August 9, 2016

"Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45

Jesus wants to teach you to follow so you will know how to lead. 

Leadership, according to Jesus, has to do with how you use authority. If you are not properly under authority you will be inclined to abuse your authority by forcing your will on others.

Only by following Jesus can you learn to lead as He led. He was the Son of God. He had the authority of God His Father available to Him. But rather than leverage His authority to His advantage or benefit He used His authority to lift others. He made His authority available to those who followed Him. He made Himself available to His followers.

Jesus was led by His Father's love. He lived in His Father's love. He lead in His Father's love. He leveraged His Father's love to the advantage of those who followed Him.

The rulers of the Romans lorded their authority over those who served under them. They held onto their power and prestige and used it to their full advantage. So did the Jewish religious leaders. But to those who followed Jesus He said, "Not so with you!"

Followers of Jesus lead differently than others who don't. Followers of Jesus lead in love like Jesus does. Followers of Jesus serve those they lead like Jesus does. Followers of Jesus lend their authority to those they lead. Followers of Jesus give themselves to those they lead just like Jesus did.

If you want to lead well. If you want to be great. Lead like Jesus. And if you want to lead like Jesus follow Him well.

The Flip Side of Faith

"Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident." Psalm 27:3

Fear is the flip side of faith. Therefore, if you can do fear you have what it takes to do faith!

The difference between fear and faith is your focus.

David, the Psalmist, refused to give into his fears. Since he chose not to fear what was left for him?

FAITH! The HOLY fear!

Rather than focus on the advancing army of King Saul and fret over the harm that could befall him, he chose to be confident in the Lord!

He wasn't delusional nor was he psyching himself up with happy talk. He looked at what was against him and he looked at Who was for him and decided he had nothing to fear.

As the great verse in Romans 8 declares,  ^"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (8:31)

What WILL you say?

Is God for you?

Is God Who He says He is? Does He honor His Word?

Then what is there to fear?

Fear is the weapon of the enemy. If he can cause you to fear he can keep you from focusing on faith. But God gave you His Word and God sent His Son to defeat the enemy and deliver you from fear.

Death is the other weapon the enemy tries to use against you to get you to fear. But again, God defeated death when His Son, Jesus, died on the cross and arose on the third day! Death is conquered so why would you fear it?

As a person of faith and follower of Christ, you have been given abundant life (John 10:10) and eternal life (John 3:16). Therefore, you can live in faith above your fears and the your last moment in this life becomes the first moment of your REAL life in eternity!

So, what are you afraid of?Sid

If you can believe in the things that cause you to fear then you have what it takes to believe the things of faith! And, if you can have faith part of the time you can have it all the time!

August 7, 2016

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." I John 1:7

All Summer we have been studying what it means to follow Jesus and why it matters. 

Some of the evidence of following Jesus shows up in fearlessness as "perfect love casts out fear". Further evidence is an obedient life-style marked by self-denial and dying to self. Christ-followers live an I AM 3rd life-style.

One more important benefit of following Jesus is deeper and richer fellowship! Fellowship is a direct benefit of followship!

The Scripture says there is a condition to fellowship and that is walking in the light. Walking in the light means walking in God's Word, walking in God's will and in His way. In other words, be a Christ-follower.

When Christians follow Jesus and meet His conditions there is a connection that results - "we have fellowship". Following Jesus together connects believers with each other through the Holy Spirit that dwells in them. 

There are strong connections formed as you worship together and study together and pray together and serve together and serve each other and sacrifice together. Those bonds are the bonds of fellowship. Strong fellowship!

The condition of following develops the connection of fellowship and change happens in the hearts of men. Fellowship that develops out of followship results in a transformational church.

So, if you want to be part of a fellowship make sure you are following well. Be aware your followship will either strengthen or weaken the fellowship of your church.

Which is it for you?

When you are with your church family today look around you at the incredible people you are blessed to share life with. Think about how important their followship is to the fellowship you enjoy so much. Thank God for them! And ask God to help you follow His better so you can also strengthen the fellowship of your church!

