Not Guilty by Mandisa
Song & video at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7fokl9riJ0
I stand accused
There’s a list a mile long of all my sins
Of everything that I’ve done wrong
I’m so ashamed
There’s nowhere left for me to hide
This is the day I must answer for my life
My fate is in the judge’s hands
But then he turns to me and says
I know you I love youI gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not Guilty!
How can it be?
I can’t begin to comprehend
What kind of grace would take the place for all my sin?
I stand in awe now that I’ve been set free
And the tears well up
As I look at that cross
‘Cause it should’ve been me
My fate was in the nail scarred hands
He stretched them out for me and said
I know you I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not Guilty!
I’m falling on my knees to thank You
With everything I am I’ll praise You
So grateful for the words I heard You say
I know you. I love you. I gave My life
I know you, I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not guilty Not guilty Not guilty
Week before last the lesson was It’s No Mistake, It’s the “S” Word (Sin) and then last week we discussed the Forgotten Word (Repentance). This week let’s look at being declared “Not Guilty”.
God’s Word says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23). All of us sin and we sin on a daily basis. Although we do sin, God still loves us and when we repent of our sins, he forgives us of our sins. “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:24).
I like how The Message translates this verse: “He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.”
This means that we are declared “not guilty” for our sins. That does not mean that we have a license to continue sinning. Human-beings will make wrong choices leading to sin, but God does not want us to live apart from him, so that is why Jesus shed his blood for us. God’s Word says, “For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). God did not want us to spend eternity separated from him so he gave us the gift of eternal life in his Son. The gift is ready for us to accept and it is free because Jesus already paid the price.
He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. (Romans 8:3b-4)
Paul writes in his letter to the Romans “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (Romans 8:1, 2).
God has given us the gift of freedom. He has declared us “not guilty”. We are not living under the Law, but we are living under the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus and under the power of the Holy Spirit. No one could keep the all the Law therefore no one could be saved By the Law.
Paul goes on to say, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5).
In other words, there are people today who are living the ways of the world. These people believe they are in control of their lives and they are entitled to anything they want. They are focused on the material possessions of this earthly life. They are not concerned about their sinful nature because they are living for themselves. These people will do whatever it takes to reach whatever worldly goal they have in mind. The sins of greed, anger, hatred, jealously, etc, are not in their vocabulary. They live for today.
We cannot have our cake and eat it too. Listen to the words of Jesus to the church at Laodicea: ““I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16).We cannot take a stand for Jesus in one breath and then change our minds the next.
We cannot take the middle of the road. We cannot bounce back and forth between good and bad. We cannot live worldly and project a Christian image. There is no middle-of-the-road when it comes to Jesus. Either we have the Spirit of Christ in us or we do not.
But the Good News is that when we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior, our sins are forgiven and we are guaranteed that we will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. We are living under the grace of the One who took our place on Calvary. “God did not sent His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
He went to the Cross for us. When Jesus was nailed to the Cross, his words were: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
When one the thieves said to him, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 NKJV
He has stamped us: “Not Guilty!”
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. 0
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Forgotten Word
The Forgotten Word
The word repentance is not a popular word in today’s society. It is not popular because if we call people to repentance then we are admitting that people are doing something wrong. People don’t like to be told that they are wrong or have been living the wrong way. And you may be accused of “judging” and that is not the ‘political correct’ thing to do.
When you think of repentance, what do you think of?
Quite often repentance is one of those Bible words that we just throw around sometimes and we do not fully understand what it means to truly repent of sin. Bible repentance means more than just saying you are sorry. It is a change of mind, prompted by a change of heart, resulting in a change of life. There are some things or stumbling blocks that get in the way of sincere repentance.
Stumbling blocks to Repentance…1) Pride or ArroganceMost people do not like to admit that they are wrong. That is called, pride. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit that God said not to eat and ‘got caught”, they were not necessarily repentant over their sin. They knew they had sinned and even tried to hide from God. They both got into the ‘it’s not my fault” mode. Adam – She made me do it! Eve – the serpent made me do it. Not once was there a, “You know what, I messed up” moment with them. Their pride kept them from admitting their sin.
2) Hardened HeartsSometimes people are hindered from repenting because their hearts are hard. It can be easy for someone to shut themselves off from hearing or receiving God’s Word when they realize their own faults or mistakes. They just don’t want to “hear it”. There are many that are so hard hearted towards their actions that repentance does not come easy. Because of their constant sin, they have justified it in their minds, to the point where there are many who do not even see their sin as sin or as a big deal at all.
3) Enjoyment of SinSometimes others will not repent of sin because they just like it to much. True repentance comes down to a choice between stopping sin or continuing sin. Many people will just flat out tell you that they cannot truly repent of their sin because they like and enjoy the practice of their sin too much. We cannot love both God and the sinful things of this world. The necessary outcome of repentance is to change and abandon those sinful desires, and some just don’t want to give them up! This keeps many folks from being saved!
4) Not yet Many people don’t repent because they just keep putting it “on the back burner”. Maybe tomorrow! This is one area of life which we should not put off until tomorrow! Many people may be convicted of their sins and they assure you that one day they plan on changing. One day they plan on making it right, but they continue to say “Not yet”. So why is it necessary to repent of our sins?Repentance is so important that it is a major theme throughout the Bible. John the Baptist preached a message calling the people to repentance. Jesus began His ministry preaching “Repent of your sins and turn to God.” (Matthew 4:17) And He made clear to his disciples that “repentance and the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name beginning is Jerusalem”. (Luke 24:47 NIV)” When Jesus addressed the seven churches is the book of Revelation eight times he challenged them to “repent”. The most important thing that we can learn is that there is an absolute necessity for repentance. And repentance is not just a one-time event that we do, but it is something we do on a regular basis. There is a need for repentance because we all have sinned and are in need of forgiveness. There is a need for repentance because there is an alternative to repentance that we want no part of.Jesus was asked by some Jews if some people who were murdered by Pilate and some who died when a tower fell on them, were “worse sinners than others’, He answered “Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.” And then said again, “No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”” (See Luke 13:1-5) Peter told the people at Pentecost “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God......” (Acts 2:38) Sounds like repentance may be kinda’ important!We are sinners in need of forgiveness, and that forgiveness can only be obtained through our willingness to come before God and repent of our sins. It is important for us to realize that repentance is an individual thing that is necessary for everyone. We could have the tendency to think that “repentance isn’t for me” or “my sin is not as bad as their sin”, but regardless as to what we perceive the level of our sin, repentance is necessary for every individual. More On The Meaning of Repentance Repentance is not…1. Just Being Sorry or Feeling GuiltyThis situation with Judas is interesting. Matthew wrote, “When Judas, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse.” Judas tried to give back the money he was paid for betraying Jesus and even said, “I have sinned,” (Matthew 27:3-4) Now, many times this type of feeling of remorse can lead to true repentance, but for Judas it remained just a feeling of guilt and sorrow over wrongdoings. If Judas had been truly repentant he would have gone back to Jesus and would have asked forgiveness rather than committing suicide. He was sorry, but not sincerely repentant. Sorrow can be good but it is not the same as repentance.
There are people filled with guilt and sorrow, but then when they learn that some sort of change is expected in response, they don’t like it too much. Of course they may have been sincere in their sorrow, but there was absolutely no repentance. Often times they are not repentant and sorry that they did what they did, but they are sorry that they got caught. Now sometimes it does take our sin being exposed before we come to conviction over sin, but that doesn’t equal repentance. 2. Done to Escape Consequences Sometimes we show remorse and offer change because we feel we have no other choice. Repentance is a choice we make, but we do it because we want to get right with God not because we don’t want to be in trouble or face consequences. Many times people say they are repentant over their sin because they hope that simply saying they are sorry will remove the earthly consequences for their sin, but that is not real repentance.3. Admitting You Are WrongFrom time to time all of us have been known to be wrong on something. Often times that wrongdoing requires repentance. But admitting wrong, though noble, is not the same as repenting of the wrong. Just because you admit it does not mean any repentance took place. A “good old boy” (or girl) may say, “I said I was wrong, what more do you want?” Well…the answer is we want a sincere repentance. B. Repentance is…As mentioned earlier in the lesson, is a change of the mind, a change of the heart, and a change of the will that leads to a change in action. 1. A Change of the MindRepentance begins with a change of your mind or how you think. Along with repentance, your mind should change about God, who He is and what place He will have in your life. It should change how you view other people. It should change how we regard sin. Repentance should bring about a change to where you do not want to live a lifestyle of sin because you see the consequences of sin and no longer want to displease God. 2. A Change of the Will or what you “want” to doRepentance should also involve a change of the will. What you want to do should change with real repentance. No longer do you want to please your sinful desires, but instead you want to submit to God’s will.
