Monthly Archives: December 2017

TV Church?

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

God lays on my ever increasing introverted persona, the urgency of the church, the urgency of the failing American idea of worship. We have found ourselves sitting by our TV’s on Sundays watching false prophets proclaim prosperity and self-worth, while we check off the Sunday religions obligation. We also may have sought to be entertained, to have rock-star worship music and lead singer pastors. We have sought to be removed from all the worlds problems, by having our ears tickled with just enough truth to sound genuine, but all the while preaching the prosperity of the Christian faith, while removing the sufferings for Christ he proclaimed we shall endure. God lays on my heart truths that are not popular, but to be proclaimed, and popularity or even “likes” in social media is never my goal. The American church needs a biblical revival, revival begins with a work of God within the church, and always begins with prayer.

What was the writer of Hebrews proclaiming? He was proclaiming that we are to gather together, to encourage each other, to hear the word of God properly preached, and possibly the same writer of first Corinthians talked about how we are to use the gifts of God to help each other, to build up the body of Christ together. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (NIV) Do you proclaim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you do, the gift of the Holy Spirit, his own Spirit, is living within you, and he has brought the power of God to you, and given you gifts from heaven above. You may even know, likely cannot properly explain, but something changed in your walk of faith. You may recognize your primary gift, and if so, pursue God’s intent and wisdom to and through it. Search him through prayer and his Word for the revelation and growth of what he has given you to use to draw glory to him. Every spiritual gift is to draw glory to God.

Does this Christmas season tug within yourself to draw closer to God? Do you realize even the lost understand the historical significance of this season? Do you realize you have the open invitation to invite someone to church for the next few weeks, all the while seemingly no pressure at all? Do you realize they might just come? You need to be open, to be willing to hear what their questions are, their hurts, and their struggles. You need to be willing to say, “I don’t know, but we will find out together.” You don’t have to have all the answers to invite someone to church, but they might not be comfortable in front of your TV on Sunday morning.

Why Believe?

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Heaven or Hell…pick a side. Why do I believe in my Lord Jesus Christ? Why do I put my faith in someone who “supposedly” came and died 2000 years ago? Why do I “gamble” on my faith, sacrifice this life for the next life, and live boldly proclaiming my faith to anyone who will hear? There are many answers, but only one central truth; I believe the Bible is the one central truth in my life, the perfected words of God himself, and the rock upon which I base everything. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. If you do not believe what the Bible proclaims, your faith is weak, and will be tossed to and fro with any winds of change that come and tickle the ears. The reason I chose the scripture from Philippians is that we ALL, of every faith, and of no faith, will bow before the same God on Judgement Day and give an account of our lives, and that account will determine where we spend eternity, Heaven or Hell.

The central truth of the Bible is how we are God’s creation, created for his own glory and pleasure, and his first pair turned their backs upon him, followed Satan’s lure, and we became condemned eternally from the mistake of our “grandfathers.” God is a holy God, one must be holy to be in his presence. Only through a perfect sacrifice could the sin be atoned for; God himself in his son Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, died a martyr’s death, and rose from the dead three days later to conquer death. This provided the necessary payment for anyone who believes in him to gain access to eternal paradise in Heaven. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, what God did for everyone, even those that hated him, he came to earth and died for their sins too.

My life changed when I began to read my Bible every day. If you say that you believe, and don’t read your Bible, your faith is weak and you are deceived. Jesus said deny yourself, lay down your cross and follow Me, which means to put him first in everything. God proclaimed throughout the Old Testament to seek him first, even those lost have heard of the Ten Commandments many times; what is the first one? Jesus reminded us in Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.‘ How do we express that love? By seeking him with all our heart, mind, body, and soul. To pray consistently, to humble ourselves and seek his will for our lives, not our own, to share of our faith to all that He puts in our circle of influence, to encourage, and yes even rebuke those in the same circle through love. How do we say that we believe? By defending and proclaiming the Word of truth, the Bible that points all of life to the only One who grants it. This life is a preparation for the next…..Heaven or Hell….pick a side.