J.O.Y. at Christmas

This past Wednesday we re-read the story of the angel making the announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds in the fields of Judea (Luke 2:8-20). The angel prefaces the announcement of the Messiah with the words - "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people..." (v.10, emphasis added). Our group discussed how a missing element for many people during the Christmas season is "great joy." For a lot of people, including many Christians, Christmas is a time of great stress and frustration, much of it self-induced by trying to have the "perfect Christmas." The celebration of this glorious event has been overwhelmed by commercialism, perfectionism and a lot of other "isms" that distract us from the main message of Christmas - the Messiah has come!

I shared, using the acronym J.O.Y. and the story of the shepherds, how we can get back our Christmas joy. This isn't original with me, and it is a little cliche, but here is the truth if you want to experience the "great joy" the angels were talking about.

J - Jesus first
Again, it is cliche, but He is "the reason for the season." Christmas is about Christ and if you want to experience great joy at Christmas, your focus has to be on Him. Jesus was a priority for the shepherds - after the angel gave them the good news that the Messiah was born in Bethlehem, the shepherds left their sheep and went to Bethlehem to find the Messiah. Think about that - they were shepherds, but they left their flocks to find the Great Shepherd. Tending those sheep wasn't just their jobs, it was their livelihood, it was their lives. But they "laid down their lives" and left their sheep in the field to go find the Messiah. They didn't let their jobs, or anything else keep them from Jesus. He was their focus, and they didn't stop when till they found Him. And after they found him, they returned "glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard..." (v.20) Yep, when they focused on Jesus, they got the JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY down in their hearts!

So what is your focus this Christmas season - getting your work done, buying gifts, decorating the house, cooking the food, planning the family gathering?  None of those are bad things, and they do need to be done, but none of those things should keep us from Jesus. He is to be the focus of all that we do. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else will be added unto you." Whatever you are doing this Christmas season, keep your mind on Christ, and Christ on your mind.

O - Others
The good news of great joy wasn't just for the shepherds, it was for all people. And after the shepherds had come to Jesus they "they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child." (v17). They didn't keep the good news to themselves, they shared it with others, everywhere.

The Great Commandment says we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, AND to love others like we love ourselves. Christmas is about Jesus, but it is also about letting others know about Him as well. You probably already have people in your circle of influence that need a "squirt of joy" for Christmas - what can you do to make that happen? Bake some goodies and take to emergency workers who can't be with their families during the holidays? Buy a few pair of socks and visit some elderly people in nursing homes? Invite a neighbor to join in your family celebration of Christmas? Ask the Lord who you need to reach out to, He's pretty good at communicating those kind of things.

Y - You
The angel made the message personal for the shepherds - "I bring YOU good news of great joy..." (v.10) Shepherds weren't generally well thought of in those days. They spent a lot of time with sheep and probably smelled a lot like them. It's kind of remarkable that when it came time to announce the birth of the Messiah, the angel didn't go to the priests, the rabbis, the Pharisees, the kings or any of those in authority; he came to the shepherds who were generally ignored or looked down upon. They may have even felt like they were the forgotten ones of their culture, but God doesn't forget or overlook anyone and He sent a personal message to them - a message of good news of great joy!

If God didn't overlook the shepherds, it's not likely He will overlook you either. His message of good news of great joy is for you also... so receive it, internalize it and let the good news that the Christ has come for YOU saturate your mind and infect every area of your life this Christmas season!
Jesus loves you and He has come to bring you great joy!

Saturday Sermon: "Deeply Wounded" 1 Kings 17:1-9

Last Sunday I began a new sermon series on the lives and ministries of two of the Old Testaments most significant prophets - Elijah and Elisha. These two ordinary men were used powerfully by their extraordinary God to show their people who the One True God was/is. As we study their lives, we will learn some important truths about the God we worship and serve today.

To prepare for the next message on Sunday morning, you can listen to the previous message here. Last Sunday we were introduced to the prophet Elijah and learned that God was preparing him for a significant event on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). God's plan was to teach Elijah to be totally dependent on Him, and the lesson came through a very difficult episode in Elijah's life. One of the important lessons we learned about the One true God is that “Before God can use us greatly, He must wound us deeply.” Listen to the sermon below to learn how that truth played out in Elijah's life.

Wednesday Word: Saint

To the saints and faithful brethren who are in Colosse, in Christ.” 
Colossians 1:2

Someone has said that most of our problems as followers of Christ stem from the fact that we sometimes forget who we are in Christ Jesus. We're studying the book of Colossians in our Wednesday night Bible study and in v. 2 Paul addresses his letter “To the saints and faithful brethren who are in Colosse, in Christ” (v.2)

That word "saint" is such a profound word and we so often overlook the meaning and power of it. We don’t typically refer to people using that title to identify them. "Saint" isn’t something we typically put on our business cards - “George Miller, Saint of God”. We don’t even use it when referring to people in the church, fellow believers. We use the term “Christian” which is not a common term in the Bible, in fact it is only used 3 times in the New Testament. Saint, on the other hand, is used over 60 times in the NT to refer to the people of God. The root word is used more than 200 times and it means “to be holy, to be set apart, to be sanctified.” 

This word has has to do with identity in Christ. Saints are those people who have been saved by God, have been set apart by God, who have been made holy by God. This is not usually how we identify people, even people in the church, is it? There is another word the Bible uses and it is the one we most often gravitate toward when describing people including ourselves... "sinners." We most often describe ourselves as sinners, because that’s how we see ourselves, even those of us who are saved. We often say it this way, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace…” And while technically that’s true, the Bible doesn’t generally identify followers of Christ that way - the Bible identifies us as saints of God. 

