Paul and Barnabas were doing just fine in Iconium. Some liked what they heard and others not so much. Some of the Jews who weren't convinced started bad-mouthing them and then started a plot with some gentiles to stone them.
But Paul and Barnabas heard about it, got out of Dodge and split to Lystra and Derbe where they continued to preach the Good News. What a difference! Then Paul healed a cripple and it really freaked out the local yokels and they started calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes because Paul was the one doing most of the talking. Well P & B put a stop to that! Acts 14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15"Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them...18Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.
Then along comes Bubba and his buddies from Iconium and starts trouble in Lystra and Paul ends up getting stoned tossed to curb and left for dead. You're gonna have to read your bible to find out what happens after that. Acts 14
But the point is, if you are really intent on following Jesus command to spread the Good News, the odds are pretty good that things will get tough for you. But don't give up. God will use those tough times toward His purpose. The way people hear the Word and come to faith is dependant upon you spreading the message in the face of opposition.
It sounds strange that opposition can strengthen your conviction to spread the Good News until you remember who you are talking about. I'm not saying you will be stoned or boiled in oil because you spread the good news or that you'll face the kind of opposition Paul and Barnabas faced. At least not in America!!
Just look around you and see what is going on concerning anything regarding Christianity nowadays. There are many, many people, groups and organizations who want to shut us up and keep us from spreading the TRUTH.
Even some of our churches in a lesser degree.
Some of today's churches lure non-believers to them with promises of not being " too churchy", with contemporary music and a "feel good" message that does not convict them by showing them their sin and making them uncomfortable in their sin.
These type of "seeker friendly" churches see people come and go and most of those leaving are still looking around to fill that God sized hole in their lives.
They tell them Jesus loves them and they should repent and be baptized... but they fail to tell them WHY!! Or what happens to them if they don't! Or that they are going to hell if they aren't born again. Soft sell makes soft Christians, I believe.
These type of churches intentions are good and they do draw a crowd. But they lose as many people as they bring in. So in a way, their style is the "opposing forces" because of their failure to give them the WHOLE Good News. By not telling the down side of not accepting Jesus as your savior. By not explaining to them about eternity without God. By not telling them about their sinful ways. By not deeply convicting people.
They bring 'em in, save 'em, baptize 'em and lose' em. There are too many "converts" to be able to "follow up on" and keep track of, I guess. Whatever the reason, the "converts" ain't stickin' around for long. And that's an "opposing force" to some believers.
Those churches should be considered as well stocked lakes for "fishers of men" and should not be looked at as"opposing forces" but as "easy pickin's" for reaching out to new believers and unbelievers. They are full of chances to bring unbelievers and new believers to a closer relationship with God. Let the church draw the crowds for us and then we convince them, encourage them in their walk and do our best to make mature Christians out of them.
We must organize groups to build them up and teach them to be "fishers of men" so the spreading of the Good News continues on.
Paul told the Good News to the people who were about to stone him and God had it written for us so Paul's story could be read by all and lead us to Jesus and to discipleship.
The least we can do is carry on with what Paul started. Opposition in any form can never and will never silence the Good News of Jesus Christ. God's word changes hearts!
This turned out to be a kind of "history" in my Christian growth, or what some may consider...a lack of. And it was written in part by my laziness,forgetfulness and whim. But it was written mostly by accident!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Gathering and what it does...
"Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." Acts 2:46-47
The verses above give us a look of one way that people came to the faith in Acts – they saw the church being the church, they liked what they saw, they wanted what they saw, and they came to faith.
Seeing the church in action is what leads people to salvation. It;s not about the church opening a soup kitchen, although the hungry people we feed certainly appreciate the meal. And it's not about collecting donations of gently used business clothes to give to women and men preparing for job interview…but it sure helps them on the interview.
This is about Christian people showing the love of God and what He wants us to do – it's about giving, serving, sharing, praying for and encouraging one another and the world around us. It's about letting Christ shine through us for everyone to see.
It doesn't matter who you are, there is something irresistible about a place where everyone is welcome, a place that where you come from doesn't matter, where rich people shake hands with, hug and laugh and smile with poor people, where every old person is treated like your grandparents by younger people – there is something irresistible about it when the church is just being the church. And people want to be part of it.
Why? Because we are all children of God with a God-sized hole in our lives and only God can fill it. And that's what people are looking for when they come to church. That's the reason they're here! To fill that hole. They just don't know it.
How do we get them to join the team? By whatever we do in our our daily lives and our lives together in church. That by showing them love, fellowship and our faith it gives us way of witnessing to people who are looking for what we have. Everything we do to make our church life more inviting by letting God's love shine through us, makes a difference.
