creative.writings

Revelation 3:1(b) says "I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive-but you are dead.

This scripture jumped out from the page into my heart last night.

I'll get straight to the point.

How many churches that you know of fulfill this scripture? I understand you can't judge who goes to heaven or hell, that is God's job. But the fruit thereof we are able to test the spirits to see if they are real or false. I've been to plenty of churches that have it all together on the outside, but inside it's as dead as a 2x4.

In the scripture, other churches may have believed that the Sardian Christians comprised a dynamic church, but their secularism revealed their lack of spiritual life. The church of Sardis needed to wake up or it would suddenly fall.

The city of Sardis had fallen when the forces of Cyprus (549/546 BC) and of Antiochus III (189 BC) made unexpected attacks through a secret tunnel and caught the watchmen off guard. The same would be true of the Christians there if they did not meet the requirements of...God. (Rev. 20:12; Eph. 2:10, James 2:20)

The churches need to wake up. It's about time don't you think?

The lights are great.
The fog machines are great.
The amazing worship is great.
The preaching is great.

It DOES set the atmosphere of worship. But more importantly is our insides. It's okay to have all those things in your church, but is the church alive on the inside...the hearts.

Pastor, this is for you. Lead your people that God has allowed you to be responsible for. Let your heart be true. Your relationship with the Lord is more important that all the factors that come with a building. If you don't step back and work out your salvation of the Lord with fear and trembling in your own life...your church will fail...or you will. God is seeking out those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Not lights, fog, cameras, etc. But in spirit and in truth!

My prayer to all, is that God sees you are alive in your hearts and in your outward appearance. I love all those things! It SHOULD be a celebration every Sunday we come to worship. But beware of Revelation 3:1(b)...a reputation of being alive-but you are dead.

I love you. Thank you for reading.

Church at the Orchard was launched today. I got up around 6:00a.m., took a shower, prayed, prayed some more, spoke to my wife, then we headed to the where we planted the church. We are inside of an AMC theatre inside what is called, "The Orchard Town Center Mall." I was excited, but there were a lot of emotions that were going on inside of me. Happy, sad, amazement, awe, upset, joy, and so many more. I wanted to be open to God's voice this morning and finding out that I'm going to have to be in tune more often. I don't take being a pastor lightly. It is a BIG job! Those who do take it lightly need to be out of the pulpit. I'm touchy on that subject, because too many pastors (and no, I don't think I'm perfect) have let the "fear of God" go in their lives.

God brought me to lead the church into the book of Deuteronomy. To teach what a covenant means. A covenant is not meant to be broken. Think about if God failed at everything He has said in your life; it would leave you infuriated! Deuteronomy is a covenant made by God to the people of Israel. Although Jesus has came and a new covenant has birthed...He didn't come to ABOLISH the law but to fulfill it. So I am teaching about the lives of the Israelites and their leaders, and how we can learn from them through the journey we take the moment we step out of bed. This is the time for, "new beginnings."

Read Deuteronomy 1:1-29

Look at the path they chose, the distrust they had in God, the fear they had in a people and a battle that God had already taken care of. But one thing is for sure; that in Deut. 32:10 God found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland, He surrounded them and watched over them; He gaurded them as His most precious possession.

Can I tell you that YOU are God's most precious posession! He loves you like crazy! He will take care of you, if you will just LET GO of what SLOWS YOU DOWN in your walk with Him. He doesn't care what you've done in the past, He is ready to forgive you, ready to love on you, ready to see you prosper!

TRUST GOD!

