Salt Company

The Scent of a Laborer

2008-05-06T18:43:00.002-05:00

Last week, I had the chance to drive to Cedar Falls to visit Tracie, the woman who discipled me while I was a student and UNI (and continues to be my spiritual mom to this day). I got to share my "discipleship testimony" at the class she leads. Afterwards, she gave a talk on the "Scent of a Laborer." She defined a laborer as a "worker in the kingdom of God who is directly involved in the specific task of reaping souls for Christ and then helping them become reapers as well." Here are the 5 "smells" that should mark a laborer:

1) Deep passion for Jesus.
- Philippians 1:21 - To live is Christ, to die is gain.
- Psalm 131:2 - But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. -->This was so insightful. When a child has not been weaned, his/her main motivation for coming to his/her mother is to be fed...for milk. But, a weaned child who cuddles up to his/her mother has a totally different motive - often seeking comfort, love, time and affection. So, a laborer is one that has a passion for seeking Jesus, not just to get a need met, but to have a loving relationship.
2) Depth in the basics.
- A laborer spends time with Jesus, prays consistently and diligently and memorizes and meditates on the word. (these are the basics)
- Those things are not only in place, but there is depth and consistenly in his/her walk.
3)Quality of character.
- Who you are is more important that what you do. (Phil 1:27)
- Model: humility, servanthood, and excellence.
4)Heart for others and the world.
-A laborer sees the lost, those he/she doesn't even know, and aches for them.
- Matthew 9:36
5) A vision for the 3rd generation.
- This is the KEY to being a laborer! 2 Timothy 2:2; Psalm 78:4-5
- This means passing your life on to another person and then sending them out to do the same.
- Many believers possess the first 4 qualities, but #5 (vision for the 3rd generation) is what distinguishes a true laborer.

Wow, those things really encouraged me and spurred me in many ways. Tracie closed by giving a "warning." There is a cost to being a laborer: time, energy, resources, emotions, incredible joy and incredible sorrow at times. But, it is all worth it when you impact a life for eternity.

Newest & Sweetest Conviction...

2008-04-29T15:53:00.002-05:00

Do you ever witness something, and immediately think - "Yep, that is right... that makes sense...that needs to be what I am about..."

Recently, Jill, Kaci & I had the opportunity (Thank You, Mark Arant!!) to hear Beth Moore speak at a Conference a couple weeks ago, and the "nugget" that has stuck with me the most had nothing to do with what she said, but actually what she did each time before she spoke.
She got on her hands and knees (right on stage) and prayed....and every time she did that, I was thinking - "Yep, needs to be what I am about" Getting on my hands and knees in prayer. Not to be more spirtual or holy, but it reminded me of what Mark talks about with putting your hands up in worship - sometimes you have to get your body in a right position before God, even if it doesn't feel "comfortable", and often times your soul will quickly follow that position.

We bow down to demonstrate reverence and surrender - getting on our faces before God. As I have begun more and more practicing this "position" - God has confirmed in my heart, this is the position I should always be in (if not always on the floor, in my heart then) - a complete surrender & humbled obedience to him.

Actions truly do speak louder than words. See ya on your knees!!

Confirm the Word - John 3-4

2008-04-21T10:54:00.001-05:00

Observation - I think it is fascinating in John 4 how Jesus confirms his word. In 4:42 it says "They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." I also think that the fact Jesus associated with the "least" is an important part to the story. A Samaritan woman, alone, with 5 husbands, is a big disgrace in Jewish culture. Jesus ministered to the lost!

Application - This is very pertinent in my life because my dream is to go to an unengaged place and share the love of God through Christ. No servant is greater than his master. Therefore, if Jesus, a man who taught with the most authority this world has ever known, confirmed his word, how will he need to confirm it through me. And if Jesus sought out the "least" then my desire is to follow his model!

Prayer - Father thank you for the call on my life. I pray that you would confirm your Word, the Word that I seek to share. I ask that you would take me to the "least" that you are calling to yourself, that they would be reconciled to you, Father, through your Son Jesus. It is in his name I pray.

To Do List? Time with God?

2008-04-08T14:38:00.003-05:00

God is waiting for His people to lay their to-do-lists at His feet, seek His Face, and abide in Him.

This time of the year there is a million and one things to do, whether it be with work, school, outside activities (including within the Church) - it all seems to come at once. All to often we get busy doing things for God, that we forget to actually spend time with God or make excuses why we aren't actually spending time with God. The below verses are great reminders He must be our center and number one priority.
Matthew 6:33-34 - John 15 - Psalm 27:4-11 - Hebrews 11:6

Application - List all the activities you are currently involved in and the amount of time it takes to complete them each week. Next, list the amount of time you spend in an average week in your time with God developing your personal relationship with him. Are you seeking first His Kingdom?

Lord, help us all to not get so busy doing your work that we forget to actually spend time with You, learning from you and abiding in your Word. Thank you for continually loving us right where we are at, and are continually molding us to become more and more like your son.

Must become less...1 Cor. 1-4

2008-04-07T12:58:00.000-05:00

Scripture 1 Cor. 1-4
Observation - This verse in the first chapter stirs my heart. "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, ^(AH)not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void." Paul is speaking to the Corinthian church regarding their foolishness saying "I follow Paul" or "I follow Appollos" He then tells them that he is happy that he only baptized a few. Paul is adamant about getting out of the way. "Or were you ^(AB)baptized in the name of Paul?" he exhorts. Paul wants Christ's name exalted...thats it. The reason the verse above stirs my heart is that Paul says he doesn't even want to preach with cleverness...lest the cross would be made void. Every preacher, speaker, teacher would be hard pressed to stand in confidence next to this text. My question is...how can Paul preach and not worry about keeping their attention, about them enjoying the experience, about them being engaged and listening, about them having fun and wanting to come back? I think Paul answers this question..."and my message and my preaching were ^(F)not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of ^(G)the Spirit and of power,5so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on ^(H)the power of God.