3. A Change of the ActionsThe most important aspect of repentance for us to grasp is that true repentance involves a life change or a change of lifestyle. Remember the story of the “prodigal son” from last week’s lesson? Throughout the Scriptures we read of people’s sins and mistakes, but along with that we also see many instances of a true and sincere repentance. There is a VERY positive effect of sincere repentance of sin. There is joy in knowing our sins have been forgiven. “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!”(Psalm 32:1) “... if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness”. (1 John 1:9) And I really like this scripture, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12). And this is really big since this was written by David who had broken just about all of God’s commandments. Just a note here to mention that David still had to suffer some serious earthly consequences of his sins!
We need to understand that we, on our own, are not capable of the kind of repentance discussed in this lesson. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us how to achieve this! But when we allow the Spirit to lead us to repentance, He will begin to produce in us a new understanding of the glory of Christ. And he'll make it known to everyone around us!
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
The word repentance is not a popular word in today’s society. It is not popular because if we call people to repentance then we are admitting that people are doing something wrong. People don’t like to be told that they are wrong or have been living the wrong way. And you may be accused of “judging” and that is not the ‘political correct’ thing to do.
When you think of repentance, what do you think of?
Quite often repentance is one of those Bible words that we just throw around sometimes and we do not fully understand what it means to truly repent of sin. Bible repentance means more than just saying you are sorry. It is a change of mind, prompted by a change of heart, resulting in a change of life. There are some things or stumbling blocks that get in the way of sincere repentance.
Stumbling blocks to Repentance…1) Pride or ArroganceMost people do not like to admit that they are wrong. That is called, pride. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit that God said not to eat and ‘got caught”, they were not necessarily repentant over their sin. They knew they had sinned and even tried to hide from God. They both got into the ‘it’s not my fault” mode. Adam – She made me do it! Eve – the serpent made me do it. Not once was there a, “You know what, I messed up” moment with them. Their pride kept them from admitting their sin.
2) Hardened HeartsSometimes people are hindered from repenting because their hearts are hard. It can be easy for someone to shut themselves off from hearing or receiving God’s Word when they realize their own faults or mistakes. They just don’t want to “hear it”. There are many that are so hard hearted towards their actions that repentance does not come easy. Because of their constant sin, they have justified it in their minds, to the point where there are many who do not even see their sin as sin or as a big deal at all.
3) Enjoyment of SinSometimes others will not repent of sin because they just like it to much. True repentance comes down to a choice between stopping sin or continuing sin. Many people will just flat out tell you that they cannot truly repent of their sin because they like and enjoy the practice of their sin too much. We cannot love both God and the sinful things of this world. The necessary outcome of repentance is to change and abandon those sinful desires, and some just don’t want to give them up! This keeps many folks from being saved!
4) Not yet Many people don’t repent because they just keep putting it “on the back burner”. Maybe tomorrow! This is one area of life which we should not put off until tomorrow! Many people may be convicted of their sins and they assure you that one day they plan on changing. One day they plan on making it right, but they continue to say “Not yet”. So why is it necessary to repent of our sins?Repentance is so important that it is a major theme throughout the Bible. John the Baptist preached a message calling the people to repentance. Jesus began His ministry preaching “Repent of your sins and turn to God.” (Matthew 4:17) And He made clear to his disciples that “repentance and the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name beginning is Jerusalem”. (Luke 24:47 NIV)” When Jesus addressed the seven churches is the book of Revelation eight times he challenged them to “repent”. The most important thing that we can learn is that there is an absolute necessity for repentance. And repentance is not just a one-time event that we do, but it is something we do on a regular basis. There is a need for repentance because we all have sinned and are in need of forgiveness. There is a need for repentance because there is an alternative to repentance that we want no part of.Jesus was asked by some Jews if some people who were murdered by Pilate and some who died when a tower fell on them, were “worse sinners than others’, He answered “Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.” And then said again, “No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”” (See Luke 13:1-5) Peter told the people at Pentecost “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God......” (Acts 2:38) Sounds like repentance may be kinda’ important!We are sinners in need of forgiveness, and that forgiveness can only be obtained through our willingness to come before God and repent of our sins. It is important for us to realize that repentance is an individual thing that is necessary for everyone. We could have the tendency to think that “repentance isn’t for me” or “my sin is not as bad as their sin”, but regardless as to what we perceive the level of our sin, repentance is necessary for every individual. More On The Meaning of Repentance Repentance is not…1. Just Being Sorry or Feeling GuiltyThis situation with Judas is interesting. Matthew wrote, “When Judas, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse.” Judas tried to give back the money he was paid for betraying Jesus and even said, “I have sinned,” (Matthew 27:3-4) Now, many times this type of feeling of remorse can lead to true repentance, but for Judas it remained just a feeling of guilt and sorrow over wrongdoings. If Judas had been truly repentant he would have gone back to Jesus and would have asked forgiveness rather than committing suicide. He was sorry, but not sincerely repentant. Sorrow can be good but it is not the same as repentance.
There are people filled with guilt and sorrow, but then when they learn that some sort of change is expected in response, they don’t like it too much. Of course they may have been sincere in their sorrow, but there was absolutely no repentance. Often times they are not repentant and sorry that they did what they did, but they are sorry that they got caught. Now sometimes it does take our sin being exposed before we come to conviction over sin, but that doesn’t equal repentance. 2. Done to Escape Consequences Sometimes we show remorse and offer change because we feel we have no other choice. Repentance is a choice we make, but we do it because we want to get right with God not because we don’t want to be in trouble or face consequences. Many times people say they are repentant over their sin because they hope that simply saying they are sorry will remove the earthly consequences for their sin, but that is not real repentance.3. Admitting You Are WrongFrom time to time all of us have been known to be wrong on something. Often times that wrongdoing requires repentance. But admitting wrong, though noble, is not the same as repenting of the wrong. Just because you admit it does not mean any repentance took place. A “good old boy” (or girl) may say, “I said I was wrong, what more do you want?” Well…the answer is we want a sincere repentance. B. Repentance is…As mentioned earlier in the lesson, is a change of the mind, a change of the heart, and a change of the will that leads to a change in action. 1. A Change of the MindRepentance begins with a change of your mind or how you think. Along with repentance, your mind should change about God, who He is and what place He will have in your life. It should change how you view other people. It should change how we regard sin. Repentance should bring about a change to where you do not want to live a lifestyle of sin because you see the consequences of sin and no longer want to displease God. 2. A Change of the Will or what you “want” to doRepentance should also involve a change of the will. What you want to do should change with real repentance. No longer do you want to please your sinful desires, but instead you want to submit to God’s will.
3. A Change of the ActionsThe most important aspect of repentance for us to grasp is that true repentance involves a life change or a change of lifestyle. Remember the story of the “prodigal son” from last week’s lesson? Throughout the Scriptures we read of people’s sins and mistakes, but along with that we also see many instances of a true and sincere repentance. There is a VERY positive effect of sincere repentance of sin. There is joy in knowing our sins have been forgiven. “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!”(Psalm 32:1) “... if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness”. (1 John 1:9) And I really like this scripture, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12). And this is really big since this was written by David who had broken just about all of God’s commandments. Just a note here to mention that David still had to suffer some serious earthly consequences of his sins!
We need to understand that we, on our own, are not capable of the kind of repentance discussed in this lesson. Only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us how to achieve this! But when we allow the Spirit to lead us to repentance, He will begin to produce in us a new understanding of the glory of Christ. And he'll make it known to everyone around us!
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 11, 2010
It’s No Mistake, It’s the “S” Word
Sin. It’s such a pesky word. We don’t like to use it anymore. When your kids do something wrong, you don’t call them and say, "You sinned." You know, you don’t use that word. Or, imagine how weird it would be if you really mess up at work and your boss calls you in and says, "You sinned against the company." Or, if you are pulled over for something, the police don’t use the S-word. It’s like, you broke the law; you violated something. You get a “past due” letter – there may be some harsh words in it but you won’t find the S-word, will you?
Sin makes us think of God. Sin makes us think of judgment. Sin would mean there’s some giant set of “rules” out there, and I’m accountable and if I’ve broken those laws or those rules that God has set up, then I’m in big trouble because I’m accountable. There might be a judgment and I might have to beg for forgiveness. Or, probably, if there’s such a thing as sin, that I’m going to be punished, right?
Here’s what the dictionary says the definition for sin is: "Sin is a transgression [and here it is] of divine law." That’s why you don’t tell your kids, "You’ve sinned against me." It’s a transgression of divine law, which means there’s like a divine person or God or something that has a law. "Any act regarded as such a transgression, especially, [here it is] a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle."