Let us keep our eyes on Jesus and never sway too far to the left or to the right, but let us run the race on a narrow path that God has prepared for us! (Hebrews 12:1, 2)

As we go on in our life in the United States, it is becoming more and more obvious. All of the different belief systems. I say systems because that is just what they are. They are systems created by fallen man to justify why they live the way they do. We have different sects and movements in this country. This used to be a taboo subject and nothing was said. Meaning you couldn't tell who was a New Age or other. Yet as we become more and more "politcally correct" and "diverse", people are embracing the next new thing! Even people who claim the "name of Jesus" end up in these trappings of the world. There is one way that is constant and that is; there is only one God of heaven and earth and He has one son in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures say there is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus. All these other "so-called" religions and movements are nothing more than remakes of old systems from ancient days. The Lord said, "There is nothing new under the sun." Everything in life gets recycled and reused. Especially false religions! What makes them false? They deny the diety of the Lord Jesus Christ. They deny that He is the Son of God. They deny in some cases His very existence! As for those of us who know the truth and worship the TRUTH, we need to be ready to speak out to those who deny the Lord. We should be ready "in season and out" to give the word on why we believe the way we do. The United States is slowly falling down into a non-stop spiral toward the bottom. We have become a "socialist-secular-embrace-anything" nation. We no longer live in a "Christian" nation. Jesus never came to take over an earthly kingdom. If that were so we wouldn't be having a problem getting the word out and seeing people saved. Our life as Christians is going to get harder. We weren't promised prosperity, good health, and long life WITHOUT trouble. Those are lies from the pit of hell! Jesus said, we would HAVE tribulation. He said the world would hate us. Our families would kill and turn us over to authorities. What are we to be doing then? Praying, preaching, serving, and discipling. How are you doing on any of these? Have you been praying for the saints and the lost? Are you out preaching the word to your city? What about serving? When is the last time you helped another in need? Who are you discipling? Anyone? If we truly believe there is only one God and one Lord Jesus Christ, shouldn't we be out in full force telling people the truth? It is time to get out from behind our hiding places and go forth proclaiming the truth. Go and make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, baptizing them in the name of Jesus. Go!!! Stop bickering and fighting among yourselves about what teaching or doctrine you follow. Don't put labels on yourselves just so you can be distinguished from one another. If you are a baptized believer and a born-again believer then the only name we need to be known as is saints. Preach Jesus and no one else!

I decided today to take an excerpt out of Oswald Chamber's diary. Oswald Chamber's (even in his death) has been a mentor to me in my walk with Jesus. I can imagine is Scottish voice inside his books and it's almost like he's preaching and teaching to me. I encourage you to read his material. He's not for everyone. Perhaps you'll probably throw his books down, because he really believes you have to die to yourself so that Jesus can live inside you. Enjoy!

A missionary is someone in whom the Holy Spirit has brought about this realization: "You are not your own" ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ).

To say, "I am not my own," is to have reached a high point in my spiritual stature. The true nature of that life in actual everyday confusion is evidenced by the deliberate giving up of myself to another Person through a sovereign decision, and that Person is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit interprets and explains the nature of Jesus to me to make me one with my Lord, not that I might simply become a trophy for His showcase. Our Lord never sent any of His disciples out on the basis of what He had done for them. It was not until after the resurrection, when the disciples had perceived through the power of the Holy Spirit who Jesus really was, that He said, "Go" (Matthew 28:19; also see Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8 ).

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" ( Luke 14:26 ).

He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus can write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, "[You] cannot be My disciple." This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.
Our Lord makes His disciple His very own possession, becoming responsible for him. ". . . you shall be witnesses to Me . . ." ( Acts 1:8 ).

The desire that comes into a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus, but of being a perfect delight to Him. The missionary’s secret is truly being able to say, "I am His, and He is accomplishing His work and His purposes through me."

Be entirely His!

You've probably read this passage of Scripture: "You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. " (Exodus 20:9-10, NLT). I've run across several perspectives on this recently, from sources as diverse as the Catalyst podcast, where I heard an interview with Eugene Peterson (the guy who translated The Message version of the Bible), and an interview with Rob Bell of the Mars Hill church; and a link I found in Glen Stansberry's LifeDev blog. All of these folks are essentially saying the same thing--it is important to take a day off from work.

