Read and God Speaks

“Do you really read the Bible every day?” Not often, but once in a while someone will ask me that question. My answer: “Yes, but not the whole thing!”

I do try to read early each morning before the busyness of the day begins. Sometimes I read quit a bit. Other times, a verse or phrase will capture me and I spend the time focusing on that one piece. Either way, my time with God in the Scriptures always is a blessing. This morning was no exception.

I’ve been sharing a series entitled: Holy Happiness. Now we are going to spend a few weeks looking at it from a different perspective: Un-Holy Happiness. This will be a lot of fun and very meaningful. But I wasn’t at ease with the series’ conclusion. Until this morning.

As I was reading the Bible, a particular little phrase caught my attention. When this happens, I just know that God wants me to stop reading for reading sake and spend some time thinking about this one part. So I did. And as I did, it came to me so clearly: “This is the capstone - the perfect concluding study - for this series on happiness!” I can’t give it to you now, I have to write it out first. But I can tell you this…

If I had not been doing my usual, daily Bible reading this would not have happened!

God is so good, and He loves us so much. And, He desires to communicate with us - to speak into our lives - regularly. He can, and does, through many avenues. But clearly one of the most common and most accessible, is through His Word: the Bible.

When we read, we give ourselves the opportunity to hear from Him. When we read regularly or daily, then we give ourselves the opportunity to hear from God regularly, even daily!

Don’t pass up such an incredible opportunity. Go find your Bible. Open it. Do a little reading. And do so regularly. Then be amazed as God speaks to you!

[If you are interested in reading the Holy Happiness series, click on the Life Issues tab and follow the link to that blog.]

Death, Resurrection and My Body

Recently a dear lady approached me in tears.  "My father recently passed away and my mom is really struggling.  She knows the verses that say when we die we are with God, but she can't get over thinking of dad being in that casket in the ground.  Could you maybe share something with me that would help me, help her?"  In response to her request, I wrote the following.  It's simple.  But I pray it's also helpful.


Per our conversation last week, here are my thoughts about the sequence of events concerning all Christians, death, the resurrection and our physical bodies.


Each Christian has a physical body (often referred to in Scripture as “the flesh”) and a spirit. The physical body is temporary; not surviving into eternity. The spirit is the eternal part of us; the essence of our conscience, memories, thoughts, etc., that does survive physical death and exists throughout eternity in the presence of Christ.

At the moment a Christian physically dies their physical body, the flesh, ceases to function. This is what we commonly refer to as death. But as their physical body dies, the eternal part of that Christian (their spirit) immediately transfers into the presence of the Lord Jesus. We know this because of three key passages in the Bible.

(1) Luke 23

In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 23, we read of Jesus’ crucifixion. Beginning in verse 32, we are told that he was crucified between two criminals. Here is the relevant part of the event for our current conversation:

Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but his man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” And [Jesus] said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43; emphasis added)

Notice the bolded and underlined word: Today. Both criminals were going to physically die that day, just as Jesus was. But the one who expressed faith was promised that he (his spirit, or eternal part) would be in paradise with Jesus that same day. Remember, for the Jews the day ended at sundown. So when Jesus said “Today you will be with Me…” He meant before the day ended…or literally, before sundown!

Clearly, this passage demonstrates that for those who have true, saving faith in Christ, when they die physically their spirit goes that moment to be with Christ.

(2) 2 Corinthians 5

In this passage Paul writes: "Yet we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8)

Some translations, in place of the word “satisfied” use the phrase: “…we would prefer…” Re-read the verse inserting this phrase and you see Paul had a preference to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

He understood that to physically die ushered one’s eternal spirit into God’s presence. And this was something he desired and preferred!  Paul states his desire and preference even more clearly in the next passage.

(3) Philippians 1
For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ – which is far better...” (Philippians 1:21-24; emphasis added)

It is obvious that Paul believed physical death was a good thing. He said it was “gain” and “far better.” He did not say this because he just wanted to die; but rather, because he knew that physical death was simply a door leading a Christian into the joyful blessedness of Jesus’ presence.

All three passages reveal that physical death leads a Christian into Jesus’ presence immediately. One of my study bibles has this note on 2 Corinthians 5:8:

“…out of the body and at home with the Lord…” This describes the situation of a Christian after death, when he is no longer living in his “earthly house, a tent” (vs. 1). This is an intermediate state between death and resurrection and, apparently, a disembodied state; but it is not a limbo of oblivion, for the believer who has died is at home with his Lord, and that is preferable to our present life in the body.

So what of our physical body (our flesh)? What happens to it when we die? And what about the resurrected bodies we receive? Let me discuss this for a moment.

This physical body begins deteriorating long before death. We age; we lose strength, stamina and abilities we had when younger. The flesh wrinkles outwardly and parts begin “breaking” inwardly! Not a good situation.

At death, our spirit discards its broken-down shell. Our spirit flies free from pain, disease, and other ailments of the flesh. It flies into the presence of Christ. Per our customs and traditions, the flesh is either cremated or buried. It really makes no difference what happens to it, for we are not there! That flesh is not me any longer. Me – my essence, my thoughts, my memories, etc. – I am gone! You will find that eternal part of me in paradise!

Others present in paradise will be in spirit form and I will see them as such. Likewise, they will see me in my spiritual state. And we – all believers – will stay this way until the next major moment in God’s timeline of events; which is, the Rapture.

The Rapture is that moment when Christ returns in the air and raptures the church. We read of this in several places throughout the Scriptures. One of the most well-known passages is this:

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep [meaning: physically dead], so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore, encourage each other with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Notice a couple of things from these verses.

a. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus (emphasis added). Those Christians who die before the rapture – those referred to as “fallen asleep” – are the ones God will bring with Him when He comes back. He can only bring them with Him because they already are in His presence! They are not with their physical bodies, waiting in some dark casket for His return. This confirms that for Christians, when physically they die, their spirit goes to be in God’s presence.

b. We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep (emphasis added). If the dead were in their graves awaiting Christ’s return, then I would say we who are still living have an advantage! But this is not the case. They are not waiting in the grave, they already are with Him. They have the advantage over us! They are with Christ in paradise! This is why Paul so desired to pass through death’s door

c. …and the dead in Christ will rise first. At the rapture, those spirits already with Christ who come back with Him will need physical bodies. They will need bodies because after the rapture and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (the celebration in heaven while the Tribulation is occurring on earth), all believers will return to earth and reign with Christ during His 1000 year, Millennial Reign. To do so, we will need bodies. So this phrase means that the physical bodies that the dead in Christ left behind when they died, will be reunited with their spirit. And then, those of us “who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”

Two things happen as part of this Rapture moment. The dead, whose spirits are returning with Christ, have their physical bodies reunited with their spirits. And those Christians still alive on earth – flesh and spirit still together – are caught up with them to be with Jesus. We then all return to Heaven for a wonderful feast and celebration: the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

Someone might ask: “But what about those whose bodies were cremated? Or those with weakened or malfunctioning earthly bodies? Will they be reunited with these bodies?”

The answer is: Yes, and no! Yes, we will be reunited with our earthly flesh, the physical bodies that we inhabited while living. But also, no, they will not be exactly the same bodies.

Remember we are to reign with Christ as victors for 1000 years (whether this is literal or figurative, it is still a long time!). We need bodies up to the task. During this time of reigning, our flesh is still “earthly.” By that I mean: it is the physical body that we had on earth.

But that old, earthly, physical body will not be exactly as it was when we inhabited it. Now it will have good health and strength, so that we can reign with Him. In other words, we will have our flesh reunited with our spirit, but it will be a healthy, vibrant, stronger version of our former flesh! Therefore, even those who were cremated will have their earthly body, only healthier. For surely, God who created it all can reassemble the dust! Even so, this body is not our eternal body. That we receive later.

Once the 1000 year Millennial Reign is over, there is one, last great battle followed by the final judgment. At this judgment many things occur. One is that the earth, sky and stars we see and experience today will be judge by fire – literally burned up.

