July 18, 2014

No doubt you have been following the developments on the border where some estimates say as many as 300,000 people from Central America from have crossed the into U. S. since October 2013. Currently there are some 50,000+ Central American children illegally entered into the United States. As you know this has created a crisis due to lack of resources to house them, feed them and care for them. Most Americans have compassion for them and yet few Americans want them to be brought to their town. Since thousands of these aliens are under the age of 18 and have come without parents and without valid identifications, it is difficult to know what to do with these poor children who are alone and far from home.

How do we as Christians in America respond to this overwhelming need?

These aliens are in our nations as a result of lawlessness. There is the lawlessness of our government for not enforcing our borders or our immigration laws and the lawlessness of those who crossed the borders illegally. If we give money and resources to aid the crisis created by this lawlessness won’t that just going to encourage more lawlessness?

What IS our responsibility to these hungry people, mostly kids, who have risked their lives to cross several countries to come into the United States for the same freedoms and opportunity that we Americans enjoy? There is evidence that they were lured to our southern border by implied promises of immunity from our government. Given that, who can blame them?

We Christians are commanded to submit to the governmental authority of the nation where we live. But as lawlessness increases and respect for the law decreases we must stay committed to the clearly articulated laws we ARE sure of – God’s law as revealed in His Word.

According to God’s law, here is how the people of God are called to respond:

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. ’Then the righteous^* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”  Matthew 25:34-40

Wesleyan officials are at the border meeting with Federal, State and Local officials to assess the situation and ascertain the most appropriate ways to respond. We will be hearing from them soon and when we do we can decide the best way for us to get involved.

July 17, 2014

"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. ”While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only."  Matthew 17:1-8

Wow! Moses, Elijah and the Transfigured Jesus altogether in one place at one time!

I would be thrilled to see any ONE of them, but Peter, James and John got to see them all!

That wasn't even the best part! They got to hear the voice of God! How good would that be?!

Wouldn't you like to hear the voice of God?

Seeing Jesus, then seeing Jesus glorified, and seeing Elijah, and seeing Moses and hearing the voice of God - that's a REAL good day!

But having said that, while they were called to evangelize and while they were up on that high mountain no one got saved.

They were called to heal the sick and while they were on the high mountain no one was healed.

They were called to deliver the captives but there was no one delivered while they were high on the mountain.

Mountain-top experiences are wonderful!

Mountain-top experiences where Jesus, Moses, and Elijah show up are amazing!

But the work of God and the will of God are accomplished at the bottom of the mountain. 

Is God any less glorified when He reveals His power at the bottom of the mountain than He is at the top of the mountain?

It is wonderful when we see God glorified high on the mountain, but only three men got to see it. When God is glorified by someone being saved, or being healed or getting delivered from a demon many people see that! And many can give Him glory! 

Giving Him glory by your worship in the sanctuary on Sunday is a good thing but glorifying Him by your walk the rest of the week is even more effective.

July 16, 2014

"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  Matthew 17:1-4

Don't you love mountain-top experiences? Those are the times when God seems so real and faith seems so easy. 

The Bible has several significant mountain-top experiences:

1) Abraham took Isaac up the mountain to offer him as an obedient sacrifice.

2) Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai.

3) Elijah defeated the prophets of baal on Mt. Carmel.

4) Jesus was crucified on Mt. Calvary.

5) Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives.

But the transfiguration of Jesus was the mountain-top experience that Peter, James and John got to witness first hand. What a moment that was when they got to see the two most honored Prophets, Elijah and Moses, in addition to the glorified Jesus! 

Having seen this amazing divine manifestation, Peter was so blessed that He suggested to Jesus that all of them should just build a shrine up there and never come down the mountain. This new revelation of Jesus was spiritually filling and emotionally thrilling and they didn't want it to end!

What would you have wanted to do?

But Jesus wouldn't allow them to stay on that mountain and led them back down to ground level. As soon as they reached sea level they were immediately confronted with ministry needs once again. There were diseases to heal and demons to defeat and messages to deliver and those couldn't happen on the mountain-top.

