Maranatha!

To be completely honest,this is going to be about all the post-election hoopla, or verbal vomiting that is going on.  The majority of my friends, in life and on facebook, are supposed followers of Christ.  As I read so many many of their thoughts on facebook, I was struck with disbelief.

My thoughts were flooded with scripture after scripture of all the times God poured out His RIGHTEOUS JUDGEMENT on the people of Israel.  Every time the people went their own way and did what was "right in their own eyes", God did exactly what He said he would if they went that way.  Now, I want you to remember something, these were God's people, not the rest of the world.

Why is it that we want to blame the problems of our country on our president, our government, or some other helpless soul?  The problem here are the "so-called" people of God.  The direction of our country is in direct correlation to the direction of God's people.  The sad thing to me is that we expect as believers to show up one day every four years to make a stand.  The stand we make is to be a daily stand.

When the people of God actually humble themselves and fall on their face before God in His reverent Holiness and we begin to live in obedience to the commands of Christ, then and only then, will God begin to heal this land.  It doesn't matter what our country was founded on, that foundation was dismantled a while ago.  What matters is what we base our lives on today.  Until the church of God rises up to do the work of God through the power of God, then things will continue to deteriorate.

My challenge, to whomever reads this, is to do what the apostle Paul said in 2 Cor. 13:5 "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you ^[b]fail the test?" (NASB)  Search the scriptures, be like the Bereans, know the truth written in the Word.  It's not about Sunday services, it's not about how much you give, or how much time you spend with other believers. That is all important, but what matters is "what am I doing, for the sake of Christ's kingdom?", "Am I being obedient to the great commission?"

We cannot prove our salvation by words or proclamation,  we prove it by obedience to the WORD!

Peace

Prayer Drive By

   After I dropped off the kids this morning for school, I drove around a bit.  I wanted to see if I could find a couple of my members houses.  Knowing most of them were at work I was lead to do a "prayer drive by".  I would drive up slowly and say a little prayer for protection, peace and the Will of God to be done in them today.  Then God really broke my heart for this city.  I hear so much about all the negative here; shootings over here and drug deals over there.
     The only way this city will ever change is if God becomes the driving force in the lives of BELIEVERS.  If you want to understand why things are the way they are, you have to first take a long hard look at your life.  Does your life and lifestyle exhibit passion for Christ and His kingdom, or is something else holding your focus?
     There is a difference of being "aware" of the bad and the negative and letting it control our thinking, our speech or our families.  The Bible tells us in II Timothy 1:7 that God has NOT given us a spirit of fear.  He has however given us a spirit of Power, His power and Love, His love, and sound mind, or as one translation put it "self-discipline".  God has equipped His people for the work He has laid out for them.  Why then do we walk as if we are crippled and defenseless.
     Do you have a difficult decision ahead?  Pray!  Do you have children that aren't doing right?  Pray for them, fervently!  Are you frustrated with this city, this state, this country?  Pray; pray like never before. Pray as if your very life depends on it.  By the way, IT DOES!
     As I was pondering all of this, God laid this song on my heart and I want to share it with you:

New Kid on the Block

This coming Sunday will mark one month since arriving in Big Spring.  We already feel at home and part of the family here.  It would be easy to rest on my "laurels", if you will, but I feel this desire to continue to push forward.  I sense that God is at work here, and my only response can be one of complete surrender.

The biggest part of the first few months here will be to assess the situation.  After this first month my initial assessment reveals a body that is "bruised, but not crushed".  This church has been through a lot over the past few years and I am determined not to be a part of the past, but a part of the future.  I see a people hungry for God to do something, but just not sure what that will entail.  I also believe there is a willingness to change, a willingness to move on and not sit back in self pity. 

This Church, Birdwell Lane Baptist Church, is going to impact this community for the cause of Christ.  I know this because I have seen there desire, there heart.  God will use you if you make yourself available to him.  I ask that if you are reading this you will partner with us in prayer that God will use this church to expand the Kingdom of Christ.

