Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement, sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:36-37 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Our focus should be on God and on others.”

 

Barnabas is one of my favorite New Testament characters. The Son of Encouragement was a blessing to all those he encountered. Not only was he evidently an upbeat and pleasant person to be with, but he was a sacrificial servant. Every time we see Barnabas on the pages of the New Testament he is doing something for someone, or giving something to someone, or in some way serving and assisting others.

 

Barnabas obviously understood that he was there to serve the church, rather than the church being there to serve him. He didn’t go to church for what he could get out of it, he went in order to worship God and to bless others. This attitude is Biblical and it’s what’s expected of devoted followers of Christ.

 

Jesus Himself was a servant of others and He instructed His followers to do likewise (John 13:12-15). In 1 Corinthians 12:4-26 the Apostle Paul teaches that everyone is endowed with spiritual gifts and with skills and abilities by the Holy Spirit so that we can then utilize those abilities within the context of the church for the benefit of everyone. In Ephesians 4: 11-12 he wrote: “And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ.”

 

“…for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ.” The purpose of Sunday school and Bible studies are to teach and equip individual Christians so we can then participate in acts of ministry. The purpose of worship is to give to God the honor and the reverence that He is worthy of, it’s an expression of our love for Him and our devotion to Him. Like Barnabas, we are to go to church to give. We are to give worship to God and we are to give service to others.

 

The worst comment on a worship service any Christian can ever make is “I didn’t get anything out of that service.” My response is, “You weren’t supposed to!” You don’t go to church to “get” you go to church to “give”. Rather than asking “What did you get out of the worship service?” a better question would be “What did you put into the worship service?”

 

When you go to church this weekend I encourage you to play by the rules. Focus on giving; give worship to God and give service to others.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go up to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Christians need to be in church”

 

It’s unmistakable how important it is to God that His people gather together for worship. From the Fourth Commandment to “keep the Sabbath holy”, to the examples of nation of Israel consistently gathered in their places of worship, the Bible shows us examples of the people of God gathered to worship God. Jesus was frequently in the temple; and for the Apostle Paul, meeting with gathered believers was his regular practice.

 

In Psalm 122:1 we read of King David rejoicing over the thought of being able to gather together with other believers. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews makes it clear in 10:24-25 that believers are not to skip the regularly scheduled gatherings of their church family – and he doesn’t seem to offer any escape clauses such as “I was tired”, or “The weather was bad”, or “My dog was sick”.

 

In his book “This Day in Christian History” author Robert Morgan tells the story of how the Puritans in New England in the early days of our country’s history were so committed to going to church, regardless of the weather, that ministers would often preach wrapped in layers of coats, with woolen caps pulled down over their heads and heavy mittens on their hands. Members of the congregation would bring small personal foot stoves filled with hot coals to keep their feet warm. One man was reported to have routinely brought his big old hound dog to curl up at his feet during the service to share its body heat. Judge Samuel Sewall recorded in his diary one Sunday that it was so cold in the sanctuary that the communion bread froze and rattled around in the plate. And yet, they gathered.

 

In Acts chapter twenty we find the Apostle Paul in the city of Troas. The church was gathered late into the night as Paul continued preaching, and continued, and continued. Finally, around midnight, a young man named Eutychus became so drowsy that he fell asleep and tumbled out of a second story window, crashing to the ground and dying. Paul, undeterred, ran downstairs, prayed over him, raised him from the dead, then ran back upstairs and continued preaching. And the people stayed!

 

In China today it is illegal for Christians to gather for worship except in government authorized churches, under the supervision of government appointed monitors. Those Christians who are not willing to gather under such restrictive circumstances meet illegally in what is known as “the underground churches”. They meet in secret, often in the middle of the night, in remote barns, or in clearings in the woods, or in carefully closed and concealed basements. And if they’re caught, they go to jail.

 

In the USA we have none of those problems. If you go to church on Sunday, nobody will put you in jail on Monday. And it’s unlikely that you will need a personal coal-fired foot warmer or a big old hound dog to keep you warm.

 

And yet, how many of us will stay home this Sunday because …. well … just because.

