If you're like many believers, you have no difficulty in remembering that God the Father is all around you. We see His creation, pray to Him, read His bible, and even talk to other people about Him a lot. We are... or should be... troubled when we hear His name taken in a disrespectful and unholy way. We tell people how much we love Him. We are quite tuned in to God the Father.
Jesus, God the Son, is certainly easy for us to stay mindful of as well. His cross is worn as an adornment around the neck and on t-shirts. There are hundreds of very fine and memorable songs that have been written about Him. We read the gospel accounts and learn about His birth, we see his parents confusion by his need to be in His Father's house at 12 years of age, we learn of His last three years of His life when He revealed who He was and why He had come, and we read of His death, resurrection, and ascension. Thousands of paintings have been painted depicting Him in hundreds of different ways. We have so many visual, written, and oral reminders of Jesus that He is even easier to picture in our mind than God the Father.
But what about the Holy Spirit? In some circles the Holy Spirit is the person of the trinity who really makes you do seemingly bizarre things, like speaking in tongues. In other groups the topic is avoided altogether because we certainly wouldn't want to be "one of those", would we? How many pictures of the Holy Spirit have you actually seen. Other than in a church service, have you ever heard a song about the Holy Spirit? He has no movies that I am aware of, and no musicals on Broadway either. So, who is the Holy Spirit, what is He doing, and how should we think and speak of Him?
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity, who, as described in Galatians 5:17-25, helps us overcome the desires of the flesh. He lives in us, working through us, filling our life with Himself, and providing us with a changed life that is characterized by fruit in our life. According to v. 22, that fruit includes "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control". Compare that to your life before you became a follower of Jesus Christ. Without the Holy Spirit in your life you may have been characterized by the works of the flesh talked about in v. 19: "sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar". As you can see from these verses, a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit will enjoy a much happier life. Most other people will be more drawn to a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit; even if they are not a believer yet.
Jesus explained to His disciples in John 16:7 that He must go away so that the Holy Spirit could come. When Jesus was with His disciples, He could only be one place at one time. He had limited His own omnipresence. However, in leaving here and ascending to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to believers. The Holy Spirit has the ability to be in everyone and in every place where there is faith in God's Son. The Holy Spirit works to empower us, to intercede on our behalf, to fill us with the fruit mentioned above, to keep us from evil, and to guide us in all wisdom.
Francis Chan wrote a book recently entitled "Forgotten God". His point throughout this book is that the Holy Spirit is the person of the triune God that we have too often ignored and failed to allow into our life as we should. But we can't continue to do that. If we are followers of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is to us what water is to the physical body. We must have water to continue to live. The follower must be filled with the Holy Spirit to live the life God intended. Simply sucking air and eating and sleeeping and going through life is not what God intended for you. He has big plans for your life. He has incredible things he wants to do through you but can only do it if you are filled with the Holy Spirit. This happens when we die daily to self and ask God to fill our life with the Holy Spirit. Run to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to fill your life. Be filled daily. Enjoy all that the Holy Spirit wants to do through you. He's ready to give you the life God intended.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Involving Your Learners in the Lesson
Jesus, the Master Teacher, knew that in order for real discipleship to take place, He had to move his learners from simply receiving information, to a real life-change. As mentioned in my two prior posts, he used stories and he used illustrations of all sorts. One other way that Jesus accomplished His goal was to involve His learners in the lesson he wanted them to get. An example of this can be found in Mark 2:15-17.
Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that He came to call sinners to repentance. One day He showed them this by going to Levi's house (also called Matthew). Levi was a tax collector and considered by the Pharisees to be about as low as you could get. They questioned why Jesus would eat with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus used this time to explain to everyone present why He had come, "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners." Of course, he could have just said that, but do you think they would have remembered it as well? No, it was memorable because of what they saw, heard, and felt that day as they looked at Jesus dining with sinners and tax collectors.
On another occassion, as he finished eating the passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. (John 13:4-17). He could have easily just said "Okay. Listen to me. You need to humble yourself and serve one another." But instead, He showed them what He wanted them to understand. He washed the feet of each individual in that room. They knew who it was who washed their feet, and they were humbled. Then He closed it out with "You should do just as I have done for you." (v. 15b). Do you think they got it? Of course they did. They had just seen the Son of God humble Himself and wash their feet. Soon they would see His ultimate act of humility. They would watch Him die for those He loved. The lesson stayed with them. Many of them would also die a cruel death for their faith, but they would remain humble even unto death. They had understood. They had remembered. Real transformation had taken place in this group of disciples.
As teachers, we are called to pour everything we can into the lives of our learners. The goal should be that they will go on to do for others as we have done for them. In that process, we give it everything we have. We study to make sure we understand the passage of scripture completely. We plan our lesson with the desired outcome in mind. To get there, we use every tool we have at our disposal. We use questions that create a hunger, we use illustrations to illuminate the mind, and we involve our learner in the lesson so that he remembers what he saw, heard, and felt. We can use games, role play, debate, problem-solving groups, paraphrasing the lesson, individual writing or drawing, and a host of other methods. Whatever you do, make sure the method gets you to the desired change and makes the scripture passage memorable. Jesus always made sure the truth was what they remembered, not just the method.