In His Grace,

My Journey

 *This is long and more than likely has several grammatical errors, please forgive me in advance*

   Based on several monumental events, the month of August has become my favorite month.  It all began in Ft. Worth, Texas on August 29, 1972.  Yep, that was the date my parents life changed for ever.  Another highly important date in the month of August was the 28th in 1999.  That was the date I gave heart to Amanda Jolene Landry for keeps.  As important as those two dates are to me, the next two dates that I will mention have far more impacted my life.

   I had grown up in church.  I tell people that I went from the hospital nursery to the church nursery.  My grandfather was my pastor at that time; as he was for 9 of the first 13 yrs of my life.  I grew up hearing the word of God preached and knowing all the stories of the Bible.  Growing up in church tends to make trusting Christ as savior a little more complex.  "Church Kids" usually believe they are saved because they were told they made some profession of faith as a child; some even as early as 5 years old.  Now I'm not saying that a 5 year old can't repent and put their faith and trust in Christ.  My personal belief is that children that young lack the mental, emotional and spiritual maturity that it takes to make such an important decision.  I remember as a 5 yr old, after a special church service, telling my mom that I didn't want to go to hell.  The next thing I remember was calling my grandparents in Massachusetts and telling them I "got saved".  Subsequently, I was baptized and life went on as normal.  Normal for me was church.

   I remember one time in my life when I was faithful to church.  I was always there.  Camp, youth services, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, if something was going on at church I was there.  I loved it, it was all I knew.  Then, when I was 13 my grandmother passed.  I had a very special relationship with her.  We lived only 5 blocks away and whenever my grandfather would be away preaching I would go and stay with her.  Being the oldest grandchild has some benefits.  I took it especially hard.  Now I know my grandmother didn't love me anymore that she did the other seven grand kids, but I did spend the most time with her.  At that point in my life things seem to unravel.  It wasn't a year later we had changed churches and soon my parents were getting a divorce.  During that time I had become addicted to pornography.  Mind you this was between my 13th and 14th year of my life.  Junior High and High school were rough years in my life, as most kids would proclaim.

   In 1985 we began to attend Retta Baptist church, in Burleson, Texas.  Mom really wanted us to get involved and like I said I didn't know anything but church, so it was easy for me.  This church was different, there weren't as many restrictions as was at my other church.  I loved youth camp, it was the highlight of my summer.  I would do all kinds of fundraisers and extra work to raise the money to go.  I still have great memories of youth camp that I will share with my kids when they get to that stage of life.

   In the summer of 1989 I was to turn 17 years old and begin my Junior year of High School the next fall.  I was preparing for camp as usual. I don't remember the speakers name or the theme of camp that year, but I remember the reoccurring message that week.  The message that I kept hearing was to those who had played the "church game".  The Holy Spirit was speaking to me and I knew, but I kept telling myself I had been saved as a 5yr old.  I made a commitment to spend more  reading the Bible and praying.  The first test of this would come the Saturday following camp.  That morning I got out of bed determined to do things different.  But the whole time I was reading I kept having this feeling that something wasn't right.  Then I remember the Holy Spirit telling me, as if it were audible, this won't mean anything until your have a relationship with me.  On my knees in my room I repented of my sin and put my faith and trust in Christ. That was August 6, 1989.  I was Baptized on Sunday the following week.

   Now, there was a noticeable difference in my life.  I didn't go to church because it was the normal thing for me to do, I went because I hungered for more of the word, to be taught and trained.  Understand, I still had a sinful nature and I really struggled with pornography.  It's a secret sin, nobody knew my struggle except God.  I would go weeks, sometimes even months without a problem, but it only took one fall to send me on a spiral.  I would struggle with this issue for the beter part of my life.

