11/02/18 - James 1

Nov 2, 2018

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  James 1:22 

God is not impressed by our intentions or accolades, He is looking for our immediate obedience.

My soccer coach in High School had to learn the game of soccer when he was given the job.  He didn’t know a lot at the beginning, but he did know how to get us in shape!  We may not have had the best defensive strategy, but we were in the best shape of any team we played.  Coach Liptrap made it very clear with every drill – when he told us to do something, he expected it done (and we ran every time we didn’t).

When God tells us something, He expects it to be done. 

Allow me to be very direct – and let the Scripture speak to all of us:

Acts 2:38 – Repent & be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, & you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Matt 28:18 – Go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit…

Mark 12:30 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart & soul & mind & strength

Mark 12:31 – And love your neighbor as yourself.

Ex 20:8 – Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Mal 3:10 – Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.

Matt 19:4 – the Creator made them male and female… and the two will become one flesh.  So what God joins together, let me not separate.

Reading these or other Scriptures, you may agree with some that you are doing.  You may justify your partial obedience on those that are scary or difficult.  And you may excuse yourself for some that you don’t think apply.  I’m guessing that there’s at least a couple that you figure ‘someday’ you will obey after circumstances change. 

God is not impressed or interested in our justifications, excuses or intentions.  He is the Almighty God, and wants to see us obey out of love and passion for Him.  So stop excusing yourself, listen to the Word and do what it says! 

11/01/18 - Heb 13

Nov 1, 2018

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Heb 13:8

The Word of Jesus is not cultural, it is eternal--- so follow Him completely.

Isn’t it interesting that humans like to use the culture to interpret Scripture, instead of Scripture to interpret culture. 

I know there are many opinions and controversies about this, but consider how for thousands of years, the Scriptures defined  marriage, men’s and women’s roles in the church, work weeks, appropriate sexual & moral guidelines, legal actions, and much more.  But as cultures challenge those morals, we see the Church adapt the application of Scriptures to match the culture.

That leaves us only a few answers for accepting the change in application:

1.       We are compromising the Word of God.

2.       We were wrong in the application for generations.

3.       God changed His standard for this culture.

While we may have different opinions about options #1 or #2, Hebrews is clear about option #3.  Jesus doesn’t change!  Which means His Word doesn’t change – since Jesus is the Word (John 1:1).

Some hear that and instantly reject the thought, expecting God to change based on the times.  Others shout AMEN to the statement, while they stay stuck in their legalistic arrogance.  But for God to be God, He must be True!  His Word must never change, or everything would collapse completely.  Thankfully, Jesus is the Same forever.

That doesn’t mean the Scriptures are uncultural, since every story of the Bible has culture in it.  We must understand the culture to properly apply the lessons.  We also know that culture changes with the generations, and often recycles from the past.  But Jesus is the standard – He doesn’t change, culture must change to connect with Him. 

We should stand in awe of the Word of God.  It has traversed thousands of years and many generations, yet STILL is amazingly relevant and accurate for our cultural issues.  We should also be incredibly grateful that the Jesus who saved his disciples is the same Jesus that offers us salvation 2000 years later.  But most of all we should kneel in full obedience, trusting God’s Word to be better for us in the long run than any cultural mores men can come up with.

When culture clashes with God’s Word, choose God’s Word.   I realize that may come with ridicule, labeling and even persecution from those around us, but God is eternal and they are temporal.  One thing you can count on – the culture will change but Jesus won’t.

10/31/18 - Heb 12

Oct 31, 2018

God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.   Heb 12:10

We avoid or delay discipline when actually it is the tool that grows us stronger and more righteous.

This is the day many in America (and other countries), celebrate a strange holiday called “Halloween” (or All Hallow’s Eve).  It comes from a pagan tradition about playing tricks and engaging in indulgences on the night prior to “All Saints Day” (when people were supposed to be holy).  We turned it into a fun event called “Trick or Treat”, and made it into a festival as part of the end of harvest. 

There’s much that can be said about that celebration, and most people have an opinion about it.  I’m not going to argue what your family should do about that day, or any holiday, for that matter.  People have the ability to turn good things into evil, and God has the ability to rescue good things out of evil.  My point in bringing it up is the word “holiday”.  It’s a conjunction from the two words: Holy and Day. 

Holy Days are days we ‘set apart’ for a special purpose.  Easter is a Holy Day, because we stop our lives and take time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  On July 4^th, we celebrate the freedom and independence our country gained from England.  On Christmas, we celebrate the gift of Jesus’ birth to save us.  Every Holy Day was started because of a unique purpose that transcended our own lives.  Celebrating them appropriately is the way to honor that purpose.