So, sin means I did it on purpose. Sin means it was willful. You know, I planned this and I did this. Sin means I knew it was wrong when I did it, and that doesn’t make me feel very good about myself. In fact, if I have sins, then after a while I think I’m kind of a bad person. So, we don’t use that word. We like to say: "I just made a mistake.”
Now let’s read the definition of mistake. "A mistake [you gotta love this] is an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment [and check this out] caused by poor reasoning." "Oh, I just wasn’t thinking straight" (carelessness) or "Oh, I didn’t see that" (insufficient knowledge). "Well, I didn’t know any better," etc. See, this is a lot better word, because when you catch me, I can say, "Ah, my bad! My mistake."
And then if you kind of get a little forceful and if it’s you and your husband or your wife, friend or co-worker and you’re having an argument, you can say something like, "Okay, okay. So I made a mistake. Is that the end of the world? Nobody’s perfect.”
So let’s just take every possible, imaginable, bad thing we can do and let’s just dumb it down to where it’s just a mistake."
"Okay, spouse/friend/boss/coworker/etc., you caught me in a lie or whatever. Okay, so you caught me. Okay, okay. I’m sorry. It was a mistake. Can we just move on in our relationship?" "Okay, the expense account thing. I’m sorry, because I can say I’m sorry. It was a mistake. Can we just keep that in the category of mistake, which means you can’t hold this against me; you can’t punish me because, after all, nobody’s perfect. I made a mistake. I’ll try harder next time."
There’s a big, big difference between sin and mistake. Mistake, I don’t really have to ask you to forgive me. I can just say, "I’m sorry, okay? Can we just move on?" But Sin, now that’s a different thing altogether, I’m accountable. But if everything I do wrong can kind of be dumbed down to where it’s just a mistake, then that makes me a mistaker, which means I don’t have sin.
But if I’m a sinner, then I probably owe somebody something. I probably deserve something I don’t even really want to think about. If I’m a sinner, trying harder isn’t going to help me. If I’m a sinner, I need a Savior. But, if I’m not a sinner, I don’t have any need for a Savior.
The problem is that we know ourselves and we know better. When you’re looking at yourself in the mirror, you know the truth. You know that it wasn’t unintentional. You did that on purpose. You just didn’t think you’d get caught. Not only did you do it on purpose, you’ve done it before. Not only did you do it before, you’re hoping you can do it again. And the only problem was that somebody brought it to your attention. You were just able to pass it off and say let’s go on and move on with your relationship or whatever it is, but you know in your heart that what you did was more than a mistake. It was not unintentional. It wasn’t because of a bad calculation, or it wasn’t because of poor reasoning. It wasn’t careless. It wasn’t because of insufficient knowledge. You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew exactly what you were doing when you did it. It wasn’t a mistake. It was, uh oh, here its comes, SIN!
And then what about guilt? You see, we don’t need to feel guilty about a mistake, do we? You know a mistake is a mistake. We didn’t mean to. We didn’t have enough information. Well, sort of--in a way, it wasn’t even our fault. We weren’t informed enough. We weren’t paying close attention. Whatever it was, we don’t feel guilty for a mistake. However, we feel guilty for sin. But if there’s no sin and we’re not a sinner, and there’s no need for a Savior, where is all that guilt coming from?
After all, if it was just a mistake, there shouldn’t be any of that. But it is, and here’s why: because culture may tell you you’re just a mistaker who makes mistakes, but if you’re honest with yourself, you know it’s deeper than that, because you’re a sinner who sins.
Now speaking of a Savior, Jesus came with two messages: #1: You’re a sinner; you’re in trouble. You’re hopelessly lost. #2: God loves sinners and has sent a Savior, Me, to find you.
And here’s the rub! Until we embrace the fact that we’re a sinner, we’re not open to embracing the fact that God sent us a Savior. As long as we think we are a mistaker, we don’t feel the need of the Savior! But we have to finally come to grips with the fact that no, we don’t accidentally do things. There’s something fundamentally wrong with you and with me. And we need a Savior to fix this “thing”.
Once we recognize/confess/admit/understand that we have sinned there is some Good News.
Perhaps one of the most well known stories Jesus told was about the prodigal son. In this story, Jesus makes it really clear that the father in the story represents God and the son represents all of us, people who’ve strayed from God. And the story was told to help people understand what God’s attitude toward sin was.
Do you remember the story? The son comes to the father and says, "Dad, I wish you were dead (He didn’t say that, but that’s what he communicates.) because then I’d get half of your . . . I’d get my inheritance, but now I’ve got to wait till you die. Would you just pretend like you’re dead and go ahead and give me half of your inheritance?" That’s what he was saying. He insulted his father, took half of his father’s estate, went to the city, to the town, and blew it on wild women and partying and just had the time of his life for several weeks or months. We don’t know how long it went on. But he finally spent all his money. There was a famine in the land. He had to go get a job. And one day he realized, "You know what? I should go work for my dad. I mean, I’m not going to go back and try to be a son again. That’s over, okay, because, after all, I mean, there’s no way he’s going to take me back as a son. But, you know, the guys that work for my dad? They get treated better than they’re treating me here in the city. I’ll just go back and ask my dad for a job."
And he comes up with this speech, and he rehearses this speech. And here’s what he says when he gets to his father. Listen to these words, because Jesus is telling this story so we understand God’s reaction to sin and how God views sinners who are coming back. This is in Luke Chapter 15, verse 21. Just listen to this: "Father, I have [what’s the word?] sinned." In other words, he didn’t say, "Dad, I’m back, dude. How’s it going? You know, things didn’t go too good. Hey, I made a few mistakes. I’m young and stupid, okay? I should have known better. I should’ve listened. Can we just kind of move on, ’cause, okay, I made some mistakes, alright? I’m embarrassed, but can we just move on?" Uh-uh. He says, "Dad, I have sinned against heaven and against you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son." In other words, "Dad, I’m here to say you don’t owe me anything. I’m pleading for mercy because I’m a sinner."
It is very important to note here that the father did not go and bring the son back. The son realized what a mess he had gotten into and came “humbly” back to the father and confessed he was sinner!
Now what did the father say? "’Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.’"
"Why so quick? Shouldn’t we let him grovel here a little bit?" "No, quick. Listen, Now that he’s recognized that he messed up, I want this relationship restored as quickly as possible.
And this is how it is in our relationship with God through our Savior, Jesus Christ -- the sooner you and I admit our sinfulness, the sooner we ask forgiveness, the sooner we have a “change of heart” (repent) about what we’ve done, (another lesson, another day!) the sooner you and I are candidates for God’s grace. The sooner we see our misdeeds as sin, the sooner we are, the closer we are, to knowing what it feels like to be forgiven. And reestablish our relationship with our FATHER!
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Sin makes us think of God. Sin makes us think of judgment. Sin would mean there’s some giant set of “rules” out there, and I’m accountable and if I’ve broken those laws or those rules that God has set up, then I’m in big trouble because I’m accountable. There might be a judgment and I might have to beg for forgiveness. Or, probably, if there’s such a thing as sin, that I’m going to be punished, right?
Here’s what the dictionary says the definition for sin is: "Sin is a transgression [and here it is] of divine law." That’s why you don’t tell your kids, "You’ve sinned against me." It’s a transgression of divine law, which means there’s like a divine person or God or something that has a law. "Any act regarded as such a transgression, especially, [here it is] a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle."
So, sin means I did it on purpose. Sin means it was willful. You know, I planned this and I did this. Sin means I knew it was wrong when I did it, and that doesn’t make me feel very good about myself. In fact, if I have sins, then after a while I think I’m kind of a bad person. So, we don’t use that word. We like to say: "I just made a mistake.”
Now let’s read the definition of mistake. "A mistake [you gotta love this] is an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment [and check this out] caused by poor reasoning." "Oh, I just wasn’t thinking straight" (carelessness) or "Oh, I didn’t see that" (insufficient knowledge). "Well, I didn’t know any better," etc. See, this is a lot better word, because when you catch me, I can say, "Ah, my bad! My mistake."
And then if you kind of get a little forceful and if it’s you and your husband or your wife, friend or co-worker and you’re having an argument, you can say something like, "Okay, okay. So I made a mistake. Is that the end of the world? Nobody’s perfect.”
So let’s just take every possible, imaginable, bad thing we can do and let’s just dumb it down to where it’s just a mistake."
"Okay, spouse/friend/boss/coworker/etc., you caught me in a lie or whatever. Okay, so you caught me. Okay, okay. I’m sorry. It was a mistake. Can we just move on in our relationship?" "Okay, the expense account thing. I’m sorry, because I can say I’m sorry. It was a mistake. Can we just keep that in the category of mistake, which means you can’t hold this against me; you can’t punish me because, after all, nobody’s perfect. I made a mistake. I’ll try harder next time."