And it's not about entertaining the unbeliever with various activities the church has to offer. It's us showing the unbeliever or new believer what Christ has done for us and what He can do for them. THAT is the attraction that fills the God sized hole in their lives. It's not the music, not the activities, not the soup kitchen, not the super elastic bubble plastic and all that razzle-dazzle. It's God's word that will lead them to salvation and He's using us to show them the way.
The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. Charles Spurgeon 1834-1892 Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats.
We have to get past our petty little squabbles over nothing that matters, the little resentments we feel toward others and the looking for the faults the church or that people may have. All of that is so meaningless and all of that blocks God’s love from filling us and that prevents others from seeing Jesus in us... which prevents us from being able to plant the seeds in the unbelievers hearts.
Lets Pray. Father I ask that I may make positive changes in my personal life and church life so that I may plant the seeds of the Spirit in others not yet convinced of your Glory. Use us as we gather in church and in our daily lives so that others may see the wonderful light of your love shining through us and want to be part of your kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen
The verses above give us a look of one way that people came to the faith in Acts – they saw the church being the church, they liked what they saw, they wanted what they saw, and they came to faith.
Seeing the church in action is what leads people to salvation. It;s not about the church opening a soup kitchen, although the hungry people we feed certainly appreciate the meal. And it's not about collecting donations of gently used business clothes to give to women and men preparing for job interview…but it sure helps them on the interview.
This is about Christian people showing the love of God and what He wants us to do – it's about giving, serving, sharing, praying for and encouraging one another and the world around us. It's about letting Christ shine through us for everyone to see.
It doesn't matter who you are, there is something irresistible about a place where everyone is welcome, a place that where you come from doesn't matter, where rich people shake hands with, hug and laugh and smile with poor people, where every old person is treated like your grandparents by younger people – there is something irresistible about it when the church is just being the church. And people want to be part of it.
Why? Because we are all children of God with a God-sized hole in our lives and only God can fill it. And that's what people are looking for when they come to church. That's the reason they're here! To fill that hole. They just don't know it.
How do we get them to join the team? By whatever we do in our our daily lives and our lives together in church. That by showing them love, fellowship and our faith it gives us way of witnessing to people who are looking for what we have. Everything we do to make our church life more inviting by letting God's love shine through us, makes a difference.
And it's not about entertaining the unbeliever with various activities the church has to offer. It's us showing the unbeliever or new believer what Christ has done for us and what He can do for them. THAT is the attraction that fills the God sized hole in their lives. It's not the music, not the activities, not the soup kitchen, not the super elastic bubble plastic and all that razzle-dazzle. It's God's word that will lead them to salvation and He's using us to show them the way.
The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them. Charles Spurgeon 1834-1892 Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats.
We have to get past our petty little squabbles over nothing that matters, the little resentments we feel toward others and the looking for the faults the church or that people may have. All of that is so meaningless and all of that blocks God’s love from filling us and that prevents others from seeing Jesus in us... which prevents us from being able to plant the seeds in the unbelievers hearts.
Lets Pray. Father I ask that I may make positive changes in my personal life and church life so that I may plant the seeds of the Spirit in others not yet convinced of your Glory. Use us as we gather in church and in our daily lives so that others may see the wonderful light of your love shining through us and want to be part of your kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Under the sun...and Ecclesiastes
Yesterday was a learning experience for me. I discovered after 6 years, (some of us are really slow learners) , another lesson on what it means to be a Christian.
As most of you know, I am somewhat of a resistor in the church. By that I mean I challenge what direction and procedures the church is taking and dig deeper and deeper to find something "wrong".
If anyone wants to dig up negative stuff it's fairly simple and I am like a pit bull in that regard. I had a personal "grudge" against a certain person who I thought was treating me unfairly and he was always looking for something to get on me about. I went to our Lead Pastor and complained to him about this person and other things that had been seething and percolating in my mind for a long time. Like the direction of the church, the way the service is run etc. But I won't get into that here.
Let me get off course for a moment. I am not sure how reading Ecclesiastes came to rest upon my mind, but it did. I read the book, read commentaries about it and re-read it again. And later on, a preacher on the radio was talking about it. God sure works in odd ways and lets you know what He wants you to understand and in a not so subtle manner. But the gist of it came to me in a verse at the end of chapter one..."For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief".
This is gonna be a bit jumbled and fragmented because my mind is racing in many directions as I type this. To my surprise, I found that my position is held in high regard and I am considered a "leader"in the church. I am not bragging and I have never considered myself as a leader. In fact, I feel like I am "on the bubble" most of the time. I am merely doing what the Lord has put on my heart and that is working in the food pantry and soup kitchen. He has blessed the ministry with dedicated people who make the ministry work.