 

From the earliest days of the faith God’s people have faithfully gathered together for worship. Doing so is Biblical. It is the normal Christian experience. It is for our own good. And, it is commanded by God. It’s one of the rules God has given to His people.

 

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We need Jesus!”

 

Jesus told us straight-out that in this world we will have trouble. Wow, talk about an understatement! I don’t know about your life but mine sure does seem to be filled with lots of trouble. Fortunately most of my problems are small, especially when compared to what others go through but still, life often seems like a roller coaster of highs and lows, good times and bad.

 

So Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that in Him we can find peace in this midst of those troubles. We can also find strength and courage. He has overcome the problems and trials of the world and in Him we can share in the victory. That doesn’t mean that our problems will all magically go away (they won’t), but it does mean He will give us strength and courage and peace so we can deal with them.

 

I’m inspired by the stories of other Christians. I read one last night in the book, “On This Day in Christian History” by Robert Morgan. Morgan tells the story of a man by the name of Polycarp who, although not mentioned on the pages of the Bible, did live during the time of the book of Acts, and we know from Christian history that he was a friend and ministry partner of the Apostle John.

 

Polycarp was the Pastor of the church in Smyrna, which was only twenty miles away from the church in Ephesus where John was the Pastor. The church in Smyrna was one of the seven churches of the Revelation that John wrote about in the book of Revelation and it is notable because there were no critical words written about it.

 

Polycarp went on to become one of the most influential leaders of the early church and he bravely led the church through some times of intense persecution. Polycarp himself ended up being imprisoned, tortured, and eventually burned at the stake because he refused to recant his faith in Christ. It’s an inspiring story of someone who relied on Jesus to help him handle times of immense trouble and hardship.

 

Most of us will probably never have to face those kinds of trials for our faith, but we will have problems and challenges of our own. We will face things like sickness, money problems, unemployment, an unfaithful spouse, rebellious children, etc.

 

Jesus cautioned us to expect problems in this life. Problems are simply part of life and we all have them. But He has also promised to help us through it, to give us peace and courage and strength, and ultimately, victory.

 

How do people make it through life without Jesus? I don’t know but I’m sure glad I don’t have to. He promised that if I call on Him, He will be there for me. It’s one of the rules for living the Christian life. Call on Jesus. He will help you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.” 2 Kings 12:2-3 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “A little disobedience leads to a lot of disobedience.”

 

I was reading this morning in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings when I came to chapter 12, which tells the story of good King Joash. I say “good” King Joash because during a period in Israel’s history when many of the kings were very bad, Joash was relatively good by comparison, at least in the early years.

 

But still, he wasn’t fully committed to God over the long-term. He did a pretty good job in the early years when the priest Jehoiada was still alive and providing solid spiritual leadership. But even during the best and most obedient years, Joash still was not fully committed to the Lord and therefore, neither were the people. To a large extent they did worship and obey the One True God, but they still engaged in pagan practices too.

 

I’m amazed at how common this theme is in the history of God’s people. We certainly see it in the history of the nation of Israel. Even during their most faithful times, they still allowed into their individual and corporate lives just enough ungodly influences to be a snare to them, and ultimately those ungodly influences always resulted in their downfall.

 

This is true for us too. As we consider the Christian community in the USA today we can see a lot of secular influence woven into the fabric of our individual and corporate lives. There are many individual Christians who pray, read their Bibles, and go to church, while also viewing pornography, listening to music with foul lyrics, and cheating on their taxes.

 

There are churches that sing praises to God during the song service, but then the preacher gets up and preaches a sermon that is mostly pop psychology and feel-good themes. It’s also not uncommon today to find individual Christians, whole churches, and entire denominations that embrace and promote both the Gospel of Jesus Christ, along with cultural agendas which are popular in the secular world, but which are clearly unbiblical.

 

In 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 the Apostle Paul challenged this sort of intermingling of the things of the world and the things of God: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?”

 

That passage goes on for several more verses to teach that there is supposed to be a clear and observable difference between the church and the world, between Christians and non-Christians. A blurring of the lines is a clear sign of spiritual weakness and impending defeat. Such was the case with the nation of Israel and it will be the end result for us too if we don’t change our ways and remain fully committed to God, in both word and deed.

