Shepherding the Flock

On March 30, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 13: 17

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

It is hard to be a pastor. Even harder to be blessed with divine sight. I want to help people and sometimes I can see so clearly exactly where they are. I know I could help them. Sometimes I even offer, but I can’t invade. They must ask for my help. I can even give people a prophetic word but if they don’t move on it or ask for more, the moment and the opportunity may pass. I feel the resolution so close but for that person, it may be to them as looking through fog. If they only knew how close they were to their breakthrough. Just take my hand. Let me help you!

I have been asking the Lord a lot about ministry over the last year. What is our role? What good are any of us actually doing? I watched the church as a whole fail miserably when the Covid Pandemic struck. We lost our Billy Graham and there was no voice to fill the void. What is it that any of us can do? What should we be doing for our congregations?  What do people need and/or want?

There are many more questions, as the issue is quite complicated. You are part of the situation too. You aren’t sure where to turn or whether or not a pastor can actually help you. The role of the minister has gotten lost. It’s no one’s fault, it’s just a difficult time. Even before the pandemic, parishioners were changing, and the church was struggling to change to meet those changing needs.

Here is the good news. All bets are off. We are free to rewrite the book on ministry. God has given us lots of guidance in His book and He is showing us new ways we can help the people for which He will hold us accountable.  We can remake the church, saving parts and adding new things too.

I believe the ministry to which God has called me is being remade to meet new challenges. A great deal of what any minister does, though, depends on you. We, as ministers, must give you invitation to take advantage of the anointing which is upon us. That will only happen if you believe God has anointed us with ministry gifts. Second, if we make it taboo for people to ask their ministers for help then it will become a sign of weakness instead of a sign of wisdom for people to ask their ministers for their leadership. Here is the thing, I know there is a place and time for us to stand in the pulpit but there is also a time when we need to minister in small groups and individually. You need to call us. You need to pull on us so that we hear the need. And, you need to let us help you. We do have skills and gifts we would give to you. Though, truth be told, we are learning new ways every day with which to meet the needs of God’s people.

The challenges are very real because the landscape is changing. We do not always know how to offer the help you need nor do you know where the new boundaries lie. Neither do we but it is a brave new world with new potential. Let your ministers help you, nay, demand that we do. We will find our way in this new world, together. You will lead us by your requests, and we will lead with the gifts of God’s Spirit. Life, the church and the needs of the congregation have changed forever. Together, we will rebuild in ways that we couldn’t have foreseen years ago. We will rebuild stronger than ever and with more of the life and light of Christ than before. We needn’t mourn what we’ve lost but rather look ahead to the new thing God has in store for us. He hasn’t lost His way.

The anointing, which is upon pastors and ministers, has been given, by God, to bless His people. Do not let those gifts die on the vine. Call on the ministers of God to minister His grace and wisdom. Call upon us to fulfill our calling.

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Heart’s Cry

On March 29, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 142: 1 – 2

I cry out with my voice to the Lord; with my voice I implore the Lord for compassion. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him.

I shared with you Friday that God called David, “a man after My heart,” (Acts 13: 22). That declaration further resonated with me when I read this passage. I was moved at how David poured out his heart to God. You can hear the emotion and passion in David’s cry. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I admire David so highly. He was able to express himself with fervor and meaning. Perhaps I like him because he expresses for me what I am unable to say for myself. I can read this psalm and agree, effectively taking David’s prayer to the Lord with my name on it.

I am moved and impressed by the honesty of emotion with which David addresses the Lord. The situation was that Saul and his army scoured the land in search of David to kill him even though David had been a loyal servant to Saul.  So, David and his followers fled and hid in a cave.  They were desperate and frightened. While hiding in that cave, surrounded by his enemies, David literally cried out to the Lord.

There is another element of David’s relationship with the Lord that beckons. It shows in verse 5 where he wrote, “I cried out to You, Lord; I said, “You are my refuge.” David had an ability to cast his care upon the Lord and put his entire trust in God’s ability and willingness to rescue him. In verse 6 he wrote, “Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.” His full faith and his confidence were in God. That is not to say he was not frightened. He cried out in desperate fear. None the less, he believed that God would not forsake him.

I believe this trust and confidence in God, along with the intimate familiarity he expressed in communion with Yahweh are some of the key factors which caused God to call David a man after His own heart. David didn’t stand afar and shout at God. He cried out to his Father. He poured his emotions out to the only one who could help him, and even if he cried out in desperation, it was with a desperate faith. He believed God would rescue him. David believed God.

Still, there is more. David shared his heart with God. He bared his soul to God. Many people would find that hard to do, but I believe it was a key element in their relationship. David’s belief and confidence were so strong, his faith so resolute that it drove him into an intimacy that most of us can only dream of. He cried out to his Father, divulging all his deepest emotions and fears because he trusted his Lord. He trusted God from the depth of his soul, and he gave God the care of that soul believing the Lord would never let him down. And he was right. God didn’t let him down. That heart that cried out like a little child is what moved the Father. The love and trust of a child for his father is what ministered to the heart of God such that they became knitted together in an unbreakable bond.