Traditionally, Christians have regarded Sundays as Sabbath days, but I believe the intention here is not that we must observe a specific day of the week as the day of rest, but that we do set aside one day each week for rest and relaxation from our labor. (Pastors, worship leaders and others who work on Sundays obviously can't take Sundays off...)

Scriptures teaches us that God himself modeled this pattern when he created the universe--he worked at it for six days (however you may interpret a "day" in that context) and rested on the seventh. Since we are created in the image of God, it only seems reasonable that we are wired up in a similar way, and that a weekly day of rest is something we should make room for as a matter of habit--perhaps even obedience.

The ancient Jews took this idea to the extreme, establishing all sorts of rules and regulations about what was and was not permissible activity on the Sabbath--we don't want to go there. One of Jesus' criticisms of the Jewish leaders was that they had taken the Law, which was supposed to be for the benefit of human beings, and turned it into a burden by adding hundreds of detailed rules to it. That isn't rest.
I suspect that Sabbath rest looks a little different for each one of us. For some of us, it will mean turning off the cell phone and computer and spending time with our family, just having fun. For some of us, it may mean quieting the usual din of our lives--maybe turning off the TV or the radio and enjoying some quiet time to read, or take a walk in the woods, or go fishing, or take a drive in the country. For some it may mean that we tinker in the garage, or pursue a hobby. It might mean just spending an afternoon in a coffee shop with your spouse or a close friend...the possibilities are endless.

The main thing is that we choose one day per week and set it aside for rest, whether the rest is physical, emotional, or mental (or all three). For some of us, a whole day without obligations is a difficult thing to come by, and it will mean that we have to say "no" to some very good things from time to time. That isn't an easy thing to do. In fact, if we are bent towards workaholism, it may drive us nuts, at first.

For those who are heavily involved in ministry, this is especially difficult. Many of us have full-time jobs along with many extra hours of ministry responsibilities, and we may have to work hard to make a couple of half-days available for Sabbath rest some weeks, but frankly, not to do so is to ignore pretty clear instructions from God.

It is also probably true that many of us don't use our six days of labor all that well. I may need to ask myself, do I really need to sit and watch three episodes of "Seinfeld" or "Friends" in a row, or is there a better way for me to use those 90 minutes, perhaps making phone calls, composing e-mail, listening to new worship music, working out a guitar arrangement, or preparing for rehearsal times? Perhaps if I used the rest of the week more wisely, it wouldn't seem so difficult to take a day off from all of my work and ministry responsibilities.
Those of us who lead ministries must also be sensitive to the needs of those who work with us in those ministries. Even though we may have volunteers who are willing to work long hours without a Sabbath rest, we must encourage them to take a day off, even if it means certain things don't get done.
God made us, and God says we need one day of rest in every seven. I have to admit that I am challenged by this--I hope you'll take a good, hard look at your life, as well.

I am going to blog on something that none of us like to touch. There's a lot a misinterpretation on this scripture. It's a touchy issue, but why? It is God's word. I'm gonna be speaking about the "unpardonable sin." I still believe it's true...you can't tear it out of the bible, you can run a permanent marker through it...its there! But I'm gonna explain the issue so you can understand it better. I don't think that it is so easy to commit the sin. If fact, I believe perhaps a handful of people HAVE committed this sin. But what do I know? Find out as you read. And...please bear with me and read. It is long but just read. I hope you enjoy.

HERE WE GO:

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:22-32 ESV)

A number of years ago I was privileged to be able to speak at a number of churches that would have me once a week for a message. I always give an altar if the Lord's leading me in that direction, and one night a woman came forward who wanted very much to believe but felt she was not able to because she had “committed the unforgivable sin.” As we talked over the next half-hour or so it became clear that somewhere along the line a preacher had told her that anyone involved in witchcraft was beyond the redemption offered by God. That was his interpretation of this portion of Matthew’s gospel. She had once been involved in a Lucifer worship cult and was, as a result, firmly convinced that she was beyond even God’s help. No amount of counsel to the contrary would allay her fears. She left in the same hopeless frame of mind as when she arrived.