   In the summer of 1994 we had just lost our youth pastor and the church had brought in a former youth to interim fr the summer.  He was a good friend, and I had already been involved on a volunteer basis.  That Summer I led the worship team for the youth and we had a great summer.  We did some youth revivals and just had a great time that summer.  At camp that year I knew that God was calling me to full time ministry.  Again, I put it off, thinking it was just an emotional decision.  On August 21st, 1994 I surrendered to the will of God in my life and committed myself to full time ministry.

   Mind you, I was still battling pornography.  I went to college and ultimately spent more time playing than studying.  I had an on again off again relationship with academic probation.  After, my 5th semester, returned home unable to maintain my grades, my finances or my relationships.  I felt like a miserable failure.  I was engaged during this time, and that relationship was a failure, mostly because pornography ruled how I treated her.  We eventually parted ways and I began one failed relationship after another.  Allowing the pornographic images in my mind to dictate my path when it came to girls, was becoming to much.

  I finally changed churches and started going to church with my mom and some other family.  This church was an active missions minded church.  Every year they held a missions emphasis month.  It was the March of 1999 that determined the next course of my life.

   Let me go back and say that during my time at college I had held a summer interim youth job and a part time youth pastor position, but when I came home in January of 1997 I decided to let the ministry alone.

   Now, where were we, oh yes,  March of 1999.  I was a corporate trainer for chain restaurant, and was scheduled to be gone the Sunday of the 21st to open a store in Tulsa.  A massive snow storm pushed the trip back a week.  I was off so I was able to attend church. Now, I didn't normally attend Sunday school, but this week I did.  Little did I know I would meet my future wife that morning, but that is exactly what happened.  That is the day I met Amanda Landry.  Her parents were missionaries going to Romania.  We exchanged information that day, and 5 months and a week later we were married.  The day before my 27th birthday.  It was during that five months that God used the Landry family to get me back on track.

   In October of 1999, I started as the full time youth pastor at then, Fundamental Baptist Church in Decatur , Texas.  We were on staff there for two and a half years and during that time our oldest son Logan was born and our second son Hayden was on the way.  In March of 2002 we left that position and was in search of our next place of ministry.  We went almost 7 months looking for a position.  During that time The Landry Family came home from the field after My brother in law was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.  My father in law took the pastorate at Baptist Tabernacle in Shreveport in July of 2002 and in August I was called as the youth pastor and school administrator.

   Things seemed to be going great. this youth group was growing and the school averted closing and had actually grown.  In the summer of 2003, I again found myself in the grip of pornography.  So much so I was watching online at work.  Yes it had gotten that bad.  The Bible teaches that "everything done in secret will be brought to light".  That's exactly what happened.  This wonderful family I had married into found out my dirty little secret.  Amanda had known about from the beginning, but really didn't know the depth.  This time was different.  She was ready to take drastic measures, she didn't want her boys to have to deal with that.  We were both taking classes at Louisiana Baptist University to get our bachelors degrees, but this night we skipped class to talk.

   We went to a near by park and sat in the car and talked.  She explained to me how serious the situation was and how upset she was.  How I had lost her trust and how I had hurt her severely.  She explained to how I Had committed adultery in my heart.  But what she said next carried the most weight and I will never forget it.  She looked at me and said, "every time you look at those images, you spit in the face of Jesus as he is hanging on the cross".  That put such a graphic mental image in front of me that I just broke down and wept like I had never wept before.  God had shown me my sin in a way I really hadn't ever realized.  That was a defining moment for me.

   Amanda and I made a covenant together.  She won't hold me accountable, she would check and clean my internet history.  She would constantly ask me how I am doing and stay on me.  I went through an online purity program.  Understand something, an addiction to pornography is harder to overcome that an addiction to crack.  This is a daily battle I fight, but I have two accountability partners and I have an internet accountability as well.  This will be a daily fight.  Every day is a battle with sin, for any of us.

   Since then We have been Missionaries to Slovenia and a Worship pastor.   We have come a long way in our journey and are looking forward to the road ahead.