What is the take away from this experience? How can you benefit from a mountain-top experience?

Jesus takes you up the mountain to give you a fresh vision of Himself so He can prepare you for fresh victories!

Jesus takes you up the mountain and glorifies Himself so you can come down the mountain and glorify Him!

Jesus takes you up the mountain to remind you Who He is so you can remember Him in the valley. Jesus is exactly the same at the bottom of the mountain as He is at the top!

Jesus won't let you live on the mountain-top but He will lift you there!

July 15, 2014

As you know, Psalm 51 is one of the most honest, intense and heart-felt chapters any where in the Bible. It is also a text book example of how repentence should happen.

 

Meditating on this Scripture recently I wondered while I read and re-read his confession, "Why didn't he think about these things BEFORE he did the awful deeds? If he had bothered to think with his head instead of his lustful heart, this Psalm would have been unnecessary."

 

That is when I came up with the phrase "pre-pentance" - or confessing the moment the sinful thoughts took shape in his mind. Had he taken each of those THOUGHTS captive by confessing them to God it would have kept him from committing those sins that ruined his life and ended Uriah's.

 

You and I can certainly learn from David's failure and make a promise to God and ourselves that we will defend against destructive sin in our lives by learning "pre-pentance".

 

Here's what I mean:

 

The story begins in 2 Samuel 11:1-4

Let's break it down!

1"Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem."

MISTAKE #1 – Wrong Place!     

Go To Right  Place - "Pre-pentance would have sent David to war with his army.

2 "Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance."

MISTAKE #2 – Another Wrong Place!    

The Lustful Look and Thought - "Pre-pentance" would have had David look away after he first spied Bathsheba.

3 "So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

MISTAKE #3 – First Look Was Free – Second One Was Costly

David Gave Into Lustful Thoughts And Acted Them Out - "Pre-pentance would have resisted the second look and come quickly off the roof.

4 "David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house."

MISTAKE #4 – Totally Out of Control Now – He Abused His Power To Use This Woman AND Betray Her Husband, Who Was One of  His Loyal Soldiers - Pre – Pentance – TOO LATE NOW!

Repentance is the only way to be freed from the guilt and bondage of your sin. True repentance to God allows Him to come in mercy and power to cleanse your sin and restore your spirit.

But you could render repentance a rarity in your life if you would train yourself to "pre-pent".

July 14, 2014

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." I Timothy 4:12

I was blessed by the teens this morning as they shared the joys of their camp experiences this past week. The friendships forged, the memories made and the spiritual decisions nailed down in the evening rallies.

As I listened to their enthusiasm over their recently strengthened faith, I prayed that they would follow through on the commitments made last week.

I wonder how many of the people in the congregation believe there will be long lasting results in the lives of these young people.

It certainly can happen!

It was fifty years ago that I went forward during a camp service and made a total surrender of my life to God and prayed for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Four years after that I went off to Indiana Wesleyan University to study for the ministry and four years beyond that I became the Pastor at Princeton Wesleyan Church in Princeton, Illinois. Two years after that, again at a camp service, I was ordained as an Elder in The Wesleyan Church of America,

So, fifty years ago at a camp service I made Jesus my Lord and forty years ago Elders of the Illinois District laid hands on me a prayed for me as I was ordained.

If it can happen for me it can happen for each of our teens! I pray it will! I pray that this fresh taste of God's goodness will inspire them to hunger for more of His presence in their lives.

One of the major factors that contributed to maintaining my spiritual commitments made at camp those Summers was a strong healthy local church where I was taught, loved, encouraged prayed for, prayed over and developed in my faith. I could not have become what I am today if it had not been for those faithful folks at Silver Lake Wesleyan Church in Silver Lake, Indiana.

I have a challenge for you. Will you be that sort of people for our teens?

Will you encourage them?

Will you believe in them?

Will you pray for them?

Will you set the example for them?

Will you work together with me continuing to build a strong church that e there for them as they grow and mature in their faith?

July 13, 2014

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."  Psalm 27:1-3

Trouble is all around us. Maybe it has you surrounded and you don't know where to turn.