There’s a big, big difference between sin and mistake. Mistake, I don’t really have to ask you to forgive me. I can just say, "I’m sorry, okay? Can we just move on?" But Sin, now that’s a different thing altogether, I’m accountable. But if everything I do wrong can kind of be dumbed down to where it’s just a mistake, then that makes me a mistaker, which means I don’t have sin.
But if I’m a sinner, then I probably owe somebody something. I probably deserve something I don’t even really want to think about. If I’m a sinner, trying harder isn’t going to help me. If I’m a sinner, I need a Savior. But, if I’m not a sinner, I don’t have any need for a Savior.
The problem is that we know ourselves and we know better. When you’re looking at yourself in the mirror, you know the truth. You know that it wasn’t unintentional. You did that on purpose. You just didn’t think you’d get caught. Not only did you do it on purpose, you’ve done it before. Not only did you do it before, you’re hoping you can do it again. And the only problem was that somebody brought it to your attention. You were just able to pass it off and say let’s go on and move on with your relationship or whatever it is, but you know in your heart that what you did was more than a mistake. It was not unintentional. It wasn’t because of a bad calculation, or it wasn’t because of poor reasoning. It wasn’t careless. It wasn’t because of insufficient knowledge. You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew exactly what you were doing when you did it. It wasn’t a mistake. It was, uh oh, here its comes, SIN!
And then what about guilt? You see, we don’t need to feel guilty about a mistake, do we? You know a mistake is a mistake. We didn’t mean to. We didn’t have enough information. Well, sort of--in a way, it wasn’t even our fault. We weren’t informed enough. We weren’t paying close attention. Whatever it was, we don’t feel guilty for a mistake. However, we feel guilty for sin. But if there’s no sin and we’re not a sinner, and there’s no need for a Savior, where is all that guilt coming from?
After all, if it was just a mistake, there shouldn’t be any of that. But it is, and here’s why: because culture may tell you you’re just a mistaker who makes mistakes, but if you’re honest with yourself, you know it’s deeper than that, because you’re a sinner who sins.
Now speaking of a Savior, Jesus came with two messages: #1: You’re a sinner; you’re in trouble. You’re hopelessly lost. #2: God loves sinners and has sent a Savior, Me, to find you.
And here’s the rub! Until we embrace the fact that we’re a sinner, we’re not open to embracing the fact that God sent us a Savior. As long as we think we are a mistaker, we don’t feel the need of the Savior! But we have to finally come to grips with the fact that no, we don’t accidentally do things. There’s something fundamentally wrong with you and with me. And we need a Savior to fix this “thing”.
Once we recognize/confess/admit/understand that we have sinned there is some Good News.
Perhaps one of the most well known stories Jesus told was about the prodigal son. In this story, Jesus makes it really clear that the father in the story represents God and the son represents all of us, people who’ve strayed from God. And the story was told to help people understand what God’s attitude toward sin was.
Do you remember the story? The son comes to the father and says, "Dad, I wish you were dead (He didn’t say that, but that’s what he communicates.) because then I’d get half of your . . . I’d get my inheritance, but now I’ve got to wait till you die. Would you just pretend like you’re dead and go ahead and give me half of your inheritance?" That’s what he was saying. He insulted his father, took half of his father’s estate, went to the city, to the town, and blew it on wild women and partying and just had the time of his life for several weeks or months. We don’t know how long it went on. But he finally spent all his money. There was a famine in the land. He had to go get a job. And one day he realized, "You know what? I should go work for my dad. I mean, I’m not going to go back and try to be a son again. That’s over, okay, because, after all, I mean, there’s no way he’s going to take me back as a son. But, you know, the guys that work for my dad? They get treated better than they’re treating me here in the city. I’ll just go back and ask my dad for a job."
And he comes up with this speech, and he rehearses this speech. And here’s what he says when he gets to his father. Listen to these words, because Jesus is telling this story so we understand God’s reaction to sin and how God views sinners who are coming back. This is in Luke Chapter 15, verse 21. Just listen to this: "Father, I have [what’s the word?] sinned." In other words, he didn’t say, "Dad, I’m back, dude. How’s it going? You know, things didn’t go too good. Hey, I made a few mistakes. I’m young and stupid, okay? I should have known better. I should’ve listened. Can we just kind of move on, ’cause, okay, I made some mistakes, alright? I’m embarrassed, but can we just move on?" Uh-uh. He says, "Dad, I have sinned against heaven and against you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son." In other words, "Dad, I’m here to say you don’t owe me anything. I’m pleading for mercy because I’m a sinner."
It is very important to note here that the father did not go and bring the son back. The son realized what a mess he had gotten into and came “humbly” back to the father and confessed he was sinner!
Now what did the father say? "’Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him.’"
"Why so quick? Shouldn’t we let him grovel here a little bit?" "No, quick. Listen, Now that he’s recognized that he messed up, I want this relationship restored as quickly as possible.
And this is how it is in our relationship with God through our Savior, Jesus Christ -- the sooner you and I admit our sinfulness, the sooner we ask forgiveness, the sooner we have a “change of heart” (repent) about what we’ve done, (another lesson, another day!) the sooner you and I are candidates for God’s grace. The sooner we see our misdeeds as sin, the sooner we are, the closer we are, to knowing what it feels like to be forgiven. And reestablish our relationship with our FATHER!
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
How to Wrestle in Prayer
When something bad happens, don't just throw out a few brief prayers for God's help, and then move on in discouragement if the situation doesn't change for the better. God wants you to wrestle with Him in prayer. By grabbing hold of God's promises and fighting to see them activated on Earth, we can help expand God's kingdom in our fallen world.
Here's how you can help fulfill God's purposes by wrestling in prayer for them to become realities in this world:
Don't accept defeat. Be aware that evil wants to attack you constantly and pull you into despair that will lead to spiritual defeat. Peter writes: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8. Guard yourself from evil through prayer every day. Rely on the Holy Spirit's power to stand up and fight against Satan's intentions for your life. If you remain constantly on guard against evil, you'll emerge victorious and empowered to become offensive, rather than defensive, in the spiritual realm.
Build your faith. The writer of Hebrews says: “..it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6). Ask God to give you the faith you need to confidently trust that He will keep His promises, no matter what circumstances you face. Believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Surround yourself with Christians who have strong faith - people who believe that God is as big as He says He is, and who have personally experienced His mighty power and faithfulness in their own lives. Aim to build a faith that is unwavering, stouthearted, persistent, and immovable. Fully expect God to respond to your prayers.
Remove roadblocks to prayer. Paul tells the church as Thessalonica to “Never stop praying”. (1 Thessalonians 5) Get rid of habits in your life that appeal to selfishness and give your time and attention fully to the work of God within you. Eliminate activities that interfere with you giving your best focus to prayer every day. Ask God to show you when you typically yield to selfish whims and desires during each day. Then pray for the strength to yield to the Holy Spirit's urgings at those times and in those situations, so you'll develop a habit of listening to God rather than just following your own agenda. Make regular appointments with God to pray, and follow through, whether or not you feel like praying at the time.
Break free from sin that tries to control you. The great Apostle Paul wrote about himself, “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (Romans 7: 14b-15) Pray for the strength you need to overcome whatever sin you repeatedly struggle with, such as lust, pride, fear, greed, doubt, gossip, or bitterness. Ask God to renew your mind and spirit. Get rid of sinful habits that interfere with your prayers, block the intimacy God wants you to have with Him, and gives Satan a vulnerable point through which to attack you. Repent of the sin or wrong habits that God brings to your attention, and ask Him to cleanse you from them.
Rely on God's strength. In John 16:33, Jesus told His followers, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” You'll never lose a battle when you fight with God's strength flowing through you. So don't rely just on your own limited strength; pray for God to empower you to do battle in every situation through His Spirit working in you. When God anoints you with His power, you'll be able to look at life from His perspective, courageously fight evil, and share the Gospel message with confidence.
Ask properly. When asking God for something in prayer, do so in the ways He prescribes in the Bible. Approach God with pure motives, seeking answers that reflect His will, rather than trying to convince God to follow your own agenda. To identify any faulty patterns in your prayer life, ask yourself: "Am I praying merely for my own comforts and desires?", "Do I ever pray when things are going well, or only when I'm in dire need?", "Is my motive in prayer my own happiness, or God's glory?", "Do I pray with an attitude of doubt, just going through the motions of prayer because it's the spiritual thing to do?" Repent of any wrong attitudes and ask God to help you approach prayer differently. Avoid misguided, selfish, and doubting prayers. Instead, aim to pray in alignment with God's will and remember that He wants the best for you. “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14-15)
Don't just talk - listen. Realize that prayer is more about listening to God than it is talking to Him. Train yourself to focus on God's messages to you. Learn how to be still and pay attention to Him speaking.