   The key to overcoming sin in your life is to surround yourself with other Christians who will hold you accountable.  Accountable to reading the word and spending time in prayer, to spend time with your family, to become the man or woman God wants you to be.

   The reason for this story is to show that God can use anyone to accomplish his purpose and plan.  I would love to talk with you about your struggles and pray with you.

What Goes Around...

The Bible teaches us through the Gospels that what ever we sow, we will reap.  If we sow good we will reap good. If we sow evil, we will reap evil.  Sometimes this is hard for us to reconcile.  We have this idea that we have sown "good", so "why am I getting evil in return?"  The truth is we really don't know what good is.  Our "idea" of good is based on a different standard than that of a biblical one.  The book of Isaiah tells us what our "good" is according to God.   

6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. ( Isa. 64:6 NASB)


As a pastor, preacher of the word, I am challenged by this daily.  I am reminded that with out Christ I have nothing "good" to offer God.  If you are struggling with pride I challenge you to take an inventory of the Holy Spirits work in your life.  The moment we consider ourselves GOOD, we deny the truth of God's word. In denying His word we deny Him.  It is rather simple God=good, Man=sinful.  Where are you today?  Are you trusting in your own good, or are you reliant on the righteousness of Christ to see you through?

Putting on Christ

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:12-17 NLT


When I read this, I came to the conclusion that most Christians fail in this.  We tend to think that God owes us some great explanation as to why things happen to us, how could believers hurt other believers, how can these circumstances be good for me or the great question "WHY?".  I think the problem all to often stems from what we think others should be doing, rather than focusing on what we aren't doing. As believers we are called to "put on Christ".  That means we have to put ourselves off.  The above verses tell us how to put on Christ. If you go back into the first part of Col. 3:5-11, Paul out lines what it means to put ourselves off.


If we go further we have to realize some things, putting on Christ means acting like Christ.  Christ put up with a lot, like: being lied to, spit on, beaten, betrayal and even being put to death.  No we are not Christ, but we are his children and are to be imitators of Him.  Meaning we are to put up with the same things He put up with.  We are not better than Him.  He was our ultimate example.  In spite of all that was done to Him, mind you He knew what was going to happen, He still went to the cross.


When people you trust hurt you, when people you believe are supposed to lift you up let you down, just remember Christ felt that long before you.  Remember, you did that to Christ.  That is why Paul can write "the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."

Put on Christ, put off yourself.  Trust me, you will be much happier and will have no problem following in His steps.

 

Misunderstanding Scripture

I have heard a specific verse being quoted a lot lately.  I have also heard some teaching on that scripture that just doesn't jive with the actual meaning.  The key in interpreting scripture is "context".  A common mistake in reading and interpreting scripture is reading just one verse and making it say what we want.  The beauty in scripture is that it was written in harmony over a few thousand years; meaning it does not contradict itself. 

Another important aspect of understanding what your reading is understand the literal translation from the Greek and Hebrew.  The Old Testament was originally penned in Hebrew, but was translated into Greek between 285-247 b.c.  When we look in context at scripture and with the aid of the original meanings, we have a more accurate understanding of the meaning and how it applies to "me".

For instance the words used in Isaiah 53:5 are often misunderstood by most. Often because the teacher is teaching out of context.  Many people quote "by His stripes we are healed" to mean physical healing. When in truth, based on the Greek and Hebrew words used, the word "healing" in this particular verse would better be rendered "forgiven".  Isaiah 53 in Context is a prophecy about the Messiah and the suffering He would endure to bring man into a reconciled relationship to God. 

As a teacher and preacher of the Word, I take great lengths to be as accurate as possible, because those who teach are held accountable for what they teach.  I want to teach truth, but I am imperfect and may do the very thing I am trying not to do. If I do teach something wrong or out of context, I want to be made aware of the wrong.  In my desire to declare truth, I would be irresponsible if I did not show how this kind of misunderstanding can lead people astray.

