April 26, 2013

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:1-8


Has your life ever seemed like this?

^{http://youtu.be/IRkZN27Hp_k}

^{(Note - I am referring to the spinning plates not having people stepping on your head)}

Life gets tougher when you try to do too many things. The reason people pay to watch these Chinese acrobats is because of their unusual ability to do several difficult tasks at the same time. They are the exception not the norm.

God wired you and calls you to do just one thing well - obey Him.  You obey Him because you love Him. As you love Him well through obedience other good things happen! You will love others and you will serve Him by serving others.

So, the last thing Jesus told to His followers was one thing to do was one thing: "Wait!" But not just to "wait" but to wait for His promise to be fulfilled. With that in mind you realize the one thing Jesus is actually requiring of them

You know as well as I do that the enemy to doing one thing are the distractions caused by many things! Here is another humorous example of how that feels when you get stretched too many ways:

http://youtu.be/bYvbaqfq9mI

If your life feels like either the plate spinners or the sprinters with no direction, why not meditate on this Scripture text and let God refocus you on the one thing that will rescue you from the many things?

April 25, 2013

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach  until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:1-8

 

I don't know about you, but I do better when I only have one thing to concentrate on at one time. When several thoughts or ideas or tasks compete for my attention I can get distracted and not do any of them well.

 

Over the past two months we have been studying seven soul shifts that lead to effective Christian living. This has been a very good study! I preached some challenging sermons and there have been some deep and meaningful discussions during the LIFE groups.

 

After reading the book and hearing the sermons and engaging in the discussions regarding these vitally important spiritual commitments you should be feeling a little overwhelmed about now! You may be wondering where to begin.

 

The tendency when you are overwhelmed is to do nothing! To do nothing after being convicted to do something by the Word of God  is dangerous. Very dangerous!

 

These Christ-followers were feeling overwhelmed by all that had happened to them over the past 50 days and were also feeling anxious about what would come next. What Jesus said to them would apply to us as we consider, "What next?"

 

In their anxiety they besieged Jesus with questions about what was next for them. Essentially they were asking, "What's next? Tell us everything that is going to happen!"

 

You know that feeling don't you?

 

If so, you will benefit from what Jesus told them!

 

They wanted to know everything but Jesus just gave them one thing, "Wait! ... but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about."

 

If you do an exhaustive study of the Jesus' exhortations to His disciples you would likely see that He never overwhelmed them with options or instructions but He told them one definite thing to do. The "next thing" was usually "one thing". In this case, the "one thing" was to wait on the promise that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit.

 

Going forward with the seven soul shifts let me counsel you to be very careful to avoid the two extremes that can result from the anxiety of being overwhelmed. One extreme is doing nothing. The other extreme is trying to do everything. But Jesus says, "Do one thing!"

 

What's next for you? Prayerfully ask God to reveal the soul shift He wants to happen in your heart. Once He makes that known to you - do that next thing!

 

God won't change you all at once but He wants to change you one obedience at a time!

 

By the way, one disobedience will change you, too.............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 24, 2013

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-41

How do you react to this story?

Do you identify with Mary sitting at Jesus feet? Or do you relate to Martha fixing Him something to eat?

From Jesus' response it sounds as though Martha was the problem and that Mary was preferred example. Was Jesus being harsh with Martha? Was He siding with Mary?

Actually he was helping Martha with her priorities. Do you ever struggle with priorities?

Of course you do! Jesus knew that and understood. He wanted to help these sisters find some balance in their priorities. You can't always sit at Jesus' feet nor do you always need to be serivng. Both of these activities are important. You need to both. But you need to to know what your priorities are and why.

Mary and Martha demonstrate and illustrate the two sides of the struggle for balance - the sitting one and the serving one. The serene one and the stressed one. The worshipping one and the working one. Where is the balance and how does a busy woman find it?

The determining principle for these priorities is simple, "What pleases Jesus the most?"

Obviously, as He told Martha, Mary had chosen the better part. She had balanced her priorities better than Martha had. The better part then, is waiting with Jesus rather than working for Him. Serving Jesus should flow from loving Him and loving Him grows from sitting quietly at His feet.

Busy women, wives, and mothers, learn the lesson of Martha. Adopt the priorites of Mary and the battle for balance will swing in your favor!

