June 22, 2010

"Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" James 2:2-4

Everyone has favorites don't they? How is it possible to not prefer some people or some things over another? If you had to choose between guacamole and a banana split, I'll bet you could do that. So, why would James tell us not to have favorites?

The short answer is - He doesn't.

Really?

He doesn't tell us not to have preferences or favorites, but he commands us to not allow them to influence how we treat others. Believers are to treat people the same regardless of personal preferences.

Isn't that fake?

No, it is faith. Faith does what is right not what is comfortable or easy.

When you treat a rich person better than a poor person does that necessarily mean you like the rich person better than you like the poor person? Probably not! It probably means that you like what the rich person can do for you. So, is that not fake? Of course it is!

A church should be a faith place and not a fake place. So, love must rule the day and love treats everyone the same regardless of personal preferences.

Did Jesus have personal preferences? Where there people He liked better than others? Of course! He had twelve disciples but there were three in His inner circle. His favorite place to go was the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

Many of the Pharisees and religious leaders were exceedingly cruel and critical of Jesus. He didn't like anything about them and let them know it. They were far from being His favorites.

When Jesus died on the cross He died for everyone. He didn't die for just the people He cared most about.

If we in the Church are to be the people of the Christ, and we are. And if we in the Church are to be people of the cross, and we are. Then we must, like Christ on the cross, treat everyone with love and respect regardless of our own personal preferences or biases.

Easier said than done - but it must be done for the glory of God and the health of the Church.

June 21, 2010

"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism." James 2:1

A local church is all about God and all about people. A local church exists to connect people with God and with each other. To do that, there must be a clear understanding of what those relationships look like.

You can be sure that the reason James wrote this admonition is because these Christians did not have a clear understanding of what believers need to do to facilitate those connections.

First, I want to point out that James says not to "show" favoritism. That also acknowledges that human nature does favor some people or some groups over others. That is honest! That is real! Having favorites is what it is - natural. But as believers we are not given to the natural we are given to the supernatural. It is okay to have favorites but through the grace and power of Jesus we don't allow our prejudiced influence how we interact with people in the church.

Second, I believe God sees people in two basic groups, those who have received Jesus as Savior and those who haven't. In my experience, that is how healthy local churches view people. Human nature wants to group people by race or status or gender, God's nature just sees individual from various backgrounds, ethnic groups and economic classes as those who are saved and those who are lost.

Obviously, you have different exprectations and approaches to each group. You treat believers differently than you do non-believers. You expect believers to act as though they know Christ and are led by His Spirit. Unbelievers are not going to do that. Unhealthy churches tend to confuse those things, they make unrealistic demands of unbelievers and allow believers to get away with careless living.

This is how I want Fred Wes to view people. I want us to live in unity with other believers and with urgency toward those who are spiritually lost. That is a worthy goal - unity and urgency! Let's love God together, let's love each other in God and in unity let's focus that love on lost people that God has placed in our lives!

You have prejudices. So do I. But what we do with those makes ALL the difference between healthy churches and unhealthy churches.

June 20, 2010

"So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out." Genesis 6:14

It was a Sunday evening service and only a handful of people were gathered in a basement that served as a sanctuary. The good people of the Bourbon Bible Church had intended to build a main story above the basement but it hadn't happened yet.

A seven-year old boy sat on the aisle about five rows back. At the the of the message the pastor gave an invitation to come forward for salvation. He didn't seem like he really expected anyone to come and showed surprise when the young boy stepped out into the aisle and came to the front accompanied by his mother.

The pastor dismissed the rest of the congregation and invited the youngster and the mother to join him in a room off the side of the sanctuary. When they gathered there the pastor asked the boy if he wanted to accept Jesus as his Savior and the boy said he did. So, the pastor began to tell the story of Noah and the ark. It was the first time the boy had heard it and he was riveted on each word the pastor shared. At the end of the story he told the young fellow that salvation was like the ark and if wanted invited Jesus to become his Savior it would be like coming into the ark. After leading the seven-year old in a simple prayer the door of the ark swung open!

That night happened fifty-three years ago and I remember it well because that young boy was me. That was the night I became a Christian and entered the ark of salvation.

Needless to say, the story of Noah has always had special significance to me. There is no doubt that it is a metaphor for salvation and it was literally the means of salvation for Noah and his entire family - not to mention the animal kingdom.

