Monthly Archives: October 2012

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Going from there, he saw two brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

– Matthew 4:18-22

I am often amazed at the people I encounter who have “tried Christianity” or “tried religion” and found it boring and unfulfilling. I have also seen countless people who are just bored with their faith in Christ, bored with church and disillusioned as to what it really has to offer them. This is really odd because if Jesus is who He says He is, God, how could He be boring? How could a relationship with Him ever get stale? I don’t believe the problem is Jesus not being who He says He is. He simply IS! I believe the problem can be found in the scripture quoted above in Matthew 4:18-22.

We see in these scriptures that when Jesus calls someone to come to Him He calls them to “follow” or pursue Him. We aren’t called to a stagnant state, but to motion and action. We are called to a great journey with God.

It is important to realize that salvation is not the end point in our journey. It is just the beginning! Salvation is not just a ticket to Heaven but is the doorway to discovering more and more of God! We literally embark on a life long journey of revelation with the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Does that sound boring to you?!

The problem is that we often stop along the way. In other words, we quit taking our next step in our journey with Jesus. Next Steps are simply steps of faith in our journey with Christ. Many times we quit seeking our next step. Other times we refuse to take the next step God gives us because it seems to hard or we aren’t sure it will be worth it. In effect, our faith becomes stagnant and stagnation leads to disillusionment and boredom!

How do we avoid Christian Boredom? (It is really an oxymoron!) We take our next step of faith! We pursue Jesus! As we pursue Him our next step becomes apparent and as we take it we become anything but bored! Why do many Christians end up bored? They simply quit taking their next step in pursuit of Jesus!

CAUTION: We all have times when our faith is red hot and times when we don’t feel as passionate. You aren’t alone in that. The question is are you willing to settle for that? DON’T BE! Don’t settle for anything less than a journey through a relationship with Jesus! I can promise you although the journey may be tough and it may be frightening at times, but it IS NOT boring!

The next four weeks we are going to be taking a look at what a next step is, how we find it, and how we take it! Invite someone to come with you this Sunday. Invest…Invite…Serve…Encourage! GATA!!

Heart and Soul!!

A common question I hear among Christians is, “How do I know I am ‘saved’?” How do I truly know that I am secure in salvation, reconciled to God, and bound to spend eternity with Him forever. As a pastor my heart is that those who are in Christ would have confidence in their eternal security, hope in the promises of Jesus, and joy in their salvation! However, I also don’t want people to be deceived as to their relationship with God! Matthew 7:21-23 is evidence that it is possible for us to be deceived about our standing with God. This blog is not intended to create doubt but to bring assurance to the believer and awakening to the unbeliever.

Here are some ways that you may “know that you have eternal life”. (1 John 5:13):

1. Have I been given a new heart? (Check out the promise in Ezekiel 36:24-27) In other words, have my desires changed? Am I growing to love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates? Has the trajectory of my life changed? Do I desire to be more like Jesus?
2. Have you surrendered to Christ or did you just make a statement? Standing in a service, raising your hand, checking a box, nor praying a prayer saves you. Only surrendering your life to Christ and trusting in the life He offers is able to bring salvation. Have you seen that your life is becoming obedient to Christ? (John 14:15) CAUTION: We obey Jesus because we love Him not so that He will love us! You can’t make Him love you. He just does!
3. Have I become aware of His presence with me and in me? In John 14:16 Jesus promises that His followers will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that will be with them and in them. As believers we recognize God’s presence in our lives. Do you sense His direction as you go throughout your day? Do you sense conviction in your life when you sin? Do you turn to Him when you are faced with a challenging situation? Do you praise Him when you recognize His blessing in your life?
4. Are you growing in the fruit of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23 The Bible is clear that if we are in Christ we will produce fruit that is consistent with His life. 1 John 2:5-6 says, “This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” Obviously none of us are perfect in this but we should be growing in His image and more clearly reflecting His glory! CAUTION: We don’t produce the fruit of the Spirit by focusing on the fruit! That’s miserable! We produce the fruit of the Spirit as a byproduct of a relationship with Jesus. Focus on the relationship!
5. Has repentance become a part of my life? In Acts 2:38 Peter tells those who are listening to the first sermon ever preached that they must, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Repentance is simply turning from our sins and turning to Christ. It has always been at the center of the preaching of the Old Testament prophets, the prophet John the Baptist in the New Testament, the teachings of Jesus, and the Apostles. It must remain at the center of modern day preaching of the Gospel. In fact, if repentance has not been preached the Gospel has not been proclaimed!  It is a GREAT privilege that we are able to turn from the life taking ways of sin to the life giving ways of Christ! CAUTION: Repentance is not a one time event. It is a way of life that characterizes the normal Christian’s existence.

