No Longer Condemned

Jesus said that He didn't come to into the world to condemn the world, because the world was already condemned. Condemnation didn't come from Jesus, it came from breaking the law. "What Law?", you say. Well, the Ten Commandments to start with. Have you ever lied? If so, then you brought condemnation on yourself. Here is the thing, the book of James tells us that if we "offend" the law in just one of it's points, you "offend the whole law". This happened long before Jesus came to earth.

The cool thing is, that Jesus came to take that condemnation from us. The blood of Jesus has covered our sins , therefore removing our condemnation. Only through Salvation in Jesus Christ, are we free. Only Jesus can fulfill the requirements of the law, so only he can save us from the condemnation of sin.

Don't think that you can do anything to find freedom from sin, it can only be found in Christ.

Identity Crisis

How often do you forget who you are? For me it is a daily thing; let me explain. If there is one thing I do on a daily basis, it's getting in the flesh. Sub-conscientiously I must be thinking I am someone I'm not. How often do we say we believe that God is all powerful, all knowing and can be every where at once? Now ask yourself this, "How often do I try to wrestle control away from God?" Somewhere along the way we actually think we are in control and that we could do a much better job than God is doing. After all, He is not doing things the way I would. At that point SELF becomes the center of our life.

Job had it all, wealth, possessions, good family, and a strong faith in God. The Bible says there was no other man on earth that loved God more. One day God allowed all but his faith to be taken away. Satan wanted to show God that Job only loved God because of physical things. Job stood tall until he decided he should defend God to his friends. At that point God stepped in to remind Job who he was and who God was. By the time God finished speaking, Job could say nothing more, but repented and God restored him.

The point is this, we cannot even begin to imitate God or to explain him, so let Him represent himself. Try not to have an Identity Crisis this week, and enjoy the Journey God has you on; no matter the roads taken or the bumps you may encounter.

Count It Loss

The apostle Paul really knows how to make us feel low, huh? Most of us would be satisfied trying to be as good as him. But the truth is Paul even said He was the chief of sinners. Our aim is perfection, Christ. Our problem lies in the fact that we seek to much to please self. We seek so many earthly comforts, that our vision gets blurred. Paul said, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ" (Phil3:8). There is nothing more valuable than knowing Christ. Cars, homes, clothes, flat panel TVs, gadgets, these things don't even begin to compare to knowing Christ as Savior.

When we start to hold so tight to these things we put Christ in a place He was never meant to be. We need to be like Paul and be willing to sacrifice our earthly comfort in exchange for the life Christ offers. Make no mistake, it will most likely not be comfortable. It will be filled with joy and peace, because Christ is our comfort, not "corruptible" things.

Have a great Journey!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys whatcha gonna do...

What character comes to mind when you think of the "Bad Boys of the Bible"? Cain, Ahab, or maybe Judas Iscariot? We will tend to look at those and a few others, that God used to shape the course of History, as bad and never could change. But what about the Apostle Paul? Before he was Paul His name was Saul, and He was notorious as a "Christian Killer". The Bible records that he was present at the stoning of Stephen; he even held the coats of the men throwing the stones. The early church leaders probably never thought that this man could be saved by God to be used to bring many to Christ. But that is exactly what happened. God revealed himself to Saul and he repented and was changed forever. His name was changed to Paul and he went on to start many churches, as well as, writing half of he New Testament. We tend to think sometimes that we are to bad for God to do anything with us, but that is contrary to scripture. God can, and will, save even the hardest sinner. And that person can go on to do many marvelous things for the cause of Christ. Believer, maybe you know someone that you think, "there is no way that guy will ever change!" If He did it with Paul, there is no one that is beyond the reach of God. Have a blessed Journey and see you soon.

Faith?

What is faith? Faith is believing in something and then putting all your trust in it. It takes more than belief to have faith in God. And this is the problem that face most "so-called" Christians, belief without trust. These "Christians" tend to wonder why they are not experiencing the promises of God. I believe if we read the Bible and take it for what it says, then trust what it says as truth, then and only then can we experience the promises of God.

