August 16, 2013

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” Hebrews 12:14

 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

 

I put out the challenge for perfection last Sunday.

 

What, me, perfect?

 

Yes, you!

 

How can that be?

 

Understand it is not perfection of performance.

 

What is it then?

 

First, it is a purity of heart.

 

Joan Mills enjoyed a bedtime ritual with her little boy. They each compared how much they loved each other. She said, “I wouldn’t trade you for all the boys in the world.”Then he creatively compared his love for her by saying, “I wouldn’t trade you for forty motorcycles,” or, “I wouldn’t trade you for Aunt Judi’s pool if it were filled with cash and I was swimming in it.” Joan says one comparison has stood out above all others. One time little Andy said, “I love you with all the pieces of my heart.” 

 

Does your heart ever feel like it’s in pieces? Maybe it has been broken by disappointment, or torn by decisions, priorities, and tasks. Andy is right, our hearts are made of many different pieces. The question is, how many of those pieces will be devoted to loving God and others? “You shall love the Lord your God with all the pieces of your heart . . .”

 

God, through the grace of Jesus Christ can forgive your sins and bring you into right relationship with Him. And then, you can have your sinful nature cleansed by the blood of Jesus and made morally pure when the Holy Spirit fills you.

 

Second, it is a perfection of love. Because His Spirit controls you and your will is one with His will, you have the purest of motives – LOVE for God and LOVE for others!

 

Third, it is perfection of position. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus….” Ephesians 2:6.

 

If you could be made perfect and if you should be made perfect, why wouldn’t you be made perfect?

 

August 15, 2013

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
 

Some wise person has said, "Words have incredible power. They can make people’s hearts sore, and they can make people’s hearts soar."

I am afraid we fail to remember how powerful our words are and therefore we get careless.

As a boy, Larry Crabb was very self-conscious because he stuttered but now he is Dr. Larry Crabb and a popular speaker and psychologist. He recalls one time as a young man when felt pressure by expectation to pray out loud because that was the tradition of his church. In a terribly confused prayer, he recalled “thanking the Father for hanging on the cross and praising Christ for triumphantly bringing the Spirit from the grave.”

When he finished the painful prayer, he vowed that he would never speak or pray out loud again in front of a group.
 

At the end of the service, he wanted to escape before any of the elders came to correct his theology. But Jim Dunbar caught him before he could get out.
 

“Larry, there’s one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I’m behind you one thousand percent.”
 

Larry wrote in his book, “Even as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears. I have yet to tell that story to an audience without at least mildly choking. Those words were life words. They had power. They reached deep into my being.”
 

Let me ask you, “What if Jim Dunbar would have offered words of rebuke to young Larry rather than words of grace? Do you think Larry Crabb would be DR. Larry Crabb today if this Christian Brother had said something hurtful instead of something helpful?
 

I heard about a woman whose dad owned a grocery store when she was growing up, and several times a week the milkman would come to deliver milk to the store, and every time he saw her he would say, "How is my little Miss America doing today? So beautiful and so talented." Every day, he would stack the milk he would say, "How is my little Miss. American doing? So beautiful and so talented." This went on for years and years, just building that into her. Well when she was a high school junior she entered her first pageant, and her goal was to become Miss America. When she won the Miss America title in the 1980’s, she gave the credit to the milkman. She said, "Those words motivated me and shaped my life."

Words are powerful! What are you saying to your kids? Your spouse?

Will your words spoken today be healing words or hurting words?

 

August 14, 2013

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
 

"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" 

Remember saying those words when you were young? Do you remember why you were saying them?

You were trying to defend yourself against someone who was taunting you while, at the same time convince yourself of its truth because the words WERE painful and they WERE hurting you!

Verbal insults, verbal abuse, and the power of words to affect your emotions and actions are well demonstrated in science. For example, scientists have found that just hearing sentences about elderly people led research subjects to walk more slowly. In other research, individuals read words of "loving kindness" showed increases in self-compassion, improved mood, and reduced anxiety.

