Nov 15 2009

Obey God by doing nothing.


Black Bayou Lake Path

When God made man he made him in his own image. There are many ideas about exactly what that means. We know from the biblical record that God created stuff for 6 days and on the seventh day he rested. Then, after some time God gave man some instructions telling him how to live. Lo and behold, he told man to rest on the seventh day! Yep, just like God.

“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD” (Exodus 31:15a)

“It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.” (Exodus 31:17)

God wants his people to rest just as he did. He said it is a sign “forever“. He was pretty serious about this Sabbath thing. There was even a penalty for not observing the Sabbath, it was the death penalty!

You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death.” (Exodus 31:14)

God in his infinite wisdom declared that man should rest every seventh day to show that he was set apart for God. This day of rest (Sabbath) was a covenant between God and man and God said rest and he meant it.

But you say “I just have so much to do”, “My competition is open seven days”, you get the picture don’t you? Will we honor God or not? It is that simple. God thinks his creature, man, should take a day off every seventh day. Who am I to argue with God? If I choose to take a day a week to just rest, play with the kids, read a good book, or take a long nap, and by doing so honor God, don’t you suppose he can make the money work out?

So, I’m officially off 52 days a year. I’m taking a nap on the back porch on my day off and my neighbor stops by. “What are you doing sleeping in the middle of the day?” I answer, “Oh, I’m just honoring and obeying God”. “I’m just following instructions”.

I’m sure rest is very underrated. Many times each week I hear people say, or read, “I’m so tired” or “I am just worn out”. Have you been honoring God by doing nothing? If not you should.

Yes, I know I’m not an Israelite and I’m not living under the Mosaic Law but I also know the principal still applies. People need rest. We need “down time” as we put it today. The old thinker needs a reboot once a week.

Just to make sure I think I’ll just relax about twelve weeks next year. I’ll use some of that time worshiping so I’ve got to make up for that too. So I’m in a hurry to do nothing.

If you know better than God what’s good for you, then by all means work seven days a week and see how it goes. Some of you have been doing that, how’s it working out for you? Do you honor God more by doing what he says or ignoring what he says? Hey, its your life, I can’t decide for you.

I do believe you can be a better pastor, and you can be a better mom, and you can be a more efficient worker if you honor the God who made you. Think about trying God’s way.

Royce

Nov 14 2009

Surviving the Holidays


surviving-the-holidaysOnly 40 days until Christmas! Where does the time go? What do you have planned for Thanksgiving Day this year?

I love this time of year. Even I, a Scrooge, am already thinking of doing some Christmas shopping. I was thinking today that soon I’ ll be putting up some lights along the edge of my house. The air is crisp and I can almost taste the turkey and dressing.

For many people the holiday season is not something to look forward to. Thanksgiving and Christmas are anchors for family in almost every American home. It is the season each year when almost every family member will be around the table. The intimate family time with those we love most is a happy event.

For some people the holidays only make the sadness more profound and the darkness even blacker. While most of the family is busy planning family meals and which parties to attend others are trying desperately to figure a way to avoid the crowds, even family, and just be left alone.

For the grieving, birthdays, anniversaries, and especially Thanksgiving and Christmas are very tough to handle. These times that should be so much fun are only reminder of what was, or rather “who was”, and is now gone. There are likely members of your family, or a neighbor, co-worker, or someone you know well at church, who is in intense pain now and as the days tick off toward the holidays the hurt only intensifies.

There is help. You or your friend or loved one can Survive the Holiday season. Here in the Monroe/West Monroe area there will be several opportunities to participate in a Surviving the Holidays group in the next few weeks. Tomorrow, November 14th at 2 p.m. the Forsythe church of Christ in Monroe will be hosting a group. There will be a DVD to watch, a beautiful song by a soloist, a candle lighting, and people just like me and you who have lost someone they loved deeply. After the DVD there will be a time to talk, or listen, and friendly, caring people there to help.

The minister at Forsythe Church, John Dobbs, and wife Maggie, and my wife Carol and I, are facilitators for Grief Share and invite you to come. If you can’t attend this time there will be another session at White’s Ferry Rd Church in West Monroe on Dec 12th and First Baptist West Monroe will have one a few days later. If you want more info visit the Forsythe Church website or call Carol Ogle at 665-0569.

Don’t go it alone, please accept our offer to walk the lonely road with you. Beginning the 2nd week of January the first of 13 weekly sessions of Grief Share will begin and you are invited. You will be glad you came. Do it for yourself or someone you love.

for healing,

Royce

Nov 13 2009

Christian Leadership – A Biblical Perspective


Paul’s first letter to the believers at Corinth began with thanksgiving as was his custom. He emphasized the superiority of Jesus and chided them because of their immaturity and foolish divisions.

