Open the Gates!

2 Samuel 20:21 "'That's not my purpose. All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand over this one man to me, I will leave the town in peace.' 'All right,' the woman replied, 'we will throw his head over the wall to you.'"

God isn't looking to destroy faithful people or towns.  His purpose is not to see his people suffer.  However, revolting against the King of kings must be dealt with. 

Christians are always looking for revival. Praying, fasting, and pleading for the Lord to bring growth and send another wave of revival that will start in our churches.  We want growth and maturity.  We want to see the gifts of the Spirit fully functioning. Miracles, signs, and wonders are still evident today and we want more of them so we are pressing in to the throne room of God.

When "Then" Becomes Too Late

Matthew 26:14 "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests"

It is easy to take this section of scripture and assume that Judas had no intentions in going to the leading priests because one day he just woke up and said, "Hmm I want to be the one who Jesus talked about and betray him". The thing that has to be noticed in the above scripture is the first word, "Then". You see something happened, "then" Judas went.

What happened? What was the event that led Judas to go and betray his Master?

Keep On Going

1 Chronicles 19:13 "Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight."

 

Honest truth? Ministry can take a toll on you. 

 

I have seen many people become weary and even give up throughout my years of ministry.  Hearing about leaders falling in sin or just giving up on ministry is not uncommon. Even myself at times I have been overwhelmed by the battle and I say 'battle' because we are in a battle. We are fighting against principalities and powers of darkness in ministry and sometimes I have come to the point where I just want throw in the towel.

 

Evaluating our schedules, the amount of people in need, as well as all the resources required, can almost put a person in the crazy house. Notice that I said 'evaluating' because in the midst of the battle if we are focused on the purpose, the people and cities of our God, then the Lord will do what's good in his sight and he will give us the strength we need to be victorious. But we live in a planned out, strategic society and we always try to contemplate the tasks before us. Don't get me wrong it's good to plan, budget and even at times evaluate, but when you start to allow the heaviness of the work to frighten you, that is when you will become weak to the point of retreat.

 

We need to remember our position to the Call of Duty and that we are called to be servants and soldiers.  Both those positions are selfless positions with selfless duties.  A soldier doesn't go fight a war for his own benefit, rather he fights it for his nation, the cities of our God. A servant doesn't serve for what he can get out of it, rather he has no rights and has to do what the master requires him to do; he is doing it for the people.

 

Once we catch the purpose of ministry without evaluating our own dilemmas then we will realize that the Lord will do what is good in his sight. We will then muster up the strength to be strong and fight bravely because we are not doing it for ourselves, but rather for our people and the cities of our God!

 

Every decision a person in ministry makes affects more than themselves because ministry is about the people we are serving. There are people and cities waiting for you to catch your purpose in order for victory to come to their lives. Ultimately, you can't do it on your own, you need to pull on the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Don't give up. Be strong and fight bravely!

 

KEEP ON GOING!

The Kings Table

2 Samuel 9:13 "And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king's table."

 

I come across many stories of members in my church who heard about all that God was doing at Praise Chapel and wanted to come visit. They heard about a family moving from across the country to start a new church in their home and how God was bringing the growth. As they come into the house of worship they are introduced to many people find themselves scoping out the place and trying to figure out who is the Pastor. 

 

Usually before a person is brought to the church I've heard about them from their friend or family who would be praying for them.  Since I already heard of who they are I go and greet them as if I already knew them and I thank them for coming. While I'm greeting I rarely give my name or title, after all they just got introduced to many other people I doubt they want to try to figure out another name. I have heard many times that upon their first visit they will come and see me and think oh that must be the Pastors son, hearing that the Pastor and his wife came with a son to start a church, until I reach the pulpit.  Once they see that I start preaching they're shocked that I am the Pastor!

 

I look fairly young for my age and have so throughout all my years. I say its a result of getting saved at 14years old and staying in the joy of the Lord. Sin did not add ages to me as it would have done in the world.  I'm currently 29 years old and my response when people say I'm young is that you're never too young to care for people.  I started pioneering our church at 27 years of age, but it was worse when I was back in California teaching Junior High class when I as 17 years old.  I had many obstacles, insults, and leeriness to overcome because of my youthfulness everyone would mistake me for one of the kids I was leading.