This is so important because your identity or how you see yourself determines how you will act. If you see yourself as a sinner, even a sinner saved by grace, you will have a propensity to continue to sin and excuse yourself and say, “that’s just who I am. I don’t have a choice but to be this way because... I'm just a sinner.” But when you are saved by Christ, you are set free from the power of sin - you are set apart, sanctified, made holy by Christ; you are a new creature in Christ, old things have passed away behold all things become new. You are a saved sinner, and that makes you a saint in Christ Jesus. And when you see yourself as a saint in Christ, you will begin to live out who you really are. 

The key is, “in Christ” - you are a saint in Christ. That is who you are, not because of what you have done or are doing, but because of what Christ has done and is doing in you. You have to know who you are in order to be rightly aligned to the truth of Christ. Sinner describes who you were, but saint describes who you are, and who you are becoming. In Christ, you are becoming less of who you were (sinner) and more of who you are (saint in Christ.)

There is a saying circulating on the internet: "The devil knows your name, but calls you by your sin. God knows your sin, but calls you by your name." Satan, the "accuser" condemns you because of what you have done, but Jesus forgives you because of what HE has done, and He calls you not just by your name, but by His name... and that makes you a "saint in Christ." Never let the enemy tell you that you are just a sinner, when the word of God calls you a saint.

Join us each Wednesday night at 7:00pm at Grace Point Baptist Church as we study through the book of Colossians.

Knowing vs. Knowing About

TobyMac is a very successful Christian music artist, producer and author. He has sold more than 10 million albums, won 7 Grammy Awards, and has had 6 number one singles. His music and ministry has inspired millions in their walk with Christ. (You can check out his Youtube channel here.)

My wife jokingly tells peoples sometimes that we grew up with TobyMac. At first people think she means that we personally know Toby because we grew up in the same neighborhood or something, but what she means is that we grew up listening to and being inspired and encouraged by his music. We know a lot about him from his songs, his books, and articles written about him, but we don't have personal relationship with him. We've seen him in concert several times, but he wouldn't know us if we ran into him on the street. We know about him, but we don't know Him.

Unfortunately, I fear that many who call themselves "Christian" have a similar relationship with Jesus - they know about Him from His book (the Bible), been inspired by the stories about Him, and may even be big fans, but if they ran into Jesus on the street, they might know who He is, but He wouldn't "know" them in the sense of a personal relationship (see Matthew 7:21-23). I also fear that many "Christians" will find out this truth too late.

There is a big difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone in a personal relationship. Many people in Jesus' day knew about Him; they were touched by His ministry, encouraged by His teachings, maybe even blessed by His miracles, but never transformed through a saving relationship with the Savior of the world. That is still true today.

What does it mean to truly know Jesus as Lord? The Bible is the clear that we can know Jesus and enter a relationship with Him through repenting of our sins and placing our faith in Jesus alone for our salvation (Mark 1:14-15). "Repent" is not a word we often use in common conversation, but it is an important biblical word. Pastor John MacArthur says:

The Greek word for “repentance” is metanoia . . . Literally it means “afterthought” or “change of mind,” but biblically its meaning does not stop there. As metanoia is used in the New Testament, it always speaks of a change of purpose, and specifically a turning from sin. In the sense Jesus used it, repentance calls for a repudiation of the old life and a turning to God for salvation.
Such a change of purpose is what Paul had in mind when he described the repentance of the Thessalonians: “You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

To repent means to make a "U-Turn", turning away from the gods of self and sin, and turning to the living God to follow Christ.

To believe is to recognize our own hopeless condition as a sinner, and putting our full trust in the person and finished work of Christ on the cross to save us from our sin. A relationship with Christ doesn't come when we try harder to do better, when we call ourselves "christian", or when we begin to practice religious rituals. A relationship with Christ happens when we come to the end of ourselves and trust that Jesus is enough for our salvation. We are saved by faith in Jesus, not by any "good works" that we do (see Ephesians 2:8-10).

The message of repentance and faith in Christ for salvation is what the Bible calls the gospel, or "good news." And here is the REALLY "good news" - unlike TobyMac who isn't seeking out a relationship with me (other than to get me to buy his music), Jesus is seeking out a relationship with you. He wants you to know Him, to really know Him, not just know about Him. And He, through the Holy Spirit, calls you into a relationship with Himself; He calls you to repent and believe, to turn from yourself in repentance, and turn to God in faith, AND He gives you the ability to do it.

I know this post isn't for everyone, but my prayer is that perhaps someone who stumbles across this may realize that there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Him as Savior... and God would use this to draw them to Himself. If you'd like to continue the conversation, feel free to email me at glmiller1965@gmail.com, I'd love to connect with you.

Revive Us Again

Habakkuk is my favorite Old Testament prophet and I recently taught through the book on Wednesday nights. I'm partial to the last few verses of chapter, which have been my "life verses" for the last 30 years, but the Lord has caused verse 2 of chapter 3 to burn in my heart the last few weeks. It is Habakkuk's prayer for the Lord to revive or repeat His awesome works which He had performed in the past. Basically this is Habakkuk's prayer for revival.

Habakkuk had seen the Lord work in the past. Scholars put the prophetic ministry of Habakkuk sometime after King Josiah had been killed in the Battle of Meggido with the Egyptians. During his reign, Josiah had led the nation of Judah in a great spiritual renewal. Under his leadership false idols had been torn down and removed from Jerusalem, the Temple had been restored, a scroll (probably the book of Deuteronomy) had been found, and there had been a covenant renewal ceremony. Though Habakkuk had not yet begun to prophesy during this time, he was a witness to work of the Lord in spiritually reviving his nation.