They had done what immature believers always do, they had completely lost sight of God’s perspective on things in favor of personal favoritism. This grievous error is precisely why many of our churches have sects and clicks, one group follows this teacher, another this popular author, and another some famous personality from the past. Each division renders the local assembly ineffective and barren. Paul’s accusation was that they were behaving like children, not like mature adults.

The particular problem in the Corinthian church he addresses especially in chapter 3 was this one.  Three groups were enamored to their favorite preacher. One group liked Paul more while another followed only Apollos, and the remaining group only wanted to follow Cephas.

Problem? Immature believers. Symptom? Divisions based on personal preferences. Paul addressed the situation in chapter 3.

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” ( Corinthians 3:1-7)

The view from God’s perspective is humbling isn’t it? My importance and yours? NOTHING! This shocking truth reminds me that human effort only produces human results. To realize God kind of results we must have this mindset, compared to God, we are NOTHING!

What is the cure for this oft’ repeated error in our churches?

Keep Jesus at the center of our thinking, our talking, and our doing. We must follow Paul’s example of purposeful weakness, meakness, and utter dependence upon the power of the Holy Spirit.

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (I Corinthians 2:1-5)

Walk in the Spirit. What a humbling rebuke by the Apostle! “I can’t address you as spiritual people but as people of flesh only” (chapter 3:1) In Galatians 5:16 Paul gave the cure for immature squabbling and fighting.”Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

There are two ways every Christian can live, by the rule of the flesh or by the rule of the Spirit. We must ask ourselves continually, Is what I am about to say or do motivated by the Holy Spirit, approved by God, for the good of other believers, and does it honor Christ? If a word or action does not pass this test it is likely best to leave it unsaid or undone.

The Holy Spirit will ALWAYS prompt only those words and actions that honor and exalt Jesus Christ. Never, never, never does God lead one child to hurt another. Be kind, tender-hearted, speaking the truth in love to one another.

Get the Word of God into you. Usually the injunction is “get into the word”. Far too many folks read the Bible of duty and not to let it change them. We must come to the Word with open hearts, sincerely desiring to be taught by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-13) The Bible is food for a Christian, it is our job description, we must get it into us. As David of old we must “hide it in our hearts”.

Christ is all in all. Never let these truths far from your reach.

“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord”

Jesus is all we need to live godly lives in this present world. He is truly all we need. Let us not allow any rule but his in our hearts, in our families, and especially in our churches. Let us each live our lives so that we can say with certainty “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord”

for Jesus,

Royce

Nov 11 2009

Not so obvious lessons from John 17


This wonderful portion of Scripture is a prayer Jesus prayed just after explaining once again about his leaving the disciples, his authority over the world, the coming Holy Spirit, and just before his death on a cross.

There are many wonderful truths here that are often overlooked. I want to share my understanding of  a few of them.

There is only one method, one plan for world evangelism.

As Jesus was praying he said

“they have believed that you sent me. 9I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” (John 17:8b-9)

God so loved the “world“. Christ died for the sins of the “world“. And yet, in one of his last prayers on earth Jesus plainly stated

“I am not praying for the world..”

Without question he loves the people of the world so why would he not pray for them, and even say it in such a public way that today it remains a record of the sacred Text?

This is why,

“I am praying for them (those who had believed), “those you have given me, for they are yours.”

God has but one plan to reach the whole world with the good news. It is the church. It is those who have believed who will spread the message to every tribe and tongue. In Matthew 28 when Jesus gave the great commission he said

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:18b-19a)

Here we can ask “What is the therefore there for?” Christians can go into a hostile world, right in the midst of Satan’s stronghold, and make disciples because Jesus has “all authority in heaven and on earth“. And he has passed on that authority through the agency of the Holy Spirit in and upon the believer’s life.

Just before his ascension into heaven Jesus told his followers

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

When the Holy Spirit anointing comes there is a transfer of power and authority to the one who has believed and waited on the Lord. God has no other plan, it is up to you and me and our brothers and sisters of every age who have put our trust in Jesus. But not really. I am not that dependable and neither are you, but God is faithful! Jesus said “I will build my church…” and the devil and hell can’t stop Him.

Nothing will thwart God’s plan to reach the world with the gospel. Those who have not yet heard are in good hands. God uses an inspired and all-powerful message (the gospel) given by the mouths of imperfect saints who are empowered by the Holy Spirit and out of the listeners those whom God has chosen will believe.

Jesus prayed for those who belonged to God, to Him. He did not pray for the world. Their salvation is complete because of His perfect obedience and sacrifice. They can have life because He ever lives. They only need to know it.

I suggest we get in on God’s plan and chunk our own upon the heap of human failure. The focus is never on a plan or a program. It is always about an empowered people. So, may I suggest then that we too pray for the church, for our brothers and sisters, at least more than we do for the lost. God’s way is always best.

Royce