Read James 5:13-18. Now, what conclusion do you come to? If we are obedient to what this passage says, will we not experience its promise? I believe so! If it were not so, it would not be in the canon of scripture. Either the Bible is all true or not true at all.

Christ Above All Else

What would it take for you to completely surrender to Christ? I know, you say you've done that. But really have you completely surrendered your will to Him, your finances, your time, your stuff. What if God told you to sell all that you have, and give it to the poor, and then follow him? What would be your reaction? That is exactly what Jesus said to the rich young ruler. The Bible says that man turned away very sad, because he had a lot of money and stuff. He was not willing to put Christ above all else. He was a very moral person. He had kept most of the ten commandments, at least the ones Jesus named.

He forgot the two most important ones. Jesus said “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” This was more than He could handle. Because he knew what that meant. Jesus went on to tell the crowd that witnessed this interaction, that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than it is for a rich man to go to heaven.

We have to be willing to drop everything to follow Christ, and that may mean following Him to the ends of the earth to share the Gospel, or maybe just across the street. So ask yourself, "Am I completely surrendered to Christ?" The answer could most definitely change your life!

Have a great Journey!

Take, Take, Take it all!

I just finished reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. No, he is not related to Jackie Chan. Let me just warn you before you go out and get the book; prepare for a challenge. Aside from the Word of God, this book has been a life changer. It really directs you back to the word of God, and to get real with your faith. So many times we read the Bible and we walk away no different that we were before. The thing is, the Bible is the living, breathing, Word of God. We should be challenged and motivated to increase our faith every time we read it. That doesn't mean we increase how much we believe in God, but how much we trust Him. God says "...my righteous ones will live by faith,,,", what does hat mean? We tend to think behavior is related to faith, but that is simply a by-product. To live by faith means to adjust everything we do according to the word of God. Jesus told the rich young ruler, to sell all that he had and come follow Him. The guy turned away sad. He didn't want to give up all he had and give it to someone else. He had worked hard for that, it was his. The Church in the book of Acts did just that, they sold all they had, gave it to the Church to be distributed equally among the believers.

That is such a foreign concept in the modern church. We want what we are due. We actually believe the church exists to serve us! How arrogant are we. It's time we surrender COMPLETELY to Christ and to the Word of God. We should be willing to sell all that we have and come follow Jesus. Let me encourage you, start small. First make sure you are giving to the church your tithe, then look for ways to meet the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. It won't be easy and it may sting at times, but the reward far outweighs the sacrifice. Be willing to say to God "take it all, it's yours anyways".

Keep going on your Journey and give God the glory He deserves.

Are Your Expectations Great

What do you expect out of life? Do you expect success at work, or wealth? Are your expectations great? Think about that phrase "Great Expectations". If you spend any time in the word of God you will realize that your expectations should be great. Not because of promised wealth, but promised life. We tend to focus on so many temporal things, that the things of God are way out of focus. So many people, like the Disciples, want God to do it all now.

The great thing about God is that he doesn't do things on any ones time line but His own. God has a plan, that the Bible says, was set before the foundation of the world. That plan was set in motion the day He began creation, and it will be finished the day we stand before God. God put in His Word the expectations we can have. We can expect God to never change, we can expect God to keep His promises, and we can expect God to be right on time. People are late, they don't keep there promises, and people always change. That makes The expectations we have in God great!

Have a Great Journey!

Upper Management

The hardest thing for us humans to do is relinquish control. We like the power we think we wield. The truth is we are powerless on our own. Every area of our lives will fall to ruin with out the proper management. In the business world "Upper Management" are the people who keep things running smooth and error free. In the Christians life, "Upper Management" is the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit in control, our lives would run smooth and error free. Our problem is we only let him in a few areas; most Christians have trouble submitting every area.

If we don't let "Upper Management" do His job then we will mess things up. Galatians 5:16 says " So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves." If we are "SPIRIT" controlled, sin won't rule our lives but the fruit of the spirit will. Take some time to read Galatians chapter 5 and take inventory on whether you are controlled more by the Spirit or by the flesh. Have a great Journey.

Via do Christu!

