Become a “Follower”

Hey everyone!

If you find this helpful you need to give some feedback. Otherwise I’ll stop posting and spend my time helping others.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Pastor Jim

Living a Fulfilling Life

 

How many of you reading this would like for your life to be more fulfilling? How many of you have tried time and again to make your life more fulfilling, only to end up more frustrated than ever?

If you are like most people then one of those two options fits you. I’ve spoken to people whose lives were so frustrating that they didn’t want to wake up and face another day. If that were where things ended it would be pretty frustrating, but things don’t have to end there. There is hope! There is hope for you! You can have a fulfilling life!

Is there a catch? There’s not a catch, but there is a choice. If you keep on doing what you have always done you will keep receiving what you’ve always received. It’s like any other process. If you don’t like the way your cookies turn our then you must change the recipe, the oven temperature, the time you leave them in the oven, or something. Leaving everything the same will simply give you the same results. The same is true for our lives. You must choose to make a change.

Are you willing to change? If not then you might as well stop reading right here. Save your time and go watch your favorite TV program, eat a cookie, drink a coke, or do something else. But if you want to have a life that will give you a greater thrill than you have ever imagined then read on.

First Point: The whole basis for a fulfilling life is discovering your purpose. Look, everyone knows that every person has unique fingerprints, heartbeat, brainwaves, DNA, etc. Why are we all different? We are all different because we are each designed for a different role in life. Like a huge jigsaw puzzle, each of us have a unique function. But most of us look at someone else’s life and think we want to be like them, and then we get frustrated to death trying to be something we were never designed to be. Trying to become like someone else will never fulfill us because we miss out on being us, who we were designed to be and what we were designed for. Give it up! Forget trying to be like someone else. Let go of that frustration.

Second Point: Nobody can tell you what you need to be or do. Hundreds of people want to tell  you what you need to do and what you need to be. Forget it. They don’t know what you were designed to be or designed to do. That’s for you to figure out. That’s your adventure. That’s your life. Nobody is exactly like you and nobody can tell you what you were designed to do.

Third Point: To find your life purpose you must get right with your Creator so that He can guide you. Now don’t go thinking I’m getting all religious on you because I’m not. Let me define a religion for us: all religions try to help man find a way to earn or deserve the favor of their God. I’m not talking about you having to earn, pay for, buy, or do anything else to gain favor with God. You can’t do anything to gain God’s favor. What I am talking about is accepting God’s gift so that what is separating you and Him can be taken away and you can have the relationship with Him that He created you to have. You can’t do it, but you can let Him do it. You have a choice to make because it’s what you have done wrong that has separated you from Him. So since you are the one who did the wrong you have to be the one to give Him permission to remove that wrong and get it out of the way. God is a gentleman and He will never violate your will. How do you start a relationship with God? Easy. Check out www.NeedHim.org and follow the links, or call them. Post a reply and I’ll get in touch with you just as quickly as I can. Please keep in mind that sometime I’m traveling outside the U.S. and may not get to read my e-mails for a week or two.

Forth Point: Once you have a relationship with your Creator you can get direction from Him. In fact, he wants to give you direction. In Psalm 23:8 God says “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Count on it. God will guide you and direct you. Another verse to keep in mind is James 1:5 where God says “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

Fifth Point: You can’t do it on your own. You need to find a mentor who will help you grow and reach your maximum potential. Find a person of the same gender who has walked with God longer and has gone down the road of life further then you have and ask them to take time to meet with you weekly to share their greatest lessons with you.

Sixth Point: By design, God’s plan for your life is too big for you to accomplish it without Him. We like to play it safe and only take on projects we can accomplish on our own, with resources we can pull together, with funds we can raise, and with volunteers we can recruit. God wants us to take on projects so big that they will never succeed without Him. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that we cannot please God unless we have faith in Him, and I believe the reason is that if we never learn to trust Him we will never take on the projects God designed for us. We must learn to step out of our comfort zone and take on those projects that our heart craves yet also scare us half to death. Most people live their lives never taking on anything they can’t do on their own. That’s called playing it safe, and those people never need to see God show up. As a result they never experience the thrill of seeing God show up and being a part of something God is doing.

Seventh Point: Step out of your comfort zone and trust God. Begin with those small things of being faithful and little by little God will give you larger and large projects until you are doing what thrills your heart and soul. You can’t keep playing it safe and avoiding risk if you expect God to show up. God only shows up when we trust Him enough to step out and attempt the impossible. Get good godly counsel and move forward trusting God to show up.

Well, by now  you’ve got some ideas. Share them with me and let me know what you’re thinking. I’d love to hear from you.

Your friend,

Pastor Jim

The Christian Life

Have you ever considered expressing the Christian life mathematically? I hadn’t either until I was sharing with my wife how often we get an incorrect view of our life in Christ. I told Debbie that often we think only of our part, and we forget that God has a part in this too.

Here is what came to Debbie when I told her that:

(Me + My Problems + My Solutions) + God = Christian Life

Now that pretty well explains how I was taught. I was taught that once I came to know Jesus as my Savior I needed to surrender to Him and obey Him. I was told all of what I was supposed to do but not given much hope of how this was supposed to happen.

Here is the other part Debbie came up with:

God(Me + My Problems) = Victory

That’s it! God influences me and God influences my problems to give me victory. It’s not all up to me! The truth is, I can’t do it on my own. I know because I’ve tried, failed, and gotten frustrated and depressed over how many times I’ve failed.

Dear friends, we were never supposed to life the Christian life on our own. We are told to live our new life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Look at what Philippians 1:6 says:

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

While it is true that our part is to surrender and obey as much as is humanly possible, we must also keep in mind that God has a part, and that is to fill us with the power of His Holy Spirit to enable us to do what in humanly impossible.

If you were raised as I was you may be skeptical. I don’t blame you. But just take a look at these verses and make then make up your own mind.

“and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5

“For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19

“that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,” Ephesians 3:16

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” Ephesians 3:20

“strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously” Colossians 1:11

“For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” Colossians 1:29

“for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction;” 1 Thessalonians 1:5

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

See my point? That’s why I had to conclude that I was missing something, and that’s why I began searching God’s word for what it was I was missing. I hope this challenges you to search too and discover the power of God to lead you to a victorious and abundant life in the power of Jesus.

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

Grow Them to Maturity

Dad’s, if your kids hate to eat their peas and carrots what do you do? Well, there is one thing I know and that is you don’t do is feed them a strict diet of peas and carrots until they grow to like them. Of course not! That would only make them hate you as well as the peas and carrots. You continue to introduce them to peas and carrots over time, hoping that they will get to the point where if they don’t like them they will at least get to where they will eat them because they learn that peas and carrots are good for them.

Why is it then, that we pastors keep on harping on the things our congregations don’t grasp? Our people don’t serve so we harp even more on their need to serve. Our people don’t give so we harp over and over on how they need to give. Our people don’t share their faith so we harp repeatedly on them about how they need to be sharing their faith. It’s no wonder people stop serving, and stop giving, and eventually stop coming to church all together.

We teach our children and help them grow and mature so that they will make the right choices. Once they become mature we expect them to eat what is good for them so that they stay healthy. We teach them the fundamentals and then we teach them more mature subjects until they get to where they can make mature decisions on their own.

Let’s do the same with our church family. Let’s stop harping about the same subjects that they don’t get and lets focus on helping them become mature. Let’s stop trying to change them and let’s start feeding them the food that the Holy Spirit can use to convict them of what they need to do. Let’s help them grow to maturity so that they can begin discovering things for themselves.

Remember, Jesus said He would grow His church. Let’s stop frustrating ourselves by attempting to do God’s work for Him and let’s relax and do what He told us to do, make disciples. If we’ll do that then lives will be changed, we will be a lot happier, God’s church will grow.

Grow them to maturity and make disciples.

Until next time…

Pastor Jim

Becoming a Leader

Your success as a leader depends on having these three people in your life

1. You need a mentor – an older person to give you guidance

2. You need a companion – a person who will listen and encourage you

3. You need an apprentice – a person you are training

The Mentor

A mentor teaches you faster than you can teach yourself. The stories, the guidance, the wisdom that they provide give you the benefit of understanding the world we live in before you actually live it. And the emotional support and reassurance that somebody who has "been there and done that" can offer to a greenhorn is invaluable as you navigate your way through new experiences.
One of the most beneficial steps you can take is to seek out mentors. It is no accident that Luke Skywalker needed his Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars series, that Daniel-san needed Mr. Miyagi in the classic Karate Kid movie series, or that Alexander the Great needed Aristotle as his teacher and mentor. Each of these mentors played a huge part in the success of their apprentice.
Every young hero (you) needs a master to learn from so that you can grow in knowledge, insight, understanding, and wisdom. You need the guidance of somebody with greater experience to act as a sounding board and sympathetic ear in those confusing and difficult times.
I urge you to seek out a mentor. Whether it’s an old boss, a more senior colleague, or simply and older person that you admire, develop those relationships that can make your growth and development richer, better-informed, and more successful.