Love you guys! Heart and Soul!

Probably the greatest challenge to our faith is trusting God when bad things happen. There are so many questions that rush through our minds! Probably the most common ones I hear are:

• “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
• “If God is really sovereign then why did this happen?”
• “How could a good God allow them to suffer like this?”
• “How can I understand this?”

Just the other day I had someone ask me many of these questions as they tried to sort through a trial they were facing in their own life.  As a pastor, these are some of the most difficult questions to answer and, honestly, the ones that many times challenge my own faith. I thought about this again the other night as I read Genesis 45. Go ahead and read that section of scripture.

In case you aren’t familiar with the backline of this account in scripture I’ll give you the short version. You may remember Joseph as the boy who had the coat of many colors that was given to him by his father. You may also remember that the coat made Joseph’s brothers quite jealous! It didn’t help matters any when one night Joseph had a dream that he would rule over his brothers and father. He told his family about this dream and things didn’t go so well! He ended up thrown into a well and sold off to Egypt. In Egypt he arose to prominence in the house of a man named Potiphar until Potiphar’s wife, who was evidently a freak, tried to seduce Joseph. When he wouldn’t have anything to do with her she framed him and got him arrested. Back to prison he went! However, God wasn’t finished with him and he would eventually rise again. This time he would be ruler over all of Egypt and in charge of everything that belonged to Pharaoh. The Lord told Joseph that 7 years of famine would strike the land and Joseph made preparation by storing up food in Egypt. The great famine touches everyone including Joseph’s family. They, like many others, come to Egypt looking for food. This is where Genesis 45:3-11 picks up.

After all that the brothers had done to Joseph and all of the heartache and pain he had been through he was able to utter the words we read in verse 5.

And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

In Genesis 50:20 he also says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Is it as remarkable to you as it is to me that Joseph could have this attitude after all that he had been through? Think about all the wasted years! The lonely nights in dark, death infested prisons! The fear of not knowing what would happen the next day! The disappointment of rising to prominence one day only to lose it all the next because of a slutty woman who tried to ruin your life because you did the right thing!

Often times we read accounts in the Bible and think that the people we are reading about were superhuman. That’s just not the case. Joseph, like everyone else other than Jesus who walked the face of the earth, was imperfect. So how did he come to the place of being able to say, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” How did he reach that place of maturity and trust in God? How did he get through the tough questions like the ones I mentioned at the beginning of this blog?

As I’ve grown in my faith and continue to grow (I have a looooong way to go!), I have become increasingly comfortable to say, “I don’t know!” For years I felt that I needed to have all the answers. Now I realize that is impossible to have all of the answers,  especially in the area we are discussing today. God tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9 that His “thoughts are not [our] thoughts, neither are [our] ways [His] ways.” He continues, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” This brings me a lot of peace now that I have simply accepted the fact that I CAN NOT understand everything about God nor can I understand all that He does. When it comes to life and things that happen sometimes the answer is simply, “I don’t know why!”

Rather than focusing on what I don’t know I try to turn my attention to what I do know. While I can’t understand everything about God there are some things that I do know and can hold onto everyday. I want to share four questions that I hope will help you find answers.

1. Is God good? Yes. Sometimes when things happen in our lives it is easy to doubt this or maybe question His goodness. If this is a struggle for you I would say look at the cross! The cross is the pinnacle of God’s goodness that stands higher than all of man’s calamity! We cannot look at the cross, remember God’s innocent Son hung there for our sins, and then question God’s goodness or desire to work all things for our good.
2. Is God faithful? Yes. Here’s the amazing thing. Since the day you were born you’ve been inhaling and exhaling. Who gave you that breath? God. Last night none of you went to bed wondering if the Sun would come up this morning. Who causes the Sun to rise and set? God. Who has brought you through the difficult times in your life? God. Who has worked good, is working good, or will work good from the most difficult times in your life? God. He IS faithful!
3. Is God sovereign? Yes. God is in complete control. There’s never been one day that He woke up worried about what was coming. There’s never been a time when He wondered what needed to be done or lacked the power to do it! He is in control of our lives. Here’s some good news for you! A good, faithful, and sovereign God is in control of your life! That thought, not the thought of maybe being able to manipulate God to get what you want, brings incredible peace and hope!
4. Can you trust Him? Yes. In fact, in light of numbers 1-3 the better question to ask is, “Why wouldn’t I trust Him?” He is good, faithful, and sovereign. There is no doubt that you can trust Him. But will you? Will you lay your cares, hurts, anger, and disappointment at His feet and trust that He cares for you? Will you let Him take your anxiety and worry about the future? Will you hold to Him through the dark nights trusting and knowing that He is holding you?