Application - Paul had power. Not his own power, but power that he had received. He wasn't concerned with clever speech because clever speech doesn't compare to POWER! So how to apply? I think before preparing anything my first step should be to pray. Not 5 minutes, but waiting on the Lord for a lengthy period of time for him to speak and guide, and direct through the Holy Spirit. I think the second step is to adhere to the Word. I think power comes when one preaches God's Word. God wants to confirm and validate his word. So step two is to preach God's written Word and his Word from his Spirit or a Heavenly Host. Step 3 is to pray again and beg to receive power. How might this power manifest? The Spirit can't be contained but we have lots of examples in the 66 books of the Bible to give us an idea.

Prayer - Father in heaven, I petition you on account of the cross and the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I desire that your name be exalted, for you to become more and for I to become less. I want to preach as Paul preached! Forgive me Father for trying to use humor, and cleverness, and a good intro, and self glorifying nonsense in place of your pure and holy Word. Forgive me for not relying on you and you alone. Forgive me for not trusting in your goodness and faithfulness to confirm your word and forgive me for getting in the way. I pray that never in my life would my worldy cleverness make the cross void. If I preach wisdom, may it be from you. I open myself to receive from you Father. I pray in the name of Jesus that would bestow on me the a double portion of the Spirit of Elisha. Thank you for hearing my prayer. All praise be to God. Amen

Mark's Notes from TSC

2008-03-28T07:27:00.002-05:00

The Salt Company
Ancient Wisdom- Possessions
March 27, 2008

Series on Ancient Wisdom- The Bible is intensely practical. It’s not a history book that has no bearing on your life. It has everything to do with your life.

This might be one of the more important messages you will hear at TSC.

Why?

Because your view of money and possessions will shape your life more than you know. It was one of Jesus’ favorite topics.

My goal is not to share my philosophy of money. But what does Solomon have to say about it?

A study of Proverbs yielded the following... I read all 915 verses in Proverbs and wrote a “P” next to everyone of them about money, wealth and possessions. I came up with about 92 verses. That means 1 out of every 10 Proverbs is about money. I categorized them and put them down for you as points to this talk. They are in the order of the number of Proverbs on each one…

1. Work harder at getting wisdom than you would for an engineering degree.

Let’s just face the facts. It requires much more work to get an engineering degree than it does to get a speech communication degree. It’s a lot of work!

22 Verses remind us that wisdom is better than riches:

2:4; 3:13-16; 8:10,18-21; 11:4, 16, 28; 15:16-17; 16:16, 19; 17:1-2, 16; 19:10; 22:1; 28:6

What do you do? Stay up late working on grp projects, get up early to study, spend a semester on an internship…
Do more to get wisdom. It’s more valuable than a degree that will start you at 60K.

Most college students pick their major based on what will make them the most money. I think that’s short sighted.

2. We are stewards, not owners

3:9; 11:24-26; 14:21; 19:17; 21:13; 22:9; 23:6-8; 28:27; 31:8

If you get this point, it will totally transform your view of your life.

Take a deep breath. That breath was on loan. You’re accountable to God for the way you use the breath in your lungs, this life.

One measure of how you’re using your life is how you’re using your money. Which is why Solomon talked so much about money to his sons (1 out of every 10 words of advice were about money), and why Jesus spoke more about money than anything next to the kingdom of God.

3:9 “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.”

This idea of first-fruits comes from… Deut. 26:1-11

The point is that we are stewards. Giving is our reminder that it’s not ours.

Steward (def): a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others.

Stewards don’t own anything. They are merely handling someone else’s stuff.

Illustration: Remember the Xmas production, “I’m Frank Smith, I own this place.” You could see the absurdity of it. You just felt like saying, “Frank you don’t own jack.”

A steward uses the resources.

So here’s a legit question: Why does God give you everything you have?

11:25 “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”
18:16 “A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great”

Psalm 67 “so that your ways may be known on earth…”
NOT, so I can have more food for myself.
NOT just so Israel can have more corn.
The cry of a Godly steward is not “God bless me”, it’s “God bless me so that I can bless others”

First-fruits- Your best! I think it’s lame if you call yourself a Christian and don’t give at least 10 percent of all you have to your church. I think we can give much more than 10 percent, but our selfishness and American narcissism justifies poor stewardship.

We will all give an account to God for how we used his stuff:
“The rich and poor have this in common; the LORD is maker of them all.” 22:2

Sorry boss, I amassed all this wealth and never shared it with anyone.
How do you think God will judge someone who spent all of His wealth on themselves?
“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD and he will reward him” 19:17

I will go so far as to say that how you handle money and possessions to some degree directly determines how much you will have in heaven.

A steward enjoys the resources.

Warning: Wealth and possessions in themselves are not evil, they are from God
10:22 “the blessing of the LORD brings wealth and he adds no trouble to it.”
13:21 “prosperity is the reward of the righteous.”

Illustration: Conversation with Ben P
“Mark is it wrong for me to be rich, have a lake home, jet skis, boat,…?”
Of course not, if you let me use it.
But the subtext of this question is “Can I make success my god?”

Illustration: My friend C.S.
Nobody enjoys life more. He owns classic old cars, new cars, etc
Nobody is more strategic for the gospel- Sharing with S. B. “My inheritance only 100 million”
He doesn’t care how much money you make. He’s not intimidated by your millions- he’s going to tell you about Jesus

3. Be an Ant.

(not the relative, but the creature- A-N-T)

Read 6:6-11

Work Hard: (6:9-11)

Save Wisely: (6:8; 21:20; 27:23-27)

Multiply little by little (13:11; 20:21; 21:5; 28:19)
the ant doesn’t carry the whole ant hill in one load.