 

We have to play by the rules. In the Bible God has made it clear what His standards for our conduct are. We know how we’re supposed to live. But just a little deviation from God’s standards, just a little disobedience, leads to a lot of disobedience and the end result is always bad for us.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, ‘My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” 2 Kings 5:20 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t deceive yourself”.

 

It’s amazing to me how easily we deceive ourselves. If we want to do something bad enough we can always find a way to rationalize the decision in our own minds. Our ability to deceive ourselves is virtually limitless.

 

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the great prophet of God, is an excellent example. You may remember the story. Naaman was the commander of the armies of Aram. He was a great warrior and highly trusted advisor to the king. But Naaman had leprosy. Word came that there was a mighty prophet of God in Israel named Elisha who could heal Naaman and so, Naaman went in search of healing.

 

Long story short, Naaman ended up at Elisha’s doorstep and the prophet did indeed heal him. Naaman was so grateful that he offered Elisha valuable gifts as a show of appreciation, but Elisha refused all payment. He wanted Naaman to see his healing as a gift from God and not as a service he had purchased at a price.

 

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha who had witnessed all this, was disturbed by his master’s refusal to accept payment. So after Naaman left the region Gehazi took off after him, tracked him down, and told him a lie. He said that Elisha had changed his mind and would indeed accept the gifts. So Naaman gave the gifts of silver and clothing to Gehazi, who then kept it all for himself. When Elisha discovered what Gehazi had done and confronted him about it, Gehazi lied to Elisha as well.

 

Somehow in his mind Gehazi had rationalized his behavior and convinced himself it was ok to lie to Naaman and to Elisha, and then to keep something that did not properly belong to him. But, there were consequences. There always are. The leprosy that had been cleansed from Naaman broke out on Gehazi, and Gehazi ended up spending the rest of his life as a leper.

 

The fact is that we can’t fool God, and there are always consequences for disobeying Him. Like Gehazi we may think we’re being clever, we may find ways to deceive ourselves and rationalize our behavior in our own mind, but God isn’t fooled, and in time there will be a price to pay.

 

Make no mistake, God will not be mocked and He will not tolerate or ignore disobedience from His people. No matter the clever rationalizations you devise to try to convince yourself and others that there really are good reasons for your unbiblical actions, God is not fooled. And there will be consequences.

 

Don’t deceive yourself. Play by the rules – God’s rules – or in the end, like Gehazi, you will find yourself wishing that you had.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We are to do for others what Jesus has done for us.”

 

I read a statement the other day which I found disturbing. The writer said, “For many people God is more of a legend and a myth than He is a real person.”

 

If we’re honest I think we have to admit that statement is true. As a matter of faith, people acknowledge that God is real, but experientially He doesn’t seem real. Experientially He is more like a legend or a myth than a real person.

 

But Jesus came to take care of that problem for us. Jesus came to show us God in a way we could relate to, as a flesh and bones person. In John 14:9 Jesus said, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

 

But that was then, this is now. To have God with them in the person of Jesus was nice for those people of that day, in that little corner of the world, but what about the rest of us? Jesus isn’t here on earth in that same way anymore.

 

That’s where you and I and the Holy Spirit come in. When Jesus left earth to return to heaven He sent the Holy Spirit in His place to live in the hearts of His followers. From that point forward, until the Second Coming of Christ, the way the people of the world get to physically interact with God is primarily by means of the Holy Spirit working through the lives of the followers of Jesus.

 

This is what Jesus was talking about in John 13:14-15. In that passage the primary lesson was that Jesus came to serve the people of the world, to minister to their needs, and to let them see the love of the Father through their physical interactions with Him. Now, from this point forward, the world should have that same kind of interaction with God by means of the Holy Spirit working through the lives of the followers of Jesus.

 

As a follower of Christ you are to be the hands and feet of Jesus. People should experience the blessings of God coming to them through you. They should get to experience the reality of God, in a physical flesh and blood way, as a result of their interactions with you and me.

 

Obviously you are not Jesus and neither am I. But if you are a follower of His then you do have His Holy Spirit in your heart, and the Spirit is working in you and through you to pour out God’s blessings upon a hurting and dying world. If you are willing, God will reach out and touch the world through you. I encourage you to be willing.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “…they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” 1 Kings 3:29 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Playing by the Biblical rules enables us to make smart decisions.”