The Psalmist was well acquainted with trouble and out of his troubles came most of the beautiful thoughts and words that have inspired so many for so long! You could sum up the 27th Psalm in this way - "Trouble? No Trouble!"

Why is that true?

Because you have a God Who is a refuge! What does that mean? How does that help?

First, it means that God is a personal refuge - "God is OUR refuge and strength....."

A refuge is a place to flee trouble. A refuge is a place of safety. A refuge is a place to hide. For the believer, God is that refuge! You can flee to Him and hide in Him in the day of trouble and be safe!

Furthermore, God is strong and His strength can become your strength because His IS a personal God!

Second, it means God is a present refuge - "an everpresent help in trouble."

Troubles come and go, but when God comes to you and when you flee to Him, He NEVER leaves! He will remain with you after the trouble has subsided. Where ever trouble might find you, God is already there! In fact, trouble has to get through Him in order to get to you and so if it gets to you He has allowed it because He knows that with His present strength you can handle it!

Third, it means God is a powerful refuge - "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Your God is not only a personal God and a present God but He is also a POWERFUL GOD! When you flee to Him and hide in Him and there is nothing that can trouble you that will be more powerful than Him!

"Though the earth give way" - your powerful God CREATED the earth! So even if your trouble seems bigger than the world and though it seems your world has crumbled - He made the world and He can protect yours! If necessary He can put yours back together!

"and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" - your powerful God CREATED the mountains AND the seas! Your powerful God can move and mountain and walk on the sea! So why should you be troubled by your troubles when you have such a powerful God?!

"though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." - trouble can rock your world and overwhelm you like an earthquake and a tsunami! But your powerful God will shelter you while He calms the storm! You may be wet and you may be shaken but you won't be harmed because your Personal, Present and Powerful God is your Refuge and your Strength!

Trouble? No trouble!

July 12, 2014

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled" Matthew 5:6

One of the proofs of God's existence is every person's inner craving for God and for goodness. 

Where else would the sense of "rightness" come from?

Where else would that inner longing for something more come from?

Doesn't it make sense that if God created us for Himself that He would wire each of us with a craving or a hunger to know Him?

Jesus is acknowledging that your cravings will control you if you don't get your cravings under His control.

In this statement of Jesus of the fourth Beatitude, Jesus is acknowledging that people have an inner craving to get life right and to make their world a more righteousness place.

Let's examine that statement with you.

I believe an atheist has a desire to create a more righteous world. That is an impossible task if you don't believe in God, but they have strong ideas of what is right, and moral and they have a craving to create a world in that image of "rightness". But attempts to satisfy the craving in their soul by their own efforts always leaves them disappointed , dissatisfied and more disillusioned.

I believe a Muslim is driven by a sincere craving to create a righteous world according to his understanding of what is right. Killing an infidel Christian or Jew who won't convert to Islam is an act of righteousness in the mind of a militant Muslim. They are trusting in their form of "righteousness" to please Allah and earn them a place in Heaven.

A liberal progressive has a vision of what would make the world more "right". That vision usually involves creating a strong and powerful central government with the power to make things more fair and more even. In their vision of rightness wealth will be taken from those who have it and given to those who don't have it. In their morality, whatever empowers and enlarges the State is righteous and whatever opposes or undermines the power of the State is evil. Therefore, to trust in Christ and the righteousness revealed in God's Word constitutes a direct threat to liberalism.

Jesus said that you must have a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees. Their idea of righteousness consisted of rituals, rules and religious observances. Their craving to find God's approval degenerated into a self-righteousness that led them to gross hypocrisy and left them empty. The had a form of religion but no relationship with God.

It really can't be denied that God has placed a craving for righteousness deep in the heart of every person. And the truth that Jesus declares must be taken seriously, you will get what you crave the most and cravings that are out of His control will end in emptiness.

The only was to be blessed by God is to put your cravings under His control so He can become what you crave the most. When you crave Him the most you will come into right relationship with Him and THAT is THE BLESSING!