The way of Christ is no mystery. Every step is laid out for us. All we need do is open the guidebook and follow it's instructions. It will tell us how to be submissive to God and the blessings that follow. It will help us as we seek to share Christ with others by following the example He set for us. It will, also, show us how our fears can be calmed. If you haven't already guessed I am talking about the BIBLE.

This next month, as we shift from the revolution, we begin a series talking about "Life Management". The next five weeks we will talk about areas in our lives, that for most of us, are out of control. God's word is our help. It is the PDA (personal digital assistant) for the believer. If we rest in its words we can find the rest we so desperately need. Troubled? Find your help in the right place.

Viva La Revolućion

Long live the revolution! The conclusion of the mission conference brings some about some resolve for me. I have determined that no matter what any one else does I must continue to serve, to love, to share. My calling has nothing to do with anyone else; God called me and I cannot wait on anyone else to get on board.
The apostle Paul did what he did not because anyone else was doing it; he actually was doing what no one else was doing at the time, reaching the gentiles. He was the epitome of what a christian is supposed to be.
In order for the revolution to continue the attitude we need to have is that of, " if it's going to get done, I have to do it". Don't wait for anyone else, take matters into your own hands; YOU turn the world upside down for the cause of Christ.

The Finished Product

The reason I don't mind doing a little house work, is the way things look when I am done. I love the look and feel of a clean house. It makes me feel comfortable and at ease. It makes me want to sit back and relax. I do understand that the work is never really done, there is always a little maintaining to be done.
Our Families are a lot like that as well. We have to do the initial cleaning; seeking those things that are messy and removing them. Some times we need a little help to get that done and God will always help us. Once the hard part is done, maintaining should make it easier on life. The problem is we don't maintain, we try to sit back and relax too much and let thing go.
There is not a person out there that would say they don't want a happy family life. So if we are willing to work hard enough to get it all cleaned out, then we need to go a little farther to make sure it stays cleaned out. We need to take the steps necessary to ensure that things to go back the way they were. That may mean we have to sacrifice a little to do that, but remember the work it took to get to this place.
Ask God to give you the power and strength you need to do this; without Him none of it is possible. Have a great Journey this week.

Jon

Date Night

They say, to keep the romance alive, you have to take your spouse out every once in awhile. It is supposed help get things back in alignment. To help you focus just on each other. It is the "stop and smell the roses"action in marriage. With all that life throws at us guys, we find it difficult to do just that. Be patient ladies, in case you had forgotten your man is not perfect. Chances are he does love you and wants to show you, but he gets a little side tracked sometimes.

Guys, we have to get our priorities in line. Your job is important, but when you put it before your wife, your headed for disaster. Another mistake we sometimes make is putting our kids before the wife. You do know, that without her their would be no kids, right!

Come on guys, ask her out. Take her to her favorite restaurant, go see that chick flick with her, let her know she is the most important thing in your life. It'll make the Journey just a little sweeter.

What did you expect?

If you had the perfect wedding; I mean no hitches, no problems, then raise your hand. Did the groomsmen play a trick with the ring, or did the preacher mess up the words? Maybe your 5 yr old nephew, the ring bearer, wet his pants (that was me). Needless to say, none of us had a perfect, fairy tale wedding. They don't exist! If you expect something to go wrong, when it does, it won't surprise you.
That same principle goes for our marriages too. Our expectations are different than reality. The truth is, things will go wrong in your marriage, you will fight and you'll get mad at each other. Your expectations should be to that affect. Know that those things will happen, then when they do, you won't be caught off guard. The GI Joe motto says," knowing is half the battle", and that is true for you.
Be ready for what ever comes to you this week, and handle it with the grace of Christ. Have a great Journey this week.

The Many Actions of Worship

There are so many ways we show our worship. I have never been a big "hand lifter", but I want to be. The Bible tells us to "lift up Holy hands", and because of Christ I have the ability to do that now. Because of Jesus, we have direct access to God himself and and the ability to worship for ourselves. Maybe you've been holding back a little when you worship, for one reason or another. I want to encourage you to humble yourself before God and truly offer your worship, whether by serving or singing, lifting your hands high or lying prostrate before Him. However you worship, put yourself entirely into it. Have a great Journey this Week.