Then the new heavens and new earth are formed. At this time, the new Jerusalem descends and we enter this new creation and City of God for eternity.

And we do not enter with our “earthly” flesh. But it is at this time – as all of creation is being made new – that we will receive our new bodies as well. And with our spirits finally at home in their new, eternal bodies, we will walk streets of gold and dwell in the presence of the Almighty!

Truly Paul was right when he ended the 1 Thessalonians passage with this command: "Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

reVision stPete - PRAY

About 350 years ago a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America. The first year they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. In the fourth year the people tried to impeach their town government!

Why? Because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into a wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway?

Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision.

Lynn Anderson, writing about this event, made this point: “With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.”

Recently my heart has been afire with a new emphasis at our church… reVision stPete.

Vision is seeing. In your own life or in an organization, vision means seeing the future; seeing where you or the organization is headed; what you want to achieve and accomplish. It is this meaning of vision the writer had in mind when he wrote the verse in the Bible: “Where there is no vision – no long-term, future-seeing directive – the people perish.”

To re-vision then, means to see again; to re-visit the future of my life or of the organization, so one can either confirm or change the direction and resulting goals one desires to achieve and accomplish. To re-vision is to see again and ask: Are we doing well? Are we headed right?

Ask yourself, or your church: Are we doing well? Are we headed right? Can we do better?

The purpose for reVision stPete is to encourage each of us to participate in four actions that will help us have a clear vision of what Christ can do through us to impact our city. Let us keep in mind these words of Lynn Anderson: “With a clear vision of what we can become in Christ, no ocean of difficulty is too great. Without it, we rarely move beyond our current boundaries.”

At the heart of reVision stPete is a plea. A plea from my heart, and I hope that as you hear about this, a plea that will arise in your heart as well.  My plea, our plea to God, is for this… a refreshing new movement of God to sweep into our hearts, through our church, and out across St. Petersburg.

Notice we are asking God for something…

• refreshing – Fresca is refreshing; as is lemonade, iced tea, a cool glass of water, or jumping in a pool on a hot summer day.
• new – something different than the norm, not what we’ve experienced before.
• of God – so it’s supernatural, powerful…something awe-causing, jaw-dropping.
• that creates movement – it begins, then spreads; like a wild-fire across the dry plains.

reVision stPete includes four actions. The first of these is prayer.

We are being called to PRAY. We are asking God to do something special in our hearts, in our church and in our city! We are praying for two specific things:

1. Extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
2. Brokenness among God’s people.

If we see a refreshing new movement of God sweep into our hearts, through our church, and out across St. Petersburg, it will be because God sends an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us, which brings brokenness among His people.

Look briefly at each request. First, an…

1. Extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

What is an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit? What does it look like? Does God do such things today?

To the last question, the answer is, “Yes! God does, on occasion, still send an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” In fact, know this – write it down: Refreshing, new, movements of God always include an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

If something extraordinary begins to happen that is refreshing, new, clearly of God and then moves through His people and into the world around them… you can be sure the Holy Spirit is involved; and involved in a big way!

We see an example of this truth in Scripture. Read Acts 2:1-16. This event is known as Pentecost. Notice it has all four marks that also are part of our plea to God:

a. It was refreshing. The Holy Spirit filled the house and filled each of them. Peter, who had denied even knowing Jesus, stands before the crowd who had crucified Jesus and preaches Jesus! How could he do this; how could he change so much? Peter was refreshed!

b. It was new. Obviously, something new happened. Verse four tells us the most significant new thing that happened that day: “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” For the first time, the Holy Spirit did not just work among and around men; He indwelled them!

c. It was of God. Unlearned men stood up and preached Old Testament scripture and made accurate and perfect application of these passages to Jesus Christ – who is the fulfillment of each of the passages quoted. And they did so in languages they did not know! This happened so every person who heard could clearly understand the message and have an opportunity to receive the Gospel that very day! This obviously was of God.

d. It created movement. At that very moment the New Testament church was born and has continued across 2,000 years to us today – we are part of the same church movement.

So at Pentecost, when God sent an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a refreshing, new movement of God began. Study Pentecost carefully. For that is what an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit looks like!

Have you ever experienced something like that?

John Avant and the people of Brownwood, Texas have. They experienced an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit and west Texas, and many other places, were impacted.

Would you like to experience such a movement of God? If so, then join me in this plea. PRAY, ask God for… a refreshing new movement of God to sweep into our hearts, through our church, and out across St. Petersburg (or your area). PRAY that we all would experience an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

But be careful; for there is a result that always accompanies extraordinary outpourings of the Holy Spirit that may frighten you. It is the second part of our prayer to God.

2. Brokenness among God’s people.

Take a moment and read Acts 2:41-47. From lives of greed, pride and self-interest to ones of joy, generosity and fellowship, these first Christians were changed. They were new, different than before. They had gladness in their hearts as they humbled themselves before the Lord and each other.

Multiple other Scriptures also show the results of extraordinary outpourings of the Holy Spirit. In all of these you see submission, confession, repentance and then as cleansed and forgiven believers, you see people with genuine joy, a new spring in their step – because they have experienced brokenness before God.

Have you ever experienced brokenness personally? Have you ever been in a church where God’s people were genuinely broken before Him?

Would you like to? Perhaps, many of us, if we were absolutely honest, would say, “No. I really don’t want to broken like that…it would be too embarrassing.”

If this is you, then there is your problem. There is our problem.

Listen, we will NEVER experience the extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit if we are unwilling to experience brokenness as God’s people.  The Bible says: “The Lord is near the brokenhearted…” (Psalm 34:18a) “The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, you will not despise a broken and humbled heart.” (Psalm 51:17)

Brokenness is necessary for an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit – for genuine revival. The sad thing is, the really tragic thing is, some in the church are ok with never experiencing brokenness. And that breaks my heart; it breaks my heart for you.

If this is you – if you are one who refuses to be broken before God and with God’s people; if you are resolute in your stubbornness; if you are absolutely sure – you already know, beyond any doubt – that you are never going to allow yourself to be “embarrassed” like that…

Please, do one of three things:

Either, (1) PRAY. Ask God to soften your heart and bring you into a fresh, new, place in your relationship with Him. This would be my preference for you.

Or, (2) CONSIDER. Consider if the joy, the fellowship, the refreshing and renewed passion of God flowing through your life – consider if this might indeed be okay. Consider that experiencing an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the brokenness that requires, might be worth it. Just consider the possibility.

Oh, but dear friend; if you are resolute in your defiance. If you are absolutely unwilling to PRAY or even CONSIDER…then you must…

_______________ (You fill in the blank). What do you think the third option should be?

I thought it probably should be…

(3) GO. Go find another place where you won’t have to be challenged. Go find a place that will never ask you to allow God to break you so He can mold you and make you into the wonderful creation He has in mind. Go find a church – there are many – were repentance and brokenness are not valued; so you will never again be confronted with your need for both. Go. Go breath the stale air in some dead and dusty church.

You always can go somewhere else, but is that what you really want? It’s not what I want for you. Just the opposite. I want you to stay where you are. Because I know: even if you aren’t close to the fire, if you are nearby you can still be touched by its light and warmth. So stick around. Maybe God will change you yet! Just please, don’t interfere with God’s extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

Now for those who are willing to pray for an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the personal brokenness that requires, it’s okay if there are only a few of us who truly and deeply desire this. Remember Gideon.

Gideon started with over 30,000 men; the enemy had more than 300,000. For those of you who like to figure the odds: that’s 10:1. Or to put it in perspective, that means each of us has to fight 10 of theirs, all at once.

As bad as these odds are – and they are, this is bad – God said Gideon had too many! He whittled the number down to 300! Now the odds are: 1000:1. Each of us now has to defeat 1000 of their guys!

Now God was ready to demonstrate His power. You see, God can do more with 5 who are broken and committed, than He ever will do with even 5,000 who stubbornly refuse to be either.

It’s okay if those in the world, and some in the church, don’t want to be involved in this. It’s even okay if they sneer at us. Look at how some in the crowd at Pentecost responded to the disciples. Read Acts 2:12-13 and you will see that many sneered, thinking the disciples were drunk!

