees us from the sin, disciples direct us away from sin. 

Don’t be doomed to repeat sin, accept the forgiveness of God, and give forgiveness to everyone around you.  And practice the disciplines that keep you from sinning.  After all – why go back to being a slave when you have been set free?!?!

05/21/18 - Acts 12

May 21, 2018

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him... When Rhoda said Peter was at the door they told her: "You're out of your mind." Acts 12:5, 15

Don't pray wishing God might do something, pray knowing God is already doing something.

This may be one of the greatest lessons ministry has been teaching me these past ten years!  Before that, (and even now sometimes), I would pray as if God wasn’t doing anything yet, thinking He was waiting on me to get involved and start praying in order to be released to take action.  That may have given me urgency in praying for something, but it also created doubts, and sometimes guilt.  What if I wasn’t praying for it correctly, or what if I didn’t pray enough?  Or what happens when I prayed for something and it doesn’t work out the way I expected?

Then I saw the passage in Joshua when the people prayed while Joshua & the priests entered the Jordan River.  In that text, as soon as they put the first foot in the water, it stopped running.  Somewhere about 17 miles upstream, God had stopped the flow, and was rerouting the water.  God was working in advance LONG BEFORE they prayed & acted!  Then I started noticing how many times in the Bible God was working out the details long before the people knew what to pray for.  Even Jesus was an answer to peoples’ prayers, and He was being planned by God for THOUSANDS of years beforehand.  God already was doing something, our prayers just engaged with what He was doing.

That single thought has made prayer much richer for me, and much more freeing.  When a prayer need comes to our attention, we can pray knowing God was already involved and is working on His answer.  When we struggle with a problem, we can be comforted knowing the God we are talking to has something in mind WITH the struggle, and an answer FOR the struggle.   And when we pray, it’s no longer just a checklist of needs for God to handle, it’s a journey of involvement with God leading the way.

Try praying differently for the next 10 days (the rest of May).  Instead of praying for God to Do Something, pray knowing He already IS Doing Something, and seek what He wants you to do about it.  You will change from ‘telling God’ to start ‘talking with God’, and might be surprised by the promptings that come to your spirit! 

Rhoda and the group was praying for God to do something, but didn’t believe it when God did.  I would bet that if she was praying knowing God WAS doing something, she may have answered that door more expectantly, and the group would have been preparing to see what God was working on.  Who knows what God may be bringing to your door when you pray knowing He is at work!

05/18/18 - Acts 11

May 18, 2018

Peter: "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning." Acts 11:15

When we witness, the Holy Spirit is released to change people's hearts.

Speaking in tongues (languages) has become a church lightening-rod over the past 50 years.  For centuries, it was not considered a necessary spiritual gift.  Then some people started professing an ability to speak in a prayer language, and a movement has been going on since throughout many Americanized churches (U.S. and beyond).  If you want to start a hot conversation, just push the extreme on whether speaking in tongues is valid and see what happens!

Now no matter where you stand on this question, I suggest we all need to go back to Acts and notice a couple of things related to the Holy Spirit and tongues.  While not a thorough examination of the topic, it may be helpful to remember a few things about how this miracle worked in the early church.

1)      The Holy Spirit decided when people were given the gift.  Some want to make speaking in tongues the proof of whether someone has the Holy Spirit – but that’s not how Scripture describes this happening.  It was given at the Holy Spirit’s discretion, and for His purposes.  Just as with all spiritual gifts – it’s not for everyone, and not our decision.

2)      The gift apparently came & went – because the situation needing the gift wasn’t always required.  If you were with people who all spoke the same language, then the Holy Spirit needed to speak in THAT language, not some other one.

3)      It was for the purpose of communicating the Gospel.  People given the gift were not supposed to receive glory, the glory was reserved for Jesus, because it was given to tell others about Jesus.

4)      A person received the gift when they were speaking – that’s crucial.  (In fact, some may even read the accounts to suggest people ‘heard’ it in their native language, even though the speaker was possibly speaking in his normal tongue.)  Having the gift of tongues was only the tool for two people to communicate about Jesus.  The gift wasn’t to be honored, the giver was!