But after the death of Josiah, the nation took a turn for the worst. Habakkuk's book begins with a series of questions about how long he was going to have to cry out to God about the sin, wickedness and violence that permeated the community of God's people. By the time we get to chapter 3, the prophet is crying out for God to renew His great works during his days and have mercy on His people.

Revival is a work of God that always begins in burdened prayer from God's people. When God determines to revive His people, He first weighs on them to pray and cry out to Him. Every move of God in history has been preceded by desperate, persistent and focused prayer. As God has worked in the past, He still works now. If we are to see God "renew His works" and revive His people in our day, it will only come when God's people get serious about prayer.

Worry into Worship - Battles into Blessings

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.  When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.  So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Exodus 17:11-13 (NIV)

I have several friends and family members who are facing some tough times and much of it is spiritual warfare. As I was praying this morning God brought to mind the story of the Israelites battling the Amalekites in the Valley of Rephidim. It was the first major conflict the Israelites had experienced since coming out of Egypt. According to Deuteronomy 25:18 the Amalekites attacked Israel from the rear, attacking first those who were weary and worn out from the journey. The enemy often focuses on those who are tired and struggling. 

Moses called on Joshua to choose out some men for battle and go fight the Amalekites at Rephidim, and Moses would go to the hilltop and stand with the staff of God in his hand. As the battle rages, as long as Moses holds his hands in the air, the Israelites have the upper hand. But when his arms get tired and his hands are lower, the Amalekites have the advantage. Moses is joined by his brother Aaron and another man, Hur. When they realized what was happening, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for Moses to sit on and they stood one on each side and helped him keep his hands in the air. As a result, Joshua defeated the Amalekites at Rephidim. 

As I was reading the story again, it hit me that raised hands are often a sign of praying, worshiping, and praising God (see Nehemiah 8:6, Psalm 134:2, 1 Timothy 2:8, and others...) As long as Moses' hands were raised, God's people were winning the battle, but when the hands dropped, the enemy gained control of the conflict. As long as God's people are praying and praising God we are winning the battles, but when we stop praying and praising we begin to be defeated by the enemy. 

In this world, we will have trouble. We have been set free from the Egypt of our sin and we are journeying to a Promised Land of eternal salvation, but for now we live in a world infected by sin and infested by an enemy who seeks to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). There will be battles, and they will come when we are weary, tired and worn out from the journey. The key to victory in the battles is to pray, worship and praise the Lord until the victory comes. 

Sometimes we will grow tired in the battle, and we will need some "Aarons" and "Hurs" to help us. We were never meant to fight alone, so don't resist help from God's people. And sometimes it will you who need to be an Aaron of Hur for someone else; don't let those opportunities pass you up - others need you too. 

By the way, though the Amalekites were defeated that day, that wasn't the last time the Israelites had to fight them. But God made a promise that one day He would "completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” (Ex. 17:14) The battle you are going through now won't be the last one you will fight; the enemy will continue to harrass and attack as long as he can; but we have a promise from God that one day the enemy will be removed and will never disturb the people of God again (Revelation 20:10). Until that day, fight the good fight of faith, and use the weapons pf prayer, worship and praise to experience the victory God has promised you!

Do What You Can While You Can

 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)

Recently a good friend of mine passed away. We worked pretty closely together for about 15 years, and spent a lot of time laughing, crying, praying and talking together. One thing my friend often said was, "I wish I would have..." or sometimes "I should have..." Looking back on life my friend realized there were some things left undone. 

All of us probably do the same thing. I turned 53 in April, and for me birthdays are generally a time of reflection. I thought about where I am in life - spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, relationaly, etc. - and I recognize that there are a lot of things I wished I had not done, or done differently. I hear people sometimes say, "I don't have any regrets..." Not me. There are several things I did as a child or young person that have affected me for the rest of my life; some things I wish I could undo, un-say or un-see. But I can't so I have to live with them. Many of them I have grown beyond, but some still haunt me. 

I have also realized there are a lot more things that I wished I had done earlier in life; things that would have benefited me in many ways: spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally, relationaly, financially and more. Looking back I see things I could have done that would have improved my life dramatically. In some ways, I would like to have a "do-ever", an opportunity to redo somethings in my younger years. Of course I realize that we rarely get a do-over in life. Once something is done, seen or heard, it is impossible to completely undo. 

The good news is that while there aren't any do-overs in life, there is new beginnings. God is a God of new beginnings; His mercies are new each morning, and if we are in Christ we are a new creation. We can't go back and change the past, but we can begin where we are to have a different future. Where we are is not where we have to always be. 

In writing to the church at Ephesus, Paul encourages the believers to pay attention to how they are living. He says, "Be careful then how you walk..." The first word in the verse is the Greek word “blepo” and it literally means “look” or “watch.” It has to do with the eyes, but in this sense it means to look in order to evaluate, or take an inventory. So Paul is saying, “Take a look at your life. Do a little self-examination. What are the things you are living for? What are you giving yourself too? What are you spending your time on?" 

Year ago I was at a lunchtime Bible study being led by Dr. Randy Davis, currently the executive director of the TN Baptist Mission Board, and he was talking about priorities. And he said something that really convicted me. He said, to determine a person’s priorities, we need to look at only two books: the datebook and the checkbook. What you give your time to and what you give your money to are what your priorities are.

Paul says we are to “look carefully” how we are living. Some people read that and see the word "carefully" and think think "be safe"or "don't take any risks." There are some people who are always living their lives on the defensive. Instead of striving to accomplish their purpose or goals, they’re just trying not to make too many mistakes. They don’t want to try anything new. They don’t want any change. They just want to live in their comfort zone. In fact they never attempt anything out of their comfort zone. Their motto is “Just don’t rock the boat.” Consequently their life is dominated by fear rather than by faith. They think “look carefully” means never take any risks. 