The Companion

The companion is that person who knows you so well that he can read between the lines of what you say and hear what you aren’t saying.

Your companion must share your core values, those things that make you who you are, those values that you never want to compromise even when you are all alone and no one is watching.

This person must be of the same gender, close to your age, and have things in common with you. This person listens to you when you’re happy, when you’re sad, and when you’re angry.

This companion is more than just a friend. This companion is the person you can count on to come help you at 2:00 a.m. when you are working night shift and your car breaks down on the way home.

This is the person who cares so deeply about you and your success that he will give up his own convenience for your good.

The Apprentice

The apprentice is the person you are teaching, mentoring, and pouring your life into to help them in the same way your mentor is helping you.

We never really master a subject until we have taught that subject to another person. You need an apprentice for you sake as well as for his sake, so that as you help another person you yourself are mastering the subject.

As you teach another person the knowledge you have gained become clearer, you begin to see how that knowledge and shaped you, resulting in your successes or failures. In other words, that knowledge becomes wisdom as it moves from simply head-knowledge to heart-knowledge.

Until we begin teaching what we have learned and experienced our knowledge remains foggy and unclear. The lines never become defined so that we can explain why we believe what we believe, so that we ourselves cannot make full use of the knowledge we have gained over the years. But as we begin teaching another person we rethink our experiences and explain them through examples to where they move from our head to our heart, and the result is that we ourselves establish a firm basis for our own personal convictions and believes.

Until next time…

Jim

What do you think?

Recently I was challenged by someone telling me something to the effect that it is better to have church growth through multiplication than through addition. They mentioned the early church in Acts chapter 2 as the example.

Is that really true? An even better questions is this: are we supposed to be growing the church, or is that God’s job?

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said that He would build His church. In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul write that God was the one who made the church grow.

In Acts 2:41, 4:4, 5:14, 6:1, 6:7, 9:31, 9:35, 9:42, 11:21, 11:24, 14:1, 14:21, 16:5, and 17:12 we find people were added, people believed, the church increased, the church grew in number, people turned to the Lord. It seems that in each case people were added. Nowhere do we find any mention of multiplication.

In Acts 4:31, 8:25, 11:19, 13:5, and 13:44 we find the disciples preaching the word. Actually, we don’t find them doing anything else.

So here is the real question: Are we attempting to do what Jesus said He would do? Are we attempting to grow the church, instead of letting Jesus grow the church? Are we coming up with our methods, (such as saying we prefer multiplication over addition) instead of simply following God’s methods?

Have we become ineffective and frustrated because we are attempting what our Lord never intended for us to do? Should we focus on preaching God’s truth and letting Him grow His church?

What do you think? I’d love to hear from you on this one.

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

Pruning

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2 (NASB)

Did you know that grapes only bear fruit on new growth? Old growth, the vine growth that produced fruit last year, is only good for producing more leaves. That old vine and the leaves it produces rob the new growth of nourishment and limit the fruit the new growth can produce.

God is not nearly as interested in us producing leaves (shade and comfort) as He is in us producing fruit that will last. (see John 15:16)

What does it mean then that God prunes the branches that are bearing fruit? As I pondered this I realized that when we have had success we begin depending on the method and programs that gave us that success. Prior to that success we were on our knees asking God for guidance, but now that we know what we are doing we pray less. Instead of depending on God to lead and direct, we now think we know what we’re doing and we begin depending less on God. So God prunes back that part that produced last year’s fruit. Now we are forced into something new, and because it is new we are once again on our knees before God, pleading for Him to guide us.

Yesterday’s successes are tomorrows pitfalls and failures.

Moses was so used to using his staff to perform miracles that when God told him to change methods and speak to the rock, Moses did things the same old way. He used his staff instead of obeying God and speaking to the rock. The result was that Moses sinned against God and disqualified himself from leading the people of Israel into the promised land.

Is it any wonder that God prunes us? Sure pruning is painful, but isn’t it better to be pruned and fruitful that comfortable and fruitless?

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

“Increase our faith”

I find it interesting that when the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5) He instead told them how a little bit of faith of enough.

I’ve heard other pray and ask God to increase their faith, and I’ve even prayed that prayer. I’m not sure that it’s wrong to ask for more faith, but what is Jesus really saying?

I have all sorts of faith: I’m going to get on an airplane and fly to Arequipa, Peru, this coming Friday and Saturday. I have faith that the airplane mechanics did their work correctly and that all the parts of the planes will function correctly. I have faith in the pilots know what they are doing and will fly the plane correctly. I have faith that the air traffic controllers will do their jobs and keep planes from flying into each other. I even have faith in the baggage handlers and trust them to get my checked bags to the right destinations. We all have certain degrees of faith in various things.

The real question comes down to this: In what am I placing my faith? Am I placing my faith in Almighty God, or am I placing my faith in flawed man?

If I’m depending on my own abilities, or on the abilities of other flawed humans, then I’ll need lots of faith. I’ll need enough faith to counterbalance the flaws I know exist in every human being. But what if I’m placing my faith in a perfect, all powerful, never failing, all knowing, and just God?

Jesus was telling His disciples that even a little faith placed in Almighty God was enough to move mountains.

So next time we ask God to increase our faith, lets first stop to consider the object of our faith. Do I need lots of faith because I’m going to depend on my own abilities, or will a little faith be enough because I’m depending on God?

Until next time…

Pastor Jim

How Should We Measure Church Growth?

Some time ago I was with a group of pastors and the question was asked, “What does a mature disciple look like?” In other words, how do we measure and know if we are doing what Jesus told us to do? Each of these pastors had their own slogan as to what their church did, similar to what you find on programs and web sites of many churches. We all sat around and came up with a few things, but at the end of our time we still had not nailed the answer down. The conclusion was that the answer was elusive because you cannot measure people’s hearts.

I’ve discovered that the answer isn’t elusive at all. In fact, it’s right in front of us, staring us in the face. In Matthew 28:18-19 we have what is called the Great Commission. It is the final instructions Jesus gave to His disciples before he left planet earth and returned to the Father.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

Let’s break this down so that we can understand what Jesus really is telling us.

1 - Go – don’t sit around and expect people to come to you looking for the truth.

2 - Make disciples – lead them to faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

3 - Baptize them – bring them into the church family so they can grow to maturity.

4 - Teach them all you were taught – teach them to Go, to Make disciples, to Baptize, and to Teach others all things.

It’s simple! If we are teaching people all things, then we will be teaching them these 4 steps. That means they will be teaching another person.

How do you measure if you’re doing what Jesus commanded? Here’s how: How many people have you trained who are teaching others to Go, Make disciples, Baptize, and Teach others?

Isn’t it time we stop measuring church growth by measuring the wrong things, like attendance, giving, number of small groups, number of students who went to camp, missionaries sent out, money given to missions, and all those other things. Jesus gave us clear instructions on what we are to be doing. Are we doing that? What do our numbers show?

One day Pastor Pete is going to stand before the Lord Jesus and Jesus will ask Pastor Pete what he did while here on earth. Pastor Pete is going to begin telling Jesus how many people he baptized, how large the church grew, how many people he went to visit and share the gospel with each week, how many small groups the church had, how much property the church bought, how much money the church gave to missions, how many missionaries were sent out, how many student went to camp, and all sorts of other rather meaningless numbers. When Pastor Pete is finished Jesus will ask him why he didn’t do what his Lord told him to do, to just make disciples. And at that moment Pastor Pete will realize that he wasted his years of ministry by focusing on the wrong things. Many pastors have have focused on all those things that their seminary professor told them were necessary to grow a church, but they had failed to do the one thing Jesus told them to do.

Are you obeying Jesus? Are you teaching other all that Jesus commanded to where they are teaching others? In the most basic format, are you making disciple makers?

That’s really all that matters. That one number shows if you are obeying Jesus or not.

Chapter One

I was raised in a very conservative Christian home. My dad was so strict that once when he caught me kicking a soccer ball on a Sunday afternoon he grounded me for a week and told me that my actions had ruined everything he had been teaching for the past two years. We were allowed to play board games on Sunday, but we could not play any physical games, such as tag, any sort of ball game, or even go horseback ridding for fun. We could go down to the river to cool off, but we could not jump or dive into the water. I remember Sunday’s as the most boring of all days. There was nothing to do except sit around and read a book. I couldn’t even go outside and play with my dog.

I grew up down in the jungles of Paraguay in a place which is now underwater due to the construction of the Itaipu dam on the Parana river between Paraguay and Brazil. Now when I use the word jungle you need to think big trees, dense jungle vines, and vegetation so thick you could not see three feet into it and animals could not run through it.