My encouragement to you today is to focus on what we do know rather than what we don’t! Focus on His goodness and faithfulness! His sovereign power! And rest in the fact that you CAN trust Him!

Love you guys!  Heart and Soul!

Today I want to share some ways that we overcome sin in our lives. This is a follow up to the blog from yesterday 10 Things A Christian Cannot Do! Before we start I do want to remind you that we are all imperfect people who are on a journey together. None of us are righteous on our own! Our right standing with God is a gift from God through Jesus Christ who had no sin yet became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God! Yet God does promise us, through the process of sanctification, that He will continually transform us into His image. This doesn’t come from our pursuit of religious rules and laws but through our relationship with Christ and the power of His Spirit! With that in mind here are some ways that we build our relationship with Him and see His power work in our lives!

1. Have a relationship with Jesus and don’t get sucked into the trap of religion! Religion, following rules and laws, CANNOT overcome the sin in your life! If it could Jesus died for nothing. Until we come into a relationship with Jesus through faith in His death and resurrection we are powerless against sin! You may, through will power, clean up your life but it will be void of fulfillment! (John 8:34 // Romans 6:1-14)
2. Pursue Jesus! No relationship works if those involved in the relationship are not pursuing each other. This is true in our relationship with Jesus as well. This is what I know, if you are a Christian it is because Jesus has pursued you! Contrary to a lot of Christian talk you did not find Him! He found you! God has never been lost! We are the ones who were lost! He is pursuing you! Are you pursuing Him! It is impossible to pursue sin and Jesus at the same time! You must turn your back on one to pursue the other! (James 4:4-8)
3. Renew your mind! This is where the power of God’s Word is active in our lives. We go to scripture not so that we can put a check on our spiritual to-do list but so that we can hear the heart of God, build our faith, and allow His Word to wash our minds and purify our hearts. God’s Word is living and active and has the power to renew our minds so that we begin to think like Christ! (Romans 12:2 // Hebrews 4:12)
4. Worship! You cannot worship God and sin at the same time! For example, I guarantee you a Christian cannot sing Amazing Grace in an attitude of worship and watch porn at the same time! Worship is not just music but it is what we do with our whole life! We can’t “offer our bodies as living sacrifices” as an “act of worship” and at the same time use them to profane the name of God! (Romans 12:1 // Hebrews 13:15-16)
5. Fellowship with other believers! We CANNOT do life alone! Biblical fellowship is fellowship that is around the gospel. All people share one thing in common. We have all rebelled against God! Christians share two things in common. We have all rebelled against God and we have all been reconciled to God through Christ! It is this second commonality that we rally around together! (Hebrews 10:24-25 // Acts 2:42-47)
6. Serve others! Thinking of yourself less is a guaranteed way of escaping the selfish desires of your heart! To see the power of this just look at the example of Jesus! Jesus, God in the flesh, emptied himself of His rights and became a servant! If He lived that way, why don’t we? Answer…10/10 people are selfish! That includes you and that includes me! If you want to overcome selfishness…HUMBLE YOURSELF AND SERVE! (Philippians 2:1-11 // John 13:1-17)
7. Don’t let your past dictate your future! You and I CANNOT run the race God has for us until we let go of dead things! For far too many of us our past hinders us from living our the future God intends! When we do grasp the fact that God forgives us many still struggle with forgiving themselves. Here’s a logical question…If the Great God of the Universe who is perfect in every way says that Jesus’ blood is enough to cover your sin should that be good enough for you too? My prayer is that the hurts and sin of your past will not be allowed to dictate your future because it is dead having been nailed to the cross of Christ! You are not a victim for you have victory in Jesus Christ! (Romans 8:1-2 // Philippians 3:1-14)

Love you guys! Heart and Soul!

Hey Connection!!