 

Many times what we can consider our "cripples" will cause us to run from the callings that God would have for us.  I knew that at a young age and looking young I would have to deal with many doubts.  Doubting if I would be capable enough to lead, to be responsible, and to protect the flock. I felt many times like restraining from doing what God called me to do because I didn't feel as if I would be capable of doing it due to my being young. 

 

Mephibosheth felt the same way. He felt that his crippled feet did not deserve him a place in the palace amongst the king. I could imagine he felt like he needed to prove himself worthy of royalty to all the other onlookers.  Why does he get to eat at the kings table being crippled? Even earlier in this same chapter of 2 Samuel, verse 8, Mephibosheth tells the King "who is your servant that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?" In reality our cripples make us dead dogs.  Dead because of sin and dogs because we keep going back to them.

 

When the king calls us it doesn't matter what anybody else in the kingdom may say.  Yes we don't serve to be eating at the kings table.  We don't deserve to be treated as royalty.  How can we do something for God, the King, as a crippled? Why would he choose me?

 

Honestly it doesn't matter how or why, but what matters is that we respond and join him at THE KINGS TABLE!

I Can!

Matthew 20:30 "Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, 'Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!'"

 

 Last night my two year old son, Cody, was in bed quoting Philippians 4:13 to his Glow-in-the-Dark Dinosaurs.  Actually I think he was teaching them the scripture.  Softly in a childish voice saying "I ... can do ... all things ... through Christ ... who ... strengthens me ... Philippians ... 4 ... 13".  It seemed that once Cody was learning how to talk his response would be "I can't".

 

I have never like the words, "I can't".  Being a Youth Pastor for ten years I heard those words a lot from teenagers who would use that as an excuse for their laziness. Even still there are many people in the church that will pull those words as an excuse to not let go of their sins, their drugs, their addictions. Young strong men would say this only to have my wife come up and do what they said they couldn't, as they stood in a look of foolishness watching. Reality is you're right, "YOU CAN'T", but "I CAN" do ALL things THROUGH Christ who strengthens me.

 

So many times in life we like to use our weaknesses as an excuse for laziness and not accomplishing anything.  What you can't do in one area of weakness you may do in another area you are strong in producing the same final result.  You see the two men in Matthew 20 were blind, they couldn't SEE, but that didn't stop them! They used what they COULD they heard, used their ears, about Jesus coming near by.  Then they started shouting, using their voice, to get Jesus attention.  The final result was even when people were telling them to be quiet, that they CAN'T do that, the two blind men realized they CAN do all things THROUGH Christ and in the end THROUGH Christ they received their sight!

 

Don't make excuses of saying you can't do something because of an area of weakness.  Truth is God has given you many strengths and once you start using those, then THROUGH Christ he will give you the strength in the other areas.

So in the face of difficulty don't make an excuse of saying, "I can't!" Shout it out, "I CAN!"

Keep Searching

1 Chronicles 16:11 "Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him."

 

One thing I've learned in life, is that we all search out things of value. 

 

Three large bags of bagels were donated this week for our Community Sunday Breakfast and lots of preparations needed to be done.  Thankfully we had two of our teenage boys hanging out that evening at the church and they were able to assist with preparations.  The bagels had to be cut for the next morning and the rest bagged for people to take home for the week. With seven people helping it was speedily accomplished.

 

In the midst of the work one of the boys removed his ring from his finger so it wouldn't become a bother while working with his hands handling the bagels.  Focused with determination of getting the task done he left his ring on the table without any concern.  So happens that my curious two year old son was innocently discovering new found items and came across the teenagers ring, "Ah, a new toy!", he must have thought in his little head as he took it to his collection of toys. 

 

After everything was finished, the boy began questioning where his ring had gone knowing he saw my two year old son take it.  But by now the ring was missing. Where it went only my two year old knew. The search was on! Under every chair, table, and counter searching and seeking for this lost ring.  My two year old son, Cody was asked numerous of times what he had done with the ring and he responded, "The Garbage!" Determined to find that ring the boy gloved up and searched every trash can in the place.  Then took the cans to the dumpsters and pulled every piece of trash out to double check. 