Hebrews 12, along with hundreds of other Scriptures, tells us that God gives us life to set us apart.  He is not interested in us celebrating a few Holy Days throughout the year, God wants us to be set apart EVERY DAY.  His expectation for us is to BE Holy, just like His Son Jesus.  And in fact, God disciplines us for the sake of developing our Holiness.

That’s an easy concept to understand if you have ever been disciplined by a parent.  Loving parents correct their kids and call them to be better than their sin nature desires to be.  They take the time to invest in their kids, so that they can “behave” properly.  That’s what Holiness is all about – Behaving like Jesus, (Having the BE of Jesus). 

Whatever you think about Halloween, consider what God thinks regarding holiness.  Be wise with the activities you participate in, and avoid those that are un-holy.  Train your kids to recognize the difference. 

And as you head into the end of the year, and the annual Holy Day season, consider how you can celebrate those days in a Holy way.  You might actually be surprised by the sense of joy that comes from celebrating in “holy” ways on the HoliDays!

10/30/18 - Heb 11

Oct 30, 2018

Faith that pleases God is the person who comes to him believing that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  Heb 11:6

Faith isn't just what we believe about God, it is our effort in pursuing Him and pleasing Him.

Words are powerful – and we lose their power when we misuse them.

I’m not talking about using foul language (although it applies to that topic, along will sarcasm, backbiting, and more).  What I’m talking about is ‘bad’ language – misusing words to satisfy our desires.  Misuse happens with exaggerations, misleading statements, and even with a lack of words.  But maybe the greatest misuse comes when we change the word from one type to another, like making a noun out of a verb or an adjective out of a noun.

Take the word: Christian.  Over centuries, we have taking a word that labeled action, and turned it into an adjective.  Now we have Christian t-shirts, Christian music, Christian books and more.  But Christian was not a word designed to be an adjective.  It came from people calling others “little Christs”.  It was supposed to be a noun.  We are not supposed to have Christian descriptions in our life.  We are supposed to BE Christian.  The word has lost its power.

Maybe one of the biggest misuses is with the word Faith.  Somewhere along the way, faith switched from being an action verb to being a personal noun.  The Bible talks about faith as action – a belief that is displayed in our activity.  Even James says that faith without action is dead (aka.  It’s really not faith.)

But over time, we’ve changed faith into a noun, or sometimes even an adjective.  People use the word to describe personal beliefs that change with circumstances.  We hear people talk about ‘their faith’ as an inactive thought – ie. “I have my faith” ;  “I believe in Jesus, but just don’t see the need for church (or studying the Bible, or serving others, or giving …)” ; “You have your faith, and I have mine.”

Let’s be real --- faith that changes with circumstances is not FAITH at all.  It’s just like that rudderless boat that moves back and forth with the waves of the sea.  Using the word to describe your personal beliefs is powerless, unless of course your beliefs never change and always get displayed.

God is not impressed with our claims to have faith, He goes by what He SEES us doing.  To God, faith is ongoing action based on a belief, even when the evidence or circumstances would have you act differently.  Hebrews 11 is a catalog of people whose faith was a VERB – it lists their actions!

What does God think about your faith and my faith?  Is it an ongoing action, or just an occasionally professed thought?  Are you faithful … or do you just talk about ‘having a faith’?  Don’t waste the power of the word!  Faith is BEING --- it’s living out daily in action what you believe about God. 

Where do you need to BE FAITHFUL with God today?

10/29/18 - Heb 10

Oct 29, 2018

We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.  Heb 10:39

Don't join those retreating by sin for themselves, join those overcoming by faith in Jesus.

Salmon are an interesting breed off fish.  While most fish travel with the current, they are one of the few species that swims against the current.  During various seasons of their life, they will move upstream to spawn, not only going against the flow of the current, but against the flow of most other species of fish.  Scientists are discovering that this not only helps them maintain the population, but supports the other fish and wildlife along the stream.

Sin has many facets, but one common aspect of all sin is the flow.  It always moves downstream.  There is always a pressure to settle, to compromise, to go with the flow, and to be like everyone else.  That doesn’t mean being unique is less sinful, but you won’t find freedom from sin by following the world’s current.  Instead, to overcome sin we must choose to fight up the current.  It requires constant strength and endurance, effort and commitment. 

For most today, we are in ‘shrink back’ mode.  While the world adapts to support the sin behaviors of people, we’re constantly challenged to be accepting and inviting.  Somehow, we have believed that flowing WITH the current will help us reach people.  But what we see is a church that is losing it’s moral integrity and witness, while we become filled with the same sin we are trying to change.  It’s not that Christians are better, it’s that we’re called to keep swimming upstream!

I write this out of conviction, knowing the personal wrestling match that comes with trying to relate to people while reject the attractions of sin.  Looking in the mirror, we all can see a person who has flowed with the current too often, and is regularly failing.  It’s pretty easy to justify the sins we flow with, while condemning those that others traverse.  Swimming upstream takes a LOT of energy, and often we feel we deserve a little break.