But the word Paul uses that is translated "carefully" is the word “akribos”. It means to be precise, diligent, perfect, etc. It is related to the word from which we get "acrobat." When I think of an acrobat, I don't necessarily think of one who plays it safe or does nothing. I think of someone who is active and precise. A good acrobat is one who trains and takes every precaution for safety, but still does their performance. Every time they do, they take a risk, but it is a careful, calculated risk. A person who lives carefully, doesn’t act foolishly, but does live fully!

Paul is saying, "Pay careful attention to how you are living your life." In other words, do some self examination; are you living your life to the fullest? Are you giving yourself to the things that matter most? Are you leveraging your time and resources for that which will make the most difference in the future? Are you doing what you should do while you have the opportunity to do it? You can't go back and change the past, but you can begin today to do what will make the future different. Pay attention to how you are living your life. 

Spiritual Warfare: Prison, Prayer and Praise (Pt 3)

Sunday afternoon was a beautiful day and I thought I would take advantage of the nice weather and sit out on the carport to read. Unfortunately the nice weather also brought the bees out. Several large yellow jackets flew into the carport, and began to hover close to the ground near where I was sitting. I looked around to see what I had to defend myself, and found a can of bug killer. When I sprayed it, it came out as a fog so it was hard to make a direct hit on the bees. I noticed though, that some of the bees continued to hover close to the ground as the fog came over them. In just a short time, the spray covered their wings and body and they went to the ground where they were easy prey for my flip-flop. However, some of the bees didn't stay close to the ground; as soon as the fog began to encroach upon them they flew upward and out of the carport to the safety of a tree. 
         As I was thinking about why some immediately flew away to safety while others lingered near the ground till they were covered and killed, the Spirit spoke to me in that still, small voice - those who linger too long near the ground end up being covered by the spray and destroyed, while those who fly upward get to safety. In the same way, those who are under spiritual attack and linger too long trying to fight the battle in the fog are defeated and sometimes destroyed. But those who fly upward as soon as they sense the attack coming are safe. In spiritual warfare, those who "fly upward" do so in prayer and praise to the Lord. As we praise the Lord, He lifts us above the fog of the enemies attack. 
       In our study of this section of Acts 16 we have noticed some of the weapons of the enemies warfare - intimidation, incarceration and isolation. In a physical sense, he tried all three on Paul and Silas, and in a spiritual sense he continues to use those weapons against God's people. But, as with Paul and Silas, God gives us weapons to fight back with...

1. Prayer - v.25a
The Bible says in v.25, at midnight Paul and Silas are praying. If I’m Paul or Silas I’m emotionally and physically and spiritually spent. I’m drained to the last drop. I’ve got nothing left to give. Their backs are bleeding from their beating. They are black and blue all over. And they had to be ticked off. I’ve never had a mob form against me, but I’m guessing that’ll set you off emotionally. And to top it off they land in the maximum security cell in stocks! It just doesn’t get much worse than that.
       But instead of complaining or just crashing, Paul and Silas are praying to God. Why? Because they understood that spiritual strength comes from communication with God. There is power in prayer. Prayer connects you to the Creator of the universe, and opens the floodgates of His spiritual power in your lives. Paul and Silas had no strength, they had been accused, abused and beaten - they had no strength, so they drew on a power beyond their ability, they were praying to God. 
Prayer connects you to the greatest person and the greatest power in the universe. The writer of Hebrews says,  "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
        The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God, and one of the greatest weapons we have is the weapon of prayer. But for prayer to be effective, you have to utilize it, and you have to do it even when you don’t feel like it, even when you don’t have ideal circumstances, even when you are under spiritual attack or oppression. When you fail to pray because you don’t feel like it, or because your circumstances are hard, you’ve just handed the enemy a victory in your life, because he has gotten you to disconnect from the Person and power that can rescue you from your prison. Give attention to prayer, especially when it is hardest to pray. 

2. Praise - v. 25b
Not only were they praying, but they were praising God. Through praise, we acknowledge the power of God. Praise focuses our attention away from our problems to God's sovereign power. It causes us to be reminded that God is on His throne and that He is in control. Through praise, we are enabled to surrender to His divine purpose and abandon ourselves to His sovereign will.
        Praise is also a declaration of faith by which we declare the greatness of our God. Charles Swindoll has said, "Every problem is an opportunity to prove God's power. Every day we encounter countless golden opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insurmountable problems."
       Through prayer we can tell our God how big our problem is; and through praise, we can tell our problems how big our God is. Through praise, I testify to my faith in an all-powerful God who is worth serving, despite the problems I face, because I know that His power is greater than any problem, and that His purpose for my life transcends any difficulty I might encounter. As Paul write in Romans 8:18: "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later." (NLT) 

3. People - vs. 27-32
       Rather than thinking only of themselves, Paul and Silas concerned themselves with those around them who could be influenced by their testimony in their time of trouble. In this case, it was not only the other prisoners, but the jailer and his family.
      Notice how Paul and Silas were concerned for both the jailer's safety (vs. 26-27); but his salvation (vs. 28-32). In times of trouble, there are many who concern themselves with the safety of their fellow man. And, certainly, the Christian should be concerned for the physical well-being of others. But if that is the limit of our concern, we will have failed to effectively bear the witness that is needed. We must also be concerned about their salvation.
       Difficulties have a dramatic way of causing people to think about eternal things. As Christians, we also must be alert to matters of eternal significance and take advantage of every opportunity we have to urge others to make sure they are prepared for eternity; and to also testify to them about how a personal relationship with God can see you through daily difficulty and troubles in this world. We have a mission given to us by God, to get the gospel to the lost, and we need to be aware of that mission regardless of the circumstances. 