I can show much more, but the point is clear: Gifts are not about us – they are about Jesus!  When we have the courage to witness, the Holy Spirit gives us what we need to be effective.  Maybe the reason we feel so helpless & unprepared to tell our friends or neighbors about Jesus is the fact that the Holy Spirit is still WAITING on us to take action!   God has the ability to give us answers when we have the courage to share.  God has the power to protect us from harm when we take the first step and go.  And God has the ability to change our language when we talk with someone who doesn’t understand. 

Maybe instead of praying for the gift of tongues, we should be praying for more of the Holy Spirit.  In fact, isn’t that what Jesus said:  “Will not God give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?”  Don’t worry about what gift He will give you, just seek the chance to share about Jesus, and the gift will be there – exactly what you need, when you need it.  Trust Him … He did it for Peter several times!

05/17/18 - Acts 10

May 17, 2018

The voice said again: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Acts 10:15

Don't treat people as sinful after they've been forgiven, and don't be sinful after we have been forgiven.

On my first mission trip to Honduras, I was struck by two things that happened the first day we started working.  We went to a Christian school, and were working in the heat doing painting and rock work.  One of the kids there offered me a “bagged water”.  Assuming it was not polite to resist, I said ‘gracias’ and took the bag.  It was sealed, looked clean, and I thought it was safe, but before I opened it to drink a leader warned me it would be bad for me, and contained things that could make me sick.  What looked clean was actually impure. 

Later that night, we were eating dinner at our camp, and after dinner cleaning up, and I was just about ready to throw away some old ziplock storage bags, when the same leader told me to save them and clean them like dishes.  Apparently they re-use their ziplocks many times over, economically using the resources they had.  So we washed them, but I still didn’t think they looked very clean.  Then it struck me - what looked worn and useless was actually clean and pure (at least pure enough).

Humans tend to judge things by how they look.  But Jesus didn’t do that.  He would see the whitewashed lives of the leaders and realize how impure their hearts were.  Then he would look at the leper or the tax collector and see the purity of some of their hearts.  Jesus warned us not to judge, because we are such poor judges of people.  Leave the judging to him, and work on the purity of our own hearts.

Jesus died on the cross to bring us freedom FROM sin.  He wanted to clean up our hearts and make them pure again, even though the outside of our lives may look like a used ziplock bag.  He is not impressed with the exterior paint job we do to look good, he wants a pure soul.  Peter learned that from God in this story about Gentiles that God was saving.  Maybe we also need to learn that when it comes to the people we are judging.  Maybe we also need to remember that when we have been cleansed & made pure – we’re not sinners when God has made us clean (so don’t go back there).

The next time you start making a judgment by the way a person looks or behaves, remember that water bag & ziplock bag.  Maybe what is inside has a different level of purity than what you are seeing on the outside.  Let God decide – and work on making your heart pure.

05/16/18 - Acts 9

May 16, 2018

"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," He replied. Acts 9:5

Sin persecutes Jesus and makes us blind, obedience honors Jesus and makes us see.

Saul (soon to be Paul) had NO IDEA his actions were actually persecuting Jesus.  Saul thought he was living out a God-honoring life.  His persecution of Christians was something that seemed justified and righteous for the defense of Yahweh.  Little did he know that it was not righteousness, it was sin!  Saul was completely blind to it.

Sin has a way of doing that to all of us.  We wouldn’t call it sin … in fact, we often see it as the right thing to do.  It’s easy to justify our behaviors when it appears popular or pious.  Blind spots tend to do that – we only see through tunnel vision our intentions, and don’t recognize the sinful path it takes us on.

Every sin is a persecution of Jesus.  It is a slap on His face, a flogging of His skin, and a nail through His body.  The more we do it, the less it seems wrong.  That’s the blindness setting in.  We can justify it or even legalize it, but the persecution remains.  The only antidote for our blindness is facing the bright light of Jesus.  Only by looking at what Jesus did, and obeying what Jesus said, do we discover the blind spots in our life.

Saul was knocked down and blinded by the light of Jesus on his trip to Damascus.  It’s ironic that Jesus had to blind Saul in order for him to see!!!  Saul had clearer vision when blinded physically, and more blind in his vision when he was seeing.  Seeing Jesus has that affect.  He is the only one that removes scales from our spiritual eyes, so we can see clearly what we’re doing.