My challenge in all of this is, to bring about a revolution in Bible reading and understanding.  Don't just hear what people are teaching and believe what they are saying.  We need to be like the Bereans, who Paul declared were "more noble" than the rest because they listened intently and then went and studied the scriptures for themselves to make sure the teaching was the truth.  There are many deceiving spirits out there who want nothing more than for us to misinterpret and misunderstand scripture.  There are a lot of false teachers out there disguised as "sheep", but in truth they are "ravenous wolves".  I think there is a litmus test for knowing who is a false teacher and who is not is.  Are they teaching "feel good" messages or are they teaching the "truth in love"?  If a message is hard to hear because it "steps on our toes", there is a good chance it is truth.  The opposite can also be true.  If the message makes us "feel good" or spends to much time on the physicality of man instead of the glory of God, chances are it is false teaching.

This may be a hard read for some who have fallen for the misinterpretation.  Please understand, my desire in all of this is to "declare truth" and that is all.  I would love to talk further about this, if you want give me a shout, ja4slovenia@gmail.com.

The Truth in Forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of man-kinds most elusive traits.  We desperately want to be forgiven, but have the most difficult time forgiving others.  As Christians this is such a vital aspect of our life.  Jesus said to forgive others because you have been forgiven. 

I think what we struggle with is, that we think "what they did to me is much worse than anything I have done to someone".  Yet we forget all that we have done to God.  More than any other we have offended God and thumbed our nose at His commandments.  If any one has a right to be unforgiving it's God.  Yet "while were still sinners, Christ died for us"; this is what forgiveness is all about.  Forgiveness means we lay down our pride and feelings, to bring the other person back into fellowship.  Jesus laid down His very life so that we can be made right God.

It doesn't matter what hurt you may feel or what was done to you, forgive as you've been forgiven.  Forgive with out bias, without regret, but with a heart of gratitude toward God for his grace and mercy in forgiving you.

Pay It Forward!

Yesterday seemed to be the day to discuss service and how it relates to Christianity.  The Sunday morning message was about being ready to serve.  Then at small group we got on the discussion again.  

There is a sweet little family in our church, a mom and three precious girls, and they just don't have a lot.  What they don't have in physical things they make up for in love and service.  Our Life Group has adopted this family as our own little project.  We decided last night at the end of group we were going to show up and cut the grass, weed-eat and clean up.  I brought my kids along to help.  I want them to learn now to serve others.  

God used this time to teach my kids a lesson.  First, you don't have to have "stuff" to be happy.  All we really need is Jesus and each other.  Second, true Christianity, true faith is played out in "good works".  The best way for us to show Christ to others is to serve others.  The best way for us to prove Christ is in our service to others.

There is nothing more pleasing to God than when we step out of our comfort zone and and our selfishness, and begin to mirror Christ.  The entire ministry of Christ was engulfed in service to others, and we are to be "imitators of Christ".  On your Journey this week seek out ways to serve one another, and if some one serves you, pay it forward!

New Courage

This past Sunday Dr. Christ Stephens preached one of the most powerful messages I have ever heard.  I have been in church all my life and I have heard a lot of messages, so hopefully you can understand where I am coming from.  

The Apostle Paul wrote in several of his letters of our being made co-heirs with Christ.  I don't think I had ever really grasped that very statement.  Then the writer of Hebrews speaks of how Christ has done away with the need for a priest to mediate between God and man.  Both of these statements give us, as Christians, something no one else has, direct access to God.  The Bible tells us we can "come boldly" to the throne of God.  We are His very own special possession.  

I remember as a child we used to say things like "my dad can beat up your dad".  We had confidence in our fathers ability to protect us.  I find that same confidence now in God through Christ.  God is faithful to fulfill his promises and to guard us according to his will.  Everything He does is according to His mighty plan, and we can have confidence in His power and in His promise.  God does not want us to be afraid, he wants us to operate "with power, with Love, and with a sound mind"(2 Tim. 2:7).  It's time Church, to rise up and take our place along side our Father and perform His will for us through the power He provides.  We need not cower from the enemies threats.  "Greater is He that is in me, the he who is in the world".  Let's make the Journey more fruitful by being obedient through our confidence in God.