With this in mind verse 14 caught my attention because I think it illustrates a profound truth about the relationship between grace and works in salvation. It involves God's favor, our faith and works that evidence our faith.

God had favor on Noah, but Noah had to spend over a century building something he had never seen before to prepare for a threat he had never witnessed told by a God he had never laid eyes on. Salvation is provided by God but must be appropriated by our faith and proven by our works of righteousness.

Like, Noah, you have found grace in the eyes of God. And like Noah, you must enter it. Salvation is where our faith meets His grace!

June 19, 2010

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." Genesis 6:8


If it were easy being a good dad, everyone would be doing it.


Noah qualifies as a good dad. I think you could put him in the great dad category.


That begs the question, "What defines a great dad?"


Here's my answer based on what I know of the Bible and from what I see of Noah:


1) He pleased God.

That's what it means to find "favor" with God. He was a great earthly father because he pleased his Heavenly Father. How? By being "righteous, blameless and walked with God".

2) He prayed

Where does it say that? How did he know about building the ark? God gave Noah a detailed description on how to build something he had never seen before - a boat!

3) He perservered

For over 100 years he worked on constructing the ark. Every day for more than a century he got up and went to work on this ship of salvation.

4) He protected his family

Obviously, he delivered his family from the flood waters, but more importantly, he protected them spiritually from the moral corruption of that day.

5) He provided for his family.

As a responsible bread-winner, Noah made sure his wife and children had what they needed.

Noah is in the Hall of Faith listed in Hebrews 11. Rightly so! But he also ranks high on the Hall of Fathers. He became a great father by pleasing His Heavenly Father!

How about you? Have you found favor with God? Are you pleasing your Heavenly father by being righteous, by being blamesless, and by walking with Him?

June 18, 2010

"Noah did everything just as God commanded him." Genesis 6:22


It isn't easy to be a dad. You dads probably know that by now. But, if you are one you'd best do it well! Here are some insights from "Focus on the Family" verifying what we know, fatherhood it crucial to the development of healthy kids.


A father is more than a "second adult."

That a mother is necessary to her child is rarely denied, but in a culture which openly questions the mother-father family structure, the role of a father is often portrayed as little more than a biological contributor, or a second adult whose gender is meaningless to child development. Fatherhood studies say quite the opposite: a father contributes uniquely to his children's lives, and he is essential to their well-being.

Fathers are essential to child well-being

Emotional and intellectual development - As a male parent, a father brings unique contributions to the job of parenting that a mother cannot. Psychology Today explains, “Fatherhood turns out to be a complex and unique phenomenon with huge consequences for the emotional and intellectual growth of children.”1

Avoiding incarceration - Studies have shown that the presence of a father strongly correlates to children avoiding incarceration. The absence of the father as an authority figure can contribute to a child’s disregard for laws and rules. A survey of youth in custody concluded that “70% of juveniles in state reform institutions grew up in single or no-parent situations.”2

No substitute - There is no substitute for a father’s love, involvement and presence in the life of his children. As noted sociologist David Popenoe explains, “Fathers are far more than just "second adults" in the home. Involved fathers – especially biological fathers – bring positive benefits to their children that no other person is as likely to bring.”3

Fathers are uniquely-equipped to contribute to children’s needs

Different relational styles broaden a child's experience - Dr. Kyle Pruett explains that fathers have a distinct style of communication and interaction with children. By eight weeks of age, infants can tell the difference between their mother or father interacting with them. This diversity, in itself, provides children with a broader, richer experience of contrasting relational interactions — more so than for children who are raised by only one parent. Whether they realize it or not, children are learning at the earliest age, by sheer experience, that men and women are different and have different ways of dealing with life, other adults and children. This understanding is critical for their development. Dr. Pruett says "A father, as a male biological parent, brings unique contributions to the job of parenting a child that no one else can replicate."4

Verbal patterns teach different communication styles - Mothers will simplify their words and speak on the child’s level. Men are not as inclined to modify their language for the child. Mother’s way facilitates immediate communication. Father’s way challenges the child to expand her vocabulary and linguistic skills — an important building block of academic success.5

Fathers and mothers are necessary for balanced discipline - Educational psychologist Carol Gilligan tells us that fathers stress justice, fairness and duty (based on rules), while mothers stress sympathy, care and help (based on relationships). Fathers tend to observe and enforce rules systematically and sternly, which teach children the objectivity and consequences of right and wrong. Mothers tend toward grace and sympathy in the midst of disobedience, which provide a sense of hopefulness. Again, either of these by themselves is not good, but together, they create a healthy, proper balance.