It was this event that began my personal examination of the passage above. It is a hard thing to reconcile a gospel of God’s limitless love with the notion that there is a line that one must not cross, that it is possible to step outside of His seemingly boundless willingness to forgive.

It is for this reason that a great many preachers today will tell you that what Jesus is talking about here is dying as a non-believer. We are told that the only way to blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to reject God’s offer of salvation, because while the offer is made by God the Father, and the price for it was paid by the Son, it is by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that the offer is fulfilled. And so the only unforgivable sin is to die without having accepted the offer of salvation and arriving in the next world without the righteousness of the Lamb to speak for you.

It is a reasonable and comfortable interpretation. But at the risk of being branded a heretic, I think it is an interpretation that may also be in error. This is an important issue so I ask your indulgence as I explain. I think this interpretation may be in error because of the last statement made by Christ in this passage: “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

There are two things to notice here: 1) “whoever speaks” is not about failing to make a decision, it is about making a statement, a proclamation, 2) “in this age” clearly indicates that the offense can be committed this side of the next world, while we are still of “this age.” These then are the characteristics of the “blasphemy” that has been committed against the Holy Spirit. The key to understanding this passage must reside in the meaning of this word.

It should be noted that blasphemy is not a translation of the Greek, it is a transliteration. The word was adopted from the Greek with only a change in pronunciation. According to Strong’s the word is “blasphemeo blas-fay-meh'-o ; to vilify; specially, to speak impiously:--(speak) blaspheme(-er, -mously, -my), defame, rail on, revile, speak evil.” So then, even the definition of the word used by Christ would indicate that he is referring to the things being said by the Pharisees. This calls to mind his words in Mark 7:15-16, “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

But there seems to be more to it than simply speaking ill of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ discourse to the Pharisees points out the flaws in the logic of their argument. He makes it clear that the notion that Beelzebub (Satan) would seek to deceive the people by casting out his own demons is ridiculous. Think about it a moment. What profit would there be for Satan in this? If he were to cast out demons, would people praise him and abandon God? Of course they wouldn’t; rather they would give God the glory for the event and Satan’s kingdom would fall even further.

It would also appear that Jesus knows the Pharisees know this (“Knowing their thoughts, he said to them”), which is what adds the incredible weight to their sin. If they know in their hearts that such healing could only come from God, by the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters at the moment of creation, then why would they suggest that Satan is the one who is at work? The answer is two fold: pride and envy.

At this point the Pharisees are beginning to show their desperation. Jesus has beaten their arguments at every turn. Even those totally unversed in the scriptures can see that there is something remarkable going on, that God is doing a new thing. Indignant at the popularity of this Galilean upstart, fearing that their position of power among the people is threatened, and even facing the possibility that everything they thought they knew about the messiah is about to be proven wrong, they make a desperate ploy to preserve the status quo – they attack the very God they claim to serve.

This is the depth of the sin involved here. They know that such healing can only come from God. They know that Jesus’ interpretation of scripture is entirely valid. They know that God is at work in His ministry and something new and remarkable is about to happen. But they no longer care about what it is God wants to do! Such is their desperation, they attempt to derail God’s plan; they are willing to condemn the acts of God Almighty as works of evil rather than risk losing their position of authority or alter their own world view!

How much envy has to live in one’s heart to come to such a place? How much pride does it take to believe that your world view is more important than God’s plan for Israel? In speaking this way the Pharisees engage in the sin of Lucifer. They set themselves above God and His will, and seek to impose their own will on the universe.

But I think the true weight of their error lies in it's consequence for the innocents. Consider Jesus' words in Matthew 18: "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6 ESV) The Pharisees denial of God's Messiah held the potential to put the salvation of others at risk. By deliberately declaring that the work being done by the Holy Spirit was being done by Beelzebub, they were running the risk of leading others astray, and Jesus' words concerning their fate are quite sobering.

