Pastor Norm’s Blog

Choose Whom You Will Serve

Monday
“Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies — like strict doctrines — behind.”
This is how USA Today began its article on the new Religious Landscape Survey findings from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life which found most Americans (even Bible believing, church going Americans) have a ‘stunning’ disconnect between their beliefs and practices with the faiths they say they hold to.

As we noted Sunday the God of the Bible challenges us in Deuteronomy 30:19—20 to choose life by choosing Him. But this challenge is based on our truly knowing who ‘Him’ is. It is not good enough to believe in “God” if that God turns out to be a personal invention of our desires. The Pew survey noted that although 92% said they believe in God, only 51% said they were both absolutely certain there was a God and that this God was a person, rather than an impersonal force, with whom they could have a relationship.

What does this mean for us? Here are two key responses

1. Get intimate with your God. Commit to reading Scripture and connecting with the God who is clearly presented in the Bible. There aren’t many roads to God for Jesus made it clear—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”(John 14:6). This means selecting to read through the whole Bible. You can accomplish this by reading 5 chapters each day for a year. You can also learn about this personal God by joining Jesus University classes where He is studied each week.

2. Don’t think that those who ‘talk god’ truly know God. The Bible is clear that even the demons believe that there is one God and that they even tremble at this knowledge (James 2:19). Remember, we have the words that give life, let us not keep them to ourselves. I encourage you to be bold in sharing your faith.

What makes an effective Christian leader today?

Here’s an email I received last week but did not get a chance to read it till after I delivered this past week’s sermon. I am again amazed how good the Lord is to orchestrate those things that affect our lives.

Effective Leadership
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, June 05 2008

“And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant.” - Exodus 14:31

What makes an effective Christian leader today? Is it charisma? Is it ability? Is it communication and oratory skills? God’s view of an effective leader has nothing to do with these qualities. They may be a part of an effective leader. However, the core attribute of a Christian leader is his integrity with God and his obedience to follow Him. When this happens, God manifests His power in and through that leader. Moses was effective because he was willing to obey the commands God gave him. When Moses did this, God manifested His presence in him. The result was that people followed. They followed because they saw God working in and through the man. They saw that this man was worthy of following because God’s anointing was on him.

When people see the Lord’s power manifested in your life, they will have a healthy fear of the Lord. They will look at you and say, “This person has something I don’t have that is worthy of more investigation.” Your challenge is to seek the Lord with a whole heart, resulting in God’s power being manifested in the daily activities of your life. When this happens, you can expect others to be drawn to what they see in you. The problem with many Christians today is that non-Christians see nothing different about the way they live to motivate the unsaved to desire their faith.

What makes you different from your neighbor? Is your experience with God noticeably different from that of the man next door? If you’re not experiencing regular encounters with God, it’s time to ask why not. We don’t live day-to-day for the next spiritual experience, but we should see by-products of a life centered in God that is reflected in fruit from His presence in our lives.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume,

and where thieves break through and steal: ”

—Matthew 6:19

Identity Theft

Identity theft is a crime that hurts everyone as a person pretends to be someone they’re not in order to enjoy what a targeted person possesses. In the end though, the person whose identity is stolen loses what they have worked hard to achieve, the person who does the stealing loses their reputation and possibly their freedom, and society loses its sense of security.

Yet, identity theft is a crime that is greatest when it occurs in the spiritual realm. When a Christian takes on the persona, presentation of them self, as someone who is not godly there is great loss to everyone. The person who is ungodly loses by not seeing another way of life modeled for them, the child of God who steals that identity loses their godly reputation and free-flowing intimacy with God, and a needy world loses a presentation of the hope that is in Christ. Imagine what God thinks when He considers our choices.

This would be like the child of a billionaire trying to live like those who are poor around him/her because he/she sees a part of their lives that is appealing. Can you imagine the feeling of the rich father who sees his/her child acting as if limited in budget? Can you imagine the father’s feeling seeing the child give up the family name and character traits in order to fit into that community? Can you feel the father’s hurt when the child goes against everything he has done to raise him/ her right?

This is the way our Heavenly Father feels when we give up our God-given identity to take on the identity of those around us who are not a part of His family. When we take on the character of God our creator we take on the identity of a creation that is loved of God and who is cherished in His sight.

Today, ask God where you are compromising your birthright and when those areas are revealed commit to stop dabbling in identity theft. There are many who will be blessed by your choice.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume,

and where thieves break through and steal: ”

—Matthew 6:19

Positive Trusting

As we discussed ‘Positive Trusting’ Sunday we noted that followers of Jesus should begin each day focused on the great privilege they have as re-creations of the living God (2 Corinthians 5:17). A suggestion to keep one’s focus where it should be is to begin each day focusing on the fact that we each have a unique purpose for that day. So, as you go through the day take some time to meditate on this important statement:

“There is a task for me today that God desires & designed only me to accomplish.”