Here’s a dangerous prayer – ask Jesus to bring light into your life on every blind spot!  Be prepared to discover where you have been blind to your own sin.  Expect to be challenged about your behavior.  Seek His Word & His Ways, even to the point you will RADICALLY change.  Better to be blinded by His light, than to see physically and be headed toward hell.

Don’t let sin blind you any longer.  Let Jesus take the scales off of your eyes.  You may discover a life ahead that changes the world!  (For sure it will change your world.)

05/15/18 - Acts 8

May 15, 2018 

Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Acts 8:35

Jesus starts where we are at and then moves us to where He wants us to be.

The spiritual life often feels like a never-ending game of catch-up.  We never seem to know enough, or serve enough, or give enough.  If we’re completely honest, it always feels like we’re inadequate to the task.  It can be overwhelming.

Praise God that we don’t have an SAT-like entrance exam before being saved.  It’s really a simple question of allegiance.  Scripture says: Repent & be baptized, for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Salvation is simply starting where we are at, rejecting the life of sin, and beginning with the next step.

Praise God we don’t have to memorize the Bible to know Jesus.  It’s really a simple practice of devotion.  Scripture says: All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting & training in righteousness.  Devotion is simply starting with one verse and putting it into practice, one-at-a-time.

Praise God we don’t have to be prayer warriors to talk with God.  It’s really as simple as a conversation.  Scripture says: The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.  So talking with God is starting with what is happening today, and continuing to talk with God – but sharing our hearts and listening to His.

Jesus is not looking for 4.0 Grade Point Average people.  He’s just looking for starters – people who start where they are, and follow Him where He wants to take them.  The REAL issue of finding Jesus is being ready to start following Him!  Repentance is not a feeling or a regret, it’s taking a new direction.  Just like Ethiopian did, it means starting where you are, and letting Jesus decide where you go next.

If you’re struggling in your walk with God, maybe it has to do with where you’re at.  Are you trying to take Jesus somewhere, or ready to let Jesus take you?  Are you looking for answers to your past, or trying to start where you are today?  Does it frighten you that Jesus has a new path for you to take, or make you excited?

Let Jesus come and start where you are at, and let Him take you where He wants you to go.  One step, one repentance, one verse, one prayer could open up a world of faith that you never would have seen, if you are ready to follow Him.

05/14/18 - Acts 7

May 14, 2018

While they stoned him, Stephen fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Acts 7:60

Living with bitterness is far worse than dying with forgiveness--- no matter how we were hurt, keep a forgiving heart.

Some things that happen to us are grossly unfair! 

It’s terrible to hear of the struggles of kids when parents’ divorce.  It’s downright angering to find out a friend or loved one was assaulted.  How unfair is it that someone was killed in a drive-by shooting!  And who can put up with this international trend of young girls being kidnapped for sale in the sex trade.  There are many other things that happen daily which hurt people and damage lives, most of which we don’t face, some we have felt, all which can change the outlook for anyone.

But the greater damage from unfair events is not the actual event … it’s the bitterness that becomes a permanent scar on the heart of the victims.  The consequences of an unfair act may last a while, but the bitterness can last forever.  And the only person that can heal this damage is the victim themselves.  Blame doesn’t remove bitterness, it actually feeds it.  Prosecution may create consequences for the offender, but it seldom heals the heart.  No amount of welfare or support can fix a bitter spirit, only the decision to turn it over to God can take it away.

That’s what makes Stephen’s story so powerful.  In the midst of one of the most unfair treatments documented in Scripture, Stephen chose to die with a pure heart of forgiveness than trying to live with bitterness.  In the midst of his stoning, Stephen forgave his offenders, and stayed connected to God.  He chose the higher road, the narrow gate, the true of good fruit.  Bitterness could have (maybe even SHOULD have) taken over, but Stephen had none of it.  Instead he died a full-hearted man. 

That may still seem inadequate.  Who could blame Stephen for not being angry during his stoning.  However, Stephen lived MORE in his last few minutes than most bitter people live their whole lives.  Bitterness is a heart killer, even though the person is still breathing.  Show me a bitter person and I’ll show you one that is walking emotionally or spiritually dead – they just don’t know it.  But show me a person with a heart of forgiveness, and I can show you one who’s alive, even in the worst of circumstances.

If you have a bitter heart, bring it to Jesus!  Get rid of the killer that is stealing your life.  Not only will you find freedom, but it will open your eyes and heart to see Jesus … just like Stephen did in those last few minutes.  He is ready to lead you forward … or lead you home … if you will walk in forgiveness. 