So this then, I believe, is the sin that God will tolerate only so long. To simply reject His plan of salvation is one thing; to openly revile it and seek to impose your own world view when you know the truth is quite another. To continue down this path will put the salvation of others at risk and will eventually take one to a place where your heart is hardened beyond repentance. And if you have crossed the line to a place where you are no longer capable of repentance, then how can God forgive?

Understand that I am not talking about simply bad mouthing someone’s ministry here, or even being simply mistaken about what is God's plan. I’m talking about something far more sinister; something akin to setting yourself up as the arbitrator of salvation. This is about someone who knows the truth, acknowledges the reality of God’s plan, but seeks to discredit it in the eyes of others to forward their own agenda. As I said, this is a sin that rivals the sin of Lucifer. For this reason, I am convinced very few people will ever be this far away from God’s saving grace!

In fact, I doubt more than a handful of people down through the centuries could possibly be guilty of such a sin. Not that I am qualified to judge. But that said, I do not think even this group of Pharisees had crossed that line. Jesus’ words hold the flavour of a dire warning rather than a final judgment. He is letting them know, in no uncertain terms, that He knows exactly what is going on in their hearts. He is letting them know that they will not succeed, and that if they press the issue too far, the ramifications will be far greater than they might have imagined.

I think also this is why we are commanded not to judge others but only the condition of our own hearts. Because it is the passing of judgment on the works of others, especially when our opinions are more our own than founded in God's word, that will start us on such a path.

Ever so often, somebody likes to yell at me in my blog comments. Rarely do I respond via this blog. However, I would like to respond a recent comment, which I have copied and pasted below.

IF GOD REALLY DOES EXIST, WHY IS IT THAT HE MAKES UP SUFFER? IF HE IS REAL, WHY DOES HE GIVE US EMOTIONS? WHEN SOME OF THEM WILL HURT US OR THE PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUT? WHY IS IT THAT HE GIVES US LIFE AND LITTLE HAPPINESS BUT TAKES AWAY LIFE AND OUR HAPPINESS WHEN WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE WHAT WE HAVE AND HE TAKES IT AWAY. I SAY THAT IF GOD REALLY LOVED US, HE WOULDN'T MAKE US SUFFER AND WOULDN'T TAKE AWAY THE THINGS OR THE PEOPLE WE CARE ABOUT THE MOST.

Now, my response…

"Dear Anonymous,

Jesus has created your world and your life. Jesus has loved you ever since He made you in a special place. While creating you, He placed in your heart a set of morals. He remembers the morals which He gave you, and He also remembers specifically placing in those morals the rules of when, and when not to excessively use your "caps lock" key. You clearly went against your own heart which He made for you; when you went against your better judgment and typed your whole comment in capitol letters. You know this is wrong, and yet you do it anyway. Unfortunately Anonymous, you live in a world surrounded by people that go against the seeds of righteousness that Jesus has planted in their heart. When the world turned against Him, the world fell apart. Why the suffering? Why the hurt? Why the excessive use of the "caps lock" key? The answer is only three letters long… S-I-N. I’m sorry that you have to wrestle about Jesus in a world so screwed up. The good news is He did something about it. He created a place better than where you’re stuck, a place where suffering doesn’t even exist. He also made a way for you to get up there. If you want in, make Jesus the Lord over your life, then calm down on your "caps lock" key and keep searching for the truth. At the end of your journey, you’ll find Him with His arms spread wide open. That’s a cross reference, get it? He died for you. He died for your excessive "caps lock" key use. He died for your anger. I’m sorry you are hurting. You won’t be much longer. He loves you. Read His biography and talk to Him about it."

Anybody else got anything they want to vent my way? Drop me a line and maybe I'll respond back in blog format. Take notice that I love everyone and want to see you in heaven with me. I care enough about you to get upset with you, penetrate your heart (whether you like it or not), and compel you to come so you won't make hell your home. Hell is real (whether you believe THAT or not). I love you and thank you for all the comments you've made via blog, twitter, email, fb! Ta-ta!

I'm finding out the more and more I live on earth, the love of many are waxing cold! It's biblical right? RIGHT! I find myself thinking about the times I had as a child, living in a neighborhood that wasn't so bad. Telling my mother where I'd go and she would be okay with it, keeping our front door open all night with the screen door closed tight, going to the park not worrying that some pedophile was going to rape me. But today...I'd second guess everything.

The world we live in now is not "like it used to be." We talk about how amazing it would be if we could go back to the "good ole' days." But I'm going to tell you something that was brought to my attention. Today, where we live...

...seeing turmoil.

famines.

wars.

terror...

...and with satan more on the move now; it's not feeling like home anymore. To tell you the truth in all honesty. This world is NOT supposed to feel like home!

We are but pilgrims on this earth passing through.

As we stay in the world, more things are taking place in us. We allow the enemy to take control of our minds, souls, and our hearts. Be aware of that friends!

I could be all nice on here, but I have to speak the truth in what I see. I'm seeing more people wavering in the faith rather than standing firm within it. Take a minute to read Hebrews 12:12.

We are seeing shaky legs. Don't give up people, but stand radical! Quit continuing to support awareness acts and start taking action in things. We sit in our home every single day supporting awareness and clicking the "Support Cause" button on the Facebook page, but were is the action?

WE ARE WAVERING!

The main scripture I want to take you to is in Titus 2:12.

Question yourself in these areas.

1. Self-control is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Are you living in the fruit of the Spirit? If you're not, it's a sign that your slipping away from Christ.

2. Is right conduct in your vocabulary? 1 Peter 4:4 Be strong when your family, friends, and co-workers are influencing you. Conduct yourself in a manner where people can the see the love of God in your life.

3. Are you devoted to God? That doesn't necessarily mean go buy a devotional and do it everyday, which is good practice. I'm talking about being DEVOTED to God. No matter what may come your way:

death.

betrayal.

evil.

divorce.

murder.

hate.

That you still believe God is faithful. That He is the Almighty God! You are devoted to Him in such a way that NOTHING can separate you from His love. When someone stabs you in the back, when someone does you wrong, when a bad situation takes place. NOTHING WILL SHAKE YOU!!

For God is love. He will never leave you.

So be strong, be radical, be controlled, show good conduct, and be devoted to the one true Jesus!

For as much as we think...

...He has NEVER did us wrong.

Please take the time to read this book. You can actually read it online. PLEASE NOTICE: IT IS VERY TRUTH-SPOKEN AND MAY MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. If it makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you take part in it or perhaps you used to. I pray you don't, but this is an issue we need to tackle, especially in our walk with Jesus in this generation who is confused in these areas.

Here is the link to read the book online: http://www.relit.org/porn_again_christian/toc.php

OK. Wherever you are right now, look at your hands. Take a look at them closely.

Now examine them. Did you know that God made your hand to be HOLY? Yeah, very strange. Your hands are powerful.

You sign contracts with them...you write your name with them...you work with them...you do chores with them...you worship with them...you love with them (you better be married, lol)!

Something about our hands are powerful. They are designed to be your hands only. God created them for you to use. The question is: do you use them for justice, or do you use them to retaliate?

Acts 19:6 Hands are powerful!

Acts 28:8

Go! Use your hands for the glory of God!

Everyone has been guilty a time or two, three, four and more of letting your mouth speak faster than your brain. Without realizing that what you said (maybe) wasn't from God, but from your own thoughts. Yeah, so I'm tackling this issue today and hoping in love to reach down in the depths of your heart to pull those wicked matches out of you.

Our tongue will get us in trouble more than anything. In James 1:19, it says to follow up with your tongue or be slow to speak. We have to allow our everyday speech be guided by God. No, that doesn't mean you can't have fun, go out with your friends, then put on the silent treatment. What it does mean is concerning things of relevancy, that it should be evaluated before God before we hack into it with our own thoughts and words. If you think about it, that's why we get in so many arguments and confusion about the bible (which is sin). And again, (that doesn't mean we can't discuss the bible on what an issue means.) We try to put our own two cents in, when there is a bible that stands firm on what it says. GOD'S NOT STUPID! If He wanted to put in more words, He would have!

We do life everyday with friends, cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, ourselves. What you say reflects everything about you. You become your words and your words become you. Powerful statement, but true nonetheless! Ask yourself...what kind of words come from your mouth when you get angry? What kind of words come from your mouth when you don't believe in what someone else believes? (Knowing Jesus is the Messiah) Evaluate yourself and allow God to wash your mouth out with His "love-soap." We can get so angry and foolish when things we don't agree with come to the surface. Sometimes "righteous anger" evolves! Jesus, Paul, Peter, and many more that you see in Scripture where their "righteous anger" took place. But when that happens, you still have to let the Holy Spirit speak through you from out your belly, through your tongue, and out of your mouth.

Here we see an example of Jesus. Jesus had "righteous anger" toward the people in the synagogue. As you can tell, He made a very powerful statement. When you look closely to the statement, Jesus speaks out scripture from the bible! What He said was scriptural. It wasn't His own ideas speaking. And if it were...He's Jesus right?

When we let our own ideas come out...that's when we need to stop, back up, and do as James says. GUIDE OUR TONGUE!

If you back up a little to James 3:1; he says something powerful. He bewares teachers that are not called of God to be careful. He says, "for those who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness." What an awesome responsibility you have if you are a teacher, speaker, preacher, pastor, etc. Only speak truth from the word of God. Don't speak your own ideas. There are many false teachers that are on the rise, saying they are preaching in the name of the Lord...but leading you into darkness with their foolish ideas and doctrine! AMEN!

God is raising up a generation that lives strictly by the WORD OF GOD and speak the WORD OF GOD!!! That believes everything the bible says. That doesn't take a permanent marker and mark out the parts they don't like. That doesn't tear out the pages when they don't like a passage of scripture!

Say what you say, but back everything up with scripture! Enough said!

Many people live their lives with little regard to the goodness of God. Unaware of how gracious God has been and is willing to be toward them. Unaware of how their neglect will one day come back to haunt them. Have you given much thought to the goodness of God?

The many blessings He bestows?

The consequences if you fail to respond properly?

One passage of Scripture that ought to give us a pause is the one written in Ro 2:4-11, in which Paul expounds upon "the goodness of God." From verse 4, there are things we can look on.

THE NATURE OF HIS GOODNESS

A. HIS RICHES...

1. He is rich in grace-Ep 1:7

2. He is rich in mercy-Ep 2:4

3. He is rich in supplying need-Php 4:19

4. He is rich in giving things to enjoy-1Ti 6:17

5. He is rich in the strength He provides the believer-Ep 3:16,21

B. HIS FORBEARANCE...

1. "Forbearance" (anoche) means "a holding back."

2. We see God's forbearance...

a. In the days of Israel- Ps 78:38

b. In our present day (since the fullness of God's wrath has yet to come)

C. HIS LONGSUFFERING...

1. "Longsuffering" (makrothumia) describes "a slowness in avenging wrath" - Strong's

2. We see God suffering long...

a. In the days of Noah, prior to the flood- 1Pe 3:20

b. In our present day, prior to the day of judgment- 2 Pe 3:9-15a

The Psalmist summarizes the nature of God's goodness:

"But You, OLord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." (Ps 86:15).

As we return to our text in Romans, we are told of...

THE PURPOSE OF HIS GOODNESS

A. SHOULD LEAD ONE TO REPENTANCE...

1. God's goodness is intended to cause man to repent- Ro 2:4

2. Based on Paul's description of repentance elsewhere, God's goodness should produce...

a. Godly sorrow which leads to repentance- 2Co 7:9-10

b. A change of mind (the actual meaning of metanoia, repentance) - Strong's

c. A turn from sin to God (as evidence of repentance)- 2Co 7:10-11

B. SHOULD LEAD ONE TO DO WHAT IS GOOD...

1. As just described, an indication of true repentance- 2 Co 7:11

2. As later described in our text, it should lead to doing good...

a. With patient continuance- Ro 2:7a

1) Where God was longsuffering (makrothumia) before.

2) We are to do good patiently (hupomone) now- Lk 8:15

b. Seeking glory, honor, immortality- Ro 2:7b

1) Glory and honor that will come at the revelation of Jesus Christ - cf. 1Pe 1:7;

2Co 4:16 18

2) Immortality (incorruption) that will be given at the same time - 1Co 15:51-54

Thus "eternal life" will be given to those who are properly motivated by God's goodness to repent and do good (Ro 2:7).

But what about those who spurn the riches of God's goodness...

III. THE REJECTION OF HIS GOODNESS

A. INDICATIVE OF A HARD HEART...

1. For they despise God's goodness- Ro 2:4

2. For they evidently are insensitive and unappreciative of God's goodness- Ro 2:5

3. For they remain impenitent in their heart- Ro 2:5

B. STORES UP WRATH FOR THE DAY OF JUDGMENT...

1. The wrath of God's righteous judgment- Ro 2:5

2. A day of wrath involving indignation, tribulation, and anguish- Ro 2:8-9a

3. A vivid description of which is found in 2Th 1:7-9

CONCLUSION

1. Such is the end of one who does not properly respond to God's goodness...

a. Especially as that manifested through the gospel of Jesus

b. Which Paul will expound upon later in this epistle to the Romans

2. As you finish reading this, be careful to note: there is no partiality with God!- Ro 2:9-11

a. Those who do evil will be punished

b. Those who do good will be blessed.

Have you allowed "The Goodness Of God" to lead you to repentance, especially that repentance called for in the proclamation of the gospel?- Ac 2:36-39; 3:19; 17:30-31

Hebrews Chapter 11: this is one of the most extensive essays on faith in the New Testament and one of the most loved sections of Scripture, yet misconceptions about faith abound. You find in this chapter examples how faith is used. Earned. Strong. Unwavering. Yet scary. Lets face it! Have you held a wooden rod up to the sky to split a sea? Umm..I don't think so. Faith has taken its task throughout generati0ns. You find that faith is more and more abolished has time goes by. Looking at the Old Testament you see the greatest miracles take place. Then you skip over to the New Testament to see "not-so-great" miracles take place, except through Jesus (however, He's the man). But we take a look at the apostles to see that they never performed miracles AS great as the prophets in the Old Testament. Finally, you see OUR generation. WOW! I believe in miracles, faith, and the ability that God can do impossible things but how big of faith do you have to have to part a sea, make an ax head float, or heal the blind? These are all questions that we've pondered in our head a time or two. Why do you think that is? Do you think we've lost it? Do we not believe? Is our faith wavering?
Take a minute to think about that...


Ok! So know...
...you're answers I imagine are staggering.
But... did you know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He never changed! We have. From generation to generation! Just imagine if you walked up to a sea and split it...what in the world would FOXnews say? CNN? Local? I mean what coverage would that make. It would cause something to happen I'm sure. But think about it!
I have to ask.
What kind of faith are you using? Hard question?
Well, what have you done to stretch your faith? Do you know that EVERYTHING is a "God-thing?" Have you lost that thought in life? You notice I'm asking a lot of questions, but all for the reason to maybe...just maybe...use your faith a bit.
In Hebrews 11: 13 it says, "All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it." I don't know about you, but I would call that "dying in the faith." Beautiful isn't it?
Here's something to think about: It took faith to save your soul from hell. By faith you were saved! You believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived and worked miracles, died on a cross and then rose on the third day. FAITH!!!
So...have you continued in that same faith or have you weaned off a bit?
God has a special purpose in your life. Faith is a scary but sturdy act of obedience. If you obey, things take place you've never seen before. If God tells you or ask you to do something...DO IT! If He tells you to go, GO!