I want that and I hope you long for such a relationship too. We can have it, you know. We just need to break free of the fetters which restrain us. What are those manacles? Pride, perhaps; self-reliance, ego, coolness, guilt, unworthiness, sin. The list goes on. Anything which we allow to restrict our movement towards God or blocks His path to us creates the chains of bondage.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, loose us and set us free. Draw us closer to you today and answer our cry of desperation. Reach out to us, Father, and help us to relinquish any tie which has bound us; any barrier which has prevented pure and uninterrupted communication between us. Help us to give you our hearts. Give us a faith strong enough that we may surrender all of who we are in complete confidence that you will bear us up and protect our emotional as well as our spiritual wellbeing. Father, as many as who will pray this with me today, give them the strength to be weak and the courage to show vulnerability. For this, Father, I humbly pray and offer you thanks. May you be blessed in your children. Amen.

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Fallible

On March 26, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 6: 37

Do not judge.

Simply said, not so simply done. It is easy to be judgmental. Why? Because people are fallible. Look at even some of the great Biblical heroes. Take David, for example. God said of him, “I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13: 22). What better testimony can one have? God has never said anything like that about me. None the less, we find it pretty easy to judge David. He messed up big time and, for some, that sin has become David’s legacy more than the years and years of trusting God and doing his will. Is he remembered as the man who wrote most of the psalms or as the man who sinned before God and country?

What of Moses? Here is another great heroic figure. He essentially created a new nation out of a group of slaves. He rescued his entire nation, millions of enslaved Jews but, he, too, was fallible. In the end, he failed and, subsequently, didn’t get to go into the Promised Land. He rose to prominence in his own eyes rather than trusting in God’s power and God forbade him entrance to the Promised Land. Wow! Are you kidding me?! This is the guy who parted the Red Sea, who got water from a rock, and more. He, too, had faults, and in the end suffered a major failure.

The point? People are fallible. It is easy to be judgmental because every person you know has faults and weaknesses. The harder thing is to be the instrument of grace. Grace is the opposite of judgment. “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ,” (John 1: 17). The problem is, like the Jews of the New Testament, we get stuck in the law. Jesus told us if we live by the law, we will die by it. That is not what any of us want. We all want God’s grace and that is a major reason we should live by grace.

We can look at a person and see their flaws or we can see the work of God. We can cover them with a mantle of grace such that what we see is through the veil of Jesus’ work in us and them. I do not say this is an easy thing to do. In fact, I believe it can be quite challenging. The easiest thing in the world is to focus on the many flaws each of us presents. The grace of God is acceptance in full view of our shortcomings. If Moses failed and didn’t get to go into the Promised Land because of it, what is the likelihood that many of us will fall short of God’s best? Thus, we are all easily judged as failures and miscreants. We don’t show the fullness of Christ’s love. So, if you want to judge me, or most others, it’s just not that hard. What Christ is looking for, though, is the for the love he has poured out on us to be used to spread grace, forgiveness and understanding for others. I think his instruction is pretty clear, “Do not judge.”

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Overcoming the World

On March 25, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Revelations 12:11

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony.

There seems to be confusion over who fights and who wins the battles of life. What role does Jesus play? What role do we play? Has he not defeated the enemy? Fortunately, the Bible answers these challenging questions for us, as you will see.

Let’s answer it this way. You know of how Moses led the Israelite nation out of Egypt, the pursuit by Pharaoh’s army and ultimately Israel’s escape through the Red Sea. Let us look at some key language from that event. “Then the Lord said to Moses, . . . ‘Lift up your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it’. Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided,” (Exodus 14: 15 – 16, 21). So, who parted the Red Sea? If you answered “both” you are right and that is what we need to understand. The answer to overcoming trouble is in our partnership with the Trinity.

Now look at John 16: 33, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Why should we be encouraged that Jesus overcame the world? He just said we would have trouble in the world. Jesus understood the partnership with the Father. It is the intertwined life which is the message of this ministry. In Jesus and through his victory, we too can be victorious. It isn’t automatic though. If it were, he wouldn’t have need to encourage us and he certainly would not have told us that in this world we were going to have trouble. He would have said, “All your problems will be taken care of because I am victorious.” He didn’t say that though, did he? He said, take heart because I have overcome, meaning that in his overcoming is our own. Because he overcame the world, we are now able to be overcomers too.

Today’s verse wasn’t an accident. John wrote out the formula for overcoming problems. Victory is in the blood of the lamb and in the word of our testimony. Isn’t that what it says? This is so huge. There is no way to overstate the importance of these two elements. Jesus has already done his part but ours is constant. In every situation we must speak. In fact, our words cast the deciding ballot. Victory was purchased by the blood of the lamb. It must, however, be applied to our lives and situations and we do that with our words. We either speak the victory or confess defeat with our words. Am I sick, or healed? What does the Word say? Am I rich or poor? What does the Word say? What should I expect in my work and my relationships? Is the blessing operating in my life, or the curse?

The blood of the lamb has been cast. All that is left is the word of our testimony. If we do nothing with the victory Jesus purchased with his blood, then we will have no victory. If Moses didn’t raise his staff, that sea would never have parted. God wants to teach us this extremely valuable lesson. Victory is yours but only if you apply it to your life. What is the word of your testimony? Will it bring you what you desire? If not, what should you say which would be in line with victory? Maybe I should have titled today’s message “Blood and Guts” because it is going to take both to overcome the world. Now then, tell me, what are you saying?

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Father Revealed

On March 24, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 1: 18                NIV

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Why did Jesus come to earth? There are a number of reasons, one of which was to reveal the Father. No one knew the Father but the Son. Jesus came to reveal God in all His glory but also to reveal Him as the Father of all.

This becomes clear as a point of contention between Jesus and the Jewish ruling class. They were Israel’s leaders, but they didn’t’ know God. Jesus tried to show them the person of the Father. The Jewish leaders were insulted because they were supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the nation. Jesus spoke to them as though they didn’t know the Father, and truly, they did not.

What does any of this mean to us? We see the tension amongst the Jewish leaders as we read the New Testament, but things are different now. Or are they? It is easy for us as Christians to focus so much of our attention on our beloved and revered savior that we forget that he came to point us to the Father. Jesus said, “I am the way.” The way to what? To whom? Jesus always points to God. Though we honor and love Jesus, we are not supposed to stop there.

I came to a place in my life where I was having an increasingly good relationship with Jesus only to find I had almost none with the Father. It took me some time to come into the same kind of close and meaningful relationship with the Father.

Check yourself? Are you as close to the Father as you would like to be? Do you talk with Jesus often but only sporadically with our Father? Do you take Dad fishing and hiking with you? Or is it only Jesus who accompanies you when you leave Church? As we turn our faces towards Easter, make it your mission to draw closer to the Father. Know Him as Father. He is the one who loves you most.

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Choosing the Twelve

On March 23, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 6:12

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Would you consider this a verse on seeking God? You won’t be surprised that this verse is about Jesus. Since he is our model, we can learn what our lives might be by studying his life and practices.

The back story here is that Jesus needed to choose his executive council, we know them as the twelve apostles. He had a big decision to make so he went off to the mountain to be alone with his Father and pray. He spent the whole night talking to Father.

Sometimes when I really need to hear from Father, I pack my tent and go camping. During the days I might hike and chat or ride my bike and talk with Father. In the evenings I would sit by a fire and contemplate. Like many of you whom I have spoken with, I find it easier to hear God when I am surrounded by the beauty of nature. It seems that sitting by a bubbling brook is just right for conversing with Him. Others of you have your special ways of slowing down the world for a bit and whatever your retreat, it is perfect if it helps you to connect with the Father. You don’t have to spend all night at the top of a mountain.

This verse is in the Bible to show us how we might approach big decisions. You might need to go sit on a beach, but one thing seems certain, there is a time element involved here. Jesus spent all night praying. One would think he could make a quick inquiry, get his answer and move on. What do you think he said throughout an entire night of prayer? This is an epiphany for me because I know if Jesus spent all night praying, I am going to need a weekend or more. The truth is, it sometimes takes me a day to slow myself down from the hustle and bustle of everyday life so that I can hear.

The reason I chose this verse is because it astounds me that Jesus continually went to the mountain to pray for long periods. It suggests to me that we might need times, extended times, of dedicated prayer. Perhaps there is something to locking away the world and its demands for a day and letting God fill the environment. I wonder, too, if it isn’t a healing therapy. Perhaps Jesus, like the rest of us, needed time in the presence of God, to keep his emotional and spiritual health at 100%. In any event, ponder this verse and idea and see if there is enlightenment in it for you.

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Mouth Guard

On March 22, 2021   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 141: 3

Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.

We all have our weaknesses, and this is mine. There are other good verses in this psalm, but I have to preach to myself this morning. When I am stressed, tired, frustrated or haven’t spent enough time with our Father, it shows in my language. When my threshold for dealing with pent up frustration or stress is breached, the pressure relief valve is my mouth. And believe me, I need the power of God to curtail my speech.

I imagine a cave entrance with a large angel standing watch over it. He checks everything going in or out of that portal. He is a strong angel and the more I picture him at his station the more entrenched he becomes. I do need to feed him, though, and it seems that he gains his strength through the time I spend with my Father and time spent with God’s Word. I guess I am really nourishing myself and my angel is fortified through me. When I am weak, his strength may fail because he gets his strength through my well-nourished spirit. I don’t have to bolster the angel; he knows how to do his job. In other words, I don’t have to do help him stand guard. I don’t have to help him at all. I just need to do my “one thing” and he will do his singular task. In fact, I do not even need to think about the angel and his mission if I am fulfilling my own. So many things simply fall into place when I seek the Lord and ponder His Word.

Pray, asking the Lord to set a guard. He will then guard your lips for you. It is one less thing you will have to wrestle with. Do your part to keep him healthy and strong, though. Make sure you are nourishing your spirit because that is the well of living water, the source of life and light. Life and death are in the mouth (Proverbs 18: 21) so we are well advised to set a guard over it for from it spring the issues of life.

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