Make more time for prayer. Evaluate your sleep schedule, leisure activities, and work schedule to see what change you might make to allow yourself more time to pray regularly. Stop wasting time on trivial activities (like watching too much TV at night) so you'll have more time available for prayer.
Learn more about prayer. Ask God to teach you more about how He wants you to pray. Read respected books about prayer. Study the lives of some great Christian heroes and heroines and see what you can learn about prayer from their examples.
Pray with tenacity. Be persistent, praying until God gives you answers. Don't give up praying about a situation until God's power comes into it. Remember, “Never stop praying”
Pray audacious prayers. Don't hesitate to pray for big things that only God can do. Invite Him to do something incredibly powerful in each situation that you bring before Him. Expect Him to do much more than you could even ask or think on your own.
BUT, the real key to prayer is to pray as Christ would pray. This means that prayer is not bending God's arm to give us what we want. Prayer is the means whereby the Christian aligns his/her will to the will of God. Prayer is not asking God to move towards us as much as it is asking God to move us towards Him.
Why is this so difficult? What hinders us from praying as Christ would pray? What hinders us is our self-centeredness. What hinders us is that we all have our own agendas. What hinders us is that we always want to be in control. We want to choose everything from our career, to our friends, to our belief system. God insists, however, that we choose our paths according to His will, and on His terms.
Is God being a tyrant by demanding that we carry out His will? No. In fact, demanding that His will be done is a demonstration of God's great love for us. If God is, as we confess, all-powerful, infinitely wise, and perfectly holy, then doing God's will is for our own benefit! Doing God's will is far better, and in the long run, far safer, than doing our own will.
Here's how you can help fulfill God's purposes by wrestling in prayer for them to become realities in this world:
Don't accept defeat. Be aware that evil wants to attack you constantly and pull you into despair that will lead to spiritual defeat. Peter writes: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8. Guard yourself from evil through prayer every day. Rely on the Holy Spirit's power to stand up and fight against Satan's intentions for your life. If you remain constantly on guard against evil, you'll emerge victorious and empowered to become offensive, rather than defensive, in the spiritual realm.
Build your faith. The writer of Hebrews says: “..it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6). Ask God to give you the faith you need to confidently trust that He will keep His promises, no matter what circumstances you face. Believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Surround yourself with Christians who have strong faith - people who believe that God is as big as He says He is, and who have personally experienced His mighty power and faithfulness in their own lives. Aim to build a faith that is unwavering, stouthearted, persistent, and immovable. Fully expect God to respond to your prayers.
Remove roadblocks to prayer. Paul tells the church as Thessalonica to “Never stop praying”. (1 Thessalonians 5) Get rid of habits in your life that appeal to selfishness and give your time and attention fully to the work of God within you. Eliminate activities that interfere with you giving your best focus to prayer every day. Ask God to show you when you typically yield to selfish whims and desires during each day. Then pray for the strength to yield to the Holy Spirit's urgings at those times and in those situations, so you'll develop a habit of listening to God rather than just following your own agenda. Make regular appointments with God to pray, and follow through, whether or not you feel like praying at the time.
Break free from sin that tries to control you. The great Apostle Paul wrote about himself, “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (Romans 7: 14b-15) Pray for the strength you need to overcome whatever sin you repeatedly struggle with, such as lust, pride, fear, greed, doubt, gossip, or bitterness. Ask God to renew your mind and spirit. Get rid of sinful habits that interfere with your prayers, block the intimacy God wants you to have with Him, and gives Satan a vulnerable point through which to attack you. Repent of the sin or wrong habits that God brings to your attention, and ask Him to cleanse you from them.
Rely on God's strength. In John 16:33, Jesus told His followers, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” You'll never lose a battle when you fight with God's strength flowing through you. So don't rely just on your own limited strength; pray for God to empower you to do battle in every situation through His Spirit working in you. When God anoints you with His power, you'll be able to look at life from His perspective, courageously fight evil, and share the Gospel message with confidence.
Ask properly. When asking God for something in prayer, do so in the ways He prescribes in the Bible. Approach God with pure motives, seeking answers that reflect His will, rather than trying to convince God to follow your own agenda. To identify any faulty patterns in your prayer life, ask yourself: "Am I praying merely for my own comforts and desires?", "Do I ever pray when things are going well, or only when I'm in dire need?", "Is my motive in prayer my own happiness, or God's glory?", "Do I pray with an attitude of doubt, just going through the motions of prayer because it's the spiritual thing to do?" Repent of any wrong attitudes and ask God to help you approach prayer differently. Avoid misguided, selfish, and doubting prayers. Instead, aim to pray in alignment with God's will and remember that He wants the best for you. “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14-15)
Don't just talk - listen. Realize that prayer is more about listening to God than it is talking to Him. Train yourself to focus on God's messages to you. Learn how to be still and pay attention to Him speaking.
Make more time for prayer. Evaluate your sleep schedule, leisure activities, and work schedule to see what change you might make to allow yourself more time to pray regularly. Stop wasting time on trivial activities (like watching too much TV at night) so you'll have more time available for prayer.
Learn more about prayer. Ask God to teach you more about how He wants you to pray. Read respected books about prayer. Study the lives of some great Christian heroes and heroines and see what you can learn about prayer from their examples.
Pray with tenacity. Be persistent, praying until God gives you answers. Don't give up praying about a situation until God's power comes into it. Remember, “Never stop praying”
Pray audacious prayers. Don't hesitate to pray for big things that only God can do. Invite Him to do something incredibly powerful in each situation that you bring before Him. Expect Him to do much more than you could even ask or think on your own.
BUT, the real key to prayer is to pray as Christ would pray. This means that prayer is not bending God's arm to give us what we want. Prayer is the means whereby the Christian aligns his/her will to the will of God. Prayer is not asking God to move towards us as much as it is asking God to move us towards Him.
Why is this so difficult? What hinders us from praying as Christ would pray? What hinders us is our self-centeredness. What hinders us is that we all have our own agendas. What hinders us is that we always want to be in control. We want to choose everything from our career, to our friends, to our belief system. God insists, however, that we choose our paths according to His will, and on His terms.
Is God being a tyrant by demanding that we carry out His will? No. In fact, demanding that His will be done is a demonstration of God's great love for us. If God is, as we confess, all-powerful, infinitely wise, and perfectly holy, then doing God's will is for our own benefit! Doing God's will is far better, and in the long run, far safer, than doing our own will.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
A Bout With The Doubts
A Bout With The Doubts
John 20:20-28
Most of us have heard about Thomas. “Doubting Thomas;” poor ol’ doubting Thomas. The guy has caught grief for 2000 years and he will probably catch grief for the next 2000 years – or until the Lord returns. To be honest, don’t you feel for the guy. Our tradition has singled him out as having an inferior faith because he actually expressed his doubt in the resurrection. He made his reservations known out-loud. And because of that he has the dubious distinction of being the poster child for skepticism. But you know what is even worse for ol’ Thomas is that most people know what a “Doubting Thomas” is even if they have never heard this biblical story. His name is simply synonymous with doubt.
But in any case, we still are left with a man who appears to have a crack in his wall of faith through which a little doubt is oozing out. And can you really blame him? What he is asked to accept is fantastic. And keep in mind he is hearing about the resurrection second hand. The other disciples had the advantage of seeing Jesus in person a few days prior. So, for Thomas, not having had the encounter with the risen Lord, this tale being spun by the delirious disciples is a bit unbelievable. Even for us who have the benefit of knowing the end of the story, this seems unreal. Like, it is not every day that we hear about folks rising from the dead. In fact, we can go out on a limb and say that it is a fairly rare event.
So, Thomas, having heard the news that the disciples saw Jesus alive, was understandable skeptical. Put yourself in Thomas’ shoes for a minute. Just like Thomas, pretend that you have never heard the story of Jesus’ resurrection. And one day, after having attended a funeral for a friend, someone comes up to you and says excitedly, “You’ll never guess who I saw at Wal-Mart today. She looks great! Man, to look at her, you’d never guess that she died last week.”Think how you would react to that. The first concern would be, whoa, this person has “lost it”. The second thought would be that whoever the friend saw must obviously bear a striking resemblance to the deceased friend. Let’s be honest. The idea that someone would be walking around after having died the previous week is so far beyond the realm of possibility that we wouldn’t even entertain the thought of it. And yet, we somehow expect Thomas to accept this news in a matter-of-fact way; like this was no surprise at all.