I’m convinced that as followers of Jesus, we need an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit and we need to be broken, humble and honest before God and with each other! I need this. You need this. No matter what anyone else thinks.

So join with me and PRAY. PRAY for a refreshing new movement of God to sweep into our hearts, through our church, and out across St. Petersburg (and in your town).

PRAY specifically for an extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
PRAY that I, as a pastor, will experience genuine brokenness.
PRAY that you will experience true brokenness too.
PRAY that our churches will be repentant and humble before God, so that He could lift us up and move through us to touch lives and change our cities with the Gospel!

You see, reVision stPete is not just a series of messages. It’s a new commitment. It’s birthed from a renewed desire to experience genuine revival. It’s not a program, but a priority, calling each of us to PRAY.

To pray so that we can – and so that we WILL – experience a refreshing, new movement of God in us, through us, and out from us into our city and around the world!

We have been challenged to pray. So now, let us pray together. I’m asking you, if you will make a commitment to pray this prayer, to begin praying it right now… with me… where ever you are!

Join me now in prayer.

Giving Hurts!

Over the last few weeks, I have shared a series of messages on the subject of Giving Away. For the first message in the series (and an explanation of how the series originated) see my post from Monday, September 12, 2011; entitled: “Give it ALL Away!”

The series is over. But we have learned that Giving Away never ends.

Recently, I have learned something equally important: Giving hurts! And sometimes, it hurts a lot.

I have been, and remain, so proud of North East Park for their heart – their desire and dedication – to Giving Away. We have given much and continue to do so. But recently, more than in the past, Giving Away has caused me some deep anguish and personal pain.

I know some in our fellowship have felt and will feel the same emotions. Maybe the cause was, or will be, different. But here’s the truth: if you live following God’s example and you practice Giving Away regularly, at some point it is going to hurt. You will feel pain.

And here’s something important about pain. Pain, especially prolonged pain, causes us to feel frustration, sometimes anger; and can lead to depression, despair and a real desire to quit…to just give up, or at least, to stop Giving Away.

But here is something else I’ve learned: The pleasure of Giving Away outweighs the pain! Always!

This was true for God.

As John 3:16 tells us, God “so loved the world that He gave…” His gift was Jesus; God come to earth in the flesh to take away the sins of the world. His gift was salvation; an opportunity to be declared righteous, eligible for Heaven. His gift was our adoption into His family.

God’s Giving Away provided you and me with some wonderful possibilities! But never forget the pain it caused Him.

Because He loves you and me, God got to watch His Son die a cruel, horrible death to pay for your sin and mine. Jesus got to experience the pain of physical suffering in an unimaginable way. More importantly, He experienced the pain of being separated from God. The Bible says God turned His back on Jesus as He hung on the cross; not even able to bear watching as our sin was placed upon Him.

You see, we received the blessings from God’s Giving Away. He experienced the pain.

But on the other side of the pain, there was joy! The Bible says: “…[Jesus] for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame…” (Hebrews 12:2)

God gave, so now He experiences the joy of you and me being able to become part of His family. He delights in us. Jesus is preparing a place for us to be with Him in glory – a place prepared with you specifically in mind. And we will get to be with Him. We will get to see Him, face to face, and walk through that Heavenly city with Him. And we shall reign with Him forever!

So much joy! Such a wonderful future awaits every true believer in the Lord Jesus!

And it is ALL possible, and it is ONLY possible, because God practices Giving Away in spite of the pain!

And so must I.

Yes, without a doubt, sometimes Giving Away is going to hurt. Sometimes it is going to hurt really bad. But that is okay. Because on the other side of Giving Away, on the other side of the pain, there is joy!

Joy inexpressible. A joy that may be experienced only by those who practice Giving Away!

Holy Happiness - What Makes You Happy?

Take a moment…think about this question: What makes you happy?

What’s your answer(s)?  Now, a slightly different question: As a Christian, what should make you happy?

Where does our happiness as Christians come from…what is your source for Holy Happiness! Holy Happiness is not the same as emotional happiness. Emotions are like the tides at the shore; they rise and fall, often. Holy Happiness is what the Bible means when it uses the word blessed. This is a sense deep within you of joy, one the world cannot touch.

So now, back to our question. Does your happiness as a Christian come from…

- What you are?
- What you have?
- What you do?
- Or something else?

You can only pick one; which one would you pick?

I believe that happiness for Christians is derived from three actions.

1. Fear God

“How happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways!” (Psalm 128:1)

To understand this source of happiness for the saints we must understand a key concept in this verse. This verse states that happiness is for those who fear the Lord. If you want the happiness, you have to fear the Lord. Before you can fear the Lord, you have to understand what this phrase means…how it applies – how it’s lived out – in your daily walk.

So, what does fear the Lord mean to you? How do you demonstrate that you fear the Lord daily?

the fear of the LORD – no single English word conveys every aspect of this word, as used in this phrase. The meaning includes worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect to the covenant-keeping God of Israel.1

The second part of the verse seems to confirm that fear of the LORD includes obedience when it says “who walks in His ways!”

The first action which will help you experience and maintain Holy Happiness! in your walk as a Christian is to fear the Lord. This means to live each day in worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect.

Might we rightly sum this up by saying: humble submission? Happiness comes to us when we humbly submit to God each day.

2. Trust God

“ …and the one who trusts in the LORD will be happy.” (Proverbs 16:20b)

According to this verse, what is the second action we are to do if we want to be happy as Christians? Answer: trust God.

Certainly, everyone who claims to be a Christian would say, “Oh, yes. I trust God. I certainly do.”

But do we? Do you really trust God? Do you trust God always? What does real trust look like? How do you live – what do you do different – if you truly are trusting God?

To trust God is to walk each day with confidence in Him and conviction in me.

I trust Him. He has made promises and will not let me down. I may not have much trust in myself, or many others – and maybe rightly so – but I know He is trustworthy. In Him we can have absolute and total confidence. If we do, then we trust Him. And it shows in the way we live each day, and in the way we respond or react to circumstances that occur.

Instead of: “Woe is me! What am I going to do?” Our response will be: “Wow; that was surprising! But God is in control; what does He want me to do (if anything)?”

Trust means we have confidence in Him.

But also, this breeds a deep conviction in us: that He is trustworthy. A conviction that He will provide and guide in every situation; that He is worthy of our devotion, respect and obedience, no matter what happens; and because of this, I’m going to stay the course!

To have happiness as a Christian, we first must fear God, and second, we must trust God. Third, we must…

3. Obey God

“...you also should do just as I have done…if you know these things, you are blessed [happy] if you do them.” (John 13:12-17)

Jesus gave the disciples an example of leading and ministering by serving; and He, commanded that they do the same! He even stated that their blessedness, or happiness, would be based on their obedience. If they obeyed, then they would be happy. By the way, the reverse also is true: if they did not obey, then they would not find happiness!

Three easy ways to measure your obedience:

• New Testament shows we are to be maturing/growing as disciples (all of us!). Are you being obedient? Are you doing what is required to grow and mature as a follower of Christ? Are you becoming a little bit more like Him each day, week, month and year? 
• Oldie but a goodie: Are you obeying the Great Commandment? It’s even called: Commandment! How much easier does it have to be? This is not a suggestion or an “if you have the time or inclination!” “DO THIS!” God says. Are you loving God, and loving your neighbor as you love yourself.
• You can probably guess the last one… the Great Commission. Are you obediently telling others about Jesus and making new disciples?

Three simple questions – Yes or No – are you indeed being obedient?

Understand: your level of obedience impacts your level of happiness as a Christian!

So ask yourself this question: Are you happy? Are you happy as a Christian?

If not, is it because you don’t fear God; or because you don’t trust God; or because you are not being obedient to God?

Fear, trust and obedience…we don’t usually associate these words with happiness.

That’s why this is entitled: Holy Happiness! We aren’t discussing the emotion of happiness; that fleeting, elusive feeling that comes and goes so quickly; that can be so hard to find, even harder to hang onto.