April 23, 2013

"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:6-8

I don't know if you have ever played golf but if you have you know it is a hard game. If you haven't you can take my word for it. But I have noticed it is easier when I can fully commit to a shot. My last round I had one of those days where it seemed like every shot was from an awkward lie or an uncomfortable distance so that I was never quite sure whether to go up a club or down a club. So I really struggled to hit those shots with confidence. When there is the slightest bit of doubt as I hit the shot, it seldom turns out well.

Anytime I stand over a shot with uncertainty in my mind the result is seldom good.

In other words, it is hard to play golf when I have conflicting thoughts about the club selection or the correct distance or what sort of shot I should hit from the lie I have. When I am double-minded my game is unstable and results in double bogeys.

However, when I am facing a shot that has a comfortable distance and a good lie and I know exactly what club to hit, then I can commit to the shot and hit it with confidence and the result is much better.

In the same way, life is more difficult when I am uncommitted. Any time there is doubt or confusion or indecision life gets more difficult. When I doubt God or am not fully convinced about His Word or indecisive in regard to His will, life gets harder.

James, in these verses admonishes believers to be fully convinced about God's goodness and His grace and the truth of His Word. When I am committed to God in these ways, my life gets immediately better.

I want to be a single-minded follower of Christ. I don't want to second-guess Him nor live in confusion or doubt. I want to walk with faith and confidence in my Christian life. That is what commitment is. Commitment is being single-minded and fully convinced God is Who He says He is.

When Jesus was facing the temptations from the Devil in the wilderness, what the devil was after was getting Jesus to doubt the goodness and the holiness of God. He wanted to shake the Lord's confidence in His Father and under mind His faith. In short, the Enemy wanted to offer the Lord a "Plan B" in place of the suffering on the cross.

But the Lord would have nothing of it! He countered each time with truth from the Bible. He affirmed truth in the face of deception. He was committed to "Plan A" completely and exclusively. That is what commitment is!

Is commitment hard for you? Are you struggling with double-mindedness? Do you struggle with doubting God and/or yourself?

"A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways!" Stablilize you heart and you spirit and your mind by fully committing to Christ. Commitment is easier when there is just a Plan A!

April 22, 2013

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." James 5:7-8

My mother always told me, "Good things come in small packages." I always wondered if she said that because she is pretty tiny.

But in her case and in reference to the Book of James that we have been studying, it IS true.

In just five brief chapters James hits on some issues crucial to being an effective Christian and building a healthy church. I found it particularly timely for where FredWes is in the Summer of 2010.

One of the persistent themes of James is how to respond during suffering and struggles. Perhaps that was because these believers were facing both on a daily basis. Because they took a stand for their Christian faith they were targeted for abuse and discrimination. Even some within in the church were cheating them - as we just learned in the previous verses.

So, how should Christians respond in the face of suffering?

James offers four pieces of helpful advice here in the middle portion of Chapter 5.

 

The first thing he tells you is: Look Up And Be Courageous!

 

V. 7 says, "be patient". The word for "patience" is "makrothumeo". It literally means to wait! Wait with steadfastness. Wait with certainty. This is the same thought the Psalmist expressed when admonished "be still and know that I am God".

 

This is the same mindset you have when you hold on to your old clunker of a car for one more year knowing that at that time you will be able to trade it on a shiny new one!

 

The reason you can be patient and wait calmly and courageously is because you are certain of God's return. You live with certainty that one day He will return and all will be made right OR you will go to be will Him and suffering and strife will be over!

 

Another mindset you can develop to help you wait with patience is to understand that just like there are seasons in nature, there are seasons in life. Seasons come and go and change and it happens every year so you adjust and find things to enjoy about each season while you await the next one.

 

When life gets tough and you are struggling - LOOK UP! You can live courageously knowing that suffering is only for a season! You can be patient. You can be passionate. You can rest on His promises! You can live with purpose and power knowing that God has it all under control!

April 21, 2013

^"About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.  He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”  “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven."  Acts 10:9-16

 

God was preparing Peter to help an entire new group of people belong to the Faith and particularly, the Church.

 

Belonging is a very important and necessary thing for everyone. It is essential to the human psyche and soul. The breakdown of the family over the past several generations has only intensified that need.