Poor ol’ Thomas has the become the scapegoat for the church which sometimes says that doubt is wrong; or that it is somehow less than faithful to need a sign, or a touch, or a vision, or a personal encounter. We get the impression that we are not allowed to ask the hard questions without being labeled a cynic, or a skeptic, or a liberal, or even an unbeliever! Since when are questions bad? Since when is it wrong to admit that we don’t understand everything? Since when is it wrong to ask God to clarify something? Read the account of Job, or the Psalms. Both are filled with uncertainties, complaints, and questions of God. Even Jesus while hanging on the cross cried out to God, “…….My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Thomas is just one in a long line of faithful people who have raised their voices to ask the hard yet faithful questions.Folks, faith lies in conversation. What the point here is - that faith is really what prompts the conversation. Faith is when we are willing to embrace the doubts, ask the questions, and face the answers. Faith is believing in something that is beyond our ability to comprehend it, but we are not afraid to try.
This story is a testimony to the difficulty of faith – how hard it is to believe. Faith takes work, because it puts us in uncomfortable places and begs us to ask tough questions. This story validates our need for God’s touch. It says that it is okay for us to ask questions of God and… to wish for a personal encounter. There is nothing cut-and-dried about the Christian faith. It cannot be reduced to a set of rules, where everything fits, where everything makes sense, where all we have to do is to connect the dots. That is the kind of thing the Pharisees tried to do. They tried to explain everything in a formula; to make all of life so that it could be answered by a set of rules. And if it didn’t fit within that set of rules they rejected it as heresy or blasphemy. And consequently, their hearts were closed to the renewing of Christ simply because he didn’t meet the criteria. Their unwillingness to look "outside the box" blinded them to the miracle of Jesus Christ who stood in their presence.God comes in places where we sometimes least expect it, showing us that “possibility” has nothing to do with our being able to explain it. Sometimes our faith asks us to look outside the box; to color outside the lines and to believe some things that the rest of the world says are ridiculous. Or... our faith may ask us to do things that the rest of the world says are silly.
But, like Thomas, faith begins with an encounter with Jesus. It has to begin with an encounter, because without it we are unable to believe. Without an encounter with God, the resurrection seems as silly as seeing Elvis in the grocery store buying peanuts. It is ridiculous. But an encounter with the risen Christ changes all of that. Suddenly, the absurd becomes a new reality, and rules which once governed our believing - and our dis-believing - are blurred. And even the lines between life and death, which once seemed so absolute, are crossed.
Make no mistake about it this is a story of doubt, but it is also a story of God’s ability to change that doubt into faith – not erase the doubt, but overcome it with an irresistible encounter with the impossible. Faith is that crazy thing that allows us to believe when everything else says, “impossible.”
This story is important because when we can see the possible through our own cloudy, disbelieving eyes, we suddenly can see an entire world of possibility far beyond what skepticism would allow. God has overcome the grave, and now God even overcomes those things that lead to our death – things like disbelief, fear, hatred, and narrowness.And even though this is a story of doubt, it is the miracle of faith that we are ultimately left with. Minds are opened, hearts swell with the words, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) All because of a personal touch from our Lord. Without it, we just continue to wallow around in our own doubt, or remain a hostage by the world’s rules that cling to the impossibilities.
Thomas’s reputation needs a little polishing. He really wasn’t such a bad guy. In fact, he was no different from the other disciples; he was just a week late! The other disciples also needed a personal encounter with the risen Jesus JUST AS MUCH AS THOMAS DID. Read the story again and you will see that all of them reacted with fear and disbelief at first.
Faith and understanding began only after Jesus made himself known personally to each of them. And isn’t it exactly the same for us. We remain solidly in our own doubt until the Lord breaks through the locked doors of our hearts. The miraculous news in all of this is that God searches and finds us even when we don’t want to be found. Even when we lock ourselves away from the world; even when we try to keep out the good news, Jesus comes right through that “locked” door.
We all need a personal encounter with the Lord before we can declare, “my Lord and my God.” A second-hand Jesus just will never do. We need God to break into our locked hearts and to give us that encounter.
We have all been doubting Thomas’ at some point in our lives. But it is into our doubting and searching hearts where Jesus just comes in and reveals himself to us. God knows our need for a first-hand encounter. That is why God came to us in the person of Jesus -- took on flesh so that we could see him, touch him, hear him, and be touched by him. And he died for all of us -- died on a cross, raised up for all to see. We have been given a vision of God’s sacrificial love in the person of Jesus. And we are touched by God’s Holy Spirit, who breaks through and breathes life into our faithless and doubting hearts, causing us to cry like Thomas, “my Lord and my God.”
After the Lord breaks into our hearts and we have declared “my Lord and my God,” there is a life that proceeds from that point. God calls us out of our locked rooms into the world. We are called to show our faith for the sake of others. So, when others hear our “story”, may they not simply hear words, but may they see Jesus Christ alive in our hearts and lives. The ways we love each other; the ways we respond to those in need; the ways we are responsible with all God has entrusted to us will be visible evidence of Jesus’ presence in our lives. Others will come to faith, not by what we say, but by the way we live God’s love. Be a vision of Christ for someone today. Let’s help someone have a first-hand encounter with the living Christ in the way we open our hearts to others.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
John 20:20-28
Most of us have heard about Thomas. “Doubting Thomas;” poor ol’ doubting Thomas. The guy has caught grief for 2000 years and he will probably catch grief for the next 2000 years – or until the Lord returns. To be honest, don’t you feel for the guy. Our tradition has singled him out as having an inferior faith because he actually expressed his doubt in the resurrection. He made his reservations known out-loud. And because of that he has the dubious distinction of being the poster child for skepticism. But you know what is even worse for ol’ Thomas is that most people know what a “Doubting Thomas” is even if they have never heard this biblical story. His name is simply synonymous with doubt.
But in any case, we still are left with a man who appears to have a crack in his wall of faith through which a little doubt is oozing out. And can you really blame him? What he is asked to accept is fantastic. And keep in mind he is hearing about the resurrection second hand. The other disciples had the advantage of seeing Jesus in person a few days prior. So, for Thomas, not having had the encounter with the risen Lord, this tale being spun by the delirious disciples is a bit unbelievable. Even for us who have the benefit of knowing the end of the story, this seems unreal. Like, it is not every day that we hear about folks rising from the dead. In fact, we can go out on a limb and say that it is a fairly rare event.
So, Thomas, having heard the news that the disciples saw Jesus alive, was understandable skeptical. Put yourself in Thomas’ shoes for a minute. Just like Thomas, pretend that you have never heard the story of Jesus’ resurrection. And one day, after having attended a funeral for a friend, someone comes up to you and says excitedly, “You’ll never guess who I saw at Wal-Mart today. She looks great! Man, to look at her, you’d never guess that she died last week.”Think how you would react to that. The first concern would be, whoa, this person has “lost it”. The second thought would be that whoever the friend saw must obviously bear a striking resemblance to the deceased friend. Let’s be honest. The idea that someone would be walking around after having died the previous week is so far beyond the realm of possibility that we wouldn’t even entertain the thought of it. And yet, we somehow expect Thomas to accept this news in a matter-of-fact way; like this was no surprise at all.
Poor ol’ Thomas has the become the scapegoat for the church which sometimes says that doubt is wrong; or that it is somehow less than faithful to need a sign, or a touch, or a vision, or a personal encounter. We get the impression that we are not allowed to ask the hard questions without being labeled a cynic, or a skeptic, or a liberal, or even an unbeliever! Since when are questions bad? Since when is it wrong to admit that we don’t understand everything? Since when is it wrong to ask God to clarify something? Read the account of Job, or the Psalms. Both are filled with uncertainties, complaints, and questions of God. Even Jesus while hanging on the cross cried out to God, “…….My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Thomas is just one in a long line of faithful people who have raised their voices to ask the hard yet faithful questions.Folks, faith lies in conversation. What the point here is - that faith is really what prompts the conversation. Faith is when we are willing to embrace the doubts, ask the questions, and face the answers. Faith is believing in something that is beyond our ability to comprehend it, but we are not afraid to try.
This story is a testimony to the difficulty of faith – how hard it is to believe. Faith takes work, because it puts us in uncomfortable places and begs us to ask tough questions. This story validates our need for God’s touch. It says that it is okay for us to ask questions of God and… to wish for a personal encounter. There is nothing cut-and-dried about the Christian faith. It cannot be reduced to a set of rules, where everything fits, where everything makes sense, where all we have to do is to connect the dots. That is the kind of thing the Pharisees tried to do. They tried to explain everything in a formula; to make all of life so that it could be answered by a set of rules. And if it didn’t fit within that set of rules they rejected it as heresy or blasphemy. And consequently, their hearts were closed to the renewing of Christ simply because he didn’t meet the criteria. Their unwillingness to look "outside the box" blinded them to the miracle of Jesus Christ who stood in their presence.God comes in places where we sometimes least expect it, showing us that “possibility” has nothing to do with our being able to explain it. Sometimes our faith asks us to look outside the box; to color outside the lines and to believe some things that the rest of the world says are ridiculous. Or... our faith may ask us to do things that the rest of the world says are silly.