Our house had dirt floors, straw roof, and poles and mud for walls. When it rained the water ran into our house because the dirt floor had become packed and was lower than the ground outside the house. We had all sorts of bugs and spiders in the house, and we even killed two poisonous snakes in the house. At night we would often have bats fly into the house. We kids thought this was great because as the bats would dive down our dogs would jump up and try to catch them. We’d help the dogs by trying to hit the bats with brooms. It seems that the brooms were large enough for the bats to avoid most of the time. We later found that coat hangers or other thin whip-like rods worked much better as the bats could not avoid those whip-like devices and we could knock them out of the air for the dogs or cats to catch.

Behind our house was a beautiful arroyo called the Dos Hermanas, and in front of our house there was an arroyo called the Victoria. The Dos Hermanas was probably four times as large as the Victoria. We were only a short distance from the Parana river, into which both of these arroyos emptied into. Since the Parana was down in a deep gorge the Dos Hermanas had two beautiful waterfalls, one about 21 feet high followed by another 30 foot high. The water was crystal clear and we used to go swimming in the arroyo nearly every day. We would dive off the top of the larger waterfall into the 15 or 20 foot deep water below.

We had no running water, no electricity, no refrigeration, no paved roads, no telephones, no local radio, no television, no local store, and none of the other luxury items so many people take for granted today. The nearest gas station was 82 kilometers away, but those 82 kilometers often took a couple of days to navigate in bad weather. I spent quite a few nights stuck on that road, sleeping in the car with my dad and brother.

Dad would go to Asuncion, about 350 kilometers away, about every two months to get groceries such as salt, flower, sugar, rice, noodles, cooking oil, and other such things. On a good trip that 350 kilometers would take about eight hours. Most of it was over dirt roads which was nearly impossible to drive on when it rained. In front of our house we had rows of large Oveña trees. When the trees had fruit on them we would have hundreds of big parrots come and land in these trees to eat the fruit. We would go out and shoot the parrots for food. They were very tasty! We also ate Toucans and doves, both of which were plentiful. We would go hunting and fishing to get other fresh meat for food. Eventually we raised pigs, got a cow so we would have fresh milk, and raised chickens for both meat and eggs. I learned to hunt with a 12 gauge shotgun when I was only nine years old.

Before we got a sawmill we had men using a two-man-saw cut logs into boards and timbers for building a house for a retired school teacher who went down and taught me and my brother and sisters. The roof was made of split shingles which were on a 45 degree slope. Even though you could see light through the roof it didn’t leak because the roof was so sloped. The retired teacher got me up to about a 5th grade reading level, and from that point on I read about everything I could get my hands on. My dad had a sister who was secretary to one of the vice presidents of Prentice Hall and she got a sample set of books sent down to us for our education. We also had all sorts of science and other books which my aunts sent us. Since books were one of the few items which could go into the country duty free we enjoyed a number of subscriptions to good reading materials such as Reader’s Digest and National Geographic. We also had a complete American People’s encyclopedia which I read nearly cover to cover over the years. I also received a set of books on electricity and electronics which I read and re-read, laying the foundation for me to go into aircraft electrical repair when I would join the U.S. Air Force years later.

For some reason my dad favored my older brother. I knew that all my life, but only later in life did it really hit home. As a consequence of that, I was always working to gain my dad’s approval. Yet no mater how hard I tried I could never do anything good enough to earn my dad’s praise. I remember my brother set a record of getting 16 logs out of the jungle and to the sawmill in one single day. I nearly killed myself breaking my brother’s record over and over, eventually delivering 32 logs in one day. My dad never gave me one word of praise. I finally figured out I was never going to be good enough for my dad and gave up trying. That led to some real bitterness and hard feeling between my dad and me. From about the age of 16 until I got my draft notice at age 21 our relationship was almost that of a boss to his foreman. Dad gave order and I carried them out. When dad was gone I ran the mission farm. When he returned I gave him a report and got new orders. Those were some very difficult years in my life.

When I was 12 we got a sawmill and dad built a two story wood house with a wood floor and tin roof. We were living in pure luxury. My dad build the new house near another river and we had to move about 20 kilometers. Now we were only 30 kilometers from Hernandarias which was the nearest town, instead of 50. Also, the town was growing and now had a single telephone. We were also getting some modern luxuries. We built a stand at the back of the house and put a 380 liter aluminum aircraft fuel tank up on it. We then installed a hand pump down at the river and I would then pump the tank full so that we would have running water in the house. We also had a kerosene refrigerator so we could keep food cold.

Something to Ponder

"The man who has been taught by the Holy Spirit will be a seer rather than a scholar. The difference is that the scholar sees and the seer sees through; and that is a mighty difference indeed." Tozer

Why Should We Believe the Bible?

Ok folks. Here’s the warning. I’m going to get up on my soap box today.

Yesterday I posted an article which says that many children of Christian parents walk away from their faith when they enter college. That is not only sad, it is tragic. We have failed them! We have failed to help them recognize the truth. They leave for college with a faith that is based solely on what someone has told them, and when that faith is challenged they fall apart.

Years ago I attended a conference where a well known author and lecturer was speaking on the subject of psychology. During his speech he made the statement that an atheist has just as much reason to believe that there is not a God as we Christians do for believing there is a God. At the end of the conference I approached him and asked if I had understood him correctly. He replied that I had, so I proceeded to tell him that I disagreed with him. He cut me off and asked if I could put God in a laboratory and measure Him. I replied that of course I could not. He then replied, “There you have it.” turned his back and walked away. I have never again read one of his books. If his faith is that shallow I don’t want to waste my time reading what he has to say.

Now you probably need to understand that for years I sat under the teaching of one of the most brilliant minds in the country. Dr. Graff grew up an atheist but came to know Jesus as his Savior while earning his masters degree in engineering. When he attempted to understand theology from a scientific view point he was told not to try to mix theology with science because that was like trying to mix oil and water. Dr. Graff knew God had created both so he continued to study both, eventually coming to where he could explain many of the subjects that theologians avoid. Dr. Graff was one of the few men I have ever heard who could explain both theology and science to where both meshed and made good sense. Thank you, Dr. Graff!

I believe it is fair to say that most theologians are afraid of science, and because they fear the subject they avoid it rather than plunging in and dealing with their fears. As Josh McDowell states in the article I posted yesterday, most Christians can’t give a valid reason for why they believe the Bible. Most Christians I have spoken to understand faith to be a leap in the dark. That’s tragic! If our faith has no rational basis, no solid foundation, then is it any wonder our youth walk away? Why shouldn’t they? If we are basing our eternal souls on something someone wrote, and we believe those writings simply because we choose to believe them, then we are fools! We might just as well believe in Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and Peter Pan!

Why am I so adamant about this? Because there are many people today who believe they are right, and yet they are following the devil. There are many who will give their lives to kill others because they believe they will go to heaven and be rewarded for dying a martyrs death. They believe! They may even believe in their cause as much as you believe in yours! Unless you have a solid basis for your beliefs your believe mean nothing whatsoever! And when someone stands up and tells people “I believe…”, yet gives no solid basis for those beliefs, they are merely spouting their ignorance.

Suicide bombers die believing a lie because they are brainwashed from the time they were little kids. Christian young people walk away from their faith believing they have been taught nothing more than fairy tales by those who wished to brainwash them so they would become good law abiding citizens.

Jesus never condemned the religious leaders for not believing His words by themselves. Jesus told them they were doomed because they rejected the evidence! Faith is not about taking leap in the dark! Faith is about acting on truth. Faith is based on fact! Read John 5. The reason Jesus told the religious leaders they were doomed is because they were rejecting the evidence, and then He listed the evidence for them. The Old Testament Law, the Old Testament prophets, the witness of John the Baptist, the evidence of the works He did, and the witness of His Father. Jesus never asked anyone to take a leap in the dark. We read in John 2:11 that the very first miracle Jesus did was to show His disciples who He was, and the result is that the disciples believed in Him.

We believe the Bible because it is proven to be true! And because it is true it stand the test that it is the word of God. And because of that I can base my eternal destiny on what it says.

So, do you know what you believe? Can you back up what you believe? Is your faith based on evidence, or did you just decide to believe something someone told you?

Know what you believe!

If you’d like help on this subject please drop me a line. I’d love to help you come to grips with the truth.

May God’s Spirit guide you into all truth,

Pastor Jim

Do you know WHY you believe WHAT you believe?

Most Christians Cannot Explain their Faith, Says Apologist

The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.

Thu, Jun. 03, 2010 Posted: 05:43 PM EDT

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The faith of most Christians, even that of many pastors, will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, according to renowned apologist Josh McDowell.

This is a concern because pastors’ inability to present biblical truth comprehensibly and relevantly has led to children from Christian families leaving the church, research has shown.

In the United States, the age at which nearly all such children leave church has decreased to 18 years.