Today I want to share 10 things a Christian CANNOT DO! Here they are:

1. Grow closer to Jesus and love Him less! 1 Peter 2:1-3. It is impossible to experience Jesus and not want more of Him and it is impossible to see more of who He is and desire Him less. It is when we allow the cares of this world and its deceptive promises lead our wandering hearts away from Him that we find ourselves less affectionate toward Him. We will never spend more time with Him and love Him less!
2. Grow closer to Jesus and love others less! John 15:9-17. Jesus clearly tells us to love others as He has loved us! This type of love is impossible without the work of God in our lives. In fact, it is only because of Jesus’ love for us that we can even know what true, unconditional love is. As Jesus conforms our heart to be more like His heart we will love more like Him!
3. Grow closer to Jesus and love His church less! Ephesians 5:25-27. The church is often referred to symbolically as the “Bride of Christ”. Jesus died to make His church holy, pure, and presentable to himself. This was an incredible display of sacrificial love. You cannot say you love Jesus and hate what He loves. How insulting to say, “I love you Jesus but I don’t care for your bride that you died to purify and save!” You wouldn’t say that to me about my bride much less to God about His! As we grow closer to Christ we will see His church, with all of its imperfections, as the beautiful bride that she is!
4. Grow closer to Jesus and love your spouse less! Ephesians 5:22-33. Jesus’ love for us, His church, is our model for life within the marriage covenant. As we grow closer to Jesus we WILL love our spouse with the same type of love that Jesus has for us. I didn’t say things would be perfect! Marriage takes work! But a marriage made up of two people pursuing Jesus WORKS! In fact, these marriages get better with time, not worse!
5. Grow closer to Jesus and have less joy! 1 Peter 1:8. Jesus is our joy! It is in Him that we truly experience life in its fullness. There is no greater joy than knowing you have been forgiven and walking in relationship with your Heavenly Father.
6. Grow closer to Jesus and share Him less! 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. The closer we get to Jesus the more we want to share Him. If you won the lottery wouldn’t you tell someone? In Christ we have the greatest treasure. How could we not tell others about what and who we’ve found?
7. Grow closer to Jesus and become less like Him! 2 Corinthians 3:17-18. As we grow closer to Jesus we are shaped to be more like Him. This happens through a process called sanctification. It is the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives after salvation that produces in us the righteousness already given to us through faith in Christ! What a privilege!
8. Grow closer to Jesus and forgive less! Matthew 6:14-15. Jesus didn’t suggest we forgive He tells us that unless we forgive we cannot be forgiven. For some of you this seems impossible! The Good News is that all things are possible through Christ! The truth is that until you and I are able to offer the same forgiveness to others that we’ve received from Jesus our unforgiveness will be a roadblock to a growing relationship with Christ! Ask Him for strength to forgive and then make the choice to forgive.
9. Grow closer to Jesus and give less! 1 Peter 4:10. When we realize all that God has given to us we can’t help but give to others! Yes, this includes our tithes and offerings to the church. But it also includes the giving and sharing of all of our resources with those inside and outside the church! It is the sharing of our time and our treasure. Jesus gave all He had and as we grow closer to Him we will desire to give the same way He did!
10. Grow closer to Jesus and pursue impure or improper relationships more! 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. (Couldn’t get that one to fit with “less” but it was too important to leave out!) You CAN NOT pursue impure or improper relationships with others and pursue Jesus at the same time. Before you try to argue just listen…YOU CAN’T! In order to pursue one you have to turn your back on the other. This includes anything from sex outside of marriage to pornography and lust! The argument would be, “But I’m not having a relationship with someone if I’m looking at pornography or lusting after someone.” Sure you are! You’re engaging in a relationship with your idol called sex and self-gratification. How do you overcome these things? I’ll answer that tomorrow in the next blog.

Heart and Soul!

Hey Connection!!

Just wanted to share some things that we really need to celebrate and thank God for! Here goes:

1. We had 28 new people sign up to serve in Konnection Kids! That’s INCREDIBLE! Thank you for stepping up and taking your Next Steps to serve Jesus and these kids!

2. Two Sundays ago we were able to baptize 17 people! That’s 17 people who publicly professed their faith in Christ and we were able to witness a physical representation of the spiritual reality that they have gone from death to life! That is AMAZING! It will NEVER get old seeing that!!

3. This past Sunday we had 53 people respond to the Gospel! I don’t have an adjective to describe that! Just thankful for it! We are still calling and following up with people to see how many were salvations, rededications, etc. Our prayer team got a workout!

4. The BEST is yet to come! We are starting our foundations class on October 14th. If you are a new Christian or have been a Christian for a while but want to build a strong foundation to grow your faith, this is where you need to be! It’s going to be an awesome four week course that will help equip you in your faith! I can’t wait to see what all God does through it!

5.The BEST is yet to come part 2! There will be more incredible things you’ll hear about in the next couple of months! GET READY!

Love you guys!

Heart and Soul!!