Remember that sometimes a little kid smashes all you have worked for 18:11; 23:5; 30:8-9

Generally, riches cause one of two wrong responses: a false sense of security or pride

Read 30:8-9- Riches can make you proud

“Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” 23:5

God is not impressed with the size of your ant hill. “Wow, that’s a great ant.” We’re still ants. And my 2 year old Beck could smash any ant hill without even knowing it.

Remember that moving dirt is worth it. That’s what ants were made to do.

In my opinion modern Christianity has totally lost a theology of work.

Illustration: I’m going to give you a test…
I’m a pastor. The director of a large college ministry. My brother works in an auto body shop fixing wrecked and broken down cars.

Whose job is more spiritual?

There is honor in your work!!! It’s spiritual.

What did Adam and Eve do in the garden before they sinned? (besides have sex…)
They worked!
What will you do when you get to heaven? You will work.
God will give you possessions and you will be a steward of them. You won’t be floating in the clouds with a harp singing all the time. There will be work in paradise.
Your job has meaning and there is value in what you do no matter how mundane or menial it may seem.

Do you scoop dirt? Move dirt to the glory of God.
Do you design magazines? Design with pop sensibility that will sell millions
Do you sell trinkets? Find people who want to fill their houses with unnecessary clutter
Are you a journalist? Write without spinning your news story
Do you frame houses? Don’t cut corners- Make the strongest houses possible
Are you a politician? Serve your country with honor. Don’t abuse tax payers money
Are you an accountant? With integrity, save your boss money and make them rich
Aerospace engineer? Design a shuttle that can get to Mars
Farmer? Grow corn to the glory of God
(Farmer who saw “PC” in the sky and he thought it meant “preach Christ” but when he went to heaven, God said, “NO, plant corn!”
Teacher? Love your students and help them all excel
Do you sell cell phone plans in the mall and you don’t like it? Well…???? Go to college and get a different job???

Jesus was a carpenter for most of his life
Paul made tents
How many tables and chairs that Jesus made are still around?
How many tents do you see that Paul made?
None. They’re long gone. And yet their jobs were filled with meaning and purpose.

C.S. Lewis Quote, “We don't need more people writing 'Christian books' [but] what we need is more Christians writing good books”

If you’re an architect you don’t have to design a skyscraper with a cross on it to make a Christian building.
If you’re a musician you don’t have to say “Jesus” in your song to make it a good song
If you’re an artist, you don’t have to make Christian art for it to be beautiful.
If you’re a janitor, you don’t have to leave gospel tracts on the urinal to make your job worth it (who are these people who leave tracts in the bathroom- it’s litter!)

What do you have to do to make your life worth it? Be a steward. Be an ant.

Illustration: Saving Private Ryan (if time)
The whole point of the movie: Was private Ryan worth saving?
You don’t have to find the cure for cancer to be worth it.

Full-time missions is not the only way to honor God with your life!

I’ve seen more people want to get into ministry full time and I think “NO!!” Do us all a favor and be an engineer. Just b/c you don’t like your job doesn’t mean you should be a pastor/missionary.

Note to those who have gone or are planning on overseas trips:
If your missions experience has caused you to disengage with your work or school b/c it feels like a waste of time OR, you feel distant from family/friends b/c they don’t get it and aren’t as spiritual as you…

Congratulations- you have totally missed the point of your overseas missions experience.

Of course God wants all of us to engage in his global agenda- but there are a lot of ways to do this.

Illustration: Rachael
First week of school- a girl came up to her on playground. Can I talk to you in private?
Sure.
“I heard you’re going to be a missionary” (they are going to C.Asia in a year)
“I’m a missionary too”
“Really”
“Yeah, and I’m going to need your help this year. Can I count on you?”
“Sure”
“I need you to pray for me and help me share Jesus with our class.”

What do you say to that?

Wherever you’re at, be all there. Be on a mission all the time and remember your work is intrinsically spiritual.

God made you for it. You won’t be doing missions in heaven, you’ll be working and it will glorify God, so you better get used to it.

4. Great ways to jack yourself up financially…

Go into debt- Spend more than you make (22:7)

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (22:7)

Beware of school loans. Destroy your credit cards. That stuff will eat you up. It will be like a snowball (at first it’s fun to make) then it gets rolling and it will crush you. There is no such thing as free money. I’ve got a 50 year old friend who

As my friend Dan Johnston says, “College is not a right, but a privilege”

Love pleasure (21:17)
Illustration: My friend went to counsel this couple in a bad part of town and when he knocked on the front door he heard yelling from the inside, “Go around to the side door!” What in the world? He got in the house and saw the entertainment center was blocking the front door.
Most of the poorest of poor in America who are poorly clothed, malnourished are ppl w/ Satellite TV. Not all, but many people are poor b/c their priorities are out of whack.

Drink and Sleep too much (23:21; 24:30-34)

5. There are advantages to being wealthy

Friendships (14:20; 19:4, 6-7)
Honor (14:24)
You can look back and think, “I worked hard to get it, I did it the right way, and I blessed the nations because of it.”
You can give more (18:16)
“A gift opens the way for the giver”

6. Beware of getting it the wrong way

1:13-14, 19; 10:2, 16; 11:18; 20:17; 21:6; 28:8, 16, 25

“A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare”

“Is it God’s will to embezzle money to pay my credit card company?”
“Should I steal stamps from my company to send my personal mail?”
“Should I cheat on my taxes to get more money back?”
“Should I ignore the fact that my company Enron is lying in their accounting practices or do I blow the whistle?”