August 6, 2016

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

I have often heard these verses used to put pressure on people to come to church. And, in truth, it does say pretty clearly that believers should come to church.

But I think the stronger message is found in the first part of verse 24 where it tells you WHY you should come to church. And it tells you HOW you should come to church. And it tells you what should happen while you are at church.

Why should you come to church? You should come prepared to bring encouragement to others. The Scripture suggests that during the week you should be praying and thinking of ways to encourage. You probably know from week to week who in your congregation needs some encouragement so that gives you all week to pray and prepare to encourage.

It also says you should come regularly because there will never be a week that someone doesn't need to be encouraged. So, there shouldn't be a week you fail to come so you can encourage!

Church should be like that mythical, musical "Home on the Range" where never is heard a discouraging word. Encouragement should be one of the main things that happens to church when people come.

Doesn't it make sense that if people knew they were going to be encouraged every week when they went to church they would be more likely to come to church regularly?

I think so!

There is a by-product of coming to church to encourage others, you get encouraged too! Who doesn't want to attend a fellowship like that?

Does that describe your church?

Does that describe how you go to church and why?

There is one more important qualifier in these verses, you and those you go to church with should dial up the encouragement as "the day" approaches. What day is that?

The last days. The trying and testing and troubles. The days when encouragement will be at a premium and churches that do it well will see their fellowship grow and expand and deepen.

Let this thought from God's Word encourage you to encourage!

They Had Us At, "Welcome!"

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1

Before I understood the Biblical implications of fellowship in a local church I personally experienced it's powerful impact! It is, in fact, the main factor in me being involved in a local church today.

Prior to that Sunday morning in 1960 we were not involved in a church. It wasn't because we didn't want to be it was because we never felt wanted or welcomed in any of the churches we attended. But the twenty-some people who made up the congregation at Silver Lake Wesleyan Methodist Church greeted us with warmth and sincerity. Since this was new to us we weren't quite sure what to make of it. As we left the church after that first visit we knew we would be back.

Entering the church on the following Sunday we weren't sure what to expect. We doubted we receive the same sincere welcome as we had the Sunday before. We were wrong! We were greeted as warmly as the previous Sunday! Perhaps even more so! They had us at, "Welcome!" 

Having "our own" church family that loved us and welcomed us and showed excitement over our presence! For the first time in our lives we had a church home! It felt wonderful! It was literally life-changing! Before the Word had a chance to change us their warm welcome did! The faithful folks at Silver Lake Wesleyan Methodist Church loved us to life.

Christian fellowship is powerful!

Rhonda Baker is a pastor at Sin City Church in Henderson, Nevada. Sin City is a dynamic rapidly growing church that is committed to loving people to life. And they are!

Rhonda knows about being loved to life. Coming out of a bad relationship and in a bad way she knew she needed something solid to hold onto. There was a young man named Randy who worked with her and he always seemed happy and positive. Intrigued by him she became friendly with him and they became friends. He invited her to his church and she experienced authentic Christian fellowship for the first time in her life. It rocked her world.

A few weeks later she found herself at a beer garden on a Saturday night alone in a crowd. This used to be where she came to have fun but this was not fun. The emptiness that haunted her soul stood in sharp contrast to the feeling she had experienced that Sunday at Princeton Wesleyan Church. She decided she would go back there in the morning.

She did. It was as she remembered and even better. That morning she knew Jesus was the answer she was looking for. From that day forward Princeton Wesleyan loved her to life. And Randy decided to love her for life and it was my pleasure to unite Randy and Rhonda Baker in marriage 36 years ago!

Authentic fellowship is powerful!

Charlie and Anne came to Parkway Wesleyan from a formal mainline church. They had friends at that church but had not experienced fellowship in the way they came to know it at Parkway. 

