Declarations

I have seen a lot of friends on Facebook posting declarations.  It seems to me that the key word in these declarations is the personal pronoun, "I."  I declare that I am...

Without splitting hairs, it would be more correct to state what God declares.
God says, "You are forgiven."  Thank you Lord for your forgiveness to me!
God says, "...by his (Jesus) stripes you are healed."  Thank you Lord for healing for me!
God said, "I am going to prepare a place for you."  So great eternal hope is mine!

I am thankful that the promises of God are mine because Jesus is my Lord.  I am glad that I don't have to earn God's promises by stating them over and over to come true.  Just trust him.  We don't earn miracles and blessing by saying the right things repeatedly.  We receive all God's gifts and blessings because we love and trust HIM.  And, he loves us always.

Stay positive.  Keep saying positive things because you are positive, not just to get something in return.  Keep trusting the Lord, not your own effort.  The effort that pleases the Lord is not effort to earn his blessing, but effort to love him more.  His love for us is so abundant!  His love is amazingly faithful!  Let's let our love for him be growing toward that abundant and faithful love in return.

2 Pledges Completed!

Yesterday, I learned from our business manager, that another pledge to The Journey, our capital campaign was completed over the weekend.  Then, I opened an envelope in the mail from a friend who also completed their pledge!  I am so thankful for God's provision for us and for his provision for you!

Praying Together

Today we heard the striking news that Pope Benedict will be resigning at the end of February, citing health issues.  I know that we are not Catholic, but I think that we need to be praying.  The Pope is a man and people need prayer.  We also need to pray about what happens next.  What the Catholic Church chooses in the next month will have an effect on every Christian since about half the people in the world that claim Christianity are Roman Catholic.

This is striking news because a Pope has not resigned for well over 500 years.  This is striking news because he is resigning for health reasons and that may be a new and different reason for resignation.  Although it has become culturally reasonable for leaders to step down for physical incapacity, it is not (to my knowledge) a strong tradition in the Roman church.  If all that is being reported is the full story, I commend him for his honesty and willingness.  Like Tolkien’s Frodo Baggins, giving up the ring of power is not easy once it has been touched.

So, let’s pray for the Catholic Christians.  Pray that they will have a leader who will keep them theologically and culturally conservative.  Though they hold to many extra non-Biblical doctrines and superfluous exercises, I know many born again Catholics who love Jesus and put him first.  For their sakes, for the sake of Christian unity, and for the influence of the Church universal, we need to pray together.  Because we take some moral and ethical stances with the Roman Catholics, we should pray together.  And, I think it would make Jesus happy if we all prayed together in his name, to our Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

How To Get the Most From Chruch

I made this for my Small Group, but I think it is worth using this tool to coach every believer to get the most that they can from Sunday church.  How do I make the most of what church has for me, what God has for me?

Be there.
Being at church regularly helps us grow.

Hebrews 10:25 says, "...not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Clear Your  Mind of Distractions.
It is tough to hear from God and encourage others when we are running late and have had a rough morning already.  Stop and quiet yourself before worship, even if worship has already begun.  Take a second or two to stop.  You can pray, or just sit down and close your eyes and get your breath.

Worship
Enter God's presence with thanks no matter how you feel.  Thanking God changes our perspective of our situation, then it changes our perspective of God.

Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise."

Be Open To God
Don't be closed minded with God's word or the encouragement of God's people.

Jeremiah 25:3 says, "...the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened."  Let's not be around God's Word and fail to really hear it.

Devour God's Word
Be ready to learn God's Word and strive to apply it to daily life.

Look up Psalm 119:9 through 16.  Look at the way the writer has devoured the Word of God.  He hid it in his heart.  He meditates (thinks) on it.  He delights in the Word.  He has passion to walk according to it.

Respond to the Message
When the sermon is over and Pastor is closing, look for the ways that you can respond and apply the message as soon as possible.  Even if there is not a request made for you to move to a place of prayer, do it if you need to take extra time with God before you leave.

I Am Here For You

Often when people start attending church they only attend for what they perceive they need.  As we grow in God we will always have continued needs that are met at church.  However, as we mature, there comes a point where we attend church for others needs, not our needs.

Attending church is a weekly opportunity for you to get knowledge, friendship, peace from God, and direction for your life.  It is also an opportunity for you to serve others the knowledge, friendship, peace and direction they need for their lives.

Every Sunday I trust and hope that God touches lives through me, I am the Pastor.  But I am not just at church to give to you, I want to receive.  In the same way, I hope that you are not at church just to receive from God, but to give to others.

If you attend church 12 times a year, then you really don't come often enough to even know how you could help others.  But if you attend weekly, you will make new friends and start to become aware of your environment to the level that you will notice needs as they arise.  The biggest need people have is friendship.  Attend church to give.  Be there for somebody.