Application:

1. “Gain all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can” – John Wesley

Illustration: Conversation with Craig, a student who said, “Mark I’m going to make a lot of money. What is your advice?”
Unfortunately he did 1 and 3 but not 2 and he’s paying for it.

2. Take FPU before you graduate
Informational sign up sheet

3. Take Perspectives before you graduate.

The Purpose of Mark

2008-03-27T11:06:00.001-05:00

Purpose – To present the person, work, and teachings of Jesus
Author – John Mark. He was not one of the 12 disciples but he accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:13)
To Whom Written – The Christians in Rome, where he wrote the Gospel
Date Written – Between A.D. 55 and 65

3 Ways to Combat Satan

2008-03-27T07:32:00.003-05:00

Scripture: Mark 4:1-20

This passage has actually been on my heart lately, because there are a couple people in my life who Satan seems to be deceiving with the "worries of this life and the desire for other things." Here's a great except from one John Piper's sermons (http://www.desiringgod.org/) on how we can combat Satan's strategy to steal the word from our own lives. I found #1 - Prepare the Soil of Your Heart especially challgening. See what you think...

In summary, Satan has three strategies to take away the Word of God.
First, he often acts immediately as soon as the Word is heard to make people inattentive, or cause them to feel ill-will, or to simply be so ignorant of spiritual reality they can't grasp what's being said.
Second, he comes in after the Word has been received with joy and attacks it with hard times. He convinces some that holding fast to the Word is not worth the trouble.
Third, he comes in where the Word has begun to take root and strangles it with the lie that too many good things are being sacrificed.

Three Ways to Combat Satan's First Strategy
It should be obvious from these strategies of Satan that we must be prepared to give some serious counter thrusts. James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith."
We only have time to deal with Satan's first strategy. But if you successfully counter his attack here, you will probably defeat him later, too. So let me suggest three ways to resist Satan's efforts to defeat the Word of God as you hear it.
1. Prepare the Soil of Your Heart
Verse 20 says that good soil is the key to a fruitful hearing of the Word. I have said it several times before and no doubt will again: devote some time Saturday night and Sunday morning to prepare your heart for hearing the Word of God. The more you take time to humble yourself and purify your heart in prayer and tune the receiver of your mind into the wavelength of Christ, the more powerfully you will hear the Word and the more deeply you will worship.
Don't play into the hands of Satan by staying up so late Saturday night that you can't stay awake in worship or in Sunday School. He constantly lies to you telling you that what you're doing at 10:00 Saturday night is more important than being rested to give your best ear to God's Word on Sunday morning.
Don't play into the hands of Satan by letting the newspaper set the agenda of your Sunday morning meditation. Read a Psalm and pray that God meet you in worship as he never has before.
I believe that if we as a church formed the habit of conscientiously preparing our hearts for hearing God's Word, the Lord might speak with such power that amazing changes would come into our lives for God's glory and for our joy. So let's resolve to take time for meditation and prayer and solitude and quiet walks in the snow, so that the soil of our heart is plowed deep for the Word of God.
2. Listen with All Your Might to the Word of God
And remember, the Word is in the hymns and in the anthem and in the prayers and often in the organ, not just in the sermon.
Focusing attention on the Word of God is hard work for us sinners. Add to that Satan's opposition to your attention! If we come with no resolve to work at listening and fight against Satan, we will be fair game for the birds along the path. They will pluck up the seed and we will leave week after week with no power to bear fruit.
Focus on the content of the worship folder during the prelude. Focus on the words of the call to worship and the prayers and the hymns. Focus on God during the organ praise and the moment for meditation. Pray to God whenever there is a non-directed moment. Go hard after God. Don't coast in worship. Again and again Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Strive to have those ears and not to be among those who hearing do not hear and seeing do not see. (Okay, so we don't really use many hymns or worship folders at Cornerstone, but you get the point! Use EVERY part of the service to prepare your heart to hear fromGod!)
3. In the Act of Hearing, Welcome the Word of God
Verse 20 says, "But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." All the attention in the world will be of no avail if the message heard from God is rejected.
So set your mind to be open to the Word of God, even if it is new or demanding. This doesn't mean listening uncritically. Jesus didn't want mindless acquiescence. Neither do I. The admonition is this: when the word of Scripture stands forth plainly, welcome it. Have a receptive attitude, not a resistant one. Love the Word of God. Be like a miser in search of gold and silver. Snatch up the Word of God as precious pearls.
Be like rich black (Iowa) farmland, deeply plowed, free of thorns, free of rocks, moist from the rains of the Spirit, and then receive the power-packed seed of the Word of God. And this church will overflow with fruit—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. May the Lord destroy the work of the devil and make us a fruitful people by his Word.

How I prayed for a friend today

2008-03-25T21:54:00.003-05:00

Today someone asked me to pray for them regarding an important life choice. Should they continue their job in the corporate world or pursue full time ministry?

How would you pray for this person?

I prayed Ephesians 1:14-ff for them, that God would give them a "spirit of wisdom and revelation so [they] may know him better."

I think the main thing God wants for us is to know him in an intimate way, and to be engaged in a relationship where he is the all sufficient satisfier of our needy selves. He provides the water, we provide the thirst.

So at the end of the day, the main thing is not the job, it's the relationship. Out of this will flow the answer to the prayer. Out of this flows everything you need for life.

I don't know, maybe this prayer wasn't specific enough, but it seemed sufficient. If you don't like my prayer in this case, perhaps you should ask someone else to pray for you :)

Prayers of the New Testament

2008-03-25T14:38:00.002-05:00

John 15:7 says, "If you remain in my words, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you." One thing that jumped out to me about reading 1 and 2 Thessalonians was all the times that Paul showed the example of how to pray to us in the books. When we don't know what to pray, we can always look to the example of the Biblical writers for what to pray and how to pray it. There were multiple times in 1 and 2 Thessalonians where Paul prayed for them and asked for prayer. Here's some other New Testament prayers that Paul prayed. I love modeling my prayer life after these prayers. Enjoy!