       In spiritual warfare, your internal attitudes are more important than your external circumstances. I think there are two basic types of people in the world: complainers and praisers. Complainers can always find something to complain about. Praisers can always find a way to worship God regardless of circumstances. Worshiping is taking our eyes off of our external circumstances and focusing on God. We stop focusing on what’s wrong with us or with our circumstances. We start focus on what’s right with God.
Worship is refocusing on the fact that two thousand years ago, Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. It’s refocusing on the fact that God loves me when I least expect it and least deserve it. It’s refocusing on the fact that God is going to get me where God wants me to go. It’s refocusing on the fact that I have eternity with God to look forward to in a place where there is no mourning or sorrow or pain. Worship releases the power of God in our lives and restores the joy of our salvation. 
Is it easy? Absolutely not. Nothing is more difficult than praising God when everything seems to be going wrong. But one of the purest form of worship is praising God even when you don’t feel like it because it shows God that your worship isn’t based on circumstances. Worship is based on the character of God.
        One of the best books ever written is Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. Frankl was a Holocaust survivor who wrote about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. Everything was taken away from these prisoners. They were stripped of their clothing, their pictures, and their personal belongings. They even took away their names and gave them numbers. Frankl was number 119,104. Everything was taken away except one thing. Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
         I’m absolutely convinced that the most important choice you make everyday is your attitude. Your internal attitudes are more important than your external circumstances. The outcome of your life will be determined by your outlook on life. If you have a critical or complaining spirit you’ll complain till the day you die. Your life will get worse and worse because you’ll accumulate more and more negative experiences. But if you have a worshipful spirit life gets better and better. Why? Because you accumulate positive memories. At the end of the day, one way or the other, your focus determines your reality!
        Paul and Silas were in prison. Their bodies were chained. But you can’t chain the human spirit. That’s what Victor Frankl discovered in the concentration camp. That’s what Paul and Silas modeled over two thousand years ago. Their bodies were chained, but their spirits soared.   And when you worship God in the worst of Circumstances you never know what is going to happen. Worship sets the stage for miracles! Worship causes spiritual earthquakes that can change the topography of your life. It may or may not change your circumstances. But it will change your life.

Spiritual Warfare: Prison, Prayer and Praise (Pt 2)

And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Acts 16:23-24 (ESV)

In my last post I began talking about spiritual warfare. Whenever we act in obedience to the Lord and pursue Him and His will for our lives, we are going to encounter opposition from the enemy. That truth is clearly seen in the account of Paul and Silas preaching in Philippi where they ended up in prison.

This is sometimes hard for us to get our mind around because we live in such prosperity gospel culture, but when you follow Christ, and when you live out the mission, you will experience opposition. It may be in the form of persecution by people, but more than likely the opposition we experience will be spiritual and circumstantial. What I mean by that is that the enemy will seek to use our circumstances to oppose us and hinder our ministry for the Lord.

From the story of Paul and Silas, we see some of the methods the enemy uses in his battle to hinder or stop our obedience to the Lord. In the last post I talked about the enemy's Intimidation - planting negative thoughts and self talk in our minds. Looking at the rest of the passage we see two other methods the enemy uses.

2. Incarceration (locking,binding)

v23 “they cast them into prison” Again, don’t think in terms if a physical prison; there are many other types of prisons we find ourselves in.

1. Some people are imprisoned by their past. Something has happened to you, or you’ve done something and that event has defined you. You may have committed a grievous sin, or you may have been in an abusive relationship, you may have endured a divorce, and the enemy is always reminding you of that event. In fact he is trying to define you by your past, he’s saying this isn’t just something you’ve done, or something that has been done to you, this is who you are and you will never be better than your past. You are imprisoned by your past.
2. Some are imprisoned by pain. You’ve experienced great emotional pain in your life, and you can’t seem to overcome it. The pain may come out of a broken relationship, or the loss of a significant person in your life. It may come out of a dream that has been shattered or never fulfilled. The hurt is real, but the enemy wants you to keep dwelling on the loss. He wants to keep the wound fresh, he wants you to dwell on the pain because it paralyzes you, it imprisons you and keeps you from living out the purpose for which you were created. He wants you to stay in a prison of pain.
3. Some are imprisoned by fear. It may be the fear of failure, you’ve attempted something in the past and it didn’t work out and now the enemy has convinced you that you can’t do anything. You’ve failed once, you will probably fail again so you just don’t try. It may be a fear of success, you’re afraid to succeed because then you think more will be expected of you, and you don’t want that pressure. You are afraid of expectations, so you just don’t have any or try to live up to any.

There are many prisons that the enemy tries to incarcerate us in to keep us from serving the Lord.

3.Isolation (separation)

v24 “the inner prison”  This may be the enemy’s greatest tactic. When he wants to hinder you from serving God and fulfilling the mission God has called you to, he seeks to isolate you from others in the body of Christ. The enemy is described as a roaring lion, and when lions hunt they isolate their prey from the rest of the pack and then devour them. And the devil works the same way - he gets you in a funk and gets you to withdraw from the body to isolate you.

In my nearly 30 years of ministry, one of the first indicators of spiritual attack and oppression on a Christian, is a regular absence in the weekly assembly. The thing is, God created us for community, He created it in such away that we can’t fulfill His purposes for our lives apart from the body of believers. God calls us to love Him and then love one another, we can’t do that apart from community. But the enemy wants to isolate us in order to have his way with us.

Intimidation, incarceration and isolation are tactics of the enemy that he uses to oppress us and hinder our ability to serve the Lord. He means to use these things for our harm; but God causes all things to work together for our good;even those things that don’t seem good at the time.What the enemy intends for harm, God can use for good. The enemy has Paul and Silas arrested and thrown in jail; he’s trying to stop them from sharing the gospel and seeing people saved, but did it work? No, because Paul and Silas didn’t respond the way normal people would respond. Normal, unsaved people would respond in anger, frustration, and pity. But the Bible says that at midnight Paul and Silas are praying and singing praises to the Lord.