But, like Thomas, faith begins with an encounter with Jesus. It has to begin with an encounter, because without it we are unable to believe. Without an encounter with God, the resurrection seems as silly as seeing Elvis in the grocery store buying peanuts. It is ridiculous. But an encounter with the risen Christ changes all of that. Suddenly, the absurd becomes a new reality, and rules which once governed our believing - and our dis-believing - are blurred. And even the lines between life and death, which once seemed so absolute, are crossed.
Make no mistake about it this is a story of doubt, but it is also a story of God’s ability to change that doubt into faith – not erase the doubt, but overcome it with an irresistible encounter with the impossible. Faith is that crazy thing that allows us to believe when everything else says, “impossible.”
This story is important because when we can see the possible through our own cloudy, disbelieving eyes, we suddenly can see an entire world of possibility far beyond what skepticism would allow. God has overcome the grave, and now God even overcomes those things that lead to our death – things like disbelief, fear, hatred, and narrowness.And even though this is a story of doubt, it is the miracle of faith that we are ultimately left with. Minds are opened, hearts swell with the words, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) All because of a personal touch from our Lord. Without it, we just continue to wallow around in our own doubt, or remain a hostage by the world’s rules that cling to the impossibilities.
Thomas’s reputation needs a little polishing. He really wasn’t such a bad guy. In fact, he was no different from the other disciples; he was just a week late! The other disciples also needed a personal encounter with the risen Jesus JUST AS MUCH AS THOMAS DID. Read the story again and you will see that all of them reacted with fear and disbelief at first.
Faith and understanding began only after Jesus made himself known personally to each of them. And isn’t it exactly the same for us. We remain solidly in our own doubt until the Lord breaks through the locked doors of our hearts. The miraculous news in all of this is that God searches and finds us even when we don’t want to be found. Even when we lock ourselves away from the world; even when we try to keep out the good news, Jesus comes right through that “locked” door.
We all need a personal encounter with the Lord before we can declare, “my Lord and my God.” A second-hand Jesus just will never do. We need God to break into our locked hearts and to give us that encounter.
We have all been doubting Thomas’ at some point in our lives. But it is into our doubting and searching hearts where Jesus just comes in and reveals himself to us. God knows our need for a first-hand encounter. That is why God came to us in the person of Jesus -- took on flesh so that we could see him, touch him, hear him, and be touched by him. And he died for all of us -- died on a cross, raised up for all to see. We have been given a vision of God’s sacrificial love in the person of Jesus. And we are touched by God’s Holy Spirit, who breaks through and breathes life into our faithless and doubting hearts, causing us to cry like Thomas, “my Lord and my God.”
After the Lord breaks into our hearts and we have declared “my Lord and my God,” there is a life that proceeds from that point. God calls us out of our locked rooms into the world. We are called to show our faith for the sake of others. So, when others hear our “story”, may they not simply hear words, but may they see Jesus Christ alive in our hearts and lives. The ways we love each other; the ways we respond to those in need; the ways we are responsible with all God has entrusted to us will be visible evidence of Jesus’ presence in our lives. Others will come to faith, not by what we say, but by the way we live God’s love. Be a vision of Christ for someone today. Let’s help someone have a first-hand encounter with the living Christ in the way we open our hearts to others.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Friday, February 19, 2010
This Is How It Feels To Be Led
See video and hear song by FFH at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxMdFWK65gM
So this is what if feels like to walk the wilderness. This is what if feels like to come undone.
This is what if feels like to loose my confidence, unsure of anything or anyone.
So this is what if feels like to walk the desert sand. And this is what if feels like to hear my name.
To be scared to death ‘cause I'm all alone, but feel love and peace just the same.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow.
’Cause I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
So this is what if feels like to just fall apart. To be totally unglued, to find out if I accept my brokenness, I get more of me, I get all of you.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it feels just right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this I what it feels like to be led!
So this is what if feels like to just walk away from everything I thought kept me safe,
to depend just on you for every meal and find it's better this way. Oh it's better this way
And this may not be the road I would choose for me. but it still feels right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now like I do right now. Like I feel right now.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
This is what if feels like to be led. So this is what if feels like.
How many of us really like to be “led”?
"It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD" (Zech. 4:6). It is His Spirit that accomplishes the work, not our strength. As we allow His Spirit to lead us, more is accomplished than we could ever do in our own strength.
For God to work through us to accomplish His will, we need to learn how to be led by the Spirit of God. And this don’t mean being led on the major issues only, but on each and every decision we make. Even as small as what clothes we wear, and what gas station we stop in. That's how involved God wants to become in our lives. And often, we really will feel that “this may not be the road I would choose for me”. And this makes us uncomfortable! Really now, depend on Him for every meal?
When the nation of Israel was led out of Egypt, "The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night" (Ex. 13:21 It is easier to follow when there is a visible leading like that. But, we have the Spirit of God living inside of us now and if we learn to let Him lead us this will be even a even better guide for us to follow.
Paul said in Romans 8:14 " For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Therefore, being led by the Spirit is a quality of the children of God. Who are the children of God? We are of course. "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12).
Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit right from the start of His earthly ministry. "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. (Matt 4:1; Luke 4:1). Jesus is to be our example.
But wait, what if I don't want to be led by the Spirit? After all, if I let the Holy Spirit lead me around all the time, He might make me do things that I don't want to. I'd end up acting strange maybe even “peculiar” as the Bible says, and nobody would want to be around me. Not around peculiar folks!
In one sense, that's true. When we let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, He will take us out of our comfort zone, and make us do some things that we don't really want to do. It's only through our obedience to the Spirit in allowing Him to take us out of our comfort zone that we will grow. We need to always be trying to become more like Jesus. So, we need to learn to do some things we've never done before. That requires taking some risks, not wild risks, but Spirit led risks.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are to make Him Lord over our lives. As Lord, He has a right to everything we are.
Unlike man, God will never abuse that right. Although the Spirit of God leads us so that His purposes may be accomplished, He doesn't use us. When someone uses another, they take something out of them. Whenever God works through us, he imparts something into us.
It is His purposes that are important:
• Some of His purposes are to our benefit.
• Some of His purposes are to help us grow in Him.
• Some of His purposes are for other's benefit.
• Some of His purposes we will never see the result of.
No matter what, by allowing Him to work His will through us, we are blessed.
So, how do we accomplish this? First, we need to understand what it means to be led by the Spirit. If you take a small child into a shopping mall, you hold their hand. They don’t always like this. But you have to, otherwise they might wander off, and get lost. That's what being led by the Spirit is. Allowing Him to lead us by the hand. That way, He can show us where to go, what's safe to do, and keep us away from what is dangerous. But we don’t always like this!
Just as that child is led by its father, our heavenly Father desires to lead us. Just like that small child is led by the parent all the time, so the Spirit wants to lead us all the time. It doesn't do any good to let the Spirit lead us sometimes, then go off on our own and get into trouble.
To be led by the Spirit, we need to hear what the Spirit says. A baby only a couple of weeks old will recognize the sound of its mother's and father's voices. Why? Because that child has heard those voices, and learned that they belong to people who love and care for it. Unfortunately for us, we have more distractions getting in the way of our learning the sound of God's voice. But, if we will take the time to be quiet and listen, we will find that He is talking to us.
It isn't necessary to "be spiritual" to talk to God, just talk to Him. Ask His opinion, He'll be glad to tell it to you, and you can be sure He has an opinion (the right opinion) on everything. Don't just wait for "spiritual" issues to talk to Him, our God is a practical God, concerned with our everyday lives.
God will also use circumstances to lead and guide us. Open and closed doors at the right time are a possible sign from Him. But be careful, Satan can open a door too. When a door opens, we need to ask God if it is the right one. Otherwise, we can walk into an ambush, instead of a blessing.
There are some requirements for being led by the Spirit.
Availability - This is the number one requirement to be led by the Spirit. If we are so busy with our own life, that we don't have time for Him, when will He be able to talk to us? It may take some rearranging of what we think are our priorities for us to become available.
Relationship - Have you ever tried to give advice to someone you don't know. You can be assured, they won't take it. We're no different. Without a true relationship, we're not going to listen to what the Spirit has to say to us. We won't even be able to recognize His voice.
When we are saved, we gain a relationship with the Lord. But He desires for that relationship to continue to grow, until we truly know Him.