Prayers of Biblical People
Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-8 – Our Father
Luke 11:9-13; 18:1-8 – Jesus’ Teaching On Prayer; The Parable of the Persistent Widow
John 17:20-26 – Jesus Prays for All Believers
Acts 4:23-31 – Believer’s Prayer
Romans 15:30-33 – Paul asks the Romans to pray for him.
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 – Thanksgiving
2 Corinthians 13:14 – Grace, Love, and Fellowship of Trinity be in us.
Ephesians 1:15-23 – Thanksgiving and Prayer
Ephesians 3:14-21 – Prayer for the Ephesians
Ephesians 6:18-20 – The Armor of God
Philippians 1:3-11 – Thanksgiving and Prayer
Colossians 1:3-14 – Thanksgiving and Prayer
Colossians 2:1-5 – Paul, Struggling in Prayer
Colossians 4:2-6 – Further Instructions
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 – Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 – Timothy’s Encouraging Report
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 – Final Instructions
2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 – Thanksgiving and Prayer
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – Prayer for Encouragement
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 – Thanksgiving and Prayer
Philemon 1:4-7 – Thanksgiving and Prayer
Hebrews 13:18-21 – Concluding Exhortations

Be Self-Controlled...

2008-03-25T09:23:00.003-05:00

I was reading in Titus 2 - I was struck by how often the word - self-controlled reappears in this chapter. Four different times it is given as advice in how you should live. As creatures of habit, this area of self-control can often be something that is overlooked/justified, etc...But when the scripture clearly states we are to be self-controlled, we need to pause and examine our life and see if there are areas we are "out of control". This could be anything from TV, to caffeine, to facebook.....anything. Is there an area of your life that God would look at as not self-controlled?

Father, I pray that you would come and search our hearts today and show us things in our life, that may be hindering our walk with you, and our witness to those around us. God, you call us to live a life that is above the standards of this world, so I pray that you would bring to mind areas of our life that need to be refined by you.

Worthy of the Kingdom...2nd Thessalonians

2008-03-23T06:30:00.001-05:00

Observations - Paul's statements in chapter one regarding judgment and retribution are very intriguing to me. Paul says "This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire..." Wow, it seems to me in these verses that Paul is saying that the Thessalonians persecution is real life proof that God is just! He says this because God's design is such that those who are afflicted will indeed be comforted...which is a display of God's justice.

Application...Is it possible for us to infer the inverse? What about the Christians who are not persecuted and not afflicted? Will the Christians who aren't afflicted be counted worthy of the kingdom to a lesser position or degree? Obviously I am not speaking against the seal of the Holy Spirit guaranteeing our inheritance or that those who confess Jesus as Lord will be saved...but it does make me think twice about my own affliction and suffering and it being preparation for rest and comfort. This idea seems very consistent with the sermon on the mount. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. What about those who don't mourn? How much does this go along with what Paul said to Timothy "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." I am left with far more questions than answers. Once again my application is my prayer...

Prayer - Father I come to you not asking for trials but asking for you to guide my path into living Godly in Christ Jesus. My desire is to always honor the Father and the Son with the power of the Holy Spirit no matter the consequence and according to all wisdom, understanding, and according to Your will. Please Father sustain me with what is yours to do this. I ask you Jesus to intercede for me that when I endure a trial that my faith would not fail. Father on this day please protect me and only allow me to go through trials that are discipline from you. I trust you and love you. In Jesus' name.

Weapons that Work

2008-03-20T20:27:00.001-05:00

Ephesians 6 is powerful, true and deserves our attention. I recently read this great article called "Weapons that Work." Check it out: http://www.navpress.com/EPubs/PrinterFriendly/1/1.81.4.html

Why the first part of Ephesians is so important!

2008-03-20T15:49:00.000-05:00

I am struck today by the importance of knowing the first part of Ephesians. A lot of Paul’s epistles are split in half. The first part is almost always about the Gospel and the second half is about how that should shape us. The first half will be really theological, and the second half will be really practical in almost all of his writings. I think there’s an intentionality to this. If don’t truly understand the first half of the epistle, we will be just living out a bunch of rules in the second half. Whereas, if we really understand the first part of the epistle, these commands in the second half will come really naturally. Why is the first half so important. Right beliefs lead to right actions. If I don’t truly believe that my identity is a child of God, who is redeemed, an heir to heaven, then I won’t have any reason to follow the second of the epistle. Paul is reminding the Ephesians in the first three chapters of their identity. What would it be like for us to walk around believing all these thing to be true about ourselves? I think it would be awesome. I think we’d follow these commands without a second thought. Check out all the things that Paul teaches us from the first part of his epistle:

1:4 – We have been chosen by God with the intention of being righteous.
1:7 – We are redeemed and forgiven of all of our sins.
1:8 – God has lavishly given us grace.
1:13-14 – He has given us his Holy Spirit, his mark of assurance of salvation
1:18 – Hope and an inheritance
1:19 – The power that raised Christ from the dead is in us!!
1:21 – The church (us) are Christ’s body here on earth.
2:1-10 – We were dead, but now we’re alive and we will be seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.
2:10 – God has made us for good works.
2:13 – We have been brought near to God.
2:18 – We have access to God the Father by the Spirit, through the death of Christ.
2:19 – We are in God’s household
2:22 – We are indwelled by God
3:4-5 – We have knowledge of the mystery of Christ.
3:6 – We are heirs of the Gospel.
3:10 – We, as the church get to be vessels for God to proclaim his truth to the world.
3:12 – We can approach God with freedom and confidence because of Christ.
3:18 – We have power to grasp the love of Christ
3:20 – We have God’s immeasurable power at work within us.