 

Much time had passed and I went into my room to continue my preparations for Sunday morning service. As I came back out the teenager was still in a search.  Feeling remorse for the boy as he seemed frustrated and a bit irritated the contagious act of searching and seeking now came to me and I was determined to help him find his ring, actually so did everyone else. We asked Cody again where he had put the ring this time showing him what a ring looked like and he responded pointing to his mom, "In the forest!" My wife was wearing a t-shirt with some tree print on it and we didn't understand what he was saying because he never handed it to his mother. Now quite a long time passed and my wife was finally going to call it a night.  When she went to change in to her sleepwear and laid on the bed she thought about what my son had said, "In the forest" and remembered while we were all preparing the bagels he kept sticking things in her back pocket of her jeans. She gets out of bed and grabs her jeans and eureka the ring was found!

 

My son wasn't lying that he was throwing things into the garbage because during all our work we were asking him to throw things away. As well as when his response was in the forest, in his two year old mind he was playing a game and the back pocket of his mothers jeans became a hidden forest unknown to anyone else simply because she was wearing a tree printed t-shirt.  The teenager was now relieved his ring was found and amused that it was so close all this time while he was searching in trash cans and dumpsters just to find it.

 

Sometime it takes the value of a ring to show us how our search for the Lord should be. He wants us to search him out! To seek him! When we put value on the Lord our search will become contagious and others will want to join in.  At the same time God speaks his word and tells us where we can find him.  In our search, we might find ourselves in heaps of garbage, but God will always pull us out and if we continue on our quest for the Lord we shall soon find that he was closer than we had expected. 

 

He was always there and we just needed to Keep Searching!

 

Don't give up and don't loose faith for the time of reaping is close at hand!

Like A Child

Matthew 18:3 "Then he said, 'I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.'"

 

My two year old son, Cody, is so precious and I always have a great time being entertained by all that he does.  So young and so innocent. He doesn't have a care in the world as he trusts and believes that his parents will supply his needs.  To him everything has a mommy and a daddy and there is no wrong in the world. But he knows the difference between good and evil and will point it out.  When he sees something that represents evil he'll exclaim, "Monster!" and he'll run to us for safety.  Once he's in his place of refuge he'll say, "No monsters because we have Jesus!" Already at the age of 2 my son knows that in Christ we have nothing to fear.

 

We taught him early on as he was learning how to speak that he can do all things through Christ. When he would say he couldn't do something we'd respond with Philippians 4:13, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." Even as his parents when we tell him we can't he starts to quote the scripture to us and reminds us that WE CAN do all things. It is this type of faith and dependability that Jesus says we need to have in order to get into Heaven.

 

One part of the scripture we tend to overlook in quoting this verse is that two things are required in order to get into the Kingdom.  First is we need to turn from our sins.  This often gets overlooked as we quickly jump to the second requirement of becoming like little children. It is very important that we turn from our sins in order to become like a little child.  The reason why is because sin represents rebellion and independence. Sin is selfishness and there is no dependability in it. Without turning from our sins we will never be able to become like little children because we are too busy trying to be in a state of control. Even the very fact of turning from our sin is like a child realizing what is wrong or evil and running from it to go tell daddy. 

 

To become like little children does not mean to act like childish.  Even still some children seem to act more mature than adults in the way that they know things are wrong and will not do certain things, yet some grown adults continue running to the things they know are wrong for their lives. Those that are in Christ have become adopted by the Father and became his children (Ephesians 2), therefore in saying to become like little children Jesus is saying become like you are a Child of the Father and act like a Pure, Innocent, Loving Child would. 

 

Everyone wants to be apart of the Kingdom of Heaven, but we do not want to turn from our sins or become like little children.  We all want riches and the glorious things of Heaven, but do not want to pay the price of surrendering our lives. When we choose to have a faith like a child then the Father can show us how awesome and powerful He really is.  The Father loves to be the super hero to his children that run to him from the fears of this world and into His arms for refuge.

 

Embrace the Kingdom of Heaven. Become LIKE A CHILD!