We have hope in Christ that is constant and unfailing. Therefore, we must respond accordingly and live a holy life committed to Christ. Peter was a remarkably unremarkable person. Rejoice in your salvation. In the face of trials, we have to learn to look to the promised future and not at the flawed presence. Faith requires action. Without action, our faith is dead. 1 Peter 1
To be forgiven you must forgive others. It really is that simple. You can’t ask for something you aren’t willing to give to someone else. Why do I need to be a person who forgives? Christ instructs us to be forgiving. Doing the will of the Father is a sign that salvation has taken place in your life, which is the key to accessing heaven. It’s a wise instruction, which leads to stability. It allows God to work through us for kingdom purposes. We forgive others because we have been forgiven. One m...
Temptation is a problem. It leads to sin and it separates us from God. The one who cannot be overcome should be petitioned for his protection. Repentance requires action. Sin has no place in our lives. We can’t claim to be buried with Christ, made alive in Christ - and remain shackled to our sins. Matthew 6:13 is a call for protection against our own humanity. God tests us. Satan tempts us. Every situation that tests us has an opportunity to tempt us. Embrace the testing. Pray through the tempta...
Purposeful prayer includes repentance. Forgive us our sins, help us to forgive others, because while we are at odds with creation we can’t hope for petitions to be heard or granted. If we want God to hear and provide, we can’t make requests with sin-filled hearts. Asking God to help you forgive others is a recognition of our spiritual weakness. Refusing forgiveness is a spiritual weakness. Our sin accrued a debt. Christ paid that debt. And so God is faithful to forgive. Matthew 6:12 is about you...
In heaven, God’s will is perfectly completed. Requesting that it be fulfilled here on earth is a recognition that His will for our lives is indeed perfect. Aligning ourselves with that will begin with prayer. Praying for God’s Kingdom to come is asking for the presence of Christ. When you pray for God’s kingdom to come, you are asking for the global swelling of the Church. In praying these words, we are asking for Him, before we are seeking for us. Praying for God’s will to be done, is a prayer ...
These words are a prayer in and of themselves. They are asking God to make his name revered, admired, loved. When we pray, we are praying to the supreme being of the universe, the creator of heaven and earth. He can grant all of our requests. The power in prayer is found in who we are praying to. Prayer begins with worship and reverence. We pray because of who we are praying to. We should pray expectantly because we are asking our Father who loves us. Yes to worship, yes to reverence. But pray e...
Successful prayer is grounded in sincerity. Prayer isn’t performative, it's personal. If we want our requests to be granted, and Scripture tells us that the Lord will provide, a real connection must be made. Prayer is personal, not performative. Prayer doesn’t need to be long. Prayer doesn’t need to turn a phrase. Prayer needs only to be sincere. If you are worried about a wandering heart, pray in private. Pray with a purpose. Matthew 6:5-15...
Whoever said “words could never hurt me” was a liar. The tongue can give life or it can take it away. Inside of the church, just because we can say something doesn’t mean we should, and how we say it matters. Know when to speak. Think about what you say. You can be right and wrong at the same time. Seek forgiveness. James 3:1-8, Proverbs 17:28, Psalm 19:14, Matthew 15:16-20, Colossians 4:5-6, Proverbs 16:24
Successful churches are characterized by servitude. They not only serve the Lord wholeheartedly, but they also serve their communities. Importantly, they also serve each other. We have to be able to put others first, otherwise we foster a community of consumerism. We are all slaves to sin. But through Christ, we can choose to be subject to him, making us slaves to righteousness. This is calling us to snuff out the fire of self-centeredness. To serve Christ is to serve others. Greatness in the wo...
The greatest danger to churches today is an unwillingness to have tough conversations with each other. The Devil's greatest tool is division. If he can cause churches to fight amongst themselves, they will fail. Communication’s greatest gift is its ability to resolve conflict and build connections that aren’t easily destroyed. “Excellent communication doesn’t just happen naturally. It is a product of process, skill, climate, relationship, and hard work.” - Pat McMillan If you have a problem with...
Churches that pray are powerful churches. Prayer changes things. It strengthens relationships and builds a connection with the Almighty. If we want to be successful as a church by any of the metrics that actually matter, we must be characterized by prayer. Prayer is the means by which God fulfills his will among his people. Suffering that leads to prayer, that leads to grace, leads to the glory of God. Prayer encourages confession and brings healing. We can’t experience healing, or expect our of...
When it comes to our interactions with others, we must approach one another with a spirit of grace. This means we assume the best in one another, we are quick to forgive, and we don’t hold grudges. Approaching each other with a spirit of grace starts with assuming the best in one another. When we assume the worst in others, we break the bonds of fellowship, destroy trust and crush our own confidence. It’s easy to have a spirit of grace with others when you view yourself in the correct light. Mat...
What takes place at the end of Judges is horrible. But debauchery is all that exists when we leave God out of the equation. The greatest defense of the existence of God is the propensity to create idols for ourselves. We reach peace once - that god is the one true God. When we unplug from God, we turn to idol worship. When your gods are taken from you, all you have is nothing. But there is nothing that can take God from you. I’m not a fan of "hellfire and brimstone" but I believe strongly in tru...
Throughout Judges we have looked at temporary judge after temporary judge. These were imperfect saviors but Jesus was the perfect Savior. Today, on Easter, we look at what makes him so. Jesus is the perfect Savior because He was both human and divine. A real sacrifice exchanges something of equal value. Human life for human life. A divine sacrifice allows for the Son of God to reconcile all human life. Jesus is the perfect Savior because He was the perfect sacrifice. Jesus is Savior because He c...