Waiting on God

When you read the Psalms, you will find the statement "I waited on the Lord".  That is a statement that, as Christians in this society and culture, we have no clue about.  We live in the most impatient culture in the world.  "Instant gratification", is a phrase we embrace.  We pray and expect God to answer immediately.  When God doesn't answer immediately, we get upset, go to the pastor and ask "why isn't God answering my prayers?".  Somewhere along the way we have mistaken our ability to "come boldly" to God as the right to have our prayers heard and answered in a manner of time that is convenient for us.  David spoke constantly on "waiting" in the Psalms.  

God always answers prayer; it's just that He doesn't always answer yes.  Sometimes He answers "No", not because He doesn't want you to have or experience something, but because it's not what you need.  Sometimes His answer is to not answer.  Sometimes He wants us to WAIT.  There is a lot to learn in being patient.  James 1:2-4 tells us that when we go through different trials and temptation, sometimes it is so that our patience will be developed to a place where you will be "perfect and lacking nothing".

The ultimate place we desire to be in is the place of perfection.  That is our ultimate finish line as believers, perfection.  to be perfect is to be the mirror image of Christ himself.  Waiting on God will ultimately brings us closer to God, and David knew this.  If you have prayed for something lately and you feel God has not answered or maybe he is telling you "no", just wait on the Lord. He has heard you, He just wants you to wait on Him.

Basic Truth

For anyone interested, I started a new Teaching series called "Basic Truth".  The series comes from the books of first and Second Timothy.  Paul is writing to is son in the faith, whom he left at the church in Ephesus to pastor.  He is reminding Timothy of all that he has been taught, as well as, giving him instructions on how the church ought to behave and operate.  below is a link to the audio of the message I gave this past Wednesday night.

"Weight" Lifters

I was thinking yesterday about this particular individual in my life that has been huge of late.  It really got me thinking of all the people in my life that encourage me and pray for me.  Ultimately, it reminded me of the story in the Bible when the Israelites were being led into battle by Joshua against the Amelekites.  While Moses, Aaron and Hur watched from a hill near by(Ex. 17).  As long as Moses held the staff above his head the Isrealites would win, if it lowered they would be defeated.  After a while the weight became too much.  Then Aaron and Hur stepped in to help hold up Moses' arms.

Sometimes in life and ministry, the weight some times gets to be more than we can bear.  The pressure seems too great.  It's at those times we all need people in our lives that we can call "weight lifters".  People who will help us hold up when things seem to heavy. 

Lately there have been a few men in my life who I can call "weight lifters".  To those men I say thank you, for lifting me up when I was down, and for those times to come.  I hope to some that I can be called a "weight lifter".  May God grant each of us what we need.

Peace

New Start!

There are a lot of changes that have been going on lately.  We finally have figured out that Amanda does indeed have Lupus and a very nasty form of Lupus at that.  Our Pastor, Mentor and Father-In-Law resigned and is currently moving on to new ventures in life.  With all of this going on I have been experiencing a range of emotions.  I have not been dealing with all of this the way that I should.  I thought I was, but God kept on pressing me to see the truth.  Then I read a scripture that really hit me.  James 3:17-18 says this "¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ¹⁸ And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness."

If I want God to use me and be glorified by me, then this verse has to become a vital part of my life.  I want to love peace, not just hope for it.  I have to plant seeds of peace, or else peace will not grow.  I cannot stand turmoil, it makes me tense.  It divides, and drives a wedge between parties.  I pray that God will continue this burning inside me.  Let this desire for peace and righteousness continue to grow until it is a consuming fire that takes hold of everyone I come into contact with.  Let that be your prayer today, let the God of peace place that same desire in you.

Peace