Yes, life can be grossly unfair – but you don’t have to stay in that moment.  You can move through it by the power of forgiveness.

05/11/18 - Acts 6

May 11, 2018 - Acts 6

The Twelve said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”  Acts 6:2

The secret to saving souls may have more to do with members than it does with Pastors.  Try this 90-Day Experiment!

It is documented that most churches in America have few converts in a year.  In many cases, the ratios are incredibly dismal – 1 or 2 conversions per 100 attendees.  That’s frightening considering the millions of people born each year, and the number of souls who pass away.  Without trying to analyze the myriad of reasons, maybe the simple answer is that we expect our pastors or staff to do too much of the work.

That’s where the Apostles found themselves in Acts 6.  Apparently it is a common problem throughout all of the Church Age.  People were expecting their leaders to take care of their needs, and the ministry started dominating more time than the mission.  As soon as that happens, conversions decrease and exhaustion increases.   Seems simple to understand, but hard to see when we are close to it.

The apostles seemed to figure this out in the early church, and tried a radical adjustment.  It would have been unheard of in their time to use lay people in the synagogue to do the work of ministry.  Only Levites and specially ordained individuals were permitted this privilege.  But this was a new day, with new parameters, and if the lost souls of the region were going to be reached with the message, the Apostles needed to stay focused on teaching & praying while the people jumped in to help.  So Peter and the men invited the church to identify 7 high-integrity leaders to organize and run this ministry of help to hurting families.  And by doing so, the church rallied to serve, and the ministry AND mission continued.  Hundreds (even thousands) came to know Jesus, while the widows and orphans were taken care of. 

The reason your church isn’t growing may have little to do with the pastor, staff or leaders.  Maybe the reason it doesn’t grow is primarily because those in the church aren’t doing their part to help!  Here’s a 90-day experiment:

-          Ask your pastor or staff leaders what percentage of their weekly time is spent teaching & praying. 

-          See what is taking their time away from those functions, and help them find a solution that frees them up for 90 days to focus most of their attention on these two functions.

-          Then discover if that change makes a difference in the impact of the church, as well as the growth of its people. 

Imagine what 90 days could help us discover:  It might save lives for eternity!  It might create stronger followers for Jesus.  It even may help us eliminate activities and ministries that are not helpful.  Certainly it would help serve the disenfranchised of our communities far better!

I’m not suggesting that to spur on my own church (they are amazing!)… I’m suggesting it because that’s what happened in Acts 6.  And more than anything, we need Acts 6 to happen in ALL of our churches.  The eternities of millions hangs in the balance!

05/10/18 - Acts 5

May 10, 2018 - Acts 5

Peter replied: "We must obey God rather than human beings! ... We are witnesses of Jesus..." Acts 5:29, 32

It's our duty & calling to obey Jesus, no matter what others say or do to forbid it.

These days, the pressure is against talking about Jesus in any public context.  How can one man’s story have such great opposition?  A business friend tells me there is constant pressure against showing any religious affiliation at his job.  There is such a stigma about it, that even wearing a cross or WWJD bracelet is considered offensive.  Talking about personal beliefs is okay as long as they are not Christian.  So he tries his best to be cautious about it and demonstrate his beliefs in action without bringing up God or Jesus.

City Council prayers have been attacked over the past several years when using the name Jesus in the prayers.  Mind you, this wasn’t prayers to convert followers, they were prayers for protection & blessing on our city.  Only recently did that stipulation get changed after a Supreme Court ruling that it was okay to use the name Jesus in our prayers.

Several churches have been sued to change their position on supporting same-sex marriages in their facilities.  Other businesses have been sued or publicly attacked for trying to practice their Christian beliefs in the operation of their companies.  We see more daily ridicule of the commands of Jesus in our media and government.  Certainly, this is an era of great unrest for the practice of Christian faith – even though it is not being forced on people.  A believer is considered bigoted and narrow-minded.  So what’s a believer to do?