Consider this short poem entitled “Power of Words:”

A careless word may kindle strife
A cruel word may wreak a life
A bitter word may hate instill
A brutal word may smite and kill

A gracious word may smooth the way
A joyous word may light the day
A timely word may lessen stress
A loving word may heal and bless

Someone has wisely stated, "Words have incredible power. They can make people's hearts sore, and they can make people's hearts soar."

One reason words are so powerful is because they are able to create hope or they can crush hope. Consider this scientific evidence:

A number of years ago researchers performed an experiment to see the effect hope has on those undergoing hardship. Two sets of laboratory rats were placed in separate tubs of water. The researchers left one set in the water and found that within an hour they had all drowned. The other rats were periodically lifted out of the water and then returned. When that happened, the second set of rats swam for over 24 hours. Why? Not because they were given a rest, but because they suddenly had hope!

Those animals somehow hoped that if they could stay afloat just a little longer, someone would reach down and rescue them. If hope holds such power for unthinking rodents, how much greater should is effect be on our lives.

 

Think about it. You have the power to speak hope into lives today. Perhaps your hope-filled words will be just what someone needs to stay afloat!

 

If your heart is hurting from hurtful words recently spoken to you, it will be harder to rise above your hurt to speak hope to others. I am going to ask you to do a couple of hard things:

 

1) Will you ask God to heal your heart?

 

2) Will you forgive the one who hurt you so He can replace your hurt with His hope?

 

3) Will you find hope from God's Word so you can share hope with others?

 

4) Will you speak words of hope to others today and refuse to say hurtful words?

 

You may just find healing and hope for yourself as you commit to speaking it to others!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 13, 2013

"Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' he is not to 'honor his father' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:" 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" Matthew 15:1-9
 

I have to confess to a passionate love affair that has been happening in my life for a long time. I am madly in love with the local church. I have devoted my life to it. If I had a second life I would also devote that life. Healthy local churches are the hope of the world. If God is ever going to transform our world, it will happen through local churches. That is why I am still leading the charge in a local congregation after all these years.
 

However, true love never runs smoothly. The majority of heartbreaks I have experienced in my life have happened in the local church. I have seen it at its worst and grieved.
 

But, I have also seen it at its best and there is nothing like it! I have seen lives transformed through salvation, through being filled with the Spirit, and through miraculous healings and deliverance. When a church is unified and focused and Spirit-led, the gates of Hell cannot prevail against it. 

What makes the difference?
 

Primarily, it is this issue of hypocrisy. That is why Jesus was so hard on the religious leaders of His day. He had a vision of what the Church would become and their attitudes and actions were destructive to that.

Jesus summarized the problem of hypocrisy this way, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." 
 

That is the climate which breeds hypocrisy. Where rules and rituals are allowed to trump relationships, there is an unhealthy atmosphere of judgmentalism and a noticable lack of love. The church degenerates into an organization rather than a living, breathing organism. Playing the part without having the heart will kill you and harm the church where you belong. Saying the right sounding things without sincerely believing them confuses people and hinders true fellowship. 
 

If healthy local churches are the hope of the world, as I believe. And if hypocrisy is an illness that infects a church and threatens its health. Then it is no wonder Jesus was so aggressive in attacking it. We should be, too.
 

Your local church is made up of people like you. If you want to improve the spiritual climate of your church stop giving lip service to your faith and give it life service. Surrender your heart to God and allow His Spirit to fill it. Seek Him passionately and serve Him humbly. When you do, suddenly relationships will be a priority and rules will become servants of love.
 

Hypocrisy is an issue of the heart. If you want to defeat hypocrisy, transplant your heart.

August 12, 2013

"Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like." James 1:23-24

 

Mirrors have something in common with truth. Can you guess what it is?

 

Both can be very cruel.

 

Sometimes I don't like what I see when I look in the mirror. But, if I want to know how I look I need to do it. The only way I can improve how I look is to get a realistic view of myself so that I can repair the damage.