Believe these things to be true of you today. I’m sure there are plenty of things in the world and maybe even people that are telling you differently. Telling you, you’re not accepted by God, or that God won’t work through you. Fill you find with truth, all the defensive weapons Paul mentions in chapter 6 and use your powerful offensive weapon of the sword of the spirit, (Ephesians 1-3) to combat and kill the lies Satan is trying to put in your head.

Scripture Comes Alive...

2008-03-12T19:41:00.004-05:00

So I have to admit as I was on vacation this past weekend, my quiet times were a little shorter, not as consistent, and my focus wasn't where I would have liked it to been. Yet, God still showed up everyday in my life, teaching me and showing me new "issues" in my own heart. As I was coming home on Tuesday morning - I looked out the plane window, and was blown away with the picture perfect sky I saw - it was incredible!! The sun was just rising and the unbelieveable part were the clouds that covered the whole sky, I mean the whole stinkin' sky- it took me awhile to realize it was all clouds and not just a frozen lake we had gone over - words can not even describe it (I so wanted to go jump in it)- BUT it is God moments like this - when I am not only thankful that I know to turn to God for praise, but also that He brings to mind scripture I have memorized, to bring even more glory back to Him. Psalm 19 - came to my mind, and as I turned to it, I had to look around a couple times to see if any other passengers were "getting this" - I don't think they were, but I was tempted to stand up and tell everyone...I would like to say I did and everyone on the plane accepted Christ, but I guess I am not Pastor Tom..... yet anyway!!... God's creation is truly a masterpiece, and I love those moments when God brings those scriptures alive in my life. I pray that I would never be to caught up in "my day" to miss out on what God wants to teach me or literally show me.

I will not deny you...Matthew 26

2008-03-10T06:30:00.001-05:00

Observation - This chapter is jam packed with insights into the unique and dynamic personality of Jesus. But one thing that I found fascinating was the interaction between Jesus and Peter. Peter says this to Jesus "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You." This was after Jesus said "...you will deny me three times." Peter believed with all his heart that there was no possible way he would ever deny Jesus, even though Jesus himself assured him he would. Luke chapter 24 gives us further insight to this passage telling us more to the story. Jesus tells us in Luke 24 that Satan had been granted permission by God to "sift" Peter like wheat. Jesus then goes on to tell him that he has prayed for Peter, that after Peter denied Jesus, his faith would not ultimately fail.

Application - Why wasn't Peter's response to Jesus "Jesus, please don't let it be. I am weak, you are strong. Help me. God protect me. God please send your angels to keep me from falling to Satan's attack. The reason Peter didn't respond like that seems to be that he thought his will was sufficient to persevere. He made a mistake that lead him to weeping. I far too often trust my own will and desire above the divine protection that comes from heaven. I was just thinking about my dream of going to the slums and having a healing and deliverance ministry like Jesus. The problem with the slums is that they are so difficult to live in that most die or leave within 6 months. I often find myself saying "I can make it" because I have been through a lot and am very mentally tough. I have been falling into Peter's trap of putting my trust in my flesh and will and competative sports background instead of the power of God. The only thing that will allow my wife and I to survive in a disease stricken slum is the hand of God, not my will.

Prayer - Father I look to you for protection on this day. I trust in you alone as the one to watch over me and to keep me from the evil one. Please deliver me from evil and keep me from temptation. I ask that you would give me my daily bread, not too much, and not too little. I pray with David (Ps 108) Oh give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we will do valiantly, And it is He who shall tread down our adversaries." I ask these things humbly in your name, the name you gave your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns as King and Judge to be honored like the Father.

Why the Psalms are Great for Learning How to Relate to God

2008-03-08T15:43:00.000-06:00

One of the things that I’ve been trying to do as I read the Psalms is discover how to relate to God. The Psalms can drive me nuts, because they are really subjective and feely. I really like Paul’s writings because they are cut and dry, straight to the point, and basically in an outline form that I can put into a handout and make me feel good about my faith in my box. The reality is though, our life with God is not in a box. It includes all of ourselves. Mind, will, body, and emotions. We are to love God with all of these (Deut. 6:5) and so we’ve got to figure out how to relate to God and love God with all that we are. And honestly, despite the fact that I’m comfortable with my Pauline faith in a box, I’m really not very comfortable with it. Something inside me says, that’s not the end of your faith. Go deeper, learn how to have your whole self worshipping God and you will find true intimacy with him, true satisfaction in him, and will bear great fruit for him. That’s what I’ve been trying to do with this Bible reading plan through the Psalms is learn how to relate to God.

It’s been awesome. All the Psalms in the “individual lament” genre have challenged me to be honest with God at all times, while still keeping in mind his qualities of love and goodness in the midst of the hard things I’m being honest with God about. I love that God wants us to be honest with Him. Our society is so full of dishonesty and trying to make be feel better by not stepping on toes. God just wants us to lay it out there, while still remembering who he is.

I’ve also been learning the importance of commanding ourselves to worship God and to follow through on the disciplines of the Lord, even when we don’t feel like it. In Psalm 42, after recognizing that he is depressed, downcast, and lacking hope, the Psalmist commands himself twice to “put your hope in God.” I’ve been asked the question a lot, “what do you do when you don’t feel God?” There’s a great sermon on Ed Noble’s website www.journeycom.org called “Feeling God” that you should listen to check out that question more in depth. But one thing I’ve been learning is that we can’t stop doing things for God when we don’t feel like it, sometimes we just have to command our souls to worship God, even when it doesn’t seem natural. In doing that, God will develop in us a greater heart to love and worship him.