Peter faced a great crisis when called out by the Jewish leaders.  He was being threatened and risking his life.  To continue to preach Jesus would be paramount to terrorism or acts of treason.  But Peter had a much different answer than when he denied Jesus the first go-round.  Instead, Peter stood and made a claim that was both respectful and Christ-honoring:  “Judge for yourselves if we should obey God or men.”  His proposal wouldn’t win him converts or favors, but it did make clear the position Peter was choosing and why.  Peter wasn’t trying to offend people.  He wasn’t being bigoted or narrow-minded.  He wasn’t in opposition to the country or its leadership.  Peter was simply trying to be obedient to God.  If that cost Peter his job, his welfare, his life, then God would decide that.  But disobedience to God in order to make men happy was not an option.

That’s a simple practice for us these days as well.  We’re not called to be rebellious or obstinate.  We’re not even supposed to act more righteous or prophetic.  All we are called to do is be obedient to Jesus in every given situation.  If Jesus wants us to speak, we speak.  If Jesus wants us to be silent, we will be silent.  If His commands break the laws, then we reluctantly and with all humility obey Jesus and plead our case before men.  But obedience to an eternal God is far more important than being politically correct for men. 

Don’t seek to find ways to oppose leadership.  Be cooperative as often as you can (Romans 13), but never at the cost of disobeying God.  Trust Jesus by obeying anyways.  And just like Peter, you might discover a great impact on souls and a miraculous rescue from God.

05/09/18 - Acts 4

May 9, 2018 - Acts 4

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we can be saved. Acts 4:12

If He is our only hope, then we must put our daily hope in Him.

It’s one thing to claim that Jesus is our only hope, but it’s another thing to live like it.

I never fully saw this in my own life until traveling to Honduras and saw such a radically different hope than what we experience in America.  Here, we claim to have hope in Jesus, but then spend our lives saving up for our “retirement”, putting our daily hope in our bank accounts.  But in Honduras, I saw a culture of people who had to trust Jesus not only for their daily bread, but for any possible future support.  They not only had hope in Jesus for their salvation, but for their livelihood.

Hope is an inward motivation toward an outward direction.  Without hope, we would not make strides in education or career or activity.  Without hope we wouldn’t build lasting relationships or solve great causes.  There is little life without hope.  Hope is at the root of life.

It’s kind of silly if you think about it.  We put our hope in Jesus for our eternal life, but put hope in ourselves for our daily lives.  Yet which one is more valuable?  Isn’t eternal life more valuable?  Isn’t it more crucial and costly?  Wouldn’t we be more concerned about controlling what happens for eternity, and less concerned about the temporary life? 

Hope in Jesus is not just about our eternity, it’s about our daily life.  If Jesus is worthy of our hope for life after death, then certainly He is also worthy of believing regarding our life BEFORE death.  He is either worthy of our hope for ALL of our life, or He is not worthy of our hope at all.

Jesus died on the cross to give us hope – not just hope that we can have life in heaven, but hope that we can live a holy life on earth.  His forgiveness frees us from defeat, so that we can imagine victory. 

Maybe it’s time to start living like our hope is in Jesus – for our eternity, for our old age, for our careers and family relationships, for our communities, and for every aspect of life.  Start believing in the Hope of Jesus to lead our lives forward.

05/08/18 - Acts 3

May 8, 2018 - Acts 3

It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed this man, as you can all see. Acts 3:16

What can faith in Jesus do for your life?

There are two extremes when it comes to faith and healing. 

The first is to believe all healing comes from faith, and if a person believes, God will do the healing.  Certainly God is fully capable of doing anything He wishes, and we believe He wants us to be well.  So with enough faith, we can expect to be healed.  Believing that means anyone who didn’t get well would not have had enough faith, or had some sin issue in their life.   But the fact is:  Jesus had perfect faith and still died on the cross; Jesus healed many with limited faith, but didn’t heal everyone, even with faith.  Faith alone is not the magic formula for personal healing.

The second is to ignore faith and look for healing in knowledge or practice, expecting men to do the healing.  Certainly doctors are a great blessing to the healing of millions of people over the years, recognizing the activities in a person’s body and prescribing a remedy.  We see constant progress in the knowledge of our bodies and improvements in our ability to help it heal, and would be remiss to ignore their effectiveness.  But the fact is:  people have found healing through faith; doctors cannot solve every problem and certainly don’t heal everyone.  Knowledge is not the answer either.