For truly we are each ‘fearfully & wonderfully made’ according to Psalm 139:14.

Are you investing wisely?

INVEST & INVITE

Approaches to Life

An old Yiddish proverb says, “The girl who can’t dance says the band can’t play.” As believers we can take the same approach to life when things are not going right. We can easily complain “Life is not right for if it was I would not be going through what I’m going through.”

But let us not forget that what we experience in life is not a collection of random circumstances. We are people of purpose and God has promised to use everything we encounter for His glory and for our benefit in the process (Romans 8:28—“We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose.”).

So, take a moment and consider once more our memory verse for this month—

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

—Galatians 6:9

“Be Holy, for I Am Holy”

“Be Holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). This is an incredible command that is full of great challenge but also great hope. When God gives us a command it is always on the basis that the power to achieve that command is available to us. Holiness, not perfection, is achievable.

Peter in 1 Peter 1:13—16 tells us three steps that are vital to the achieving of this command—“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” More succinctly stated, they are:

1.  Have a made up mind. We must make an unshakeable, determined commitment to take action that leads to change.

2.  Keep your eyes wide open. Know that our habits, desires, and the messages of the world around us will work against our change. Therefore we must keep an eye on ourselves to make sure that we are not sabotaging our commitment.

3.  Keep your ultimate goal in focus. Realizing that we can all sacrifice what we presently have for what we view as better, Peter tells us to keep our eyes on the great prize—eternity with Jesus.

As you go through this day ask God to show an area of your life that needs to be changed so that you might live more holy in His sight. Once that area is highlighted apply this 3 step approach to change Peter highlights for us. 

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

—Galatians 6:9

Staying Focused

One of the most surprising events in the life of Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels is the story of Jesus’ response to His mother in Luke 8:21. In this account Jesus’ loving and caring mother comes to Him because she is concerned about Him and wants to pull Jesus aside to counsel Him not continue ministering because He is creating powerful enemies. But Jesus’ response is to let her know that He must continue to focus on accomplishing God the Father’s will for that is His primary focus in life. The lesson for us—Even though a parent is to be respected, even this honor becomes secondary to our obedience to God’s desires.

In this same vein we must realize that although we have various God mandated responsibilities to others in life (our parents, our spouses, our children, our bosses, etc.) our greatest responsibility is to please God. How are you doing in keeping this perspective?

May the Lord bless you today as you seek to honor Him above all others in order to enjoy His rich blessings—“Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fullness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11).

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
—Galatians 6:9

The Answer is …

Well, what was your answer to the question posed earlier today? What is ‘the one thing I knowingly strive to accomplish every day?’

As we consider this year’s ministry theme of Investing Wisely this is a key question.

Please don’t lower your sights to just aim at completing another day of work. Don’t limit your goal to just love your spouse and your family. Maybe it is just to get back to bed each night. These are each good goals, but there is a higher target for us to aim at that will bring each of these goals into a heavenly focus.

I would propose that the one thing you should knowingly strive to accomplish every day from the moment your feet hits the ground in the morning, till the moment they are drawn back into bed at night is:

To be led by the Holy Spirit in all I think and do

If we are continually being led by the Holy Spirit throughout our day then we are being fashioned by God into Christ’s image. Note Romans 8 where the work of the Holy Spirit is noted in v. 26 (“And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness”) but the end of His work in our lives is noted in v. 29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”

So, will you make this your daily goal? Begin your day tomorrow praying that the Lord will guide you by His Spirit through your day.I am sure you will then realize what it means to be a person of purpose.

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

—Galatians 6:9

The Question

Please take a moment to complete this one minute test. Later today I’ll send you an answer to consider. Give some thought to this question and come up with your own personal answer.

The one thing I knowingly strive to accomplish every day is?

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

—Galatians 6:9

5 Final Points on Authority

One final word to wrap up our discussion on authority, here are five points that Christian author J. Oswald Sanders (from his book Spiritual Leadership) makes and that every Elder is to keep in mind as he considers the use of spiritual discipline in the congregation:

1.  Such action should be taken only after the most thorough and impartial inquiry,

2.  it should be undertaken only when it would be for the overall good of the work [church] and the individual,

3.  it should always be in a spirit of genuine love and conducted in the most considerate manner,

4.  it should always be with the spiritual help and restoration of the offender in view, and

5.  it should be done only with much prayer.

Please pray that these points will always guide Grace’s Elders when spiritual discipline is considered for use in our church body.

With a new month comes a new memory verse. Here’s the next verse in the series of verses we’ve been memorizing. Our memory verse for May is Galatians 6:9

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

People of Hope

Of all people Christians, children of the sovereign God, should be known as people of hope for we believe that everything is moving towards one supreme goal—the glorification of our Father. To not have this mindset is to adopt a pessimistic view that we and our actions do not matter.

Let us never allow ourselves to resemble a pessimist for we then miss golden opportunities that are presented to us in life. Or, as Michael Levine has said, “A pessimist is someone who complains about the noise when opportunity knocks.”