Worship in the Middle of??? (A Heart For Worship Part Deaux)

How do you worship when life is going on around you. How do you stop and give God the time He deserves in the middle of whatever is going on. In Ministry, there is always something going on. Whether it's a couple who's marriage is on the rocks or a Family who is in a financial predicament. There is always someone to counsel; there is always some one who needs ministering to. There is always some kind of administration that is going on, but in the midst of it all worship is supposed to happen.
The life of a minister is no that much different that anyone else. although, I feel it is the most rewarding life. Worship has to be done during life; that means on Monday we worship, Tuesday we worship, the days we're not at church we worship. That means, anything we do in the name of God is worship. Service is worship. Anything we do that shows our love a devotion to God, is an act of worship. I want to encourage you to act out your worship, don't just give "lip service", prove your love. Then you'll understand what worship really is.

Enjoy your Journey,

Pastor Jon

A Heart For Worship, Part 1

Worship is such a vital aspect of the Christian life. It is so intertwined into it that everything we do should be conceived as worship. Every act of love, compassion, giving or speaking should be construed as an act of worship to Christ.
Jesus said "when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" When we "act" as we should, worship naturally happens. God is Glorified in the little things we do everyday for those around us. Next time you do something nice for someone, remember Jesus words, "you were doing it to ME." May your Journey bring you closer to the King this week.

Connections

There are many types of connections. Electical connections, flight connections, connections for hoses, etc. As believers there are two connections that are most important, with God and with other believers. We have to be sure not to think that we connect with God only once or twice a week, but we must do so daily. Our connection to God is the most important one we make. It's like a patient that has to be connected to life support, without it you cannot survive.
Out connection to other beleivers is also an important one. Part of the reason we meet together on Sundays is to connect to one another for encouragement, accountability and worship. But that cannot be the end of our connection to one another; we must connect throughout the week. In Acts they believers met daily with each other, because, like it says in Proverbs, iron sharpens iron. We need each other to grow. That's why it is important to get involved in Connections at Bethel, you not only connect with God and with other believers. Let your Journey get you connected.

Staying on Task

The hardest thing in leadership, to me, is finishing one project before starting another. I tend to have 4 or 5 things going at anyone time. I still have to prioritize those things. I can't let my focus stray off the mark so far I forget about the main thing. The church is a lot like that, we get bogged down with so many programs and activities that we lose sight of the main focus, the Gospel. Everything we do is supposed to center around the Gospel. We have to make an individual choice to make know the Gospel of Jesus; we have to take it personal. We just started a small group dedicated to train people for personal evangelism. I want to encourage you to come and find out what it's all about. Come talk to me if you're interested.

Pastor Jon

A Week Behind

Let me just say, we have hit the ground runnin' this new year. Planning and doing the things that have already been planned. As church staff we are committed to increase the spiritual health of Bethel as well as in our own families. I am encouraged as a father when I see my 9 yr old son getting up early to read his Bible and devotion book he received for Christmas. My children have started to catch on, that when we pray we don't just pray for our family, but for other families as well. To here them recount how God has used them to minister to there friends, is such a blessing. I am excited to see what God is doing in their lives and am even more excited as to their future. Most of the time I feel like I am a week behind on everything, but God always seems to show me the progress that is being made. Don't get so caught up in the feelings of being behind, that you don't see the progress that God has made in you. If your not moving then your not on a Journey, so stop and notice how far you've come.

Expand the Kingdom

If you missed it, yesterdays service was off the charts. Pastor Mike gave a great challenge for us, "Each One Reach Out to One". Just imagine if each one of us just focused on reaching out to one person a year, what that would do. If I reach out to one and that person becomes a Christian, and then next year both of us do the same, the multiplication process takes over and not only Jennings, but SW Louisiana can be impacted for the cause of Christ. Don't say it can't be done, the disciples did it in the first century church. All we need is to dedicate ourselves to the task and to the Lord.

This is a Journey I want to be on, and I pray that you will get "on fire" for God and seek to be an impact to those you come into contact with.


"You GO...into the whole world" - Jesus