Next time we will let’s look at what we can learn from Paul and Silas response to their prison situation. God's design is for Christians to bear testimony in troubled times to the difference God makes. And God uses our "tests" to allow us to present a "testimony." But how? Let's see what we can learn from the example of Paul and Silas. To bear testimony in troubled times . . .

Spiritual Warfare: Prison, Prayer and Praise (pt.1)

And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Acts 16:23-24 (ESV)

In 1993, Charles Colson received the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. The $1 million prize was the largest prize for achievement in any field. Colson was a political operative who was involved in the Watergate Scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. In 1974, Colson was convicted on charges of obstructing justice and served seven months in federal prison. Colson was not a follower of Christ at the time, but while he was in prison he was visited and ministered to by several Christian friends, and he would later profess his faith in Christ. His conversion later led to the founding of Prison Fellowship in 1976. In response to this award, Colson said, "Out of tragedy and adversity come great blessings. I shudder to think of what I would have been if I had not gone to prison." 

That is an incredible perspective on a very difficult situation. Church Colson went to prison because he broke the law of the land and he acknowledged that he deserved to be there, but he also acknowledged that without his prison experience he probably wouldn’t have come to know the Lord, or start Prison Fellowship Ministry.

Church Colson thanked God for his prison experience, and Paul and Silas thanked God in spite of their prison experience. In Acts 16 they were arrested and thrown into jail in Philippi. They were not there because they had broken the law of the land, they were there because they had broken down some of the strongholds of the enemy. They had taken territory that had belonged to the enemy when this young girl was set free from the spirit that controlled her. As a result Paul and Silas were beaten and put in prison. You and I will probably never be put in a physical prison for following Jesus, but you can believe we will be opposed by our spiritual enemy. In this passage we see three tactics of the enemy:

1. Intimidation (pressure,threats)
       In v22 the jailer gave instructions to have Paul and Silas beaten. We may not be physically beaten by the enemy, but he may try to intimidate us in other ways. He may try to plant intimidating thoughts in our minds - thoughts like, “God can’t use you to make a difference, you’ve sinned too much, you don’t have enough faith, you don’t have enough talent or ability. You’re not good enough. No one is going to listen to you. You can’t share the gospel because you don’t know enough, no one will listen to you.”

Have you heard any of those talking points in your head? I read a fascinating statistic recently: research indicates that the average person talks to himself or herself about 50,000 times a day and 80% of our self-talk is negative. Where does that come from? It comes from a negative spiritual influence in our lives that is trying to keep us from living the life God desires us to live. We say negative things to ourselves. So here’s what happens: we let what we’re being told is wrong with us, intimidate us and keep is from doing what God has called us to do. We’re focused on the wrong reality, and it intimidates us.

Paul gives some priceless advice in Philippians 4:8. It’ a list of eight premeditated cognitive commitments. He says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Don’t be intimidated by the negative, focus on the positive.

What To Do When Your World Falls Apart

We have several phrases we use to try to describe going through a sudden crisis. We say things like, "pulling the rug out from under me," "when the wheels come off," or "when the walls cave in." Perhaps the one I use the most is "when your world falls apart." I'm sure you know what I am talking about - situations where you thought everything was fine, and then ... well... everything falls apart. Maybe expectations go unmet, a relationship is broken, a job is lost, a loved one passes away suddenly, or a loved one rebels against family or even God. I'm sure there are a million other situations you could describe, but you get the gist.

The question is, what do you do when those kinds of things happen? What do you do when the world you were so comfortable with and confident in, suddenly disintegrates? I've been through a few of these situations and have often responded poorly, but over the years I've learned a few things that helped me get through, This isn't exhaustive, but it is a start.

1. PRAY - Talk to God... honestly... about your fears, failures, anxieties, hurts, doubts and every other emotion you are feeling. God is not put off by your emotions. He is a big God, a loving Father and He will not condemn nor reject you because you are an emotional wreck in the middle of a crisis. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..." And Philippians 4:6-7 says we should pray about everything because God can do anything.

2. READ - Read the Bible, let God speak into your life and your situation through His word. In the pages of Scripture you'll find many stories of men and women of great faith who went through their own "world-falling-apart" situations. Their stories are recorded for our encouragement. See where they found help, peace and strength during times of crisis.
       Also READ books and articles by other people who have gone through similar crises as yours. Hear their stories and be encouraged that survival is possible.

3. MEDITATE - Grab hold of the promises of God and focus your thoughts on them instead of your problem. Pick a verse or two from Scripture that inspires you and gives you hope, and meditate on those verses throughout the day.

4. WORSHIP - Put on some great worship music and get lost in praising God. I know worship isn't just music, but it is a big, powerful part of worshiping God. There is also great power in worshiping God in the middle of your crisis. Read Acts 16:16-34 - when you praise God in spite of your circumstances, He might just show up and shake things up!

5. TALK - Confide in others - close, dependable, faithful people that you know will not gossip about you or your situation. Be careful... but don't isolate yourself from others. Don't cut off communication with close friends and family. If you don't have anyone in your circle of friends or family that you trust, make an appointment with a reputable Christian counselor. There is no shame in seeking professional help in times of severe crisis. Some may argue that they can't afford professional help, but if your world is really falling apart, and your spiritual, emotional, mental and even physical health are at stake, you can't afford not to.