This is about the happiness only available to Christians. And how we can find it, hold onto it, and experience each and every day of our lives!

So again, what makes you happy?

Now – at least for the Christian – you know the answer.

[For the other posts in this series, please visit my Life Issues blog.  A link is provided on the Life Issues button at the top of this blog.]


1 From the Bullet Notes section from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Give It ALL Away!

Recently, my church gave space and time to a mission church.  We made it possible for Movement Church to meet at a time and in a facility that very well suited their preferences.  They've met a couple of times here and everything seems to be going good for them.  I'm happy to be able to support a sister expression of the Body of Christ and their efforts to expand the Kingdom!

I've been asked by some of our members why we are doing this.  "Why host a mission church?  Why have Movement Church here?"  Good question; fair question...and I believe the answer is a KEY, FUNDAMENTAL, ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL ELEMENT of the Christian Walk.

We are giving away.

My church and Movement Church share the same view of our city.  When we look at St. Petersburg, Florida, we see a city in desperate need of what Jesus offers.  We see need and we see hurting people.  Mostly, we see people searching...and not knowing what they are searching for; and some not even knowing they are searching.  And we both know, we have the answer - the Hope that all in this city need. 

We are two expressions of the Body of Christ, in the same city, with the same view of the city.  So, we are giving away.

But even beyond being like-minded, there is something else involved…we are meeting needs.  Movement Church needed space near downtown St. Pete and time to grow and strengthen.  We have space available at the times they wanted, and we are not too far from downtown. We are providing the space and time that will help meet their needs.  We are giving away.

We have a need as well.  God clearly has called my church to reach the northeast quadrant of this city.  There are so few involved in Kingdom work in this area; we almost are alone in this vital effort.  And there is no way we can reach all the people.  But Movement Church can reach some.  In fact, because of their uniqueness, they will reach some that we never would be able to reach.  By helping them, we are helping ourselves accomplish our mandate.  We are giving away.

We are GIVING AWAY; to help meet the needs of another; to help accomplish our mandate; and to see the Kingdom expand.  The point is…WE ARE GIVING AWAY.

My church, North East Park, is gaining a reputation as a giver.  I am so happy to be a part of a church that regularly gives away.  Here are some examples of how we have been giving away:

1. We are hosting a Haitian congregation.  They are different culturally, which has caused some friction at times.  But that's okay.  We've adjusted and learned through this; as have they.  And because we are giving away, they have the opportunity to grow, strengthen and reach people in this city that we never will, nor ever would.  We don't speak the language, and are not familiar with the culture.

2. We gave away our Family Life Pastor for several months to help a sister church in our county.  He preached on Sundays and provided leadership after the previous pastor had left.  As a result, a church was strengthened and excited once again for Kingdom work.

3. To the same church we next gave away our Evangelism/Small Group Pastor.  He was providing the Wednesday Bible Study for them and they loved him so much he was called as their new Pastor.  We didn't intend to send him to a new assignment!  But God so ordained and we gave away.  Sometimes giving away is costly.

4. Now, we are giving away our Family Life Pastor again.  He is becoming part-time with us so that he can focus on a new project from God.  Called the Pinellas Youth Project, it is a collaboration with CEF, FCA and Intervarsity to have a campus ministry on every elementary school, middle school, high school and college campus in Pinellas County!

5. I personally give away some of my time/attention/energy to help encourage, pray with and guide church planters in our quadrant (there now are four!) and other places.  I give away time to fellow pastors and to missional efforts that involve our city and St. Petersburg, Russia, among many other activities.

6. My church gave away space for a Live Sent Conversation hosted here last month; and the 2 St Pete’s Missional event coming soon.  We are hosting other associational, missional, etc., events - giving away what we have available for the cause of the Kingdom.

These are just a few examples of how, as a Pastor and a people, we are giving away!

To be honest, some (even in our own church) would say: “But, we don’t have it to give!”  Ever heard that phrase?  Can I change the inflection just a little, and a word or two?

I would put it this way:  “We have it, TO give!”

God gave it to us, so we would give it away and be a blessing to others!  It's all His anyway; nothing is really yours or mine.  Money, houses, cars, talents, wisdom, etc., it is all God's property, for a time entrusted to your stewardship.  It's not what you have, but what you do with it that is important.

I believe giving away ourselves and our resources, as God gives opportunity, pleases God very much. In fact, I KNOW this to be true because of something Jesus said.  There is this little passage in Scripture – one we like to overlook and forget is even there – called the Return Principal!

JESUS: “Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over – will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

More than like-minded vision, more than meeting needs (theirs or ours); there is something deeper – a more profound reason for giving Movement Church time and space here on this campus, and for giving ourselves and resources away…OUR GIVING DETERMINES OUR RECEIVING!

Notice 2 things about our giving, and 3 about receiving:

1. We must give first, then receive.  "Give and it will be given to you."  We give first, then get the return.  This requires a STEP of FAITH by us.

2. We give expectantly.  God has made a promise, so as we give we expect Him to fulfill His word.  This means we can give cheerfully, not just because we will receive a blessing, but because God loves us so much He will provide abundance for our lives!  So don’t be stingy, miserly, or a hoarder.  Give away.

3. Jesus said if we give well, we will receive abundantly: "a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over."  That’s ABUNDANCE!

4. Jesus said this abundance would come easily.  Literally, it will be "poured into your lap."  You don't have to fret or worry, you don't need to sweat and make great effort; just give, and the reward is poured into your lap!

5. Most importantly, Jesus said the level of our giving determines the amount of our abundance.  The measure you use determines the measure God uses!  Use the smallest spoon, expect a small spoon of blessing returning to you.  Use a dump truck, and wait for the results!

I believe God has a mountain of blessings He desires to shower upon us - to pour into our laps.  But He is waiting and watching to see what we will do.  And when we are miserly...when we use the tiniest of scoops to give away to another, then He uses a tiny scoop to reach into that mountain of blessings.  How tragic!

This is the Return Principal.  This is not about giving, as we generally think about it – though it certainly includes being a faithful tither and contributor to the church.  But this is much bigger.

This is about GIVING all of yourself and all you have – giving it all away!

Does this work?  Well, have you ever known God to not fulfill His promise?  Of course it works; because God is faithful to do what He has promised.  But just so you will know for sure, let me give you one recent example.

As a church, North East Park gave away two staff members.  Without us looking for it, God is bringing us a new staff person – one who came unexpectedly – literally: poured into our lap!  One who is a great fit for where we are currently as a church and where we are headed.

When we share, when we give away – God gives us back in abundance.

It truly is very simple: HOLD, & LOSE…or...GIVE, & RECEIVE!

I'm a giver. I’m leading our church to give away. Remember: We have it, TO Give!  I would like for you to be one who gives away as well. You will be happier. You will be able to celebrate better what God is doing. And you will receive more in return.

Are you going to be a MISER?  Or, a GIVER!

God's Gift

Ephesians 2:8-9

In the church we use words – terms – and we use them so much we begin to assume everyone knows what they mean. Well, certainly we should not assume people who aren’t regularly in church should know what the words mean. And probably, even those who are regulars, may not really know what some of the common “church words” mean, and how they are (or should be) important in their lives.

One of the most important of those words is: saved.  We use it a lot in church. “I’m saved!” “Are you saved?” “Would you like to be saved today?”

But do you know what it really means? Here is how you can tell if you know what it really means:

• Do you understand what saved means well enough to explain it to someone else?
• Can you tell someone how to be saved?

Supposedly, one of the most important parts of being a Christian is that we are saved! One of the most important things we are supposed to do as Christians is “save” others!

How can we do that if we don’t really know what the term means? How can we even be sure we are saved ourselves?

If you struggle with answering any of these questions, if you have ever wondered if you are truly saved, if you have no idea how salvation really happens, or if it’s even important or not, then this for you! If you would like a concise definition of saved, then this is for you. If you would like to have a simple way of explaining to someone what being saved is, then you will appreciate this passage.