 

While the need for belonging is evident, the dynamics of it are not so clear. I think our Soulshift on "Me to We" has given me some fresh insights that have been helpful. When I find something helpful I like to share it!

 

What is involved in belonging? What needs to happen in order to feel like you belong?

 

There is a "Me" aspect to belonging and there is a "We" aspect to it. Belonging involves acceptance but it also involves commitment. Here is how it works:

 

Obviously, you or I cannot belong to something unless we are accepted into that group by the members. Acceptance is a warm welcome. Acceptance is permission to enter the group. You can't really be part of a group until the group allows you to join it.

 

Of all the groups that are available for people to belong to, a local church should be among the most welcoming. Anyone who comes to worship at a local church should find an immediate and sincere acceptance from the members of that body. No one should ever leave a worship service with the feeling they were not accepted.

 

Acceptance is essential but it is not enough. No matter how accepting a group is and regardless of how warm the welcome, a person doesn't belong until he is willing to commit to belonging and submit to its ways.

 

If you were to read on to the "rest of the story" followings Peter's vision of the clean and unclean animals you will see that Peter did extend acceptance to Cornelius and his family as God commanded. That obedience and acceptance allowed God's Spirit to work in a powerful way. But, then it became incumbent on Cornelius and the other Gentiles to respond with a commitment. Acts records that they did! They believed and were baptized and as a result, truly belonged to the Faith and the Church!

 

Acceptance is the role of the "We" in belonging and that acceptance should be as sincere as possible. But in order to belong, there must be a commitment made to the "We" by the "Me".

 

In my considerable experience in local churches, those who struggle to belong struggle as a result of a "Me" problem rather than the "We" problem. If you are not willing to commit and to submit to the group you will have trouble belonging.

 

Does that make sense?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross references:

1. Acts 10:9 : 10:9-32Ref — Ac 11:5-14
2. Acts 10:9 : S Mt 24:17
3. Acts 10:10 : Ac 22:17
4. Acts 10:11 : S Mt 3:16
5. Acts 10:14 : Ac 9:5
6. Acts 10:14 : Lev 11:4-8, 13-20; 20:25; Dt 14:3-20; Eze 4:14
7. Acts 10:15 : ver 28; Ge 9:3; Mt 15:11; Lk 11:41; Ac 11:9; Ro 14:14, 17, 20; 1Co 10:25; 1Ti 4:3, 4; Tit 1:15

April 20, 2013

Toward the end of WWII, a group of American soldiers carried the bodies of their fallen comrade to a nearby cemetery for burial. They were greeted by a priest who let them know he could not bury their friend in the cemetery because it was a Catholic cemetery and their friend was not Catholic. Disappointed, the soldiers carried their friend to a nice spot just outside the fence wanting to get him as close as possible to the sacred ground. There they dug a small grave and buried him following a humble ceremony. The following day when the soldiers returned to pay their final respects, they were surprised that they could not find their friends grave. After a brief search they went looking for the priest to inquire about what happened to the grave. The priest enlightened them, “After you left I spent the first half of the night feeling sorry for what I told you, and the send half I spent moving the fence.”

 

Me to We is about belonging. There is a ME part to belonging and also a WE part. Belonging is part acceptance and part commitment. Belonging begins with being accepted but you don’t fully belong until you commit to the group that accepted you.

 

It means you commit to becoming as more concerned about others belonging as you are about belonging.

 

It means you commit to trusting God’s people in the same way you trust Him and submit to them like you submit to Him.

It means submitting to the mission of the church even when that means you move some fences and soften some boundaries to allow you to open up to people who aren’t like you.

Do you want to make the move from “Me to We”? Then you will want to take some of the following steps:

·         Get involved in a LIFE Group

·         Find someone to mentor or shepherd

·         Sign up for a membership class and take the step to join

·         Get better acquainted with someone you don’t know well in the church

·         If you know someone who has trouble belonging and help them.

·         Look for a need in the church and commit to serve there

·         Find something completely out of your comfort zone and tackle it

 

When a church can make the shift from ME to WE, we can see people of every race and class and social strata coming together community to worship and serve. When the shift happens belonging is easy and fellowship is real and people feel safe.

 

Are there some fences you need to move?