 

My alternative is to try to image how I look or to wish I looked a certain way and let that fanatasy guide how I view myself. While I might fool myself with those false notions I would not fool anyone else. They would honestly see what I refuse to see.

 

Anyone who really cares about their appearance will stand before the mirror to get the truth and then adjust to that reality. Healthy well-adjusted people do that.

 

If that makes sense to you then you will understand what James is saying when he compares the Word of God to a mirror. Not a mirror to reflect our outward appearance but a mirror to reflect the condition of our spirit. That is not any easier. But, it is necessary for spiritual health.

 

Mirrors and Bibles are necessary tools for anyone who wants to live a healthy and successful life. The reason that is true is because each of them keep us in touch with reality. That is the purpose of faith. Faith brings us in touch with what is real in life - and beyond. The great irony here is that in order for us to connect with the spiritual and eternal reality that is God, we must be willing to deal with the truths that we can see and know.

 

I think the struggle is being willing to move into God's reality rather than stubbornly trying to shape God around our notions of what it real.

 

God is the Arbiter of what it real and what is true. He reveals that to us through His Word, the Bible. And that requires us to daily present ourselves before His Word to allow it to reflect our weakness or sins.

 

Each of us have a choice. We can live in the ugly fantasy world of our foolish pride and rebellion. Or we can humble ourselves before the truth of His Word and make the hard adjustments required to align with His eternal realities.

 

What is real to you depends on what you decide is true. If God is true then He should determine what is real in your life. If He isn't, then it is up to you to shape your own reality. The only way to really know is to a hard look in the mirror of His Word.

August 11, 2013

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

 

I don’t spend much time on Facebook but I am on it enough to be shocked by some of the things that get posted there. Often I shake my head and wonder what they were thinking when they posted.

 

That got me thinking, “What if your thoughts and desires were posted to Facebook at any given moment of the day?”

 

How would that work for you? Would there best any risk to your reputation or your job or your relationships?

 

What would you think if I told you it is possible to live in such a way you would never to worry about random postings of your innermost thoughts or desires?

 

It is possible!

 

It is called holiness. John Wesley called it Christian perfection. Wesleyans believe in it - not because John Wesley taught it but because the Bible teaches it!

 

Being perfect does not mean you are infallible or perfect in your performance. It DOES mean that you are perfect toward God! It means He is the Supreme love of your life and your chief desire is to please Him!

 

In the context of this verse, that is the only way you could possibly be holy like God!

 

Christian perfection is a result of being cleansed from sinfulness by the blood of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit. In that condition you are perfect like your Father is perfect and as you “walk in the light as He is in the light you have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ cleanses you from all sins.” As you take each thought captive and think on things that please God you can maintain a pure heart and mind.

 

Any child of God should not be afraid of having your thoughts or desires publicly exposed at any time or anywhere.

 

Does that describe you?

 

Are you living with a pure heart and mind?

 

Does the driving motivation of your life come from loving God and demonstrating His love to others?

 

If not, why not?

 

If not, when?

August 10, 2013

“in all your ways acknowledge him”- “fear the LORD and shun evil.”  Proverbs 3:6a & 7b

 

Speaking of holiness, J. Sidlow Baxter said, "What God chooses, HE cleanses. What God cleanses, He molds. What God molds, He fills. What God Fills, He uses."

 

Holiness is being devoted to God!

 

Holiness is being dead to self!

 

Holiness Is being directed by the Spirit!

 

Devoting yourself completely to God through Christ brings you into relationship with Him! Dying to yourself allows the blood of Christ to cleanse you and the Spirit of God to fill you. Once you have been filled with the Holy Spirit you must follow His direction to remain in relationship with God.

 

Holiness being the important issue it is, the Apostle Paul wrote much about it to the Churches under his care. Here are several examples:

“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.  But you have not so learned Christ,  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, ”for we are members of one another.  “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:17-32

 

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”  Galatians 5:16-26

 

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:7-9

 

Are you been made holy?

Are you walking in the Spirit?