God inspired Paul to write a book to the Christians in Ephesus. In this little book we find a great definition/explanation of saved.  The focus of Ephesians, chapter 2, is: SALVATION. And no passage better explains this idea than verses 8-9 of chapter 2.

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift - not from works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Salvation (as defined in Webster’s Dictionary) means: preservation from destruction; rescue.

What a great definition!

Cars are stolen every day, all across the country. But one incident was rather unique. Police in one small town in California were staging an intense search for a stolen vehicle and its driver – even to the point of placing announcements on the local radio station to contact the thief. On the front seat was a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often when we run from God, we think it is to escape his punishment. But what we are actually doing is eluding his rescue.

Truly, God preserves us from destruction – He rescues us – when we are saved!  This passage tells us how God chooses to do this.  If you can remember three words, you will understand and be able to relate to another, all you need to know about being saved.

The first word to remember is…

I. GRACE

“For by grace you are saved…”

We must all understand this: God was not required to offer salvation to anyone. He is perfectly justified in condemning all to an eternity separated from Him.

Our birth as sinners, our actions – choosing to sin – both require punishment. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).  Yet, God has offered an escape. He has offered a rescue. He offers preservation from destruction!

The very definition of saved is what God offers; and He does so “by grace.”

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believed in Him would not perish, but be saved!” (John 3:16).  Jesus is the way of escape. He is the means of rescue. God gave His Son Jesus so you and I, and anyone who would believe in Him, could receive preservation from destruction; through Jesus we could be saved!

He didn’t have to, but because He “so loves” you, He wanted to!  God’s benevolence bestowed on the undeserving. That is GRACE; and by that, we can be saved.

Second word to remember is…

II. FAITH

“For by grace you are saved through faith…”

God’s part in someone being saved is GRACE. The person’s part – your part, my part, anyone’s part - is FAITH.  Without FAITH you cannot be saved.

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

You absolutely must have and exercise FAITH to be saved.  "Believe in your heart" – this is FAITH. It’s not something you see. It’s not something you hold; it’s not a math problem you solve; it’s not something you necessarily fully understand. It IS something you accept – you believe because God said it.

FAITH is believing; not hoping, but with confidence and conviction, believing. Not belief based on you or someone else, or anything of this world; but belief based on God, on His love and trustworthiness.

By the way, without FAITH it is impossible for you – or anyone – to please God.

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exist and rewards those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Some suggest that FAITH is foolish. They say it is the same as believing in spite of the facts; or believing when there is nothing to believe.  Are they right? What is faith?

Biblical FAITH is not merely intellectually agreeing with the truth. The Bible says: “The demons also believe – and they shudder.” (James 2:19).  Biblical FAITH means: believing God and acting accordingly. Actions based on your belief…this is true FAITH.

• It means accepting as true the Biblical message that God by grace has provided rescue; has provided preservation from destruction, for you.
• It means acting on that belief by committing your life to Jesus, letting Him save you; then stopping any attempts to earn your own salvation.
• It means continuing to act on your belief by letting Jesus lead you as Lord each day…letting Him guide in every decision, letting Him determine what is right or wrong for you, and trusting Him in all things.

GRACE is God’s part in us being saved; FAITH is ours.  “For by grace you are saved through faith…” That is, by believing and acting accordingly.

The third word to remember, in order to remember what being saved means, is…

III. GIFT

"For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.”

Did you notice: both parts of you being saved – God’s grace and your faith – are GIFTS from Him?

God gives you His GRACE; and He gives you the FAITH you need in order to believe. Truly, both the grace and the faith are a GIFT from God.  God literally hands preservation from destruction to you. All you have to do is open your heart and accept His free GIFT…and be saved.

Being saved simply is this:

• trustfully accepting from God what He has provided (even when you don’t totally understand what you are receiving); and,
• letting God give what He alone can provide (giving up on being able to provide rescue for yourself).

SALVATION is something you RECEIVE! It is a GIFT. God’s Gift to you!  In verse 9, Paul (almost being redundant) stresses this GIFT aspect of SALVATION:

"it is God's gift - not from works, so that no one can boast."

You have done nothing to earn salvation, either by being or doing “good.” All of mankind is equal before God as sinners, deserving punishment. No one may boast or point with pride to personal accomplishments in the area of SALVATION.  For no one has accomplished anything here…it is all from God! He has done it all.

Now perhaps these three words will help us remember what it means to be saved; how to be saved; to make sure we are saved; and even how to help others be saved! Here it is in a nutshell:

By GRACE – God’s unmerited favor – you have been saved through FAITH – believing and acting based on your believing; and not of yourselves, it is all God’s GIFT to you!

The reformer, Martin Luther, once wrote:

It is one thing to say, "Christ is A Savior." It is quite another thing to say, "He is MY Savior." The devil can say the first; but only the truly saved can say the second.

Is Jesus YOUR Savior? Are you saved? Have you received God’s gift, His rescuing you from the punishment your sins deserve?  Has this passage helped confirm that you are saved? Do you actively live based on faith – do you walk faithfully and obediently with Jesus each day?

Maybe you need to recommit yourself; at some point He saved you, but you’ve been doing your own thing. Not only is He your Savior – your rescuer – He is Lord. Commit to yield to Him; to follow Him.

These three words can help you share with someone else how they can be saved. How amazing would that be; to be used by God in such an amazing, eternity-impacting way? So commit to memory these three words.  Truly this is...

One small passage that can give you assurance, and help you bring others to Jesus!

These Three Things We Know

As John closes his first epistle, He assures the reader of three things we know...beyond any doubt, with complete assurance, we know and can trust these three things.  The third of these is found in verse 20:

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true One.  We are in the true One - that is, in His Son Jesus Christ.  He is the true God and eternal life.

From this verse we know...

I. Messiah has come – vs. 20a

Jews had been waiting for centuries…Still, they wait for the long-promised Messiah.  Believers know…No more waiting! He has come.

John 1:1,14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and took up residence among us.  We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Truly, the Messiah has been here and left already. Hebrews 4:14: “He has passed through the heavens…”  They missed Him then, and many are missing Him today!

Do you know Him? Do you believe and confess that the Messiah, Jesus, has come into the world?

Why did He come?  Certainly to fulfill prophecy; but is there more? Why did Jesus come to earth? What did He accomplish by coming to earth?

We know…

II. Messiah has come and given us understanding – vs. 20b

understanding – is more than facts; knowledge is facts.  Understanding is the ability to correctly put the facts together, to interpret the knowledge – the meaning of the facts – and apply in daily life.

More than just knowing some facts, understanding impacts living!

So what did Jesus help us understand?  John says He came… “so that we may know the true God.”

Get this: Jesus came to help us not just know some facts about God; but so we would correctly put those facts together, interpret their meaning, and change our lives! He came so we could – think about this – so that, through the understanding He gives us, we could know God!

Through Jesus we can know God. Not just know about Him; but know Him, intimately, personally, totally.  For God chose to reveal Himself to us through Jesus.  Jesus said: “See Me, see the Father; know Me, know the Father;” and, “I and the Father are One.”  Elsewhere, it is written of Him: “He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature.” (Hebrews 1:3a).

When the Messiah came among us, He gave us understanding so that we could know God.

Third, We know…

III. Messiah has come and reconciled us to God – vs. 20c

We are born sinners. Our sin separates us from God. An impassable barrier keeps all sinners away from Him, now and for eternity. That barrier is our sin; our unrighteousness.

What Jesus did was take our sin upon Himself on the cross; take our unrighteousness. He replaced it with His holy, Godly, perfect righteousness. So now, we can approach God; not as our judge, but as our Father!  We are in God – part of the family, invited to sit at the family table, to interact with the Father of the Family. Protected and preserved by the Father.

No longer a part of the world, we are now royalty in glory! No longer dead, we have abundant life now, and eternal life in Heaven.

We have this access – this change – because of the Messiah. We are in God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus did this for us!  Jesus accomplished this reconciliation because He is God: “I and the Father are one.”  John says of Jesus: “He is the true God and eternal life.”

We know…
The Messiah has come!
He has given us understanding!
He has reconciled us to God!