But just like salmon, our best reproductive activity is to fight the current, to jump the flow, and to make it upstream.  Jesus demonstrated that to all of us.  He was the ultimate overcomer, and spawned a ministry that has saved billions of people and is still at work today.  He is calling us to follow Him upstream, and spawn great number of ‘salmon’ with Him! 

Most likely, your life is surrounded by many options to flow with the current.  Don’t be attracted to those.  Choose the lifestyle that goes against the current of sin.  Fight and grow stronger, moving up the stream to leave a legacy of strong salmon.  Not only will it help you find purpose and life, but it will actually encourage many others to fight the current as well. 

Don’t retreat any longer … overcome by faith in the best current buster of all.  His Name is Jesus!

10/26/18 - Heb 9

Oct 26, 2018

Christ will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.  Heb 9:28

His death was for everyone but His second coming is only for those who faithfully believe---so surrender to Him now!

Imagine the world’s surprise at Jesus’ first arrival.  He is prophesied for thousands of years as the coming Messiah, who would re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth.  Everyone knew where He would arrive, yet his birth remained relatively hidden from the world.  People expected Jesus to come in the lineage of David, but did not expect Him to have poor and unassuming parents.  Then Jesus shows up on the scene, teaches and heals for three years while gathering a small posse, and ends up dieing a gruesome death as a criminal.  But as shocking as all that was, you can’t top what happened three days later when that same unknown teacher rose from the grave.

Until the next time Jesus shows up…

The next time it won’t be as a baby in a cattle manger.  It won’t be for the purpose of walking the earth to teach and heal.  Jesus won’t come to gather a posse of followers.  When He comes the next time, Jesus will be a visible image on the clouds.  His purpose won’t be to save sinners but to rescue believers.  Jesus won’t be opening the door of salvation, He will be closing it.  He won’t face a cross, we will.

This is our chance to choose.  We either die to sin now and live later, or live for ourselves now and die later.  God’s deal is beyond belief – offering us a swap of our sin for His Son.  But it does come with a cost: surrender. 

Sin appears to offer company, but delivers bondage.   It starts with the promise of pleasure, but turns to pain.  Sin is the hope of eternal happiness that leads to eternal hell.

And surrender is seen as lonely but delivers companionship.  It starts with discipline but turns into freedom.  While it sacrifices temporary happiness, it grows holiness that brings joy.

You and I were given a great deal.  We live in the age of Grace.  Take the deal!  You’ll struggle with surrender for a little while, but then find the results far better than the sin plan.  And when Jesus comes again, you won’t be surprised or disappointed.  You’ll be saved.

10/25/18 - Heb 8

Oct 25, 2018

This is the new covenant I will establish: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  Heb 8:10

Salvation through Jesus is based on relationship over religion and conscience over rules.

Every person has religion.

Many would dismiss that statement, some even get defensive.  But the fact is, we all have a standard of behavior based on our beliefs.  Religion is not just tied to the common faith systems, it is tied to behavior.  Some people’s religion involves a diety, others involves a favorite activity or sports team, many base their religion on themselves.  Your behavior reveals your religion.

But God isn’t interested in being a “system”.  He is a relational God.  Behavior is not God’s standard for us, God sees behavior as a reflection of our relationship with Him.  Religion doesn’t get us into heaven, it is at best a sign that we may get in.  Jesus said it clearly:  “I will tell them, I never knew you.”

Instead, God did something radically different than any other religious system would do.   Instead of rules, God put His expectations on our conscience (our soul).  And instead of religion, He based our salvation on how much we pursued a relationship.  The outcome is something completely different than a religion, even though people still call it one.  God set up an ‘anti-system’ called Grace, that gives us mercy, forgiveness and freedom so that our consciences demand far more than just following a rule-set or living by a code of behavior.  Grace calls us to a relationship of total love for God and total obedience to His ways.  Grace puts the focus on God instead of on the rules.

It’s so important to God, that He made it a covenant (a promise between three parties), where we promise God we will live for Jesus, and Jesus promises God He will live for us.  The outcomes is something different than any other ‘religion’ in the world, because it’s a spiritual marriage relationship.

So what is your true religion?  Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate it. Because if we think our eternity is based on our good behaviors, or our good intentions, or how we compare to other ‘bad’ people, we’ll be sadly mistaken.  And if we’re living with the hope that a loving God would never send us to hell, we’ll condemn ourselves by the lack of relationship we never pursued. 

Everyone likes to reject religion, until it means rejecting the religion we prefer.  God rejects them all.  He made salvation based on covenant relationship.

So maybe it’s time to start working on that relationship today!