Samson was physically strong but spiritually weak. He was a personification of the nation of Israel and his failures led to his demise. We can’t let our lust override the law. As parents, we can raise our children, try to lead them, and still watch them fail. God uses our mistakes for His mission. We can’t lead others down a sinful path despite our struggles. A lack of wise decision-making leads to a troublesome life. Poor decision-making is aided by an unchecked anger and the consequences can b...
Samson is the most famous of all the Judges but he started out like we all do, a baby full of promise. God’s faithfulness persists beyond our foolishness. God uses the ordinary to bring about the extraordinary. We must do what we can to prevent corrupting what has been gifted from and ordained to the Lord. As parents, we must seek guidance from the Lord, control what’s in our control, and trust God with the rest. We all need people to bring us back to the ground, who speak wisdom and knowledge, ...
After yet another rebellion, the people found themselves in need of a leader. Jephthah stood up to fight for his brothers even after they had rejected him. Repentance requires actions and humility. And words alone mean very little. When you repent, you need to act and be humble. You are at the other party's mercy. What they need from you, you do. If you aren’t willing to repent, you are sorry about your circumstances, not that you caused them. Your past does not disqualify you from serving God, ...
Abimelech was the son of Gideon. The problem was he had 70 brothers standing in the way of what he wanted, so he killed them. This section of Judges shows us that we can’t escape the consequences of our actions. Be wary of those who want to lead you and be careful what you wish for. We must weigh advice based on its merit and not on its deliverer. Our God is a God of justice and there is no escaping consequences for your actions.
Midian was a mighty enemy, but Gideon served a mighty God. Gideon’s mighty God was greater than the enemy. It’s not about what we face that seems impossible - it’s about who faces the impossible with us. Your odds might not be great but they are never zero with God. God knows what you need when you need it. We must remember our place in the big picture of life. We can give God glory and still lead others astray.
God calls Gideon a mighty warrior, not because of anything he had done but because of what God planned to do through him. Gideon only needed to accept his calling and approach it with courage. Sometimes, God makes us deal with uncomfortable circumstances to call our attention to how we caused them. To pretend that God would work through self-inflicted wounds throughout Scripture - but not do so today - is dishonest. God isn’t above helping correct what we corrupted. There is a striking contrast ...
The story of Deborah and Barak shows us that being a leader is dependent on one’s willingness to lead. Deborah stole Barak’s glory, because he lacked faith he could do it alone. Our voice should be one of encouragement and accountability. Deborah and Barak teach us that the greatest and best among us aren’t self-sufficient but recognize their need for others. Sometimes, people must be reminded that God is on their side and their success is a matter of faith. If you aren’t willing to accept God’s...
The people failed God and found themselves in hot water. But after crying out to God, He sent help. Then, the people repaid him by repeating their mistakes. A successful Christian walk requires us to identify strong leadership and heed its wisdom. Not adhering to Biblical leadership has consequences. Deliverance follows repentance. Deliverance is temporary without perseverance. God calls specific people to specific tasks because of their specific giftings. Sometimes when God calls you to somethi...
Judges 1-2 tells the story of Israel’s failure to keep God’s commands and His continued providence despite their failures. It shows us that God is just and gives us many chances to get it right. God doesn't take away without providing a way forward. There is no aimlessness inside the will of God. Even wandering in the desert has a purpose. There is strength in numbers but that relationship should be mutually beneficial. Fear isn't an excuse to ignore the will of God. God isn't afraid to let us e...
Money is a touchy subject, but money is needed for the existence of the Church. We need goods. We need to give. We must. When we give everything to God, everything is God’s. And that includes our bank accounts. Serving God with our money starts in the same place that serving God in any capacity does. Our Priorities Wealth is not evil. The love of wealth is evil. Signs that you have a healthy relationship with money: 1) Your decision-making process when it comes to spending starts with prayer and...
Each of us has been given a spiritual gift to use in elevating and supporting other saints. I’m not even sure it has to be known to be used, but it’s a mistake to think you don’t have one. This week we discuss how we use those things to improve the family of God. God in his abundant grace, has gifted you with the ability to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ. As we use our gifts, it must always be in the service of others, viewing people in the same light as we do our gifts, equals. John ...
All of us have been blessed with abilities that not everyone has. How can we use those talents to serve God? By using them to serve others. You were uniquely created and gifted to serve others. As important as having talent is the willingness to use it in the service of God and the education of others. Our service bears witness to gifts instilled in us by the Father and it brings Him glory.
We are called to be good stewards of all God has given us. It starts with 168 hours a week. Take away 56 hours for sleep. That’s 112 hours remaining. How we steward our time is extremely important. Seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness is about viewing all choices through his character and trusting the outcome of the decision that is made. Being mission minded with our time leads us to be kingdom focused with our priorities. Recognizing that our time is precious and understandin...
Before we can give anything to God, we must give everything to God. A cheerful giver doesn’t give out of compulsion, but out of their love for Christ. He must have all of us. Before we can give anything to God, we must give everything to God. Discipleship comes at a cost. The cost of our discipleship is whatever belongs to our earthly nature. What is anything compared to the gift that is Christ Jesus? All good things outside of Christ aren't good. Why Missions? To be an expression of God's love ...
Jesus epitomizes Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. All of these things have been realized through him by his birth, life, death, and resurrection. Jesus is the fulfillment of promises made to Abraham. Jesus is the fulfillment of Jacob’s final words to his son Judah. Jesus fulfills the promise from God, through Nathan that Messiah would come from David’s line. Not only is Christ the fulfillment of old testament promise, but he is the introduction of a new promise. Jesus was the greatest sign God had to...
On Christmas Eve, we’re focusing on how God’s love is unique. It’s unlike any other kind of love in the world. God's love is not deserved. God's love came at a high price. God's commands give us joy through life, peace with God, hope for a future, won by the love which we don’t deserve. God's love is the greatest love that has ever been shown. God's love is willingly given.