So, what do you do when you have a really big job?

You could do like Noah did. When He was given the assignment of saving his family from the judgment of the flood he handled the big job by having a narrow focus.

He became a successful earthly father by commiting himself to pleasing his Heavenly Father.

The job of a father is to pray for your family, to provide for your family and to protect your family. Noah accomplished all three by doing one thing - obeying God!

Guys, learn from Noah, If you want to handle the big job of being successful at all the things required of being a godly dad do one thing - obey God!

"Noah did everything just as God commanded him." Are you obeying God in everything?

June 17, 2010

"This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Genesis 6:9

"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Jesus made this interesting statement as He was warning His disciples about the end times. This powerful statement reflects two crucial truths: God can only take so much wickedness and evil before He rains down judgment, what does He require of us to escape that judgment?

In a sea of gross darkness, fueled by the activities of malevolent spirits, Noah stood out like a beacon of light. He wasn't just nicer or more kind or a little less evil than the rest, he was a righteous dude!

It is instructive to know what Noah did to gain the favor of God and be chosen to save the entire human race. Genesis 6 gives three insights into that answer:

1) Righteousness

What does it mean to be righteous? In short, it means being right with God. It means making your decisions based on what is the right thing to do. It means resisting what is wrong. This rightness or righteousness is characterized by the statement in verse 22 - "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."

What is the key to righteousness? Obedience.

Not only was that right, it was entirely necessary for someone who would spend the next century building a boat in the middle of the desert preparing for something that had never happened before.

Are you committed to doing the right thing? Are you living in obedience to God?

2) Reputation

Not only was Noah well thought of by God - as important as that is - but he had the confidence of his friends and neighbors.

Not only was that admirable, that was necessary for someone who was about to embark on a major project to rescue an entire race!

I think one thing that is noteworthy about his reputation is that having a good reputation was not Noah's main concern. While you should care about your reputation it should not be the driving force in your life. If you worry too much about looking good to others, your motives will be tainted and your decisions will be selfish. Noah developed a good reputation as a result of being right with God.

How is your reputation among those you live with? How are you known at work? Does your reputation reflect well on God? Is God's love and grace reflected through you?

3) Relationship

Noah was righteous and of a good reputation because of his relationship with God. He walked with God. In a day when everyone else was running away from God, Noah was running with Him.

Today, as we face what could be these last days Jesus referred to, relationship with God is easier and more rewarding that it was for Noah. Why? Because of Jesus! Because of the Holy Spirit! We have both available to us, Noah didn't.

Are you walking with God through your relationship with Jesus by the Holy Spirit? Your righteousnes and your reputation will flow out of your relationship with God. How is your walk with Him?

Noah found favor with God and changed the course of history.

How will history record your rightness, your reputation and your relationships.

June 16, 2010

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD." Genesis 6:8

One of the most dramatic moments in the amazing account of the Creation is when God had completed His masterpiece, looked it over, and pronounced it "good". A perfect God had combined His creative genius with His incredible power and spoke the universe into existence.

So, how bad would it have to get for God to change His mind about the "goodness" of this creation?

Real bad. Check this out:

"5The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." Genesis 6:5-7

What an amazing portion of Scripture! It reveals a God Who had found such delight in His creation now grieving over what it had become. What He had created for His pleasure now brought Him great pain. Think about that! Think about how destructive sin is! Think about how it breaks the heart of God!

This condition could not continue. Something had to be done to make this right! How would that happen?

God had it in His mind to destroy everything and start over. But amid the degradation and disgrace there was one beacon of hope - Noah, a righteous man.

You have to understand the circumstances surrounding this statement - "Noah found favor with God" - to fully appreciate what "favor" means. To grasp grace you must understand the alternative of disgrace.

In a world filled with men who were disgracing themselves, Noah found grace. Grace refers to God's "unmerited favor" offered to us. This means that God is looking for reasons to extend His kindness and goodness toward us and Noah's righteousness brought favor on him at a time when God was ready to destroy everyone and start over.

Consider the powerful difference one person can make when God's favor rests upon them.

Over the next few posts I want to explore the attitudes and actions of Noah that brought God's favor upon his life.

But this morning I want to ask you, "Is your life bringing God's grace or His disgrace upon you, upon your family? Are you living in a way that brings God pain?"