We must endeavor to make the Holy Spirit comfortable in our presence. If you work with people who talk about things you aren't interested in, you probably don't spend much extra time with them. Why should we expect God to do otherwise? If all we speak is unbelief and fear, why should He hang around to hear it?
Obedience - If we make ourselves available and listen, God will speak to us. Then we have to do something with what He says. It doesn't matter if we like what He told us or not. In fact, we probably won't. What matters is that we obey.
Taking Chances - When a child learns to walk, they have to take chances. Then when they learn to talk, they have to take more chances. In fact, everything we learn requires us to take chances. And the process of learning includes making mistakes.
When we are learning how to be led by the Spirit, there's a good chance we'll think He said something that He didn't. That's okay, go with it anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to make a mistake in doing more than God said than in doing less than God said? But usually, when we go in the direction that is in God's favor, we've gone the right direction.
Swimming Upstream - For some reason, trying to do what God says may bring opposition. Some well meaning “saint”, who's never themselves taken a chance, will be glad to "straighten you out." It's amazing how Christians can be used by the enemy sometimes.
One of the biggest problems in the church today is complacency. We reach a "comfort zone" in our walk, and don't want to go any farther. Worse than that, we don't want anyone else to go farther, either.
If God's told you something, go with it. Don't listen to man's wisdom, even if it comes from another Christian. If you are earnestly seeking Him, and trying to do His will, He won't let you get off track. You might start to veer off a little from time to time, but He will get you right back on.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
So this is what if feels like to walk the wilderness. This is what if feels like to come undone.
This is what if feels like to loose my confidence, unsure of anything or anyone.
So this is what if feels like to walk the desert sand. And this is what if feels like to hear my name.
To be scared to death ‘cause I'm all alone, but feel love and peace just the same.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow.
’Cause I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
So this is what if feels like to just fall apart. To be totally unglued, to find out if I accept my brokenness, I get more of me, I get all of you.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it feels just right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this I what it feels like to be led!
So this is what if feels like to just walk away from everything I thought kept me safe,
to depend just on you for every meal and find it's better this way. Oh it's better this way
And this may not be the road I would choose for me. but it still feels right somehow.
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now like I do right now. Like I feel right now.
And this may not be the road I would choose for me but it still feels right somehow
And I have never felt you as close to me as I do right now. So this is what if feels like to be led.
This is what if feels like to be led. So this is what if feels like.
How many of us really like to be “led”?
"It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD" (Zech. 4:6). It is His Spirit that accomplishes the work, not our strength. As we allow His Spirit to lead us, more is accomplished than we could ever do in our own strength.
For God to work through us to accomplish His will, we need to learn how to be led by the Spirit of God. And this don’t mean being led on the major issues only, but on each and every decision we make. Even as small as what clothes we wear, and what gas station we stop in. That's how involved God wants to become in our lives. And often, we really will feel that “this may not be the road I would choose for me”. And this makes us uncomfortable! Really now, depend on Him for every meal?
When the nation of Israel was led out of Egypt, "The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night" (Ex. 13:21 It is easier to follow when there is a visible leading like that. But, we have the Spirit of God living inside of us now and if we learn to let Him lead us this will be even a even better guide for us to follow.
Paul said in Romans 8:14 " For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Therefore, being led by the Spirit is a quality of the children of God. Who are the children of God? We are of course. "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12).
Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit right from the start of His earthly ministry. "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. (Matt 4:1; Luke 4:1). Jesus is to be our example.
But wait, what if I don't want to be led by the Spirit? After all, if I let the Holy Spirit lead me around all the time, He might make me do things that I don't want to. I'd end up acting strange maybe even “peculiar” as the Bible says, and nobody would want to be around me. Not around peculiar folks!
In one sense, that's true. When we let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us, He will take us out of our comfort zone, and make us do some things that we don't really want to do. It's only through our obedience to the Spirit in allowing Him to take us out of our comfort zone that we will grow. We need to always be trying to become more like Jesus. So, we need to learn to do some things we've never done before. That requires taking some risks, not wild risks, but Spirit led risks.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are to make Him Lord over our lives. As Lord, He has a right to everything we are.
Unlike man, God will never abuse that right. Although the Spirit of God leads us so that His purposes may be accomplished, He doesn't use us. When someone uses another, they take something out of them. Whenever God works through us, he imparts something into us.
It is His purposes that are important:
• Some of His purposes are to our benefit.
• Some of His purposes are to help us grow in Him.
• Some of His purposes are for other's benefit.
• Some of His purposes we will never see the result of.
No matter what, by allowing Him to work His will through us, we are blessed.
So, how do we accomplish this? First, we need to understand what it means to be led by the Spirit. If you take a small child into a shopping mall, you hold their hand. They don’t always like this. But you have to, otherwise they might wander off, and get lost. That's what being led by the Spirit is. Allowing Him to lead us by the hand. That way, He can show us where to go, what's safe to do, and keep us away from what is dangerous. But we don’t always like this!
Just as that child is led by its father, our heavenly Father desires to lead us. Just like that small child is led by the parent all the time, so the Spirit wants to lead us all the time. It doesn't do any good to let the Spirit lead us sometimes, then go off on our own and get into trouble.
To be led by the Spirit, we need to hear what the Spirit says. A baby only a couple of weeks old will recognize the sound of its mother's and father's voices. Why? Because that child has heard those voices, and learned that they belong to people who love and care for it. Unfortunately for us, we have more distractions getting in the way of our learning the sound of God's voice. But, if we will take the time to be quiet and listen, we will find that He is talking to us.
It isn't necessary to "be spiritual" to talk to God, just talk to Him. Ask His opinion, He'll be glad to tell it to you, and you can be sure He has an opinion (the right opinion) on everything. Don't just wait for "spiritual" issues to talk to Him, our God is a practical God, concerned with our everyday lives.
God will also use circumstances to lead and guide us. Open and closed doors at the right time are a possible sign from Him. But be careful, Satan can open a door too. When a door opens, we need to ask God if it is the right one. Otherwise, we can walk into an ambush, instead of a blessing.
There are some requirements for being led by the Spirit.
Availability - This is the number one requirement to be led by the Spirit. If we are so busy with our own life, that we don't have time for Him, when will He be able to talk to us? It may take some rearranging of what we think are our priorities for us to become available.
Relationship - Have you ever tried to give advice to someone you don't know. You can be assured, they won't take it. We're no different. Without a true relationship, we're not going to listen to what the Spirit has to say to us. We won't even be able to recognize His voice.
When we are saved, we gain a relationship with the Lord. But He desires for that relationship to continue to grow, until we truly know Him.
We must endeavor to make the Holy Spirit comfortable in our presence. If you work with people who talk about things you aren't interested in, you probably don't spend much extra time with them. Why should we expect God to do otherwise? If all we speak is unbelief and fear, why should He hang around to hear it?
Obedience - If we make ourselves available and listen, God will speak to us. Then we have to do something with what He says. It doesn't matter if we like what He told us or not. In fact, we probably won't. What matters is that we obey.
Taking Chances - When a child learns to walk, they have to take chances. Then when they learn to talk, they have to take more chances. In fact, everything we learn requires us to take chances. And the process of learning includes making mistakes.
When we are learning how to be led by the Spirit, there's a good chance we'll think He said something that He didn't. That's okay, go with it anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to make a mistake in doing more than God said than in doing less than God said? But usually, when we go in the direction that is in God's favor, we've gone the right direction.
Swimming Upstream - For some reason, trying to do what God says may bring opposition. Some well meaning “saint”, who's never themselves taken a chance, will be glad to "straighten you out." It's amazing how Christians can be used by the enemy sometimes.
One of the biggest problems in the church today is complacency. We reach a "comfort zone" in our walk, and don't want to go any farther. Worse than that, we don't want anyone else to go farther, either.
If God's told you something, go with it. Don't listen to man's wisdom, even if it comes from another Christian. If you are earnestly seeking Him, and trying to do His will, He won't let you get off track. You might start to veer off a little from time to time, but He will get you right back on.
For prayer requests, comments or to be included in our email ministry, email us at: whosoever@cottagehillbaptist.org. Also, Check out our “blog” at: http://thewhosoevers.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Growing Your Faith Through Pivotal Circumstances.
Growing Your Faith Through Pivotal Circumstances.
This week's lesson was DVD of an Andy Stanley Sermon from a series he did on Growing Your Faith. This is not a short lesson but please try to work it into your schedule, you will find it is worth the time. It can viewed at this link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goIGZQslU4k
This week's lesson was DVD of an Andy Stanley Sermon from a series he did on Growing Your Faith. This is not a short lesson but please try to work it into your schedule, you will find it is worth the time. It can viewed at this link on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goIGZQslU4k
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