Through Jesus we know God; we are “in” God; and, we have eternal life!

One day Peter and John were in the presence of the rulers, elders and scribes of Jerusalem. Also present were Annas, the high priest; Caiaphas, Alexander and all the members of the high-priestly family. This event is recorded in Acts 4.

Speaking of Jesus, Peter said to them that day:  “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

Jesus is the Savior, the Messiah. Those that day listening to Peter refused to believe. Tragically, many are still waiting for One who already has come.

How about you?

Do you believe Jesus is the Messiah; the One True God, come in the flesh?  Have you received Him into your life? Have you received the understanding He brings and the reconciliation He provides?

If not, would you like to today? Do you sense God touching your heart, calling you to Himself? Respond to Him.  Confess your belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

If you have previously confessed your belief in Christ, are you living the life He requires? Are you applying the understanding and growing in that understanding each day? Do you need to confess, repent, rededicate yourself to living as a Child of the King?

A Significant Life

Prayer is not optional, but critical, for the Christian who desires a life with purpose and signficance.

No man can do a great and enduring work for God who is not a man of prayer; and no man can be a man of prayer who does not give much time to praying.1

Simply re-worded: Praying much gives much success in Kingdom work.  I suppose the opposite would also be true: Praying little gives little success.  Prayer indeed is the key to accomplishing something meaningful and important in the Lord's work.

Do you want to be used of God?  Do you want to accomplish something meaningful and important?  Do you want a life of significance?  Then you must pray!

Will you be satisfied to end your life never having done much at all?  Will a life wasted be your legacy; and will that be ok with you?  If so, then you never need pray!

1 The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds (Radford, Virginia: Wilder Publications.  2008), pg. 23.

Problems are Opportunities

Problems are opportunities, in disguise!

Do you believe this statement?

Chuck Swindoll (in One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, pg. 35) shares this thought:

Every problem is an opportunity to prove God's power.  Every day we encounter countless golden opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insurmountable problems.

Don't be discouraged; don't be dismayed.  Look beyond the disguise.  Wonderful opportunities are awaiting you today!

Two Keys to Eternity

From the Nuggets File:

The teachings of Jesus show us that there are two keys that determine everything about your eternity.

The first key is your belief.  This key unlocks the door to eternal life and determines where you will spend eternity.

The second key is your behavior.  It unlocks the door to reward and determines how you will spend eternity.

Bruce Wilkinson, A Life God Rewards, pg 15.

He Who Protects You and Makes You Stand

Big things sometimes do come in small packages!

For example, look at the book of Jude in the New Testament. One of the smallest of all Bible books, it packs a wallop! Jude states he had wanted to write a letter about the wonders of our salvation; but he was compelled to write about dangerous, ungodly, sneaky subversives who had infiltrated the church. Much of his short letter deals with these characters.

But as he concludes, Jude turns his attention back to God and to true believers.

“Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now, and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)

Jude’s letter is about ungodly sneaks coming into the church and leading astray some of the members. Should we be worried? Jude says, “No!” For Jesus “is able to protect [us] from stumbling.” If we remain in Jesus, He will protect us from falling prey to the apostates.

Treasury agents study real bills, which makes it easy to spot the fakes. You don’t need to worry about all the fakes or try to learn all the untruths they might try to trick you with. Instead, focus on the Truth. The better you know the Truth, the easier it will be for you to recognize the untrue!

What is the opposite of stumbling? Standing. Jude writes: “and to make you stand…” Notice four truths about our standing:

1. We stand because of the POWER of Jesus. He “makes” us stand. We cannot stand on our own. We will stumble, go off course, be influenced to some degree by the untruths around us; unless we stay close to Jesus, focused on Him. Then He “makes” us stand.

It’s as if He puts a rod in our back, or strength in our legs…we stand because He empowers us to stand! Without Him, we would – indeed we do – stumble.

2. We stand in the PRESENCE of Jesus. “you stand in the presence of His glory”

Remember how every time in Scripture when an angel appears, the person it appears to falls to their knees or lays flat before the angel? And the angel always says, “No! Stand up!” See, the angels know they are not the ones worthy of reverence or worship, only God.

And yet, through our relationship with Jesus we are allowed to Stand, even in His presence! Not arrogantly or flippantly, always with reverence, awe and respect.

As true believers, we are allowed to stand in the presence of Jesus as God (not just Jesus as a man). For Jude writes, we stand in the “presence of His glory.” Before Him in His Glory – in the fullness of His essence in Heaven – we stand in His presence.

Remember, standing is the opposite of stumbling. The naive, tricked, duped, or those who shouldn’t be there at all, are the ones who stumble.

But we belong. Through Jesus we are part of the family. We have a seat at the table. We can stand in the presence of His glory!

3. We stand under the PURITY of Jesus. “blameless”

None of us, not one of us, is blameless. So why is it, that when God looks at true believers, He does not see our sin? Answer: because it has been removed completely. Our sin is on Jesus at the Cross. We receive in its place His righteousness. God looks at us and sees the righteousness of His Son! No longer under the guilt of sin, we are indeed blameless in God’s sight. But only because of Jesus.

Because of these three truths…the fourth is possible…

4. We stand with GREAT JOY in Jesus. “and with great joy.”

We are able to stand. We are able to stand in His presence. We are able to stand in His presence totally blameless. What else should we feel but GREAT JOY?!!

So four truths about us – True Believers – as Jude brings his letter to a close.

Notice there are also 4 truths about God & Jesus in these two verses. Remember, these verses are really about Him, not us. So Jude reminds all True Believers…

1. There is only ONE TRUE God and ONE PATH to Him. “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord” God is God, and Jesus is the one Savior. As He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The Bible is very clear on this point. There is no room for doubt, confusion, or negotiation…there is one and only one God…and His name is “I AM.”

• The God of the Old Testament is the God of the New.
• The God of Genesis is the God of Revelation.
• The God of Adam is the God of Paul.
• The God of the Israelites is the God of the Church.

Through Jesus, know God; and know there is no other!

2. God alone is worthy of WORSHIP. “…be glory, majesty…”

Glory & Majesty…someday take the time to read verses that include these words. The exercise will lift your spirit! Often when they appear, the words splendor and awesome accompany them.

I honestly don’t have the space here to discuss Glory and Majesty. I want to; but when I look at the sources in my study, quickly I realize there is just too much. The subject of God’s Glory and Majesty is a subject that could occupy us for a long time. Indeed it will, throughout eternity!

Let me just encourage you to find a good Bible dictionary and read the entries for Glory and Majesty. I promise you, it will be worth your time. What Jude succinctly says is, “to God only be Glory and Majesty!” He alone should be worshipped.

3. God alone is worthy of OBEDIENCE. “…power, authority…”

“All power and authority is Mine,” Jesus said – and Jesus is God. God created it all. He owns it all. He controls it all. Who else really has any power or authority? No one.

Now, in our human lives we have people who hold authority over us temporarily: a boss, government, leaders in the church. But these are not permanent – none of them; and their authority is a temporary loan from God. They exercise an authority that is not their own. For all power and authority belongs ultimately to God – even that which the Devil temporarily has in this world!

Therefore, God is truly the only one who is worthy of your obedience. This means complete obedience to Him, and to the expressions of His authority He has shared through legitimate earthly agencies.

4. Only God is ETERNAL. “…before all time, now, and forever.”

He is the One true God “before all time.” Before creation, God is.
He is the One true God “now.” Today, many vie to be your god; but He is still the One and Only!
He is the One true God “forever.” When all this earth has passed away, He will still be.

Think about what Jude is saying as he concludes this letter.

The only eternal God, the only One worthy of our worship and obedience, He is the One who will protect us from stumbling, enable us to stand, and keep us until He delivers us to Heaven – into His presence forever!

Truly there is no better way to end, than the way Jude does…

“Amen.”

His Love Is Eternal

Exciting…thrilling…best thing ever! Life filled with…

• opportunities and blessings;
• true joy and real satisfaction;
• meaningful activities and compelling purpose;
• peace that passes all understanding;
• contentment and a deep, abiding satisfaction.

All of these, and so much more…this is the Christian experience!

Being a Christ follower, a true believer and confessor of His, is an amazing adventure. He promises His followers an abundant life and that He delivers. He gives generously and blesses abundantly. He empowers, emboldens and encourages each day. More than just watching and rooting for us, He intercedes for us with the Father and indwells us with the Spirit. Through the perils and temptations, and in spite of our set-backs and failures, nothing in this world matches walking with Jesus! The Christian experience truly is exciting…thrilling…the best thing ever!

But I wonder if we often overlook the most incredible part of the journey: God’s Love. Of all that Jesus offers and delivers; of all the benefits received by being His; the most amazing of all has to be that God loves me…and you…each of us, personally and intimately!

It is because of His love that we can have a relationship with Him at all. “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). You should notice three key truths from this verse.

First: God’s Love originates in God. God loves first. Believers are those who receive the love he offers; then return His love – through our hearts – back to Him. This amazing love finds its beginning and ending in Him! “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Second: God’s Love is a gift. The love in God’s heart compelled Him to do something for mankind; specifically, for you and me. And what He did was give: “He gave…” the verse states. And what a gift it was: “His One and Only Son!” It is very important to realize that God’s love is a gift. Gifts are not earned; then they would be wages. Gifts are not given because they are necessarily deserved. Gifts are given because of love in the heart of the giver for the one receiving the gift. Not one of us deserves God’s love, but He gives it to us anyway.

Third: God’s Love makes eternal life possible. I think sometimes Christians believe God’s gift to us was salvation. But we should remember the sequence: God gave us Jesus; and Jesus, on the cross, provided the payment that purchased our salvation. The gift was, and is, Jesus Himself! God gives Himself (in the form of the Son) to every man, woman and child who simply will believe and confess. Amazing love, indeed!

Receive God’s Love into your heart. Receive God’s Love as His gift to you. Receive the abundant life here, and eternal life hereafter, that God’s Love provides.

There are many wonders in the Christian life. There are also many trials and tribulations, as well as many victories and successes. It is a great and marvelous adventure! But the most exciting, thrilling, best part ever…is God’s Love!

The Cry of Jesus' Blood

From the Nuggets File:

The blood of Abel was not voiceless, and the blood of Jesus was not [silent]; it cried so as to be heard amid the thrones of heaven, and blessed be God, it spoke for us and not against us; it spoke not worse things, as it might well have done, but better things…it did not ask that we might be driven vagabonds and fugitives upon the face of the earth, and to be at last banished from God into hell forever, but it cried, “Father, forgive them,” and it prevailed, and the curse was taken away and a blessing came to the sons of men.

Charles Spurgeon, Christ in the Old Testament, pg. 16.

Needed: Men Mighty in Prayer

From the Nuggets File:

The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men....What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.  The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men.  He does not come on machinery, but on men.  He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer.

E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer, pgs. 8-9.

A View from the Outside

Have you ever wondered why unbelievers are blind to the beauty of Jesus, His teachings and works?  We know they are; they don’t see Him the same way we, His followers, do.  I recently read something that helped me understand why this is true.¹

Think for a moment of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament.

What we see promised in the Tabernacle, we see fulfilled in Jesus!  But for those outside our faith, their view is different…just as a stranger standing outside the Tabernacle would have seen something much different than those allowed to enter.  And these two viewpoints would have been in sharp contrast to each other.

Various coverings concealed the inner two rooms of the Tabernacle: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  So from the outside, the Tabernacle was not particularly attractive; but on the inside there was breathtaking splendor and beauty.  The priests got to see the inside and experience the beauty and full meaning of the Tabernacle.

The stranger, on the other hand, standing outside would see only two things: the white linen fence surrounding the court, and the top part and roof of the building inside the court.  As he glanced at the roof, the stranger would see only the drab leather curtain made of badger skins; perhaps bleached by the hot desert sun.  As for the white linen wall, the stranger outside certainly sees it but fails to realize its significance: representing the righteousness of Christ.

Two views of the same Tabernacle…two radically different experiences.

Just as the priest inside and the stranger outside see the Tabernacle differently, so also do believers and unbelievers see Jesus differently.  Both can read about the life and work of Jesus; and the unbeliever may admit that Christ was not an ordinary man and might even admire Christ’s ideals and moral character.  But he does not understand the deity of Christ.

The unbeliever might be impressed with the wisdom and teachings of Jesus, but doctrines such as the virgin birth are foolishness to him.  The unbeliever fails to see the value of the atonement, the validity of the resurrection or the reality of His coming again.  For the unbeliever Jesus, at most, is a great man; one whose caring, good deeds should be examples for us all.  What the unbeliever cannot see from the outside is the beauty of Jesus, who He really is and what He accomplished!

The Bible tells us why the true beauty of Jesus is not appreciated by unbelievers: “He had no form or splendor that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).  For those who look only upon the external, there is nothing about Jesus that causes them to want to be in right relationship with Him.  Elsewhere the Bible states: “But the natural man does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to know it since it is [discerned] spiritually” (1 Corinthians 2:14).  The stranger cannot see and comprehend who Christ is, for it is all foolishness to him.

From the outside you cannot see Jesus for who He is, what He offers, and the benefits of aligning one’s life with Him.  You must experience these things from the inside; you must be a follower of His.  Take an act of faith…step inside the Christian experience.  See and know Jesus!

¹ Some thoughts from this section are taken from: Theodore H. Epp, Portraits of Christ in the Tabernacle, pgs. 17-19.

The Good Shepherd

From the Nuggets File:

The shepherd does not die for his sheep to serve as an example, throwing himself off a cliff in a grotesque and futile display while bellowing, “See how much I love you!”  No, the assumption is that the sheep are in mortal danger; that in their defense the shepherd loses his life; and by his death they are saved.  That, and that alone, is what makes him the good shepherd.

Jesus: "I am the good shepherd...I lay down my life for the sheep." (John 10:11a,15b)

D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, p. 386.

To Pity...and Forgive

From the Nuggets File:

It is according to the nature of God to pity the miserable and forgive the guilty, "for he is good, and his mercy endureth forever."

Charles Spurgeon, Christ in the Old Testament, pg. 4.

The Russians Are Coming!

Upon moving to St. Petersburg, Florida, I began to sense God wanted us involved in reaching St. Petersburg, Russia.  Our St. Pete was founded and named by a native of the Russian St. Pete; our city has a sister city relationship with them; and we have Russian immigrants, businesses and restaurants in our area.  I've met several who have the same sense from God - something is brewing!  Indeed, over the last two years amazing things have been happening, related to this idea.

So, on September 17 we are hosting Global Cities: St. Petersburg.  The morning session will be a time of learning about ministry in St. Petersburg, Russia; meeting our missionaries on the ground; and skyping with others involved in ministry there.  With each we will pause to encourage and pray.

In the afternoon, SPIFFS (St. Petersburg International Folk Festival Society) will host an educational time discussing the history of our city and the relationship between the two St. Petersburgs.  This will be open to the public - hosted at North East Park Baptist Church.

And in the evening we are hosting the first annual Russia Festival at a local park.  A Russian choir will sing, a well-known music group will perform as will a Russian dance troupe, and there will be other cultural expressions.  This will be an evening for Russians in Florida to have a piece of home, and for our citizens to experience a taste of Russian culture.

Our desire is for this day to become an annual event.  The pastors of Russian churches in Florida are lonely.  They need encouragement and fellowship opportunities with each other.  This day can be their annual mini-convention/time of revival.

Please pray for this event coming in September.  Pray for the Russian pastors and Christians in Florida.  Pray for the ministry being done to reach Russians in St. Petersburg, Russia.

And if you would like to be involved in an amazing work of God...email me.

The Russians are coming!  Praise God...they are coming!

A Patriotic Message

Today was July 3rd...the 4th is tomorrow, a day of national celebration.  In church today we sang patriotic hymns, wished everyone a happy 4th, even had the flag prominently displayed.  The message was from 1 John 5:6-11.

We didn't discuss patriotism, or being a good citizen.  We didn't talk about bravery, courage, freedom or praying for our leaders (all important topics, just not ours for the day).  We did talk about...

...the most important thing for helping America...

...Christians believing in the One who paid our debt, proved life beyond death was real, and who offers us this eternal life in Heaven freely - if we will only believe.

It's important to remember that this new life is not ours because we KNOW facts ABOUT Jesus; but when we KNOW JESUS!  A personal, intimate relationship is required.  Afterall, as the Bible says, the demons believe in God - that is, they know God and lots of facts about Him - and they tremble.  But they do not have a personal, saving relationship with Him.

John made it clear that if we believe, then we can KNOW we are safe and secure; that Heaven is our destination.  This assurance; this "I know that I know" certainty, is the most important thing for each Christian to settle in their own life.  For once we know, we no longer have any doubts.  And without doubts nagging at us, we are much more confident and assured...which leads to more faithful and obedient Christians.

And what America needs most, is more Christians, who from a position of victory and strength in Christ, are living faithfully and obediently each day!  This is the answer - the only answer - for helping America, and our world!

What are we doing?

"...you have to know what the organization was set up to do..."1

What are we doing as the Church in the world today?  Are we meeting the objectives or accomplishing the vision?  Doesn't seem like it.

Our society is growing more non-Christian each day.  Over 70% (maybe way over) of our churches are declining or dead.  Even among the largest evangelical groups, the number of new converts - new Christians - is down from past years.  Meeting the objectives?  Accomplishing the vision?  I don't think so!

Why aren't we?  Probably because we have lost touch with "what the organization was set up to do."  We have grown too busy doing too many good things; but have forgotten what God intended for the church to accomplish.  Look at the weekly bulletin at most churches.  Lots of activity (almost all of it for the already saved!).  Follow a typical pastor around for a few days.  Meetings, counseling sessions, visits, phone calls - lots of these coming in the middle of the night - plus all the normal activities at the church building.  All this leaves precious little time for sermon/lesson preparation.  And he hasn't even had time to pray yet!  The lives of many church goers are just as busy.

Maybe it's time for a simple reminder: We only have one command and one commission.

We are to love - love God, our neighbors and ourselves.  Seeing our love for God and each other, and by experiencing our love for them, non-Christians are impacted profoundly.  To paraphrase: seeing how much we do care, they begin to care about the God we know!

We show our love best when taking the Gospel into the world and sharing with others what Jesus has done for us.  In fulfilling the Great Commission, we make disciples...the Kingdom expands!

What are we doing?  Answer: too much activity; too little results!  Spend some time reflecting on the passages of Scripture about the early church.  Focus.  Let God's original purpose for this organization become the one driving force when planning, and especially when putting things on the calendar.

Let's try to do what we were designed to do...what God wants us, as His Church, to do.

1 Allen, Roger E.  Winnie-the-Pooh on Management: In which a Very Important Bear and his friends are introduced to a Very Important Subject  Penguin Group: New York, 1994; pg. 45.  (A silly, humorous, yet profound presentation of the basics of effective organizational management. - Pastor Sam)

Are 52 Hours Enough?

Most people who claim to be Christians are malnourished.

At least they are spiritually.  How can they be anything else?  By far, most "Christians" (at least in America) only spend an hour each week with God.  For most, if they have any interaction with God at all, it is the one hour of worship each Sunday morning.  No small group experience.  No daily walking, talking and living with God through Bible study and prayer.  This one hour per week diet leads to spiritually malnourished church goers. (I'm not calling them Christians anymore, because true disciples spend time - lots of time - with the Master!)

Just think about it for a moment.

If you only experience/interact with God one hour each Sunday, and if you never miss a Sunday; then you get a grand total of 52 hours per YEAR with the Father! (1 hour/week for 52 weeks = 52 hours/year)

One long work week is usually 60 hours or more.

If you spend 30 minutes eating lunch and 30 minutes eating dinner each day, that equals 7 hours/week just for eating; or 364 hours/year...7 times the amount of time spent with God!

Now, I like to eat.  But, can you really call yourself a Christian and spend more time - 7 times more time - feeding your face than you do feeding your spirit?

Here's the point (if you haven't gotten it already): one hour a week with God is not enough...not even close.

No wonder so many church goers are bored.  No surprise such persons find their "walk" with God uninspiring, ineffective and lacking in meaning, fulfillment or purpose.  Without realizing it, they are starving themselves spiritually.

We know this to be true; but what can we do about it?  Follow the example of others.  As a start, commit to spending a little amount of time each day with God.  Read a short passage of Scripture; voice a short prayer.  Rise a few minutes early, or stay up a few minutes late - with the TV off!  If spending time with God is important to you, you will find the time to make it happen.  You find time to eat, don't you?

Backwards Believers

We've got it backwards.  And it's killing the church!

Most people - probably almost all of us - view Sunday as part of the weekend.  Therefore, we view the Sunday worship gathering as the end of our week.  It is something we come to after a long week.  We come to hear the music and message; to fellowship; to check another item off our list...for whatever reason.  Then we go to lunch, go home, watch tv and wait for Monday morning for our week to start.

Sunday's worship becomes one hour at the end of our week; detached from the week before (after all, there is Friday night and all day Saturday between our busy week and Sunday morning), and not connected to the week ahead (because it starts the next morning).  Sunday just sort of stands alone.

As believers, we come to hear the great preacher!  A better preacher, and more of us will show up.  Same is true about the music - the better the production, the larger the crowd.  As for the lost, we feel they should come Sunday to hear the great preacher and amazing music, too.  It is at the Sunday gathering that the Gospel is proclaimed, the lost hear and are saved, and the saved enjoy the fellowship.

Right?  WRONG!

Let me say again: We've got it backwards.  And it's killing the church!

The Sunday morning gathering should be viewed by believers as the beginning of our week.  My week does not begin with the work day on Monday; it begins with the worship on Sunday.

Gathering on Sunday is R&R for believers... a time of Refreshing and Re-energizing.  This time with God and each other prepares us for the week ahead.  We encourage each other, strengthen each other and sharpen each other (see Hebrews 10).  Now we are ready to enter the world and share the Gospel, serve the Lord and make a difference for the Kingdom!

The lost should come to Sunday and not just hear the Gospel, but see the love we have for one another (and thereby know we are Christians).  They should sense the presence and power of God.  They should see the Refreshing and Re-energizing we receive, recognize that is missing from their lives, and desire to have what we have.

Ask yourself this question: Should I only bring people to church on Sunday to hear the preacher and respond to the Gospel?  (Backwards approach)

Or: Should I come to worship to be Refreshed and Re-energized so that I can go out and share the Gospel; thereby impacting lives and building the Kingdom daily?  (Correct approach)

Church is not the end of your week.  It is the very first part of the new week.  Let's get this in order, and make a real difference in our world.

Cure for Discouragement

One day recently I woke up very discouraged.  (I'm sure it was a Monday; the day of the week most ministers quit and leave the ministry forever.)  I got up anyway, and as is my usual practice, did my morning Bible reading.  Near the end, I turned over to the passage for the next Sunday morning's message.  As I read through it, very clearly God opened the passage to me and the main idea, outline, key points emerged...the sermon just happened right before my eyes.  But more than revealing a sermon for others to hear, the words of Scripture impacted me.  And that experience in God's Word filled me with joy!

Same problems were still there.  Same issues to deal with at the office.  Same circumstances of life.  But God had spoken...touched me...challenged me...enlightened me...and I would have the opportunity the next Sunday to share His Truth with the flock I am privileged to shepherd.

This was not an isolated event.  I have found that anytime I feel discouraged, or am absolutely in dispair, God's Word meets my need, informs my mind, encourages my spirit, and fills my heart with joy.  So I make it a daily practice to read a portion of Scripture.  Sometimes a lot; sometimes just a little.  Quantity doesn't matter - consistency does.  By regularly being in the Bible you allow the Bible to be in you, doing its wonderful work.

Pick up the Book.  Open it...read a few verses.  And be blessed!