6. SERVE - Look for ways to help others. Serving others gives you an outlet; it is spiritually and emotionally energizing. When life is falling apart, the tendency is to withdraw, to isolate yourself or "hide." Don't do it! The enemy loves isolation - when you are isolated you are a prime target for the enemy who only wants to kill, steal and destroy. Resist the temptation to shut-down and get out and do something for someone else. When you help others, you will discover that you are being helped (See Proverbs 11:25).

7. WRITE - Write out your feelings, get them out on paper or computer. Writing is a great way to process your thoughts and emotions - it is therapeutic. And someday your writings may help someone else who is going through their own "world-falling-apart" situation. You don't need any particular format, just write - write your prayers to God, write letters to loved ones, make lists... just start writing, it will come.

8. NEVER GIVE UP - Defeat is an attitude and you can change your attitude. Take charge of your thoughts and feelings. Talk yourself into moving forward (do more talking to yourself, and less listening to those negative voices in your head). Determine never to give up on God, on yourself or on others. You can overcome because Jesus has overcome!

I'm still trying to put these things into practice, but this is my number #7. I hope you are encouraged. By the way, as I was writing these I realized God gave me "8" things on this list; 8 is the number of new beginnings, and God is a God of new beginnings. His mercies are new each day, live in them. It's never too late to begin again.

Remembering Billy Graham

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. Matthew 7:24-25 (NLT)

This week our world lost an amazing person; Rev. Billy Graham was/is a man respected and honored throughout the world. As an evangelist Rev. Graham preached more than 400 crusades in 178 countries to more than 2.15 million people in person (and numberless others through radio, TV, print media, Internet and more). In the history of our world, no one has touched more lives with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ than Billy Graham, and hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people are following the Lord today because of his ministry and the ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

"Billy Frank" as he was called by family and friends, grew up on a dairy farm near Charlotte, NC. His parents were devout followers of Christ, but Billy showed little interest in the Lord early on. When he was 15, the churches of Charlotte hosted a city-wide tent revival with evangelist Mordecai Ham. Billy hadn't planned on attending the meetings but a friend offered to let young Billy drive his truck to pick up kids for the crusade. During the week, Billy heard the gospel and responded in repentance and faith. Soon he felt the call to preach and left Charlotte to gain an education with stops at Bob Jones University, the Florida Bible Institute and finally graduating from Wheaton College.

In 1945 Billy was hired as an evangelist for a fledgling ministry, Youth for Christ. He joined fellow evangelist Chuck Templeton, traveling the country and eastern Europe preaching the gospel at revivals and crusades on college campuses. Templeton was an excellent communicator and some believe, a more effective evangelist than Graham. But as time went on, Templeton began to experience doubts about the gospel and questions about the authority of Scripture. Templeton would eventually leave the ministry and the faith for a career in broadcasting, but his doubts and questions began to affect Billy as well. Graham began to struggle in his faith and preaching.

In 1949, a few weeks prior to a scheduled crusade in Los Angeles, Graham was staying at the Forest Home Christian Camp in the Big Bear area of Southern California. He would take walks in the woods and mountains praying yet struggling with his faith. Finally, one day while Graham was in the woods, he laid his Bible on a tree stump, fell to his knees and cried out to God and committed himself to preaching the Bible as the infallible word of God. He acknowledged there were some things in the Bible he did not understand, but he would accept them by faith and build his life and ministry on the authority of God's word.

The rest, as they say, is history. His 1949 Los Angeles Crusade launched Graham into the national spotlight. A tent revival that was scheduled to run three weeks lasted eight weeks. More than 350,000 people attended and more than 3,000 made professions of faith in Christ, including Stuart Hamblen, an entertainer and radio personality. Hamblen told of his conversion on his radio program and it caught the attention of William Randolph Hearst, newspaper tycoon who sent news of Graham's crusade across the nation. It was also during this crusade that Olympian and former prisoner of war Louis Zamperini came to Christ (watch the movie "Unbroken" to learn Louis' story). Graham would go on to found the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to further spread the good news of the gospel of Christ. Billy Graham's work and ministry will continue for many more years to come.

Billy Graham made a crucial decision in 1949, to build his life and ministry by faith on the word of God. And because of that decision his "house" still stands and will be standing for generations to come. God's word is true and powerful ... are you building your life on His word?

Response to the School Shooting in Florida

Like you, I am heartbroken over the news of another school shooting; this one in Florida and 17 people are dead, 14 injured and the shooter is a 19 year old former student with a history of troubling behavior. And, as usual, some are politicizing the tragedy to pressure politicians to change laws and come up with some way to stop this senseless violence.

Browsing Facebook this morning I saw a post from Daryl Fulp, a friend we met and served with in Guatemala this past Summer. We worked with Hope for Home Ministries which was founded by he and his family and serves the very least in Guatemala. They minister to the mentally and physically challenged and their families in Guatemala. Visit their website here to learn more about their amazing ministry.  

Daryl posted an incredible response to the tragedy in Florida:

To my brothers and sisters in Christ:
Like you, my heart is broken by the events in Florida today. And I want to remind us all of the truth that we should already know: There is no political cure. The crisis our nation faces is a crisis of the heart. And our only hope is the One who can transform hearts.

Let others argue over politics. Let others pursue dead end roads. And let us focus on the One True Cure that they all seek without realizing. Instead of arguing, let’s love. Instead of shaking angry fists, let’s reach out our hands to those with whom we disagree. Let us spread the Gospel instead of adding to the overwhelming noise that threatens to consume. And let us share Jesus as we live and speak. We have the only Hope within us. Let’s go spread Him around.