 

This morning I want to pick-up King Solomon’s story from yesterday’s devotional. The primary thing Solomon is remembered for is his great wisdom. Solomon was the wisest man in the world in his day and his wisdom came to him as a gift from God. The reason God gave Solomon that wisdom was because he was determined to honor God with the decisions he made.

 

There’s an important lesson in this for us. As the people of God we need godly wisdom in order to make good decisions. And, God wants us to have that wisdom. The Bible itself is one long testimony to the fact that God wants to be heard and understood by His people so that they can then behave in a way that pleases Him. Therefore He does communicate with us in ways we can understand. Our job is to place ourselves in a position before God whereby He can communicate with us. Here are some basic guidelines that will help:

 

1. Cultivate a heart for God. This is crucial. You must have a heart that is yearning to hear from God and which is then both willing and committed to do whatever it is God instructs you to do.

 

1. Be honest about what you can do and what you cannot do, then be sure to do your part. The burden is not all on God. Way too often we pray, asking God to help us with a situation, but we then act as if the burden is all on Him to work the situation out. It’s as if we’re expecting a magic solution that will require no effort on our parts. It doesn’t happen that way. God works in partnership with us. The answer to the prayer usually includes us actively taking part in bringing about the answer.

 

1. Ask God for the wisdom to make good decisions. Actually ask Him. Talk to Him about it. Have a discussion with Him about this issue you need to figure out. James 1:5 tells us “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

 

1. Actually follow God’s guidance. Don’t ask God what you should do but then go do something different from what He tells you! Solomon asked God to give him the wisdom he needed in order to make smart decisions and God gave him that wisdom. But then as his life unfolded Solomon proceeded to involve himself in all the things God had specifically told him not to do. Don’t be that guy. Don’t ask God what you should do but then go and do something different.

 

1. Trust Him to guide you. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

 

Playing by the Biblical rules enables us to make smart decisions. All that’s required is a heart that is truly devoted to God and a commitment that you will do what He tells you to do.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” 1 Kings 3:9 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Bless God and He will bless you.”

 

The life of King Solomon is an interesting study in contrasts. He started out well. As a young king he was humble and grateful and fully submitted to God. In 1 Kings Chapter 3 we read of the time Solomon had traveled to Gibeon for a personal spiritual retreat. He worshiped, offered sacrifices on the altar, prayed, and spent time just bowing before God.

 

That night, in a dream, the Lord appeared to Solomon. In the dream God expressed his pleasure with Solomon and invited him to ask for whatever he wanted. We read Solomon’s response in 1 Kings 3:9 – he asked for wisdom and discernment so that he could lead God’s people well.

 

In the verses that follow we read of God’s pleasure in, and approval of, that request. God commended Solomon for putting Kingdom purposes first rather than asking for things for himself such as long life, good health, and vast riches. So God gave Solomon the wisdom he asked for, and then He gave him all the other blessings he didn’t ask for as well.

 

Solomon started out so well. He was more concerned with serving God and God’s people, than he was with his own comfort or affluence. Unfortunately in the years to come those priorities would get out of order and Solomon would end up paying a big price for it (read the book of Ecclesiastes). But when his priorities were in proper order, God was pleased and Solomon was blessed.

 

This is a rule of kingdom living. Bless God and He will bless you. Honor Him and He will honor you. In Malachi 3:10, the last book of the Old Testament, God promised that if we will honor Him by being good stewards of the money and possessions He has entrusted us with, He in turn will bless us. Jesus reinforced that truth in Matthew 6:33 when He said “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

 

This is simply a matter of playing by God’s rules. Put God’s commands and God’s purposes first in your life, and He will bless you in return. It seems so simple. Put God first in your life and He will bless your life.

 

Most professing Christians would claim that God does have first place in their life. But does He really? It’s more than a matter of words. Your actions tell the true story.

 

I encourage you to examine your life. Consider what you actually do rather than just what you say. Then make an accurate assessment of what your priorities really are based upon what you actually do. Then, make whatever adjustments are needed.