They are both very relational people and when they found out what authentic fellowship felt like, they were hooked. Previously, they had given all they understood about themselves to all they understood about God but in an environment of Christian fellowship they flourished! I was thrilled as their pastor, their Sunday School teacher, mentor and friend to share in the process of loving them to life. And over the last several years of my tenure at Parkway I watched them love others to life!

When Charlie and Anne retired and moved to the Myrtle Beach area and began to look for a church they knew to look for a church with authentic fellowship because they realize how powerful it is!

These are just a couple of many stories I could tell about the  of fellowship in a church committed to good "followship".

One of the ways that following Jesus pays great dividends is when it produces authentic fellowship. Fellowship is a fruit of "followship"!

Someone near you needs to be loved to life. Someone in your life needs to experience the power of Christian fellowship. 

Follow well!

August 4, 2016

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:19-20

We tend to believe that significant things can only happen amidst large crowds or conventions or congregations of people.

Sometimes that's true. Sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it only takes two or three as long as those two or three are Christ-followers!

God works through people! He doesn't count heads He counts hearts! Specifically, He counts the conditions of the hearts. And when two or three Christ-followers gather in unity concerning earthly issues and agree in prayer about heavenly issues God moves in response to them!

That's the power of fellowship!

That's the power of following!

That's the power of God!

That's the power of Godly fellowship!

It's not really a math problem it is a maturity problem. If you ascribe more value to getting right than you do to being right God will add His blessing to your fellowship! And that's how fellowship grows!

Again, I say, fellowship results from "followship"!

Coffee and Casseroles

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." I John 1:7

There really is a direct relationship between "followship" and fellowship and this verse makes that clear. Authentic fellowship is a blessed by-product of authentic Christ-following.

It is worth taking a closer look at the inspired insights contained in this verse.

Authentic fellowship is a result of conforming to Christ!

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light" V. 7a

You can't be a follower if you aren't following Jesus and Jesus walks in the light!

What is the light?

The light is God's will and God's way as revealed in God's Word!

When you have a group of Christ followers each of whom are diligently committed to walk as Jesus walks those believers are going to be drawn together by their common love and their common life-style. That develops into authentic fellowship between authentic followers!

Authentic fellowship is a result of authentic connections!

".....we have fellowship with one another...." V. 7b

I have been a member of athletic teams and enjoyed the strong connection that develops from being team mates. I have a special connection with several of the pitchers I worked with when I was their catcher. We are still pretty close.

I have been a member of several civic organizations and built some strong connections from meeting together weekly, doing service projects together and enjoying social outings or trips. I still value some of those friendships!

But neither of those very pleasant and positive experiences pale in comparison to the depth of the friendships I have developed being part of a local congregation of passionate followers of Christ! As we have sincerely followed Christ together, worshipping together, serving together, praying together, sacrificing together, learning together, laughing together and weeping together.

The fellowship connection that is forged among authentic Christians passionately following Jesus together is a glimpse of Heaven on earth!

True Christian fellowship is the result of authentic conforming and authentic connections AND,

Authentic fellowship is the result of authentic cleansing.

"and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 

"Followship" and fellowship go to a new level of satisfaction once death to self happens and leads the way to a cleansing of the heart by the blood of Jesus.

When you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus the Holy Spirit can find a way into your mind to cleanse it as well as your selfish will.

Once your sin and self-interest have been crucified you become more sensitive to the voice of God. And, the Holy Spirit does a powerful work in your heart and mind and then takes up residence in your soul. When His Spirit bears witness with your spirit it gives you certainty, substance and a heart to share His love with others.

Also, the Spirit draws Christ-followers into fellowship with each other and with Jesus Christ. So, again, fellowship is a result of "followship" at a never before experienced level of obedient following!

Christian fellowship is SO MUCH more than having coffee or a casserole together. It is having a deep level spiritual connection with God and through His Spirit as you follow His Son!

Are you hungry for that sort of "followship?" 

Do you long for greater intimacy with God?

Follow Jesus into holiness and find the power of God's Spirit and the peace of His Presence! You will find a relationship that will redefine how you follow and how you fellowship!