 Someone commented on his post and made reference to how Jesus would respond to such a situation. The gist of the response is that Jesus would take action to enact change. In his words, the responder said that Jesus would " be raising hell for situations like these. right? when it wasn’t right, he took action." Daryl then responded to the responder with, what I think is the most powerful statement on the real problem in our world to day - and it's not "the world" it's the church:

 Daryl Fulp: I am not sure what “raising hell“would accomplish? Do you mean getting angry? At whom? Angry at the government? Angry at a young man who was so broken by sin that he did something like this? While it is true that Jesus got angry at times and would speak hard words, those words were never directed at politics or those who were dead in their own sins. Jesus reserved his anger for those who used God’s name, but failed to represent Him correctly. So, if Jesus were on the earth right now as a man, I believe he would likely have some hard words. But I believe those words would be directed at his church. We have failed to live out his most important instructions. We have failed to love God. We have failed to love each other. And we have certainly failed to love those that we consider our “enemies.“ And we are failing horribly at the great commission. As the culture deteriorates, we love to look around at the decline and pretend it is not our fault. It is obviously those lousy politicians or those jerks on the other side of the aisle. And yet, we claim to have the secret of true hope, love, peace and fulfillment. We claim to have relationship with the only One who can truly transform, a heart. So, if we really believe that, we shouldn’t be blasting sinners, we should be loving them and reaching them. We should be their friends. They should be our golfing and hunting buddies. They should be a part of our Super Bowl parties and book clubs. We should be seeking out the lost and hurting and eating lunch with them. Instead of blasting those with whom we disagree we should be loving them and hanging out with them. And if they are the famous and powerful to whom we have no access, we should be praying for believers around them to do the same. The world needs salt and light now. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew‬ ‭5:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

"For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God's household." (1 Peter 4:17) Please, let us read and heed these powerful words from Daryl. If we, the Body of Christ,  are to resolve the real problem in the world today, we have to begin by looking in the mirror; we have to change and truly begin living out the gospel. Let it begin with me...

Everyone has a story - Sharing yours

 "... if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it." 1 Peter 3:15

On Sunday mornings we have been studying through Acts 13-28 in a series called "Always on Mission." We've been following the life of the apostle Paul, a man who fully lived his life on mission for the Lord. Yesterday, (Feb 12) we looked at Acts 22 where Paul gives tells his savlation story before an angry mob who wanted to execute him. He also gives his testimony in Acts 26 before Herod Agrippa and Festus.

When Paul tells his story, he follows a distinct pattern: what his life was like before he met Christ, how he encountered Christ, how Christ changed his life, and what Christ has been doing in his life recently. It is a great pattern to follow to learn how to share your testimony.

CRU Ministries (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) has a worksheet to help Christians develop their testimony. Take a few minutes to work through these questions so you can tell others what God has done in your life:

My Life Before Christ

• What about my life before Christ will relate most to the non-Christians I know?
• What did my life revolve around? Where did I get my security, identity or happiness from?  
• How did those things begin to let me down?

How I Came to Christ

• When was the first time I heard the gospel? What were my initial reactions?
• When and why did my perspective begin to change toward Christ?
• What were the final struggles that went through my mind just before I accepted Him? Why did I finally decide to accept Christ (or give Him complete control of my life)?

My Life After Coming to Christ

• How is my life different now? List some specific changes in your character, attitude and perspective on life.
• What motivates me now? What do I live for?
• Even though my life still isn’t perfect, how does knowing Christ help me deal with that fact?

I would add What Christ is Doing in My Life Today as a conclusion to your testimony. Having a relationship with the Lord means we should be able to give evidence of that relationship in our day to day lives.

Take a few minutes to write out your story as if you were telling it to someone, and then pray for opportunities to share your story.

Parade of Nations

PyeongChang 2018

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (NLT)

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

Watching the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChange, South Korea and can't help but be moved by the pageantry of the ceremony. South Koreans have been preparing for the Olympics for over 2 1/2 years, and the opening ceremony sets the tone for the rest of the games. 

For me, the highlight of the opening ceremony is the Parade of Nations where the Olympic athletes from every nation and territory march into the Olympic stadium under their country's flag. Nearly 3,000 athletes from 92 nations will march in the Parade of Nations. The United States will have the largest contingent with 242 athletes, while several nations will be represented by only one athlete. This year's winter Olympics will be the largest in history in terms of the number of athletes. 

Watching the Parade of Nations, my mind went to the passage in Revelation where John writes about seeing a crowd too large to count, standing before the throne of God, praising the Lord. In that crowd are people from every nation tribe and tongue. It will be something glorious to behold, but a question that bothers me is, how many from each nation tribe and tongue? Surely there will be many North Americans, as we have been saturated with the gospel. But what about those nations and people groups that have little-to-no access to the gospel? According to the Joshua Project, out of the 7.48 billion people in the world, 3.14 billion are considered unreached, meaning there is little or no access to the gospel. Of the 16,956 known people groups, 7,035 are unreached. 

Jesus promises in Matthew 24:14, that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all nations, but there is a long way to go. In America, 268 million people identify as Christian; it's unrealistic, but what if every American who identified as a Christian, led one lost person to the Lord and discipled that person over a year, so that the new Christian could then lead another person to Christ, and disciple them? If that happened, the gospel would reach every person in the world in less than six years. 

Again, that is an unrealistic expectation, but what if we gave it a try in our church? What if the 50-60 adults and youth that attend Grace Point each week, led one person to Christ and discipled them for this year? Next year there would be 100-120 disciples of Christ, and the following year, 200-240. And as the number of disciples grow, we send them out to plant churches, or help revitalize dying churches by making disciples who make disciples. We may not be able to reach every nation, tribe and tongue ourselves, but we might be part of a great movement of God that would see the gospel preached throughout the world... and then the end would come, and we would be part of that great Parade of Nations worshiping before the throne of the God... and what a glorious day it will be!!!