Maybe extremes are not the best option.  Maybe faith is not just having faith in God’s power to directly heal us, but also having faith in God’s development of doctors to heal us as well.  Maybe faith is not limited to fixing our health, but faith is the manner of managing our health.  Certainly we can have faith in a God who has all authority over life, but we can also have faith in a God who created knowledge and called doctors to help our life.  In fact, maybe faith isn’t about just being healed physically, but instead faith is about living healthy spiritually.

Faith healed the man in Acts 3, but it came through Peter.  In a sense, Peter was the doctor.  The healed man had to have some faith in what Peter said, and by faith, he was restored.

By all means, we need to have faith in order to be healed.  We need faith in something – a medicine, a doctor’s diagnosis, a God’s direction.  Trusting Jesus for your health is wise. But how much more would faith in Jesus affect ALL areas of our life?  Put your faith in the Name of Jesus, and the people God equipped around you.  Maybe all you need to see God’s power in your life is a little faith …

05/07/18 - Acts 2

May 7, 2018 - Acts 2 

"Therefore let all know this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." Acts 2:36

What you believe about Jesus will decide how you live now & eternally.

What we think of Jesus says a lot about how we behave.

If we think of Jesus as just a man, then following His commands is totally irrelevant.  He has no credibility and no authority.   It would have no impact on our behavior.

If we think of Jesus as a prophet, His words would be a warning to heed.  We might consider some changes in our behavior, but most likely only those that are deviant from the cultural norm.  As long as we are better than other people, we will feel satisfied with our behaviors.

If we think of Jesus as a teacher, we would use His lessons as great principles for making decisions and steering us through life.  As long as the principles gained us something, our behavior might be affected.  But if it costs us something, then we would look for different teachers.

If we think of Jesus as a Savior, it would release us from any guilty feelings, and we would start counting on forgiveness for our behavior.  The guilt and consequences might steer our behavior differently, but most likely we would simply justify our sin and expect to get off the hook. 

If we think of Jesus as Lord (God), then His words would create more angst and carry authority over our life.  While we may not follow Jesus completely, we would be concerned about what He expects.

That’s why Jesus was very specific about who He was.  Jesus demonstrated and taught that He was both Savior AND Lord.  Choosing to believe in Him as Savior frees us from guilt, but accepting Him as Lord convicts us to follow His authority.  We need to BELIEVE Him to be both – Lord & Messiah.

Behavior is affected by our training and upbringing, but it is directly impacted by our beliefs.  What we believe about Jesus drives it.  If you want to change your behavior, consider your beliefs.  And if you want to affect the behavior of family or friends, start with their belief about Jesus.

05/04/18 - Acts 1

May 4, 2018 - Acts 1

Jesus said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” Acts 1:7

Don't wait for SOMEDAY, surrender to Jesus TODAY!

There must be a calendar out there that we all use but never see.  Because most everybody has said that “someday” they will do it … but I have never found a calendar that contained a day called “someday”.  J

Important things that are not urgent often get placed on the day “someday”.   We know they are important, but feel other things are more urgent and need our attention.  Bible study, fasting, prayer, telling someone about Jesus, serving God’s Kingdom, feeding the poor, giving, and many other activities all are listed on that special day.  The problem is most people never get around to it.  One urgent activity gets replaced by the next, and important things never get done.

Important things tend to be delayed until they are urgent.  Studying for a test waits until the night before the test.  Bills get paid before finance is charged.  Houses get updated just before they go on the market.  Relationships get attention when they are in jeopardy.  And God gets our attention when death is drawing closer.  That’s why people always want to know what the signs are for the End Times.  We want to know when following Jesus becomes urgent, and then turn our attention to the important things of the Kingdom then.

Jesus knows that having a date for His second coming would not help our relationship, it would damage it.  We would delay the important things we should be doing and spend even more time on the urgent things of this life.  The Kingdom would become less of a priority, and more people would end up heading to hell.  Knowing would be a disaster to our lives.  So Jesus said “it is not for us to know”. 

We act like tomorrow is a given, but we were never promised tomorrow.  Today is all we have.  Your death could be just hours away, so start recognizing how urgent the important things really are.  Love your spouse, hug your kids, do your work, share Jesus with your friend, give to the Kingdom, serve the Lord, study His Word, pray!  Make the most important things in life urgent, and do them.

Because Jesus may delay a while longer … or He could be coming tomorrow!