Not even the children of many successful ministers are spared.

McDowell made his comments at a recent networking dinner among various men’s ministries organized recently by Men-in-Covenant. MiC is the men’s ministry of Covenant Evangelical Free Church.

He recalled speaking with the pastor of one of the largest U.S. churches, a man known for his expository preaching. Confiding in him, the pastor said their church was losing its youth right after high school graduation.

In his 50 years of ministry, McDowell has asked several thousand pastors and leaders how they could be certain Jesus Christ said “I am the truth” and not one of many truths or a truth.

“Not one person has ever given me an intelligent, biblically-based answer,” said the author of The New Evidence that Demands A Verdict.

During the past six years, he asked hundreds of Christians and leaders why they see themselves as Christians. Again no one gave him an "intelligent" answer.

In the past 17 years, he has asked over 4,000 pastors, leaders and parents why they believe the Bible is true.

A mere six “came close to giving an intelligent answer,” McDowell noted.

“If anything is based upon truth, it’s the Christian faith,” he said. “Christians who do not know why they have faith or believe have a very difficult time expressing themselves to others.

"The saddest thing is people come to me and say, ‘What’s the answer?’"

“I say, ‘There’s no answer… There are hundreds of answers.’"

Most Christians, even some pastors, don’t even know one. On the other hand, the apologist said he could give 50 reasons for his belief that the Bible is true.

Ninety-five percent of Christians gave disappointing responses when asked why they believe Jesus is the Son of God.

Asked why the Bible is true and historically reliable, Christians replied that it was what they had been taught by their church or parents.

A common response that most Christians gave to both questions was that it is “what I believe.”

McDowell responded: “That’s voodoo thinking. Where did we ever get that crazy idea that something is true just because we believe it?

“If that is true, then there will never be heresy. Everybody would be right.”

On one occasion, 13 youth pastors at a large convention were unable to reasonably answer the apologist’s question.

Finally one young person stood up, walked toward him and told him he knew the answer.

The young man promptly held up his Bible and said, “Because I believe it.”

And to McDowell’s dismay, all the youth pastors applauded him.

McDowell said, “Young man, do you know the difference between you, me and the majority of Christians in the world?

“To you, it is true because you believe it. For me, I believe it because it is true.”

Another response the apologist received was: Because I have faith.

He commented, “Where did we ever get the crazy idea that faith makes something true? That’s idiotic. That’s so unbiblical you can call it heresy.

“God doesn’t use faith to create truth. He uses truth through the Holy Spirit to create faith.”

Christians, the apologist stressed, are called to explain their faith when asked. They are set free by the faith in the truth, he expressed, referring to John 8:32.

Yet others say Christianity is true because Jesus changed their lives.

Even this will not stand up to intellectual scrutiny, McDowell argued.

“Lies change lives; cults change lives,” he said.

To make such an appeal is “not the essence of Christianity,” the author emphasized.

McDowell said: “We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to the lost, to tell them not just what we believe but why do we believe it.”

Edmond Chua
Christian Post Correspondent

This article first appeared in the June 3, 2010 issue of The Christian Post. Used with permission. To retrieve this article online please go to http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100603/most-christians-cannot-explain-their-faith-says-apologist/index.html

Tuesday’s Thoughts

¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)

It seems so obvious. Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. Do we get so caught up in planting churches that we miss the point? I recently heard a speaker preaching on this and he reminded us that Jesus never told us to plant churches, only to make disciples. Hmmm. Good point!

As I’ve been thinking about this questions I asked myself 1) what we get when we plant a church without first making disciples, versus 2) what we get when we make disciples without first planting a church?

1) When we plant a church without first making disciples we have a group of people meeting and trying to become something they don’t understand. These immature people may have good intentions, but they are like children who are left in charge of what to eat and what to do. Their food is pizza, ice cream, and sodas, they play all day instead of doing the work that needs to be done, and they continually squabble over who is going to call the shots. The result is chaos and disorder, so that those who could help them can’t stand to be around them and leave to go be with others. Sadly, some immature church groups are so self-focused that they drive people away from Jesus instead of attracting people to the greatest message mankind has ever heard.

2) When we make disciples without first planting a church you get disciples meeting in homes, restaurants, and even under shade trees. They become a close-knit group of people who love Jesus, study His word, learn to apply it to their lives, learn to let the Holy Spirit lead and direct them, and then share Jesus’ love with others. In effect they become a church family. And when people see this group of Christ-followers living a meaningful life with purpose, they recognize this is what they are missing and they want it.

Let’s not get it backwards. Let’s just do what Jesus said and make disciples. Then those disciples can make other disciples, and those disciples can make other disciples, and the chain can keep right on going. If we focus on this process we see a lot more lives changed, and those disciples will plant churches that are attractive instead of repulsive. But even more importantly, when we stand before Jesus He’s not going to ask us how many churches we planted, but He will ask if we obeyed His command and made disciples.

So what is is we are commanded to do? “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations”

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

A Wake Up Call!

I almost feel that today’s posting needs to carry the warning, “For mature audiences only!” Not because there is any sexually explicit or vulgar, but because immature people will take offense rather than see the real point. So if you are already feeling somewhat defeated in your Christian walk today, perhaps you might want to leave reading this until another time.

Some of us men need to slow down from our busy schedule. As you read that you say to yourself, “He’s right. I need to slow down. I’m too busy. I’m trying to do more than my day allows and I’m often missing deadlines, having to reschedule things, or missing commitments altogether.”

Please hear me carefully. I only tell you this because I want to help you. My dear friend, what you are failing to recognize is that your your busy schedule has become your master. Forgive my bluntness, but God is no longer first in your life, your schedule is first in your life. God does not call the shots, your busy schedule calls the shots. And you are so busy you don’t have time to slow down and see that you are living a life of idolatry. Your schedule is your idol. It has gotten between you and God.

When we allow anything, anything at all, to come into our lives that keeps us from focusing our attention on God first, then that item has become an idol. That item now has first place in our attention, and therefore in our life. It doesn’t have to be something we intentionally worship, in fact I doubt you would ever intentionally allow anything to come between you and God. I know that about you, and so does Satan. So what that scheming enemy does is he comes at you with things you love, things that are good, and he gets you so busy you don’t ever see it coming, and before you know it your attention has shifted. The things that are actually good now dominate our life and we fall into the trap of letting those good things take first place in our lives. And Satan has won once again in the life of one more well intentioned person.

Wake up! It’s not yet too late, yet! But time is ticking by and before you know it there will be no more time.

The Apostle Paul recognized this danger and wrote “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead…” (Philippians 3:13). Paul focused on one thing so that he could become effective at what was most important. In the book of James we read that a man with many priorities is unfocused and unreliable (James 1:8), and it goes on to say that such men should not expect their prayers to be answered. Why? Why would God not answer the prayers of a man simply because his schedule is all out of whack? It goes right back to that point about his schedule has come between him and God. His schedule has become the boss of his life, not God.

Why do you think you have so many good things on your schedule? Please slow down for just a minute and think about this. It’s because you have so much potential! And because you have so much potential if you become focused the enemy has given you many things to get you unfocused to the point where you are 90% ineffective. And because you are 90% ineffective you are working harder and trying to do more in order to become more effective.

One of the first things to go when you become overly busy is your rest. When our rest goes our creativity goes. Now our creativity is one of the distinguishing character qualities we have from our Creator, having been made in His image. Think about that. When we become tired and lose our creativity we become less creative, less like our Creator, less like our Lord, less of what we are supposed to be, less of what we were designed for. But that’s not all. Now that our creativity is gone we have to work twice as hard to accomplish half as much, meaning that our effectiveness has gone. Now we get frustrated and our patience goes. Now that our patience is gone we stop postponing immediate gratification for future benefit, and that leads to all sorts of stupid actions. And losing our patience means we become once again less like our Creator.

Do you see the cycle Satan gets us into? And why? All because we got too busy.

So what’s the solution? 1) Recognize that you have allowed your schedule to become your boss. Don’t make excuses any longer! Face up to it and admit it! Your schedule has become your lord; it has gotten between you and God; it has become your idol. 2) Confess that sin to God and ask for His help to get your life in order. 3) Get with a trusted Christian friend who loves you enough to tell you the truth, someone who will tell you what I’m telling you here. 4) Have him (or her) help you discover what God has called you to do with your life. This is called prioritizing your life and focusing so that you can become effective at what God has called you to do. 5) Get rid of all the good things you are doing, but which are not what God has called you to do. 6) Recognize this weakness in your life and make sure you have an accountability partner who will help you avoid repeating this mistake.

I pray that you become so focused that Satan will cringe every day when your feet hit the floor, knowing that you are so effective God is going to use you to spread the message of Jesus and set captives free.

Your friend,

Pastor Jim

The Attributes of God

Definition: An attribute is a property intrinsic to its subject and by which the subject is distinguished or identified.