One of the great things about the psalms too (and the scripture in general for that matter), is that they help me know what to pray to God. Sometimes, when I’m not sure about what to pray, I can go to the Psalms and learn what to pray and how to pray it. I love Psalm 67 in that it really helps me think about what I should be praying about. The Psalmist prays that God would be gracious and bless him. That seems like a great prayer to pray and one that I’ve prayed often, along with everyone else in the world. Who hasn’t prayed for God to blessing them. What the Psalmist causes me to do, is to put that prayer in perspective and realize that I am to pray for blessings, not for my own gain, but to BE and blessing to the world around me and to the nations. I would have missed that had it not been for God’s word taking the focus off me and putting it on the world around me.

A Prayer of Longing

2008-03-06T09:29:00.001-06:00

Jesus, today your words are life to me. I cling to you, the savior of my unworthy soul. Your word reminds me that you are the final end of all my desire for relationship, joy, happiness, justice, mercy and glory. The one thing I have to offer you I give you now with open palms- my need. By satisfying my thirsty soul, show your infinite goodness to the world by exalting Jesus Christ, in whom the fullness of deity dwells. I long to be filled with longing. I thirst to be made more thirsty still- until Jesus becomes my all in all. Amen.

Inside Out

2008-03-06T07:35:00.003-06:00

Scripture: Matthew 23

Observations: Jesus is not holding anything back in confronting the Pharisees on their hyposcrisy and pride. He cuts straight to the heart of the real issues, especially focusing on what's really going on inside of them.
vs. 3 - they don't practice what they preach
vs. 5 - everything they do is for men to see
vs. 6 - they love places of honor and titles
vs. 25 - they are clean on the outside, but the inside is full of greed and self-indulgence
vs. 28 - appear righteous on the outside, but the inside if full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

These verses made me think of Isaiah 29:13 - The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."

Application: Its easy for me to get mad at the Pharisees, but that only lasts about 30 seconds because I then realize how I can tend to be one of them! How often I catch myself doing something "good" and then wondering if I'll get recognized for it. Or, I can remember being in leadership during college and taking pride in the the title of "leader" and loving the attention it could bring. ICK. I think its easy to do the right things, like go to TSC, go to Connection Group, maybe even lead a Connection Group, etc., but our hearts can be far from the Lord. We are proud and focusing all on the outside, rather than the inside, which is what really matters. Now, I definitely don't think this means to just stop what we're doing, but rather to ask God to change our hearts! I need to humble myself often before both God and men and make sure my heart is set on the 2 greatest commands which Jesus just stated in Matt 22: Love God and love others!

Prayer: Lord, please forgive my pride. I often do things just to look good on the outside, but my heart is far from you. Please change me from the inside out! Make me clean on the inside! Help me to be humble before you and not to exalt myself. I want my heart to be undivided in loving you with all I am, so then I can also love others. Thanks that you desire to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. Gather us in, and make us willing.

Matthew 18-19 : Three strikes I am out...

2008-03-04T08:43:00.003-06:00

I love how when I am reading God always seems to have a theme with what he's teaching me - right now it's God heart for unity among the body. In Matthew 18:15 it says If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.... I stopped there, and realized...if a brother/sister sins against me - I don't go straight to that person. Nope -somehow I feel like I need to let everyone know how I have been wronged by that person. STRIKE #1
Matthew 18:35 it says This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. Well, certainly I tell the person that I forgive them, but inwardedly I am pretty sure I am still angry, and make it a note not to forget what they have done to me. STRIKE #2
As I began journaling about all of this - I looked over at my notes from the message this Sunday where I had wrote - God says "I want unity among my people." and we must do all that we can to keep unity in the body. Ahhh - STRIKE #3
Hopefully, this finds you not "out" like me - but I ask you to search your heart, because God calls us to one body (not one pickering body) - one unified body.

Prayer - God thank you for your grace, which covers my sin, and allows me to restore relationships, not only on the outside but the inside as well. Continue to give me a heart like yours, which desires unity and right relationships.

Won't take no for an answer - Matthew 15-17

2008-03-03T06:30:00.000-06:00

Observations - I heard Jeff Lewis speak on Matthew 15:21-27 and it was absolutely fascinating. I love reading passages about Jesus and being able to see his very unique personality come out. The fascinating part about this dialogue of Jesus and the Syrophoenecian woman is that Jesus seems to be using satire. Jesus, the Messiah, sent by God to redeem some from every tribe, tongue, and nation says to the Syrophoenecian woman (non jew) who crying out for his mercy on her demon possessed daughter "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." What??? This is the Christ, what happened to Isaiah 49:6 that says it is too small at thing to restore the lost tribes of Jacob and Israel? The woman proceeds and bows down and asks for mercy. Once again Jesus says "it is not good to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." WHAT??? This should appall us. Children = Israel, Dogs=Gentiles, Bread = Jesus. The Son of God is telling this woman that the he himself, the Bread of Life, shouldn't be given to the dogs (gentiles). The woman persists once more and says "but even the Dog's will feed on the crumbs." The woman perseveres! Jesus then praises her for her great faith and heals her daughter. This is a wild story but the only explanation is that Jesus was being satirical and testing the woman and most likely the disciples.

Application - This woman showed so much perseverance. The Son of God looked at her right in the face and said "The bread of life is not for you." And this woman would not take no for an answer. She loved her daughter so much and believed in Jesus and his power that came from heaven so strongly that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Very bold faith, I envy it. I desire to pray like this woman. I desire to love like her also. Do I have someone in my life who I love so deeply that I am willing to beg Jesus for them without reservation, to where I will not take no for an answer. I have those people in my life, but I do not intercede with the love this woman does.