I have often wondered why I get away with some of the stuff I do and say. Like grumbling about filling out the proper forms and my problem with authority figures, complaining about procedures and so on. I was not aware of the "grace" bestowed on me by the people who run the whole show. They were patient and forgiving and most of all...loving me in spite of what I was doing wrong.
After my meeting with our lead pastor and having my 15 minutes over with, I went to the person I was butting heads with. Not having a lot of tact in these matters, I just jumped into the fray with my opening statement... " I suppose you heard I've got a problem with you" and to my surprise, he said "I'm aware of it, but I love you anyway because you're my brother in Christ", or something to that effect! How ya gonna argue with someone with that attitude?
As the conversation went on, I came to realize that I was the one in the wrong. I was the one who built a case against him. I was the one who caused the rift. HE was the one who didn't hold it against me. HE was the one who loved me in spite of myself. He was the one I saw Christ in as we spoke. I also came to realize that he is just human like the rest of us.
It was then that the words in Ecclesiastes came streaming through my mind. All the things I held against him, real or imagined, just didn't matter "under the sun" and life was too short to bear grudges and have disparaging thoughts about things procedures and people. When it comes down to it, we are all going to have the same thing happen to us in the end...death. It happens to everyone "under the sun".
He showed me in a kind and gentle way the love of Jesus Christ in his heart. A lesson I hope I can keep in the forefront of my mind and heart when dealing with people in the ministry and in life. Patience, understanding and the love of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Have all the wounds been healed regarding this matter? I can't say. Will we butt heads again? Probably. Will we agree on everything? It's doubtful. I do know that my heart has been changed and I do not want to bear the burden of resentment and anger any longer. And that things "under the sun" do not matter as much as being "under the SON".
As most of you know, I am somewhat of a resistor in the church. By that I mean I challenge what direction and procedures the church is taking and dig deeper and deeper to find something "wrong".
If anyone wants to dig up negative stuff it's fairly simple and I am like a pit bull in that regard. I had a personal "grudge" against a certain person who I thought was treating me unfairly and he was always looking for something to get on me about. I went to our Lead Pastor and complained to him about this person and other things that had been seething and percolating in my mind for a long time. Like the direction of the church, the way the service is run etc. But I won't get into that here.
Let me get off course for a moment. I am not sure how reading Ecclesiastes came to rest upon my mind, but it did. I read the book, read commentaries about it and re-read it again. And later on, a preacher on the radio was talking about it. God sure works in odd ways and lets you know what He wants you to understand and in a not so subtle manner. But the gist of it came to me in a verse at the end of chapter one..."For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief".
This is gonna be a bit jumbled and fragmented because my mind is racing in many directions as I type this. To my surprise, I found that my position is held in high regard and I am considered a "leader"in the church. I am not bragging and I have never considered myself as a leader. In fact, I feel like I am "on the bubble" most of the time. I am merely doing what the Lord has put on my heart and that is working in the food pantry and soup kitchen. He has blessed the ministry with dedicated people who make the ministry work.
I have often wondered why I get away with some of the stuff I do and say. Like grumbling about filling out the proper forms and my problem with authority figures, complaining about procedures and so on. I was not aware of the "grace" bestowed on me by the people who run the whole show. They were patient and forgiving and most of all...loving me in spite of what I was doing wrong.
After my meeting with our lead pastor and having my 15 minutes over with, I went to the person I was butting heads with. Not having a lot of tact in these matters, I just jumped into the fray with my opening statement... " I suppose you heard I've got a problem with you" and to my surprise, he said "I'm aware of it, but I love you anyway because you're my brother in Christ", or something to that effect! How ya gonna argue with someone with that attitude?
As the conversation went on, I came to realize that I was the one in the wrong. I was the one who built a case against him. I was the one who caused the rift. HE was the one who didn't hold it against me. HE was the one who loved me in spite of myself. He was the one I saw Christ in as we spoke. I also came to realize that he is just human like the rest of us.
It was then that the words in Ecclesiastes came streaming through my mind. All the things I held against him, real or imagined, just didn't matter "under the sun" and life was too short to bear grudges and have disparaging thoughts about things procedures and people. When it comes down to it, we are all going to have the same thing happen to us in the end...death. It happens to everyone "under the sun".
He showed me in a kind and gentle way the love of Jesus Christ in his heart. A lesson I hope I can keep in the forefront of my mind and heart when dealing with people in the ministry and in life. Patience, understanding and the love of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Have all the wounds been healed regarding this matter? I can't say. Will we butt heads again? Probably. Will we agree on everything? It's doubtful. I do know that my heart has been changed and I do not want to bear the burden of resentment and anger any longer. And that things "under the sun" do not matter as much as being "under the SON".
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