A few days ago I posted that we cannot love someone we don’t know. Here are some Bible passages that will help you begin to get to know God.

1. Simplicity: a. Meaning. God is uncompounded, incomplex, indivisible. b. Scripture. John 4:24.

2. Unity: a. Meaning. God is one. b. Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:39; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 45:5.

3. Infinity: a. Meaning. Without termination and finitude. b. Scripture. 1 Kings 8:27; Isaiah 66:1; Acts 17:28;

4. Eternity: a. Meaning. Free from succession of time. b. Scripture. Genesis 21:33; Psalm 90:2.

5. Immutability: a. Meaning. God is unchanging and unchangeable. b. Scripture. Malachi 3:6; James 1:17.

6. Omnipresence: a. Meaning. God is everywhere (not in everything; that is pantheism). b. Scripture. Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:24.

7. Sovereignty: a. Meaning. God is the supreme ruler. b. Scripture. Ephesians 1:18-23; 1 Timothy 6:15.

8. Omniscience: a. Meaning. God knows all actual and possible things. b. Scripture. Job 38-39; Matthew 11:21; Luke 6:8; John 2:25; 18:4.

9. Omnipotence: a. Meaning. All power. b. Scripture. Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; 18:27; Revelation 19:6.

10. Justice: a. Meaning. Moral equity, "no respect of persons." b. Scripture. Psalms 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; Acts.10:42; 17:31.

11. Love: a. Meaning. God seeking the highest good of displaying His own will. b. Scripture. Psalms 136:7; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 4:7, 8, 10, 16.

12. Truth: a. Meaning. Agreement to and consistency with all that is represented by God Himself. b. Scripture. John 1:14; 14:6.

13. Freedom: a. Meaning. Independence from His creatures. b. Scripture. Isaiah 40:13-14.

14. Holiness: a. Meaning. Righteous. b. Scripture. Isaiah 6:3, 1 John 1:5; Revelation 4:8.

 

Pondering 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (New International Version)

I’ve been thinking and pondering the last part of that verse. “the old has gone, the new has come!”

I know a few people whose faces come to mind when I think about that verse. Had you known these people before they came to know Jesus as their Savior you would think you were speaking to a different person today. They are not the same. The old life has been replaced with a new life. Exactly what this verse describes has taken place in these people’s lives.

But there are other faces that also come to mind, and these people have not changed. In fact, if you saw these other people today you would likely find them doing the same things you saw them doing last year, or even five years ago.

What’s the difference? Why do some people embrace their new life in Jesus while others continue to embrace their old life? Did the latter group simply say some words and never really meant it when they asked Jesus to be their Savior? As a pastor, I nearly always wonder if their is something more I should have done to help them. Should I have explained something differently? Was I unclear in some important area?

God’s beautiful and marvelous creation gives us magnificent examples of what God tells us in His word. God has given us the caterpillar to help us understand what it means to have a new life. This prickly and plump little creature crawls around on trees eating leaves, until one day he wraps himself up for a long nap. When he awakens from that long nap he manages to wiggle his way out of his cocoon, but everything is new. His short bumps for legs have been replaced with long slender legs. His prickly and plump body has been replaced with a slender smooth body. And where did those beautiful wings come from? And where did he learn how to flap those wings and fly? But there is still something else. Instead of going from leaf to leaf and eating his fill, his appetite has changed so that now he goes from flower to flower eating nectar. What happened? What happened is that caterpillar is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.

When a person asks God to forgive them from all those things that displeased a perfect God, when they ask Jesus to be their Savior and to take over control of their life, when they ask God to make them a part of His family, at that point a change takes place. God’s word tells us that His Spirit enters their life and they are no longer the same person.

As I read what the Apostle Paul’s wrote I’m convinced that he recognized the same problem. Notice what he wrote: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) Paul wanted these people to make sure they really were part of God’s family and weren’t being deceived by Satan into just thinking they were different.

Can you point to a time in your life when you became a new creation? Has their been a change in your life like the caterpillar that changed into a butterfly? I sure hope so! But if not then I hope you’ll ask Jesus to make that change in you. Not sure how? Drop me a note. It would be my privilege to show you from God’s word, the Bible, how God wants to give you a new life. You can contact me at JimSteenland@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Pastor Jim

Growth

Not too long ago someone asked me how we become the people God designed us to be, reaching our fullest potential, discovering our purpose, and living life to the fullest.

It seemed to me that I kind of rambled along and never really gave him an answer he could understand, grasp, and follow. That bothered me so much that it’s been rattling around in my head seeking a better response. As I’ve prayed and asked God to help me clarify this, here is what I’ve come up with.

In Mark 12:30 Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. How do we learn to do that? How do we learn to genuinely love God with all of our being? The answer lies in our getting to genuinely know Him. We can never genuinely love someone until we genuinely know them. The first step is for us to get to know God’s character so that we can understand His purpose and His plan.

In Hebrews 11:6 God tells us that we cannot please Him unless we become people of faith. Now you must understand, the context is not saving faith, but faith that moves one to action. This passage is all about people who already had a relationship with God, but then took that next step of moving from their comfort zone to obeying God and accomplishing huge things for His glory. The second step is for us to make the choice to move out of our comfort zone to obeying God’s plan to become a person of faith.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus told us to seek God’s kingdom above anything else, and that the results would be a fulfilled life. We really like the part about a fulfilled life, but we tend to skim over the part about putting God’s kingdom first. In order for us to be fulfilled we must first discover God’s plan for our lives, and the only way to discover God’s plan for our lives is to live life under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. The third step is for us to come into a close relationship with God so that we surrender our will to Him.

Keep in mind that these steps each involve a decision and then a growing process. They are each something like marriage: there was the day when the wedding took place and you became a husband or wife, but then you began the process of learning what that meant and how to become better at becoming a husband or wife, or a father or mother. In much the same way each of these steps involves decision and growth.

I’d love to hear from you about this. Why don’t you drop me a line?

May our Lord help you to make the choices to become His man or woman, growing to become all He designed you to be.

Jim

To Whom Are You Accountable?

I’m reading Bill Hull’s book titled The Complete Book of Discipleship. One of the interesting statements Hull makes is, ‘Many people have said, “I’m going to go deep with God,” but unless they submit to the help of others, they’re not likely to grow, apart from suffering.’

Each of us need to be held accountable to someone. Knowing what to do is simply not enough. We know we should eat right and exercise regularly, but unless we have someone to help us maintain those disciplines we won’t do what we know we need to do. Simply knowing what to do is not enough. We must have accountability if we are going to do well.

The same is true with the disciplines of the Christian life. We all know we need to study our Bible, spend time in prayer, memorize scripture, regularly be with other believers, serve God’s family, share Christ’s love, and support God’s work. But unless we have someone in our life to whom we have given the right to ask us the tough questions about progress, we will simply not do it.

So, what portion of God’s truth did you memorize this week? Did you at least once this week spend an hour alone in prayer? Have you been faithful in giving God his ten percent of your income? With whom did you share God’s love this week? How did you use your spiritual gift to serve God’s family this week?

Going deep with God requires consistent discipline, but being deep with God is the only thing that will truly satisfy the craving of your soul.

Until next time…

Jim

God’s Character

Do you know the character of God? Do you know what God says about Himself?

I’ve been noticing lately how often Satan attacks the character of God. His tactic is to cause us to doubt the very nature of our God, because if he can get us to doubt God’s nature, His character, then we will act on what we think is best rather than on what God says is best, and that always leads us to sin.

In Exodus 34:6-7 God shows Moses His glory and makes a statement about who He is.

The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (English Standard Version)

God wanted His friend Moses to know who He is. God wants you and me to know who He is.

When God told Abraham that He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham asked God if He would destroy the righteous with wicked (Genesis 18:23). Then Abraham makes this statement: “Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” Genesis 18:25 (ESV)

Knowing God’s character, that He is just, gave Abraham the boldness to question God about what He was going to do.

God is love. Satan will attack you and try to make you think God is holding out on you, that He is not loving.

Where has Satan been attacking you lately? Which of God’s attributes is he trying to make you doubt?

Do you trust your Heavenly Father? Do you know that He is faithful, just, loving, pure, kind, truthful?

Do you know the character of your Heavenly Father? Why don’t you write me and tell me what other attributes you find for God?

Until next time…

Pastor Jim

Leadership Points

“Many people think they are leaders when in reality they simply hold a position of authority. If given the choice the people under them would quickly choose to follow someone else.” Peter Stanton

“Self-assessment is the first action requirement of leadership: the constant resharpening, constant refocusing, never really being satisfied.” Peter F. Drucker

“You cannot lead others until you first learn to lead yourself. But because leading self is so difficult most people will quit before they become authentic leaders.” Peter Stanton

“Creating community is an essential leadership skill.” Gifford Pinchot

“One of the greatest inhibitors of teamwork among executive teams is the fear of conflict” Patrick M. Lencioni

“Energizing leaders articulate a motivating vision and mobilize the energies of people to help them achieve it.” Dean Spitzer

“An organization will have a high spirit of performance if it is constantly directed toward opportunity rather than toward problems.” Peter F. Drucker

“Dialogue creates an atmosphere in which mutual needs are recognized, common interests are understood, and solutions to conflicts are discovered.” George Kohlreisser

“Learn to listen. And remember, a key skill here is decoding and feeding back the messages you think you are hearing.” Howard M. Guttman

“Integrity of character is central to the effectiveness of an executive.” Joseph A. Maciariello

“The bottom line: changing lives, healing and unifying, building the healthy, inclusive community that cares about all of its people. That, in the end, sustains the democracy.” Frances Hesselbein

“Neither a title, a degree, nor desire makes someone a leader. Being a leader is based upon three elements: a calling from God, character that honors God, and the competencies that enable the person to effectively pursue the vision God entrusts to them.” George Barna

When God Lets You Down

What do you do when God lets you down? How do you deal with it? How do you go on?

How do you continue to have faith and trust when God has not come through for you?

Perhaps it’s even harder when you’re a church leader and this happens, because then you still have to preach God’s Word, while you yourself are struggling to find answers.

Have you ever been there? I sure have! And I’ve been there more than once!

So what do you do?

First, I must remember that He is still God, and that I’m not.

This may sound like a cliché but it’s very true. Often I think my perspective is perfectly correct. I think I have all the facts, that I’m able to make perfect evaluations and decisions, that I can figure out all the ramifications of all surrounding events, etc.

But when I do that I’m actually trying to fit almighty God into my box. I’m trying to take the infinite Creator and fit Him into the finite which He created. I’m trying to understand the infinite Creator with my finite mind, using my finite vocabulary, using a finite perspective, with finite vision, all in a very finite time frame. Simple physics tell us that we can’s fit the infinite into the finite. No wonder I always come up short with the wrong perspective!

I have found the story of Job to be very helpful. At the beginning of the book we see God Himself saying about Job that he is the most righteous person on the earth, and yet all sorts of heartbreaking things happen to him. In his agony, despair, and grief Job cries out to God. Job even goes as far as saying he wishes he could take God to court and to prove God was being unfair to him. But when we get to the end of the book (Job 42:5) Job recognizes that his understanding is miniscule, and he repents of having called God unfair. Job recognizes that he used to know about God but now he knows God.

God does not want His children to simply know about Him! God wants us to know Him! God does not want us to have knowledge about Him, but rather He wants us to have a relationship with Him!

The only reason a loving father allows his children to go through pain is so that they will be better. Just think of vaccinations and braces. God is doing the same, but He is molding my character. We do it for our children to have a better life here on earth. Out perfect Heavenly Father is doing it for reasons that will last for all eternity.

Until next time…

Jim

Perspective

The Cat’s Perspective: The can notices all the things the man does for her. He buys food for her and feeds her; he buys kitty litter and keeps her littler box clean; he lets her sleep when and where she wants to; he pets her whenever she climbs into his lap, but when she's had enough she can simply walk away; he takes her to the vet whenever she is sick; he buys her medicine to keep fleas off her; he does whatever he can to care for her. The cat says to herself, “I must be god for him to take such good care of me.” And when the man comes home from work there are no expectations of the cat. The cat says to herself, “It’s all about me!”

The Dog’s Perspective: The dog notices all the things the man does for her. He buys her food and feeds her; he takes her outside for walks; he lets her sleep in the house whenever she is tired; he takes her to the vet whenever she is sick; he buys her medicine to keep fleas and ticks off her; he does whatever he can to care for her. The dog says to herself, “He must be god to take such good care of me.” While the man is at work the dog watches the house and protects his possessions. When the man gets home the dog meets him at the door to welcome him, delighted to see and be with her master. The dog thinks, “It’s all about him!”

So what is your perspective? Are you a cat or a dog? Is it all about you, or is it all about Him?

Until next time…

Jim

A Father’s Advice to His Children

If You’re Smart You Mary Up. If You’re Dumb You Mary Down.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who can help you become more than you can become on your own. If you’re dumb you will marry someone you can control and push around.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who will encourage you to push yourself and do more. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who will tell you why you can’t do more.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who sees how bad things have been and finds ways to make things better. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who sees how bad things have been and finds someone to blame for it.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who will help you look for ways to accomplish more. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who will help you look for ways to accomplish less.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who reminds you that you have untapped potential. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who will remind you that you have reached your potential.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who will question how you came to your decision. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who never questions you.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who is not needy or dependent. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who is needy and dependent.

If you’re smart you will ask how you mate views raising and training children. If you’re dumb you will ignore this question because it may cause an argument.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who will teach their children to become all they can be. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who will teach their children to become what they want them to be.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who has high values, morals, and standards so that you’re children will become good citizens. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who has no values, morals, or standards and your children will likely end up in prison.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who is well grounded in their spiritual beliefs. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who does not know the basis for their spiritual beliefs.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who will help you grow in your spiritual walk. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who will be dependent on you for their spiritual walk.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who is growing in their spiritual walk. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who has no spiritual walk.

If you’re smart you will recognize the value of having similar deep spiritual convictions. If you’re dumb you will ignore any thought of deeply held spiritual convictions.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who has their core spiritual beliefs based on God’s unconditional truth. If you’re dumb you will marry someone who has their core spiritual beliefs based on man’s conditional truth.

If you’re smart you will marry someone who appreciates views different from their own because it forces them to reevaluate their core beliefs and learn more. If you’re dumb you will marry a person who is intolerant of views different from their own because they are insecure in their beliefs and lack supporting evidence.

Now look around you. Look at the people who are happy and ask yourself if they married up or if they married down. Look at those who are unhappy and ask yourself the same question. Now which do you want to be: happy or unhappy? Which are you: smart or dumb?

So before you ever give that guy or gal on a second look you’d better write down the answers to these questions, and if you don’t have overwhelming facts don’t show that you’re marry up then you’d better run for cover as fast as you can before you ruin the rest of your life. Why? Because the conclusion is very simple: Make smart choices and you will be a lot happier than if you make dumb choices.

Do You Believe in God’s Goodness?

Do you struggle with believing in God’s goodness?

Maybe that question catches you off guard, or maybe you’re not even quite sure what I mean by it. Or maybe the question makes you uncomfortable and you don’t even want to think about it.

If it makes you uncomfortable, believe me, I understand. It makes me uncomfortable too. It’s almost like I’m questioning God, like I’m questioning the truthfulness of His word, or like I’m questioning His love. But when we hide from confronting the issues and being completely honest about something we stop our ability to move beyond that point. If you and I are going to grow then we must face the issues and resolve the conflicts that keep running through our minds.

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in a while. It’s actually been over two weeks since I’ve posted anything. I’ve drafted a couple of items, but that’s as far as they got. You see, I’m struggling and I’m hurting. I’m feeling as thought I followed God’s directions and did what He asked, but then the outcome was a total flop. From my perspective it was a failure. Nothing came out like what I had prayed for and expected. Quite honestly, I feel like God let me down. It seems that He didn’t answer my prayers at all. I feel like I did what I was supposed to do, but then God didn’t do His part.

Don’t worry, I’ve already had this conversation with God, and He didn’t strike me dead for my gripping. And before you tell me that God is more concerned with my character than He is in my comfort, I know that. I’ve even preached that sermon to an entire church. That’s not my point. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is something deeper, lots deeper.

I realize that there were men in the Bible who felt the same way. I read about Job whom God Himself said was perfect and righteous, yet he questioned the goodness of God. I read about David whom God says was a man after His own heart, yet time and again he felt God had abandoned him and left him to fend for himself. I read about Elijah who called down fire from heaven, yet then feels God has let him down and left him all alone.

What I’m recognizing is that when we focus on self we take our eyes off of God and His goodness. After his trial Job recognized that he used to know about God but now he knew God. David always seems to return to the theme that he will refocus on God’s goodness and trust in what he knows is true, rather than focusing on the circumstances and what seems to be true. God had to remind Elijah that he didn’t have all the facts, and that in reality he was not alone at all.

I want to refocus on my Lord’s goodness. I want to refocus on the truth that my Heavenly Father loves me so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die for me. I want to refocus on the truth that my Lord never makes a mistake. I want to refocus on the truth that my God hurts over my pain, but that for my good He is going to let me go through the circumstances and learn the lessons that will help me grow and become better. I want to refocus on His promises that this will work out for my good, that God has my best interest at heart, and that He will not withhold any good thing from me.

How about you? Do you struggle like I do? If so, why don’t you drop me a note and I’ll pray for you as I pray for myself and my own struggles. God is growing us into becoming better. He does not want us to remain as we are, but He wants us to become mature so that we impact others for His kingdom.

Until next time,

Jim

Humans Playing God

I had a discussion today which still has me upset.

The person I was talking to said that China has a good law. After a woman has given birth to her second child she is operated on so that she can never have any more children.

I asked him why that was good. He told me it’s good because there are too many people in the world. I asked him where he got that information. His reply, “There are! (too many people)”

I then told him that were the entire world’s population moved to the state of Texas there would be room enough for everyone. He looked at me like I was nuts and said, “Come on! How do you figure that?” I replied, “It’s simple mathematics. Texas has enough land mass to house every person in the world without overcrowding.”

Sound strange? Perhaps you too are under the impression that planet earth is over populated and that some form of birth control is needed or people will die of because of overcrowding.

Please be noble. Don’t take my word for it. Look at the numbers:

Texas land mass, not including lakes and rivers, = 678,051 square kilometers. One square kilometer = 1,000,000 square meters. Therefore Texas land mass = 678,051,000,000 square meters.

According to the Wikapedia, the online encyclopedia, as of April 12, 2010 the world population is 6,814,200,000 people.

Divide Texas land mass by world’s population and you get area per human. Simple math says there is 99.5 square meters, or 1,071 square feet of Texas land mass for every person living on planet earth.

I concluded by saying this. “When you and I start taking on the role of God by deciding who can have children and who can’t, then we are getting into very dangerous territory.”

In Exodus 4:11 God Himself takes responsibility for the mute, deaf, and blind. We call those birth defects. God says He did it. Here is what God said to Moses. “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD?” Exodus 4:11 (NLT)

So next time someone tells you the world is getting over populated ask them from where they are getting their facts and help set the record straight.

Let’s stop listening to nonsense. Let’s stop trying to play God. If you’re anything like me, it’s hard enough keeping myself on track, let alone trying to tell others how they need to run their lives.

Until next time,

Jim

Are You Noble?

Some people have told me that I’m a pessimist. That’s pretty funny because my wife says I’m an optimists. Since my wife has been at my side for 35 years I tend to think she knows me better then those who think I’m a pessimist.

Why do some see me as a pessimist? They tell me it’s because I’m always questioning what I’m told. Because I don’t take take things at face value. Perhaps I’ve been burned so many times that I’ve learned to look at the evidence before I accept something. I do question what I’m told, and then I may very likely go as far as questioning the evidence.

Some people say that because I’m a skeptic I don’t have any faith. Let me explain something. Faith IS NOT a leap in the dark, accepting something just because someone said it is so. Not only is that not faith, but that’s not even smart.

When people questioned Jesus about His claims He never condemned them for their skepticism. In fact, Jesus even agreed that if He was the only one who made claims about Himself then He should not be believed. He pointed out that they had the testimony of John the Baptist, the Old Testament, His Father, and the works that He did. Jewish law said that every word must be considered true if there were 2 or 3 witnesses. Jesus gave them more than that while He was alive, and after He had risen there were about 500 witnesses who had seen the risen Savior.

Taking a leap in the dark is not faith. I can’t find anyplace in the Bible where that is taught. Moses certainly didn’t do it when he went to free the people of Israel. Gideon didn’t do it when he was going to fight the Midianites. David didn’t do it when he went against Goliath. Peter didn’t do it when he walked on water.

In Acts 17:11 we read where the people of Berea were noble because “they searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” These Jews didn’t take what they were told at face value. They investigated and did their own research, and God says those men “noble”. Today there are some who would call those “noble” people skeptics and doubters.

Here is what happens when a noble person diligently researches what he or she is told. When they learn that what they have been told is true, they then 1) trust the person who told them that fact, and 2) they become unshakable in their beliefs. We see this with the apostles. Prior to Jesus rising from the dead they all fled and hid behind locked doors. But once they had seen the resurrected Jesus and the Holy Spirit came upon them they couldn’t be silenced, even when Herod killed James and Stephen was stoned to death.

Is it any wonder that people are confused when we talk about faith? Is it any wonder that people think Christ followers are somewhat nuts? We, the Christ followers talk about faith and we don’t even know what it is. We tell them they just have to believe, just accept it.

When I was teaching at the seminary in Sudan in February I told all of the students that they must not accept what I said as perfect truths. I am human and I make mistakes. I asked them to be noble and search what I told them to see if what I said lined up with God’s truth. I would ask you to do the same.

No, I am not a pessimist. I’m not even a skeptic. But I do what to be noble and make sure that I’m basing my life on God’s truth and not one what someone thinks, someone believes, or someone heard someone say one time.

Not long ago I heard a preacher say repeatedly during his message “I believe…” and then he would proceed with his statement. Actually, I couldn’t care less what he believes. There are those whose religion tells them to kill anyone who is not of their religious persuasion. They are taught that to die killing non-believers gives them a direct ticket to heaven. They believe this so much that they will kill themselves for those beliefs. We need to understand that our personal beliefs and convictions are flawed, imperfect, and prone to error. Don’t tell me what you believe! Tell my why you believe what you believe!

Andrew Murray wrote that it is the duty of the church leader to always direct the people back to God’s Word and to never let them simply accept what they were told. We need to remember that.

So be noble. Check it out against God’s perfect standard. Then dig down deep into the nourishment of God’s Word and let it transform you. Live up to your full potential and experience all that God has for you. Enjoy the thrill of experiencing the God of all creation using you to impact others for His kingdom. Live life to the fullest and have a greater thrill than anything you could ever imagine.

Until next time,

Jim

The Proverbs Project

Dear Reader,

While serving on the staff of Brownsville Community Fellowship, the senior pastor, Kenny Lewis, had each of the staff undertake a study of the book of Proverbs. That study became known as “The Proverbs Project”.

Pastor Kenny began the project by pointing out to us the purpose of the proverbs. In Proverbs 1:1-6 we read, “These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel. Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.” Proverbs 1:1-6 (NLT)

Each Wednesday afternoon we would meet as a team and go over what we had learned, sharing key observations. Often Pastor Kenny would ask us to dig deeper, to give him more. He emphasized that we must not simply settle for the easy observations, but that we needed to become disciplined and dig deeper, essentials keys to gaining understanding and insight.

That study was a extremely helpful to me. It was during that time that I learned to be gentle instead of harsh, loving instead of demanding, encouraging rather than judgmental, a motivator and encourager instead of critic.

I discovered there are three areas in our lives.

1. Things I know about myself and need to work on. Keeping my word, being on punctual, doing what I say I’ll do would all fit into this category. I see these things and can work on them without much help from others. I called these “Things of the Mind”.

2. Things I don’t know about myself but others see. This may be my critical spirit, my cutting and hurtful words, and my facial expression which show my disapproval more than any words I speak. These are the areas where I need an accountability partner to gently tell me that I’m hurting others. I called these “Things of the Heart”.

3. Things that I don’t know about myself and others don’t know about me either. This may show up as sudden or explosive anger, or unexplained days of depression and foul moods. These were by far the most difficult to discover and address, but they can stop me dead in my tracks. For me, this was coming to grips with the buried pain of never having dealt with the death of my mother when I was 14 years old. I called these “Things of the Soul”.

I have learned that we men become master pretenders. When we have something in our lives that hurts, we try to ignore it. But we still find it occasionally bothering us, so we hide it in a closet in our mind and pretend it’s not there. But even then it still pops up, so we lock that mental closet door and paint over the door. But then the outline of the door shows through the paint, so we move a bookshelf in front of the closet door to hide the outline. By this time we have convinced ourselves we have adequately dealt with the hurt and pain, but we haven’t. Like a dead corpse it rots and stinks up our lives.

I recall asking people to come tell me when I was acting poorly. I told them I wasn’t simply giving them permission to tell me I was being a jerk, but to please come to me and to help me become a better person. I even went back and asked each of my children for their forgiveness for having exploded at them and been such a poor example.

The Proverbs Project changed my life. I will always be grateful to Pastor Kenny for making that assignment to the BCF staff.

Do you want to become wise, gain insight, and gain understanding? Get a couple of others and undertake a Proverbs Project. If you’d like, send me an e-mail and I’ll be glad to send you my study notes from one of the chapters as a study outline.

I pray God helps you reach your full potential, and that you experience the abundant life Jesus came to give you.

Pressing forward,

Jim

Recommended Reading

For those of you who are serious about getting out of the monotony and boredom of mediocrity, here are a couple of books that were helpful to me.

1. The Barbarian Way, by Erwin Raphael McManus

2. Discover Your Destiny, by Bill and Kathy Peel

3. I like most of what Erwin McManus writes. Two other books I can recommend are: Wide Awake: The Future is Waiting Within You and Seizing Your Divine Moment: Dare to Live a Life of Adventure.

Another great book by McManus is his book geared toward the church, An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had In Mind.

May God bless you as your pursue going from boredom to a life of adventure.

Discovering God’s Plan for Your Life

First, God’s plan for your life is exciting. Deep down inside you there is a dream. Occasionally that dream rises to the surface, only to be seen as impossible, scary, or perhaps even terrifying. Look with me at some Bible characters.

Noah: Something deep inside Noah told him that there was more to life than simply living for pleasure. He had deep inside him a dream to become someone different. God put that dream there and Noah nurtured that dream, resulting in him living a righteous lifestyle and becoming God’s man. God steps onto the scene and tells Noah to build a huge boat. Noah obeys and saves the human race.

Abraham: He obeys God and leaves his home country. But during the journey he gets scared for his life, so scared that he lies about his wife being his sister. He does this not once but twice. It’s a grand thought of being the man through whom God will bless all the nations, but becoming that man is scary. God comes through, gives Abraham the son of promise and all the nations of the earth are blessed as Jacob becomes the ancestor of the Lord Jesus.

Joseph: Proud and arrogant, Joseph is sold into slavery where it appears his dreams of becoming a man of influence will never materialize. However, Joseph decides he will not give up on God and continues to live his life with eternal goals. God comes through, gives Pharaoh a dream, Joseph interprets the dream, and Joseph ends up the 2nd most important man in Egypt, and thereby saving the nation of Israel from extinction.

Moses: God tells him to go deliver the people of Israel. Remember that Moses had already had that desire and tried, only to end up running for his life. Now Moses is terrified of going back and he tries every excuse he can think of to get out of it. God’s plan for Moses was so huge it terrified Moses, and without God’s help it was entirely impossible.

Gideon: Scared and frustrated, God’s angel shows up while Gideon is hiding and tells him that God wants to use him to free his people from their enemies. Gideon knows all the stories of how God has shown up before, but is so frustrated at God allowing them to be in the predicament they are in that he questions the angel if God is even remembers them. He is so scared of his first assignment that he does it at night. He lives through that and God gives him the next assignment. He desperately needs to know that God is really going to come through so he puts out a fleece asking God to make the fleece wet and the ground dry. When God comes through he is still scared and asks God to reverse the test the next night. God comes through for him again. Gideon is now good to go, even when God whittles his poorly equipped army down from 32,000 to 300, against a well equipped army of 135,000. Then when 15,000 get away Gideon is still ready to obey God. He pursued those 15,000 and defeated them with his army of 300.

I could go on with stories of David, Elijah, Samson, and others. But I think these are sufficient to make the point. While God does not call all of us to become national leaders, God does give each of us a dream. That longing, that desire, that dream that is deep inside us is God’s plan for our life. The problem is that we see that dream as impossible so we never nurture the dream. That dream is supposed to be impossible for us to accomplish on our own. That’s the point. It is so huge that the only way it can ever become a reality is if God shows up in our life and does it. Look again at all the examples I’ve listed, and think back to other similar stories in the Bible. We are not supposed to be able to do it apart from God. We were never designed to live our lives apart from God’s power. Our very design screams for God, so much so that when people don’t know the true God they make up images and idols as their gods and then they pray to those deaf and mute idols.

In Matthew 14 we read about Jesus walking on water and coming to the disciples who are in a boat. This takes place someone between 3 and 6 in the morning, meaning that the disciples have been working to cross the lake for around 9 to 12 hours. I’m guessing they are pretty tired by now. When the disciples see Jesus they scream out in fear. When Jesus tells them it is He, Peter boldly tells Jesus that he would like for Jesus to issue the command for him to walk to Jesus on the water. Peter knew that all that was needed is for Jesus to give the command and he would be able to walk on water. Jesus gives the command and Peter steps out of the boat and walks on water. Did you ever wonder what must have been going through the minds of those 11 other men in the boat? Why didn’t any of them them jump up and say, “Me too! Me too!” Why? Perhaps it' was because they knew that men can’t walk on water. Men are supposed to ride in boats. Peter knew that too, but it didn’t stop him. I think Peter had a dream. He wanted to experience more than what ordinary men experience. He wanted to go the extra distance, even if it meant being terrified half to death and stepping out of the boat. Living that dream drove Peter to attempt, and accomplish, the impossible feat of walking on water.

What do you dream of doing? What would you attempt if Jesus were standing right next to you, holding your hand, and telling you that you cannot fail? Wait! Don’t let that thought go! Hang on to it. Who cares if it’s ridiculous and impossible? Walking on water was impossible and ridiculous for Peter, but he did it just the same. God wants to show up in your life and in my life.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that we cannot please God unless we trust Him. God wants to bring us to the point where we stop trusting ourselves and begin trusting Him. He wants to show up in our lives. Jesus said “It shall be done to you according to your faith” (Matthew 9:29 NASBU) Is it any wonder that our lives are ordinary, boring, and frustrating, when our Designer created us to live our lives by faith and in His power, yet we go about living our lives based on what we can do without His power?

If we are ever going to the abundant life Jesus promised us we must learn to let go of our way of living and step out in faith to experience God’s way of living. Is that scary? I’ll be the first to tell you that it is absolutely terrifying, and yet it is the most thrilling and exciting thing I’ve ever done. I have never experience anything so absolutely thrilling as seeing God show up in my life to do what I only dreamed of doing.

So, are you willing to let go of mediocrity and let God thrill you beyond your wildest dreams?

Why Did Jesus Die?

Sadly, many people see Jesus’ death as nothing more than God providing them with a free ticket to heaven.

If that’s what you think then forgive me for bursting your bubble, but Jesus did not die so that you and I could have a free ticket to heaven! Jesus’ death was much more than that!

While it is true that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection did give us a free ticket to heaven, that is what takes place place after this life. How about what He did for us while we are still alive? How about the part where Jesus said He came to give us an abundant and fulfilling life?

If you and I are only looking at what happens after we die then we are missing the entire aspect of what God designed us to accomplish with our life!

Wake up! God put us here on earth for a purpose!

Part of what Jesus did when He died, was buried, and came back from the dead was to free us from the power of sin over our life so that we can accomplish the purpose for which God put us here on this planet called Earth.

Within each of us is a dream to accomplish something with our lives. We each have a deep desire to do something significant that will bring purpose, fulfillment, and satisfaction. But that purpose cannot be accomplished without the power of God in our lives, and we cannot have the power of God in our lives as long as we are under the power and control of Satan.

Read Romans 6. Jesus came to set us free from the power of sin so that we can live a new life which is controlled by the Spirit of God. Only when we are freed from Satan’s control and are controlled by the Spirit of God can we discover the power to accomplish our purpose for being on this earth.

And when we discover God’s purpose for us it will be scary! God’s purpose for you and me is BIG! He has BIG plans for you and me. God’s creativity has no limits, and His power has no limits! He wants us to learn to trust Him and learn to let His power flow through us so that we will accomplish huge things for His glory and for His praise.

Look at what God did through Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Samson, Samuel, David, Elijah, and others. Simple people who would never have amounted to anything apart from God working in their lives. But with the power of God they accomplished feats that we are still talking about.

Want to do something significant with your life? Discover God’s purpose and God’s plan for you!

That is what Easter is all about!

What is You Mission?

Jim Collins, the famous and well respected author of Good to Great says this: “The question of mission has become even more important as our world becomes increasingly disruptive and turbulent.”

Collins makes a great point. So let me ask you a question. What is your mission? What were you designed to do?

Each human has unique fingerprints, DNA, voice pattern, etc. There are no duplicates. You and I were designed for a specific purpose and function. What is it?

When engineers design something they always have an end purpose in mind for what they are designing, meaning that they design a product to perform a specific function.

Years ago I worked for a company which made semiconductors, and my job was to write the test programs to for the testers we built to test the devices. Each tester we built and each test program we wrote was specifically designed and written for a particular family of semiconductor. We always had an end objective before we ever started building a tester or writing a program.

What did you Designer create you to do?

Sadly, many people wander through life frustrated and confused as they look for the answer to that question. They try one thing, do it some degree of success, but then lose their enthusiasm for that and wander on to something else. Then they dabble in something else for a while, have some degree of success there, but then again they lose their enthusiasm for that and abandon that. Eventually they settle for a job that simply pays the bills so they can buy food and pay the rent, and they live their lives wishing they could find something really significant to do with their lives.

Why is that? The answer is surprisingly simple. They never settled into doing what their Designer created them to do.

Only when you and I are doing what our Designer created us to do will we find fulfillment, happiness, and satisfaction in life. We may have some degree of success at other things, but we will end up frustrated and bored.

Collins is right. In these increasingly disruptive and turbulent times it is more important than ever that we find our purpose and mission in life.

So what’s your mission? If you don’t know then what are you doing to discover it? Maybe you’re frustrated and looking for answers. If so then drop me a note. Perhaps some of what I’ve learned along the way can help you.