Prayer - Father, thank you for the wonderful examples of love in the stories of your Son and all His glory. I desire the faith of the Syrophoenecian woman. Father, in the name of Jesus, fill me with the Holy Spirit, with the word of Christ that brings faith, above all else, with love like this woman had for her daughter. Jesus your ways and teachings astound me. They are wise and they come with authority. Please continue to teach me through the Holy Spirit the meanings of the stories and parables that have been written. In Jesus name I pray with freedom and confidence. Amen.

Scary Implications for AfterDark

2008-03-01T12:47:00.002-06:00

The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 has really scary implications for the response of AfterDark. 234 people made commitments to Christ. 92 more either made recommitments or wanted more information, for a total of 326 people who said that God planted some sort of seed in their hearts. The scary question is, did the seed fall on the path, where the evil one came and snatched it away. Did it fall on the rocky soil where it sprang up with joy (this is happening for many right now), but then quickly fell away because it had no root. Did it fall on amongst the thorns where life came and choked it out. Or did it fall amongst the good soil where it has good roots and produces a good fruit.

Salt Company, I don't know exactly where the seed fell for these 326 people, but let's do everything we can possibly do through prayer and follow-up with these people to help that seed get planted on good soil. The reality is, that seeds 1-3, aren't headed to heaven!! That is scary guys! People made emotional committments of joy on Tuesday night. Praise the Lord for that commitment! But if that commitment was one that came out of a moment of joy and emotion, but dies out because it has no roots, or gets choked out by life, that doesn't mean that person is ok with God, it means that it is unfruitful and that's not good for that person.

So let's be about following up on people and going hard after them. Ultimately we have to rust God in that wherever he scatters seed and whatever soil it falls on is of his sovereign will. But from our perspective, they've shown interest, they might be a seed, that from our vantage point, is on the wrong soil, but I believe through prayer and through follow-up we can help them to have the firm foundation of good soil. Let's keep working hard to help people know how to walk a great life in Christ.

TSC, fight for Jesus, not against him

2008-02-28T09:45:00.003-06:00

Are you a Pharisee?

Of course not. No one is a self-proclaimed Pharisee.

But the words of Jesus pierce our souls in Matthew 11 and 12. Jesus is hard on the people because they were not satisfied by John or Jesus. They were more consumed with their rules than the message and the messengers.

Basically, Jesus says, "You guys sit around and whine all the time (11:16) because you can't have it your way. The message isn't being fulfilled as you thought. The messengers aren't what you thought they'd look like. They preach differently. They talk differently. They don't obey the 'rules.' They threaten your traditions. They're not 'biblical' enough for you."

If we see people being drawn to Christ in different ways than we're used to, with people who use different methods than we're used to- let's rejoice with them.

We need to be discerning, of course. But let's guard against the critical spirit of the Pharisees.

You're Not Fooling Anyone...

2008-02-28T08:18:00.003-06:00

Matthew 11 and 12 are all about the heart. Jesus addressed the crowd's thoughts and expectations about John, how the respond to the prophets, their desire to see miracles, their lack of repentance, their views on the Sabbbath, and their accusations of Jesus driving out demons by Beelzebub. The crowd, particularly the Pharisees, were looking at all of those things in a very wordly manner, but jesus could see right through them. Their hearts were dark and rebellious.

The Sabbath stories especially get right to the point, when Jesus says, "If you had know what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent." That verse can summarize a lot of what Jesus was getting at in these 2 chapters. That took me to several cross references about mercy and sacrifice, like Hosea 6:6, 1 Samuel 15:22, Isaiah 1:13 and Micah 6:6-8. All of those say something like, "For I desire mercy, rather than sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings."

After all this, I thought, how does this apply to me? I was convicted of many times where I serve God, or attend church, CG, TSC, or whatever, and my heart is far from the Lord. I'm there because I have to be, or need to be there. My expectations are not to meet with the living God, but to fulfill my duty. Yuck! That's exactly what Jesus is nailing these guys for! So, I am not exempt from those warnings and need to focus on mercy, not sacrifice.

Lord, let us be a body that loves mercy. Give us child-like faith so that we don't get caught up in duty and sacrifices. Help us to walk with you in love and mercy.

Covenant Renewal Liturgies (Psalm 50)

2008-02-23T17:22:00.001-06:00

Israel often would fall away from God and by God’s grace be brought back to a time in which they followed God with their whole hearts. There’s two Psalms called Covenant Renewal Liturgies. One is this one and the other is Psalm 81. These Psalms are kind of like renewing of marriage vows. The covenant was never broken. It might have been hurt at times by the man and the wife not honoring each other, but in this time the couple is renewing their vows and committing to continuing on in everything they’ve promised for each other. Israel is doing this here. This happened pretty often and it’s awesome to see the Lord’s grace and continued plan to make these people a great nation as Psalm 46 and 48 also talk about. Religiosity is always an issue with Israel and in this passage God directly challenges it. He gives them a pretty stern warning in verse 22 and he says, “Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue.” Those are harsh words, but it reminds me of how much God hates religion without the heart involved.

This passage challenges me to think, what is it in my life that I’m doing for God that’s just religion, just to make myself look better in my own eyes, in the eyes of others. What am I doing that I’m thinking will satisfy God, or makes me feel better about myself, when the reality is, is that God knows my heart and that that religious thing that I’m doing, even if it’s a good thing, is so worthless without the heart. What are you doing today that’s religious, that’s probably a good thing and you should keep doing it, but you need to stop and confess to God that your heart has not been in it, and that you’re doing it now, not to make yourself look better, but to honor God. What sins in your life are you trying to cover up by religious practices so that you hope God won’t notice them? Let’s live out real faith today as Israel did in the renewal of their covenant with God.