We should not be surprised then that Paul tells us to in 1 Corinthian 10:31 “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” So, whether you are voting (please do that today), working at your job, speaking with a neighbor, helping someone in need, driving, interacting with your kids, being challenged by an issue in life, or whatever you do, remember that these things matter to God and are great opportunities for God to reveal Himself if you will see them as such.

So, what’s in your day? Remember, what you encounter and what you do will become great opportunities for you depending on how you view and respond to them.

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

—Galatians 6:9

Biblical Authority

Have you ever experienced biblical authority in the church? Many of us have experienced or heard of extremes when it comes to those wielding authority in the church but few have experienced authority that is biblical. Let me give you an analogy that I hope communicates what this kind of authority is like. 

Authority in churches is a lot like the porridges, the chairs, and the beds of the three bears in the story of Goldilocks and the three Bears. When authority does not function according to the Bible it either becomes too hard, focusing more on judging and controlling those under its oversight as humanity’s sinfulness is in focus, or it becomes too soft, where everything and anything is allowed as the end goal is for us to ‘just get along.’ There are many Christians who have given up on churches because of experiencing these extremes. Yet there is a third option that I think is more like what the Bible has in mind.

This third authority option is hard enough to boldly step in when people get out of step with the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28-32), yet soft enough to teach God’s Word, encourage His people, and to then step into the background to allow believers to love one another even to the point of confronting each other in love when they are wrong (Matthew 18:15-20). 

Please pray that Grace will continue to practice biblical authority. Also pray that each of us will seek to walk under such authority so that we might fully experience the blessings of God (1 Peter 5:1-2, 6).

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

Galatians 6:8

The Blessing Of Authority In Our Lives

When we think of authority we can often think of negative consequences before we think of positive ones. That is because we have most likely experienced authority that abuse and works to hurt rather than blesses and seeks to build up others. But God views authority as that which is good and He highlights godly authority as a key to our experiencing life as He intended it to be experienced. That is why God has placed authority relationships in every area of our lives—marriage, parenting, church, government, work, etc.

To show us just how important our proper response to these authority relationships are, God tells us that if we will properly respond to those in authority over us He will bless us. Please note that there is no exception to this principle for ‘I will submit if those in authority please me.’ The emphasis is on our response, in time God will deal with the actions of those who are in charge over us.

How are you doing in the various authority relationships in your life? Here are a few steps you can take to help you ‘get under in order get over’:

1.  Pray for your attitude towards the concept of authority in general. Authority is a dirty word to many people in our society but to God it is an important aspect of life. He sees authority as good and a blessing to life.

2.  Pray for your attitude towards those in authority over you. Don’t be fooled, our outlook is primarily determined by our attitude. Or as someone put it, ‘your attitude determines your altitude.’

3.  Pray for those in authority over you. There is always a greater responsibility and accountability for those who lead. Paul even went as far as describing Elders, those who have primary authority in the church, as ‘those who will give an account’ because ‘they keep watch over your souls’ (Hebrews 13:7).

4.  Thank the Lord for those in authority over you. A thankful heart sees God in everything, everywhere, at every moment. No wonder we are commanded ‘In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

Galatians 6:8

Rest For The Busy Life

It is always important to focus on the truth God is trying to have us grasp when He is pictured in Scripture in human terms or form. So when God is pictured as resting after being intimately involved in creating everything around us and getting His hands dirty in making us we need to determine what the truth is that is being highlighted for us. As we noted on Sunday, that truth is summarized in a principle—

The Principle is that none of us can continue to run at our paces emotionally, physically, cognitively, or spiritually if we do not take time to stop and replenish ourselves. We must ‘stop for go.’ If we do not stop, we will not continue to go.

In light of this principle, how are you planning on making your Sabbath this week a true Sabbath? I would love to hear your plans so that I might share them with the rest of Grace (without giving your name).

Please note our new memory verse as we enter the month of April:

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

Galatians 6:8

The Nature Of Living By Faith

Come on admit it, to our human outlook on life walking by faith is an ‘upside down, back to front’ way of thinking and living.  For example, die in order to live, give a portion of your earnings to God and you will have enough, walk by faith and not by sight, and, the one we examined yesterday, do less in order to do more (or activity does not equal productivity). Where does God come up with these approaches to life?

But please remember that the very nature of living by faith is to move us out of the driver’s seat and to allow God that position.  The reason why it is so hard for us to live by faith is that it neutralizes our ability to be in control. So, please take a moment today and do what does not come naturally or comfortably in order to allow God to work in your life. Go on, pray before you start your day even though you have a lot to do. Tell that certain person about Jesus even though he or she may talk about you. Sit with that person at lunch even though you can’t forget how they treated you wrong not that long ago. I am sure the Holy Spirit can show you a few other ‘upside down, back to front’ actions you can take in order to let Him work through your life today.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

Galatians 6:7