Multiplication of Grace and Peace

We all wrestle with those rough moments, or days, or even weeks, when we lack grace for others, miss out on moments of peace, and need more grace from God!

2 Peter 1 has a prayer from Simon Peter for believers.  He wrote the prayer almost 2,000 years ago, just before the persecution of Christians by Nero.  They needed this prayer!  But as I read his prayer, I am reminded that the prayers prayed in the past can be answered far into the future.  So, I am receptive today to receive the answer to Peter's prayer for believers today.

Peter prayed, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord..."  Some days I need more of God's grace and more of his help to perceive his peace, keeping his peace in my life.  So, I am praying that God's grace and peace would not just be a part of my life, but be multiplied in my life.  Not just added to my life, but multiplied.  You see, 4+4=8, but 4X4=16.  I am praying that grace and peace be multiplied to you today in greater measure.

Ask God for Intellegence

Psalm 119:73 says, “Your hands have made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.”

Sometimes we feel so unable to do all that God asks of us.  Other times we wrestle with temptation and our failures.  You have to wonder, “God why did you make me this way?  Why did you make me so able to mess up?”

I encourage you to read and pray Psalm 119:73.  God did make you.  And you may have limitations in your ability to think and ability to learn.  I wish I knew everything, but could I remember it all, or learn it all, and how long would that take?  I am limited.

So, I pray today that God will give me understanding to learn.

I need ability to learn.

I need common sense.

I need intelligence.

Ask God and trust him to provide it, praise him when you see it completed.

“Buller, Buller, Buller …”

We live in a culture of deep individualism.  People in the United States are fiercely independent.  Who gets all the attention at election time?  Independents.  It is not just about swaying a voting block, it is subconsciously a part of what we value and immortalize.

It because of this that people are very hesitant to commit to others.  People used to commit to a company and work their entire career at one place.  People used to attend one college all four years.  We used to call a committed relationship marriage, but today the masses are afraid to commit.

This fear of being committed to any group or institution bleeds over into the church.  And thus, church attendance is sinking.  Polls show that a very high percentage of people believe in God, and a high percentage also claims to be Christian.  But, a very low percentage claim affiliation to a religious group and a smaller number actually attend more than 10 worship services a year.

I too value individualism, but our individualism becomes unbiblical when it keeps us from deeply connecting to one another and to a group that can do great things together.  The Bible instructs us to, “Love one another deeply, from the heart.”  How can we do that when we never spend any time together?  Can you really love someone deeply and never show interest in being with them?  Can you really love other believers and not have a desire to meet with them and spend time with them?  Can you really love Jesus and then not love the people that he loves and calls his family?  Jesus said that those who do the will of my Father are really my mother and brothers and sisters.  Jesus calls believers his family.  A healthy family wants to be together.

Church attendance says something about the heart of the attendee.  One thing that it says is, “I value these people and love them deeply, and so I am here today with them.”

Why Attendance?

Why is church attendance important?  We have our minds so messed up when it comes to attendance today.  When I hear attendance, I think of the geek who gets the award for not missing a day of High School.  I think about the award that was given out once a year to the Sunday School nut who never missed a Sunday School class.  I think of Ben Stein repeating the name, “Buller, Buller, Buller …”  The word attendance has a bad connotation.

But let’s look at the roots of what it means to be at church on Sunday.  What does my attendance or lack of attendance say bout my faith?

First, consider your passion.  People do what they are passionate about.  People make time for what really matters to them.  People are passionate about money and so they make time and spend money on college so that they will make more money in the future.  People are passionate about money and so they work every day very hard.  People who are passionate about their health exercise daily even when it hurts.

If a person is passionate about Jesus, then I would suggest that they are passionate about the Church that he promised to build, that he calls his bride, and is preparing a place for in Heaven.  When people skip church, it says something about their passion and love for Jesus.

Why start with passion?  Because the greatest commandment form Christ was, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind and all your strength.”  Mark 12:30.

Hisbah

This year we are praying for Muslims every Friday. I encourage you to join us.

Today we are allowing our prayers to our Father in Jesus name to be focused on the Islamic concept of hishah. This is a concept from the Arabic word for accountability. It is the concept that some members of society are responsible to force others into obedience to the tenants and regulations of Islam.  It can be as helpful and harmless as administrating an orderly flow in a market place. But it can be as rigid as religious police enforcing Sharia Law.

Jesus said that we must be careful in assuming to be the judge of others. There is a time to be spiritually discerning, but we who are all sinners saved by grace, can not be judgmental. As you pray today, pray for those who may be living in fear today because of a system of human judgment. Pray that by experiencing God's perfect love through Jesus, Muslims may experience the truth of 1 John 4:8, "There is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment."