1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
Paul is addressing the carnality of the Corinthian church. It was a huge issue for them that was causing lots of problems. I can testify 2000 years later carnality is still an issue in churches. Carnality is caused by people not being led by the Spirit. Reduce it to its basic element and that is what you have. We will be led by two things as Christians.....the Spirit, or ourselves. If we are not led by the Spirit we are led by our own desires. Our "self" can be broken down into three components:1) What we want 2) What we think 3) What we feel.
Self centered thinking is the hallmark characteristic of carnality. When we get carnal it is no longer about what God wants, it is about what we want. When we get carnal it is no longer about what God thinks, we act on what we think without consider God's thoughts. When we get carnal its about how we feel and what we feel like doing and not how God feels and what He wants us to do.
Let me share with you three steps to becoming a spiritual giant:
1) Ignore what you want, and accept the will of God.
2) Ignore what you think, find out what God thinks (if you don't already know search the scriptures or seek His face for wisdom).
3) Ignore how you feel and do the right thing regardless of how you feel.
If you practice these three steps in your life, you will walk with God in wisdom and power.
Remember folks, it is not about us....what we want, what we think, and what we feel....its about HIM.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The gift of the Messiah
I will give You for a covenant of the people. Isaiah 49:8
We all gave and received gifts during the Christmas season. More than likely, you received gifts that you do not really care for that much. You were certainly appreciative of the thought that went behind the gift, but the gift itself is of no use to you. You probably received a gift or two that was really what you wanted as well.
Isaiah reminds us that the Messiah was a gift. He is speaking writing the words of God the Father in Isaiah 49, so we are to understand the portion of Isaiah 49:8 above as a quote from God the Father Himself. The Father is telling Jesus the Christ that He is giving Him for the people.
We could ponder for an eternity of eternities the implications of this gift and never reach the bottom of that well. Christmas has come and gone, however pondering the wonders of the giving of Messiah is a yearlong pursuit, not exclusively a Christmas time activity. Consider what the great preacher of yesteryear Charles H. Spurgeon had to say about the implications of the gift of Messiah:
In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Consider that Word "God" and its infinity, and then meditate upon "perfect man" and all His beauty; for all that Christ, as God and man, ever had, or can have, is thine-out of pure free favour, passed over to thee to be thine entailed property forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has He power? That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has He love? Well, there is not a drop of love in His heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you may say of it all, "It is mine." Hath He justice? It may seem a stern attribute, but even that is yours, for He will by His justice see to it that all which is promised to you in the covenant of grace shall be most certainly secured to you. And all that He has as a perfect man is yours. As a perfect man the Father's delight was upon Him. He stood accepted by the Most High. O believer, God's acceptance of is thine acceptance."
All that is His, is yours......let that thought encourage your heart today.
We all gave and received gifts during the Christmas season. More than likely, you received gifts that you do not really care for that much. You were certainly appreciative of the thought that went behind the gift, but the gift itself is of no use to you. You probably received a gift or two that was really what you wanted as well.
Isaiah reminds us that the Messiah was a gift. He is speaking writing the words of God the Father in Isaiah 49, so we are to understand the portion of Isaiah 49:8 above as a quote from God the Father Himself. The Father is telling Jesus the Christ that He is giving Him for the people.
We could ponder for an eternity of eternities the implications of this gift and never reach the bottom of that well. Christmas has come and gone, however pondering the wonders of the giving of Messiah is a yearlong pursuit, not exclusively a Christmas time activity. Consider what the great preacher of yesteryear Charles H. Spurgeon had to say about the implications of the gift of Messiah:
In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Consider that Word "God" and its infinity, and then meditate upon "perfect man" and all His beauty; for all that Christ, as God and man, ever had, or can have, is thine-out of pure free favour, passed over to thee to be thine entailed property forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has He power? That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has He love? Well, there is not a drop of love in His heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of His love, and you may say of it all, "It is mine." Hath He justice? It may seem a stern attribute, but even that is yours, for He will by His justice see to it that all which is promised to you in the covenant of grace shall be most certainly secured to you. And all that He has as a perfect man is yours. As a perfect man the Father's delight was upon Him. He stood accepted by the Most High. O believer, God's acceptance of is thine acceptance."
All that is His, is yours......let that thought encourage your heart today.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Avoid spiritual pride, spiritual despair
Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18
In one phrase found in 2 Peter is our goal as believers. The new year provides a natural time to reflect upon where we have been and where we are going. I have been prayerfully thinking through that over the holidays from a personal stand point, and also from the stand point of the church. For me the two are intimately connected, because no church can rise higher than its leader. If I stop growing spiritually I can put a lid on the church. Its a sobering thought and a challenge to me personally to strive toward growth.
This verse reminds me that real Christian growth is inseparably connected to growing in the understanding of grace. Understanding grace is what really frees us up as believers to live obediently for Christ. A misunderstanding of grace leads to a performance based Christianity. A person who misunderstands grace is compelled to serve because they are trying to earn the favor of God. The result is either spiritual pride or despair. Spiritual pride results when such people perform well according to their own evaluation. People who fall into spiritual pride become like the Pharisees, thinking more highly of themselves than they ought, looking down on those that do not measure up to their exacting standards. On the other end of the spectrum is despair. Despair results in those who do not perform well. They feel like miserable failures and tend to give up all together on living for God. Both of these are extremes to be avoided, and an understanding of grace is what keeps us from spiritual pride and despair. It helps us to live out the command of Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment,
Seek to understand grace more.....It will set you free, and it will cause you to grow spiritually.
In one phrase found in 2 Peter is our goal as believers. The new year provides a natural time to reflect upon where we have been and where we are going. I have been prayerfully thinking through that over the holidays from a personal stand point, and also from the stand point of the church. For me the two are intimately connected, because no church can rise higher than its leader. If I stop growing spiritually I can put a lid on the church. Its a sobering thought and a challenge to me personally to strive toward growth.
This verse reminds me that real Christian growth is inseparably connected to growing in the understanding of grace. Understanding grace is what really frees us up as believers to live obediently for Christ. A misunderstanding of grace leads to a performance based Christianity. A person who misunderstands grace is compelled to serve because they are trying to earn the favor of God. The result is either spiritual pride or despair. Spiritual pride results when such people perform well according to their own evaluation. People who fall into spiritual pride become like the Pharisees, thinking more highly of themselves than they ought, looking down on those that do not measure up to their exacting standards. On the other end of the spectrum is despair. Despair results in those who do not perform well. They feel like miserable failures and tend to give up all together on living for God. Both of these are extremes to be avoided, and an understanding of grace is what keeps us from spiritual pride and despair. It helps us to live out the command of Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment,
Seek to understand grace more.....It will set you free, and it will cause you to grow spiritually.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thanks
Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
I am not sure why, but for some reason even to a greater degree than at Thanksgiving, at Christmas I get really reflective about everything I have to be thankful for.
There are so many people that have been such an incredible blessing to me at Bethel in so many ways. It has been such a privilege as your pastor to share our lives together. We have celebrated our victories together, we have walked together during our trials. We have rejoiced together and we have mourned together.
I am sitting here as I write this and I am going back over and over in my mind the many things that different members of Bethel have done over the past year to show me that they love me, and to bless me. I feel like I could never repay the many acts of kindness that have been extended on my behalf. I am earnestly asking God to repay your kindness with His blessings.
I just want to stop and pause, and say to you that I do not take for granted the wonderful privilege that it is to serve as your pastor. I am a blessed man. Thank you for the privilege.
From the Hester family to you and yours.......have a very blessed and merry Christmas!!
I am not sure why, but for some reason even to a greater degree than at Thanksgiving, at Christmas I get really reflective about everything I have to be thankful for.
There are so many people that have been such an incredible blessing to me at Bethel in so many ways. It has been such a privilege as your pastor to share our lives together. We have celebrated our victories together, we have walked together during our trials. We have rejoiced together and we have mourned together.
I am sitting here as I write this and I am going back over and over in my mind the many things that different members of Bethel have done over the past year to show me that they love me, and to bless me. I feel like I could never repay the many acts of kindness that have been extended on my behalf. I am earnestly asking God to repay your kindness with His blessings.
I just want to stop and pause, and say to you that I do not take for granted the wonderful privilege that it is to serve as your pastor. I am a blessed man. Thank you for the privilege.
From the Hester family to you and yours.......have a very blessed and merry Christmas!!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Help me finish
Acts 20:24 "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."
The attitude that Paul expresses in this verse of scripture as he addresses the Elders of the church at Ephesus is the attitude that in large measure made this man the spiritual giant that he was. Paul's attitude was one of self sacrifice. He did not calculate every move through the lens of what it was going to cost him personally. He did not withhold anything from God even to the point that he was willing to put his life in danger for the cause of Christ.
Wow! What an example the Apostle Paul sets for us as followers of Christ. What an important truth he teaches us in these words in Acts 20:24. Paul is essentially saying, "I am going to do what God has called me to do and I don't care what it takes, I don't care what it costs me, I am giving no thought to self." Paul understood that this type of attitude was necessary to finish the race well. Notice that he says he adopts this thinking "so that I may finish my course." Paul understood that he would not finish the race if he started thinking about the personal cost involved.
If Paul some where along the way, stopped and thought to himself, "I sure have given up a lot to follow Christ. I sure have made many sacrifices. Look at all that I have done for God and look where it has gotten me. The more I have done for God the more heart ache and trouble I seem to experience. Maybe it's not worth it. Maybe I have done enough for God and sacrificed enough for Him and maybe it's time for me to just relax and enjoy life a little bit. Think I'll go back to Jerusalem and just cool it for a while so these people will stop trying to kill me for preaching Christ."
The minute you start to think about yourself the outcome is predictable. You will be tempted to quit on God, or at least curtail what you are doing for Him.
The attitude that Paul expresses in this verse of scripture as he addresses the Elders of the church at Ephesus is the attitude that in large measure made this man the spiritual giant that he was. Paul's attitude was one of self sacrifice. He did not calculate every move through the lens of what it was going to cost him personally. He did not withhold anything from God even to the point that he was willing to put his life in danger for the cause of Christ.
Wow! What an example the Apostle Paul sets for us as followers of Christ. What an important truth he teaches us in these words in Acts 20:24. Paul is essentially saying, "I am going to do what God has called me to do and I don't care what it takes, I don't care what it costs me, I am giving no thought to self." Paul understood that this type of attitude was necessary to finish the race well. Notice that he says he adopts this thinking "so that I may finish my course." Paul understood that he would not finish the race if he started thinking about the personal cost involved.
If Paul some where along the way, stopped and thought to himself, "I sure have given up a lot to follow Christ. I sure have made many sacrifices. Look at all that I have done for God and look where it has gotten me. The more I have done for God the more heart ache and trouble I seem to experience. Maybe it's not worth it. Maybe I have done enough for God and sacrificed enough for Him and maybe it's time for me to just relax and enjoy life a little bit. Think I'll go back to Jerusalem and just cool it for a while so these people will stop trying to kill me for preaching Christ."
The minute you start to think about yourself the outcome is predictable. You will be tempted to quit on God, or at least curtail what you are doing for Him.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Word
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.......14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John's gospel tells the Christmas story in a different way. Whereas some of the other gospel writers tell us about the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus, John cuts to the chase regarding the theological implications of the event.
At the center of our understanding of the gospel is the correct identity of Jesus. He is not simply a good moral teacher who led an exemplary life worthy of being imitated. He is that, but to stop there as many have done is to ignore the most important aspect of who Jesus was. John makes it clear that Jesus was God. He was God who put on flesh and "dwelt among us."
I can ponder that theological truth for an eternity of eternities and never exhaust all the implications. The greatest implication of all is that because He was God, He could save me from my sin.
Thank you Lord Jesus for leaving the glory of heaven, to enter this cesspool of a world, to save sinners like me. My soul and spirit magnifies you today.
John's gospel tells the Christmas story in a different way. Whereas some of the other gospel writers tell us about the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus, John cuts to the chase regarding the theological implications of the event.
At the center of our understanding of the gospel is the correct identity of Jesus. He is not simply a good moral teacher who led an exemplary life worthy of being imitated. He is that, but to stop there as many have done is to ignore the most important aspect of who Jesus was. John makes it clear that Jesus was God. He was God who put on flesh and "dwelt among us."
I can ponder that theological truth for an eternity of eternities and never exhaust all the implications. The greatest implication of all is that because He was God, He could save me from my sin.
Thank you Lord Jesus for leaving the glory of heaven, to enter this cesspool of a world, to save sinners like me. My soul and spirit magnifies you today.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Continual worship
Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
The Lord through the prophet Hosea under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit pointed out something lacking in the worship of the people of God. He pointed out that there was outward expression of worship with no inward effect. They were going through the prescribed rituals, like offering animal sacrifices and burnt offerings. The reality of the situation is that their hearts were far from God. God is not pleased with superficial, surface worship.
When Mary says "My soul exalts the Lord" in what has classically become known as "The Magnificat" recorded in Luke 1, she expresses a thought that wells up from deep within her inner being. The word "exalts" is the word in Greek "megaloonay". The first part of that word is borrowed from the Greek language and applied in many contexts in English. "Mega" means "huge". We put "mega" in front of just about any noun if we want to express the idea that it is great, large, or expanding. The idea expressed is that Mary is overwhelmed and overcome by the glory, the wonder, the majesty, and the awesomeness of the Lord.
It does not stop with a one time experience. "Megaloonay" translated in our English bibles "exalts" or in some versions "magnifies" is a present tense continuous action verb. That simply means that it is a continual action. Mary does not express a thought that is a one time event. She expresses an ongoing thought of worship.
That reminds me that my whole life is to be one big worship service. Worship is not something that I am to do at 9am, 10:30am, and 6:30pm on Sunday......it is a lifestyle.......God grant us worshiping hearts.
The Lord through the prophet Hosea under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit pointed out something lacking in the worship of the people of God. He pointed out that there was outward expression of worship with no inward effect. They were going through the prescribed rituals, like offering animal sacrifices and burnt offerings. The reality of the situation is that their hearts were far from God. God is not pleased with superficial, surface worship.
When Mary says "My soul exalts the Lord" in what has classically become known as "The Magnificat" recorded in Luke 1, she expresses a thought that wells up from deep within her inner being. The word "exalts" is the word in Greek "megaloonay". The first part of that word is borrowed from the Greek language and applied in many contexts in English. "Mega" means "huge". We put "mega" in front of just about any noun if we want to express the idea that it is great, large, or expanding. The idea expressed is that Mary is overwhelmed and overcome by the glory, the wonder, the majesty, and the awesomeness of the Lord.
It does not stop with a one time experience. "Megaloonay" translated in our English bibles "exalts" or in some versions "magnifies" is a present tense continuous action verb. That simply means that it is a continual action. Mary does not express a thought that is a one time event. She expresses an ongoing thought of worship.
That reminds me that my whole life is to be one big worship service. Worship is not something that I am to do at 9am, 10:30am, and 6:30pm on Sunday......it is a lifestyle.......God grant us worshiping hearts.
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