 

Solomon started off right but then he got off track. Unfortunately it wasn’t until very late in life before he finally admitted he had gone astray and made the necessary course corrections. Hopefully you and I won’t wait that long. The rule is simple: Bless God and He will bless you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!” John 20:18 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “Good things happen to those who are consistently where they’re supposed to be.”

 

Mary Magdalene holds the honorable distinction of having been the first person to see the resurrected Lord Jesus. Of all the followers of Jesus who could have been selected by God for that honor, it was given to Mary. Why was that? Why not Peter or James or John?

 

Well, because Peter, James, and John weren’t there. It was Mary who got up early that day and went to the tomb and discovered it was empty. Granted, upon hearing the news about the empty tomb Peter and John did run to the tomb to see for themselves, but then they turned around and went home again. Mary stayed and as a result she saw Jesus.

 

Every time any of the four gospel writers lists a group of women who were near Jesus during His death, burial, and resurrection, the name of Mary Magdalene is always there. She was there at Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:56); She was there when Joseph took Jesus off of the cross (Mark 15:47); she was there when he placed Jesus in the tomb (Mathew 27:61); and she was there on this resurrection morning to find the empty tomb and then to see the resurrected Jesus.

 

I love the observation made by the editors of “The Leadership Bible” about Mary Magdalene: “Mary was present because she had demonstrated a commitment and faithfulness to her Lord that was rare among his followers. She was there at the right moment because she was always there. Good things happen to people who are faithful, committed, and consistently available!”

 

This is why Hebrews 10:24-25 so emphatically tells us that we are not to neglect our times of gathering together. It’s because the blessings belong to those who show-up. And what happens when you don’t show-up? You miss the blessings! Take a moment to read about the blessing Thomas missed because he was absent at a time when he should have been there. He also didn’t get to see Jesus at a time when he otherwise would have (John 20:19-25).

 

One of the rules for life in the kingdom of God is that the blessings belong to those who show-up. Miss the moment and you miss the blessing. Good things happen to those who are consistently where they’re supposed to be.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24-25 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God accomplishes a lot with a little.”

 

Dwight was a big, awkward, poorly educated farm boy. He had outgrown his homemade clothes but his parents were too poor to provide him with a new set. And so, on his first day in a Sunday school class, surrounded by boys and girls who were smarter, better dressed, and much surer of themselves, Dwight felt out of place and insecure.

 

Fortunately the Sunday school teacher reached out to him, made him feel welcomed and comfortable, and eventually led the boy to faith in Christ. Years later, as a young man, he heard a preacher proclaim the words, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.”

 

That young man was D.L. Moody. He was deeply impacted by those words and took them as a personal challenge. He determined to try to be that man. Long story short, that poor, awkward, uneducated farm boy went on to become the greatest evangelist of his generation, the Billy Graham of his day.

 

God accomplishes a lot with a little. That seems to be a rule of thumb in the kingdom of God and we see it played out over and over again, in big ways and in small.

 

That’s what Jesus was talking about in John 12:24-25. When a tiny seed of wheat falls to the ground it dies. But then, buried in the soil, it germinates and produces new life – an entire abundant crop of wheat from that one little seed.

 

That was a parable about His death and resurrection. Jesus was close to the time He would die. But as a result of His life, death, and resurrection there would eventually be millions upon millions of Holy Spirit empowered disciples who would go on to change the world in His Name.

 

We see this same principle at work in families. A godly parent or grandparent, often a simple man or woman, often with little formal education but with a deep and powerful faith, lives a life that profoundly impacts their entire family line for generations. The end result is children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even extended family members who have deep and meaningful faith of their own.

 

The principle Jesus was explaining in the passage above is the same point D.L. Moody was so challenged by. When a disciple of Jesus puts aside selfishness and self-seeking goals, and focuses instead on Christ and His kingdom, there is no end to what God can and will accomplish in and with and through that person. Maybe those things will be big accomplishments like with D.L. Moody and Billy Graham, but more than likely it will be smaller, everyday things, such as the influence a godly mother or grandmother ultimately has on a long line of family members.

 

God accomplishes a lot with a little. He will do it with your life too if you will surrender your life to Him to be used for His purposes.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim