Dig A Little Deeper

I am reading a book called "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. It is an interesting read about how people become successful. One section I was reading this morning was about a woman who spent 22 minutes figuring out one math problem. Most of us would have quit seeking to solve the problem after a few minutes, but this woman was not to be deterred. She did the hard work and solved the problem.

I think it's like that with Bible study. We give up too quickly when we don't get the immediate gratification of understanding a text from a cursory reading. If we would dig deep into the Word like this lady solving a math problem we might just find a great treasure for our souls.

Imagine that you are digging for a buried treasure. You dig about two feet deep and you don't find anything. So, you give up. A little later, someone starts digging in your hole and to your surprise they find a treasure chest about two inches deeper than where you quit. That would stink. I think that's what happens to us sometimes. We give up too soon and miss out on what could be ours.

Solomon said it like this in Proverbs 25:2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search a matter out is the glory of kings."

Christmas Sermons

I think Christmas story is often hard to preach. I get the sense, even though no one has said it, that everybody is coming with a "been there and heard that" attitude. Am I wrong about this?

Hacked Off?

I have come across a few articles and blogs written by my brothers and sisters in Christ over the past few days. They are hacked about the fact that the world does not agree with them about Christ, morality and other similar issues. I know how that feels. I let that kind of stuff bother me way too much. But the more I think about this, the more I think my emotion is the wrong reaction. My response is not really biblical; instead, it is personal.

I think it's good and right to have holy anger with sin, especially my own sin, the sin that pervades the church and the destruction it causes in the world. I mean God's glory is at stake, right? But, honestly, I don't think that's why many Christians are angry. I think that our anger is rooted in the personal disappointment that American culture no longer verifies our beliefs. We are seen as being misinformed and stupid. Our glory has faded in the eyes of the culture and we don't like it. But Christ said that this would be the norm in Matthew 5:10-12. Paul reiterated the same idea in 1 Corinthians 2:6-16. So, why all the anger? Jesus said to rejoice in this fact. It's evidence of our fellowship with Jesus and our forefathers in the faith.

We don't need the world to verify our faith. We believe because God has revealed His grace to us in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's simply all the verification that we need.

A Choice Most of Us Are Unwilling to Make

Moses is an incredible forefather in the faith. Hebrews 11:25 states that Moses made a choice by faith that is counterculture to what it currently means to be an American. It says that Moses chose suffering with the people of God over the pleasures of sin. Some people are mistreated and can do nothing about it. But Moses actually chose this kind of suffering over the life of a prince in Egypt. It's almost unbelievable that someone would actually do this.

I am discovering that the key to this kind of choosing is the phrase "for a short time." The pleasures of this earth are momentary, but the joy of heaven is for eternity. "Then" is really bigger and greater than "now". I need to keep this in mind in my relationships, work, finances and so on. If I can do this by God's grace I could potentially be a little more like Moses and my Lord Jesus Christ.

THEN is bigger than now

We all know someone who was once devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. We find ourselves asking, "What happened to them?" The Apostle Paul had a similar experience with a servant of Christ named Demas. Demas was once living all out for the Lord. In 2 Timothy 4:9-10, Paul says that Demas fell in love with this present world. He got caught up in the now. He lost sight of then. Paul describes the world as this present age, the time we live in. It is easy to be caught in what we want now and what's happening to us now. I believe one of the things that will keep us on track with Christ is a good dose of the big picture. Christ is going to come back. There is a heaven. THEN is just simply bigger than now.

Submission and Slander

Titus 3:1-15 "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men."

I am taking Paul's advice to remind myself and those who are in the faith to be submissive and not to slander anyone, especially those in authority over us. When we find our authorities don't do as we would have them to do, we are often tempted to smear their name to make ourselves look better, wiser and kinder. Christians need to watch their words so that we do not make up things or exaggerate things to discredit those God has placed over us.

Higher Authority

Some people were happy with the election of the new president and some were distressed. No matter which side you fall on, God's Word says in 1 Timothy 1:1-7 that we should be praying for those in authority over us. The implications are great. We should pray for our bosses, teachers, civil leaders, pastors and anybody who has been given authority over us. Our temptation will be to gossip, slander and grumble, but this is not what glorifies God.

Surprisingly, Paul tells Timothy to pray so that Christians can be unhindered by authorities in the promotion of the gospel. Our mission, as Christians, is not the promotion of a party, but the cause of Christ. In light of this, the preferred environment for this is one that is hospitable to the gospel rather than hostile. We should pray for our authorities to give us the freedom to live godly lives and spread the message of truth about Jesus Christ.

Appeal to the highest authority for the greatest opportunity!

Ungodly Authorities

All authority is established by God. (Romans 13:1) BUT not every authority is godly. This is the witness of history and Scripture. Many of our forefathers in the faith lived under the authority of ungodly and evil men. Moses was under Pharaoh. Daniel was under Nebuchadnezzar. Peter had Nero. Many of the kings of Israel were unrighteous as well. God puts all authority in place.

The next President of the United States will be put in office by God. He may or may not be a godly authority. Daniel praised God under the authority of Nebuchadnezzar who had destroyed Jerusalem and taken him into exile with these words, "He (God) changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them."

Jesus reminded Pilate John 19:11 that "you would have no power (authority) over me if it were not given to you from above."

So, those who follow Christ have no reason to worry, stress or fear the future. Our God is in control even when our authorities are ungodly.

The Election

One day until the election. I am not really worried about whether or not the one I vote for ends up winning the election or not. The real ELECTION goes unseen. According to Romans 13:1, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." So whoever becomes the next president is the one God has put in place. God establishes all authority. Man rules, but God overrules. May God be glorified.

Slack

I am going to be back to blogging shortly. Keeping this thing up to date is hard to do. All 4.5 people have been clamoring for more my thoughts.

Newsmakers

Back on May 7th, I read an article about the news media and marketing. You can find the article here...http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/05/the-media-marke.html

This idea that the media sells drama has been on my mind for a while. There seems to have been a paradigm shift in the purpose of the media somewhere along the way. If I understand the purpose of journalism and media (which I may not, some journalism major can correct me), it was created to disseminate information to the public. It seems now that the glory of news media is not to be informative, but to be financially productive. This is why they sell the news and create drama, even when it is non-existent.

Does this bother anyone or is it just me?

Beauty Pageant for Nuns Cancelled

I don't know if you caught this news yesterday, but an Italian Catholic priest was planning an online beauty pageant for Nuns. He has since suspended the beauty pageant because of pressure from his overseers. This is fascinating to me. (I personally was looking forward to the priests to have a weightlifting contest after the pageant.)

Here's my one of my observations...the church is deep trouble when we have to uphold the beauty of our women to get the attention of the world. It would be far better to uphold the beauty of Christ, for His glory is never fading.

What do you think about this beauty pageant for Nuns?

Contentment

I was teaching on contentment last night at our Bible Study from Philippians 4:10-13. One of the things that I did not get to teach on was that there is such a thing holy discontentment. The Apostle Paul indicates that is good and right for us to learn to be content in any and all circumstances. As I said last night, contentment is a learned virtue and a trust issue. We have to lean to learn and learn to lean. Contentment is about trusting God with joy no matter what.

But there is a kind of discontentment that is good. I would call it holy discontentment. It is the kind of discontentment that you find Paul speaking of in Philippians 3. Unholy discontentment leads us to things like grumbling, complaining, coveting and stealing. Holy discontentment leads to things such as repentance, humility, obedience and innovation. It takes us toward God rather than away.

So, when I find myself discontented and doing unholy things and having unholy thoughts I should immediately be alerted to the fact that I am experiencing unholy discontentment. But if I find my discontent leads me to greater repentance, obedience and creativity then I am experiencing holy discontentment.

Right Voice, Wrong Face

Did you catch the story from the opening ceremonies of the Olympics? It was the one where China had the pretty girl lip sync the Chinese national anthem. The reason they went "Milli Vanilli" on the national anthem was due to the fact that the real singer was not pretty enough. It's amazing to me that they couldn't find just one cute girl who could sing out of about 1.5 billion people.

This problem is not isolated to the Chinese. Whenever appearance is more important than substance it always ends up being ugly rather than beautiful. It is like Jesus pronouncement concerning the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26. He says, "You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence." In other words, when you do things for appearance sake you don't solve the problem. You make the situation uglier when you look a little closer.

Big Foot

If you have been watching the news lately then you know that "Big Foot" has made a return. Two dudes in North Georgia claim to have found "Big Foot" and his family. (Here is one of several hundred links in case you are not up to date - http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/15/big-foot-discovery.html.)

I got to thinking about this fascination with "Big Foot". Why are people so enamored with the news of "Big Foot"? I think it has everything to do with a desire to come close to that which is holy. Discovery is important to humanity because he longs to see the mysterious revealed. People are fascinated with the unknown. It is the reason people are searching the water for the LochNess monster, the sky for aliens and the land for "Big Foot". They want to have knowledge of the HOLY. Holiness means more than just purity. It means that a certain thing, person or place is set apart from the rest. It is the desire to discover holiness that drives us to look in the water, to the skies, in the woods and even in ourselves to find that which is holy. This is where the problem lies. We will never find the holiness we desire in those places or things.

True knowledge of the Holy is revealed in God's Word. It's the place to search if you want to find that which is set above all the rest. Discover the Holy in the Bible.

New Link info on "Big Foot" - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406101,00.html

What Does This Say?

I was reading "The Christian Index" this morning. I came across an article that announced the candidacy of Johnny Hunt for the new President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The one paragraph that was weird to me was this...

"In the 21 years of Hunt’s pastorate church membership has increased from 1,027 to more than 16,800. Current average church worship attendance is 6,800."

What does this mean? Is this good? For me, this is frightening. How can a church have 10,000 people absent (on average) in worship if they truly are members of the church? This seems extraordinarily out of whack. I am sure that this is not the only church with numbers like this. I am not saying everyone will be there every Sunday, but this gap is huge and seems to be growing in American churches.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think this is glorifying Christ.

Whether

Whether is the next word that we want to look at in 1 Corinthians 10:31. Whether says that in any case, such as eating or drinking, that our primary goal is to glorify God. No matter what the circumstances, good or bad, we are to glorify God. Whatever the day unfolds, sunshine or cloudy skies, we are to glorify God.

Whether functions to let us know that everything we do should be subordinate to the this one thing: glorifying God. So, if you decide to munch down on a Snickers bar or gulp down some Diet Mountain Dew you should do it in a way that points to God's heaviness in your life.

The question is then, "How do I eat a Snickers bar for the glory of God?"

1. I can eat it and enjoy it.
2. I can eat it and thank God who provided it for me.
3. I can eat it and thank God for those who were creative in making it.
4. I can eat it and share it with those around me.

Whether just means whatever the case may be I need to do for God's glory and not my own.

So

I don't know if you have ever done a one word Bible Study, but it can be a very fruitful exercise. I thought I would do one on my blog and you (all 2.5 of you) can chime in as well.

The first word in 1 Corinthians 10:31 is "So". It means to do something properly and purposefully. Paul has been telling the believers at Corinth how to deal with debatable issues and how to fellowship with both believers and unbelievers. He gives this guiding principle for how to navigate relationships and difficulties.

So in this case means that I should do like Paul says. I should eat and drink on purpose. And what is my purpose...It is to glorify God. I do that by giving thought to how eat and interact with people SO that I display God's greatness in all things, even mundane everyday stuff like eating.

What Do You Love About Your Church

I am going to try something new today. I want to learn from you. My question is "What do you love about your church?" You don't have to be a member of GracePointe Church (the church I pastor) to reply. I want to know what people think about their church.

When you are pastor a church you can sometimes be so far into the organization that you can't see what other people see. Imagine the church as a fruit tree. The Pastors, staff and leadership are like the root system leading up to and thru the trunk. The rest of the tree is made up of branches, limbs, and leaves. They are where the fruit is actually being produced. It's hard to have an accurate perspective when your down on the bottom supporting the top sometime.

So, what I want to know is what do you love about your church? Can you comment back with three things that you absolutely keep promoting if you were the Pastor?

Inherent Distrust

One of the difficulties of leading today is an inherent distrust of authority that plagues our culture. It seems like every day there is new story about some pastor, politician, business leader, teacher or coach getting busted for some kind of immoral or illegal behavior. I think this fuels this fiery distrust in our culture.

The real challenge is today is for leaders to restore the dignity of trust to the people by being people of character and integrity. In other words, if you are a leader you must work hard to have credibility.

Little Distance

Peter had been walking with Jesus for over two years. He had seen Him do miraculous things. But on the night before the crucifixion, Peter fell. He did the unthinkable. He did what he swore he would never do. He denied his relationship to Jesus not just once, but three times. All of the gospels record his denials to one degree or another. (If I am Peter, this stinks. There are only a few things repeated in all the gospel accounts and I get my mistake recorded four times.)

What got Peter in trouble was the same thing that gets us in trouble. In Luke's gospel, we are given a small detail that gives us big insight to what got Peter to go astray. It seems minor on the surface. But it is the root cause of Peter's fall. Luke 22:54 says after Jesus was arrested and led away that "Peter followed at a distance." This is what got him in trouble. It is what gets me into trouble. I sometimes start following Jesus from a distance. I am like a middle schooler who wants to look independent so I walk a good deal behind my parents at the mall so all my friends might think I am on my own. My parent's cramped my style like Jesus does sometimes. What we fail to realize is that we are dependent on Jesus like a child is with his parents. If we try to make it on our own we usually end up falling into some sin we thought we would never commit. We get ourselves in jams that we can't get out of on our own.

I think it's a principle like this...a little distance can go a long ways. James tells us to draw near to God. That's part of what it means to follow. If you create a little distance by neglecting to stay close to Jesus through disciplines of the faith then it won't be long before you find yourself a long way from Jesus. And that's not good.

So, let's close the gap this week and hang close to Jesus.

Spiritual Birthday

Today is a special day for me. It is my spiritual birthday. I first placed my faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord on April 9, 1978. I am happy to be 30 years old in the Lord.

I am thankful to my parents who wrote the date of my salvation in my 1611 KJV Bible. So, I am personally celebrating my second birthday by evaluating and reflecting on what God has done for me, in me and through me for the last 30 years. He has been faithful even when I have not been faithful to Him. He has patiently endured seasons of rebellion and much whining over the years. He has been steadfast in His love toward me. He has taught me in His Word. He has prospered my life. He has allowed me to serve Him. Praise God who through Christ Jesus has given me spiritual life. May He be glorified in me.

Project M3

This past Sunday I introduced our new "Project M3". It is based on Micah 6:8. It is an attempt to help GracePointe Church to "do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our Lord." The project will consist of a monthly mission of mercy. We will partner with other ministries to build the Kingdom of God. We want to involve the whole congregation in worship that goes beyond the doors of our worship center.

So, this month we are giving food items to the Mary Hayes Center for Social Change. The work that they do at the Mary Hayes Center is to provide tutoring and Bible Study for at risk children from Pre-K through high school. They currently work with 50 to 60 children four days a week. They need help in providing snacks and meals for these kids after school. We committed to provide one month of food or more for the center. This will help take some of the burden off the shoulders of the workers and volunteers who reach out to the students. MHC has very little funding.

All you have to do is bring your items to worship with you to church as an offering to the Lord. There is a corner designated for these food products in the worship center. There is a list of items you can bring on the sign up table in the foyer. I am excited to see God work through the "Project M3".

Remember...We can't do everything, but we can do something!

Apologetics

I stepped out the my normal preaching box on Easter. I gave a defense for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I actually got a good deal of feedback and it was all positive. I always love the positive feedback:) ...It's not always helpful, but it feels good. I think a lot of our congregation is just really nice. And I like when people are kind to me:)

Anyway, Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15 that we should be ready to give a defense of our hope in Christ Jesus. I think in general he means that we shouldn't just be believing with our minds disengaged. If something is true it should be reasonable. But I think I grew up for many years just believing some things because I was supposed to or because my Mama said so. Other people fall into the same category as Christian and non-Christians. They believe something cause a prof said it, they heard it on the news or read it some book.

I went to college with the idea that I could learn how to answer the questions about my beliefs and to defend my faith. I don't have all "the" answers, but for most of what I hold I do have a reasonable answer for why I believe the things I believe. There are still some subjects I wading through and studying. There will always be some areas to delve into, which means I am still growing and that's a good thing.

Energized

I apologize for not blogging for a couple of months. Both of my readers have been really upset with me over my lack of discipline.

My thought for today is about what gets you energized. There are two options. Some people are energized by being with people. Other people are energized by being alone. If you are energized by being with people then you are a person who is exergized. If you are energized by being alone then you are innergized. I am not sure who coined these terms, but I like them a lot. I first came across them in my search for a new ministry opportunity. I took some personality tests and came to find that I am exergized.

A broader definition of exergized is that I get my energy from being with others. I think about things by discussing them with others. I need to share ideas and problem solve with others. In order to re-charge my batteries, I need time with people.

Those who are innergized are those who re-charge by being alone. They need time to internally reflect and process life. They need their office door closed. They need quiet time.

If you know me then you can easily guess how I get re-charged. My score was 93 out of 100 percent in my need for social interaction. It is really high. It's the reason my office door is rarely closed. It is why I like vacations with people. I don't like to be alone. The thought of being alone for extended period of time is burdensome to me. Many pastors will say to me that you need to go on week long sabbatical where you are all alone. They do this and love it. I do it and feel like I am dying on the inside.

What about you?

Old School

Over Christmas I bought a some old school sermons by Martin Luther. I started reading a sermon this morning before I came to the office. It was an excellent read. It is amazing how relevant a sermon can be that was preached in 1532.

The Old School catalyst of the Reformation said in summary that we cannot serve God and money. He quoted the Master teacher Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount as his reference. What was really good to me was the simplicity of how Martin Luther defined service. He said that to serve simply means to do what someone has commanded. In other words, I do what my Master commands.

In explanation, Luther explained that sometimes we think serving is some mystical call to vocational ministry. But he said that it is not this at all. It simply comes down to things like serving your spouse, obeying your boss and taking care of your children. He said you must serve where you are placed. You must do what you have been asked to do. If you are told to get your Master wine, then don't bring Him apples. Do just as He says.

Serving God is not that complicated. It's just old school.

Investing Into People

I got one of the most encouraging emails this morning from a former student in my youth group. Her name is Catherine. She is heading to do mission work in Guatemala in a few weeks in an orphanage. I remember when I first got to First Bible Church of Decatur, AL. She was in the 6th grade. She thought that I was kinda weird and wonder why does this guy keep bugging me to come to youth group. Over time she came to trust Christ at a lock in. She grew into a wonderful godly young woman. God is using her tremendously in the lives of kids. God's grace is at work in the lives of those you invest in.

I am so thankful for her encouraging words. I have added her blog site to my blog list...it is Isaiah 25:1. Please keep Catherine in your prayers.

Investing into people is investing into the kingdom.