Teachers, we have a high calling to make a difference in the lives of our learners. We should "study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) Part of not being ashamed is to be able to know that we did everything we could to make sure we made it memorable. God's Word is too full of life for us to make it boring. Teaching the Word of God is something to be passionate about and it is best accomplished when we have close relationships with our learners and involve them in the lesson. "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:19-20)
Jesus wanted His disciples to understand that He came to call sinners to repentance. One day He showed them this by going to Levi's house (also called Matthew). Levi was a tax collector and considered by the Pharisees to be about as low as you could get. They questioned why Jesus would eat with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus used this time to explain to everyone present why He had come, "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners." Of course, he could have just said that, but do you think they would have remembered it as well? No, it was memorable because of what they saw, heard, and felt that day as they looked at Jesus dining with sinners and tax collectors.
On another occassion, as he finished eating the passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. (John 13:4-17). He could have easily just said "Okay. Listen to me. You need to humble yourself and serve one another." But instead, He showed them what He wanted them to understand. He washed the feet of each individual in that room. They knew who it was who washed their feet, and they were humbled. Then He closed it out with "You should do just as I have done for you." (v. 15b). Do you think they got it? Of course they did. They had just seen the Son of God humble Himself and wash their feet. Soon they would see His ultimate act of humility. They would watch Him die for those He loved. The lesson stayed with them. Many of them would also die a cruel death for their faith, but they would remain humble even unto death. They had understood. They had remembered. Real transformation had taken place in this group of disciples.
As teachers, we are called to pour everything we can into the lives of our learners. The goal should be that they will go on to do for others as we have done for them. In that process, we give it everything we have. We study to make sure we understand the passage of scripture completely. We plan our lesson with the desired outcome in mind. To get there, we use every tool we have at our disposal. We use questions that create a hunger, we use illustrations to illuminate the mind, and we involve our learner in the lesson so that he remembers what he saw, heard, and felt. We can use games, role play, debate, problem-solving groups, paraphrasing the lesson, individual writing or drawing, and a host of other methods. Whatever you do, make sure the method gets you to the desired change and makes the scripture passage memorable. Jesus always made sure the truth was what they remembered, not just the method.
Teachers, we have a high calling to make a difference in the lives of our learners. We should "study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) Part of not being ashamed is to be able to know that we did everything we could to make sure we made it memorable. God's Word is too full of life for us to make it boring. Teaching the Word of God is something to be passionate about and it is best accomplished when we have close relationships with our learners and involve them in the lesson. "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:19-20)
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Never Miss an Opportunity to Share a Good Illustration
Jesus often taught with illustrations. He knew His audience and the illustration that would relate best. He might use a story, or He would heal someone right there in front of His audience, or He would multiply the meal in a little boys lunch box. He never missed an opportunity to share a good illustraion. He knew that when He did, lives would be impacted and people would remember the lesson.
We are a highly visual society today. We watch television, look at our computers all day, search the world on our smart phones and tablet devices, and are bombarded with moving digital pictures as we go through our day. Visual information is always coming at us because those creating the visuals understand that we are more likely to remember things if we see them than if we simply hear them.
In the 1960s, Edgar Dale studied the effectiveness of various teaching-learning methods. He determined from his study that if we only listen to a spoken lecture (the common method of teaching in the university), we will remember 25% after 3 hours and only 10-20% after 3 days. If, however, we read the material for ourselves, we can increase our recall to 72% after 3 hours, but still only 10% after 3 days. But, if we receive a good visual illustration combined with the verbal information, we can increase recall to 80% after 3 hours and still recall 65% after 3 days.
Jesus knew this, of course, because He had participated in creating us this way, ("Let Us make man in Our image." Gen. 1:26 ). Teaching the way Jesus did means using good illustrations. The more visual the illustration, the better. We have so many multi-media possibilities available to us today. Effective teachers spend time throughout the week looking for ways to illustrate what they are preparing to teach.
You and I may not be able to perform miracles as we teach, but illustrations are in abundance. Personal stories, stories from literature, current news stories, song lyrics, poems, articles from magazines, paintings, photos, etc. all make great illustrations. The job of the teacher is to guide learners to discover the application by showing the learner something that will connect. A teacher who waits until the night before the lesson to prepare will not have the tools needed to make the lesson come alive. They may be able to prepare good lecture content and may be able to come up with a good question or two, but in order to be most effective in our teaching, we need quality illustrations that will stick with our learner long after the lesson is completed.
If you are a teacher, and you want to teach the way Jesus did, use good illustrations. Your learners will recall more of what you are teaching and will be able to meditate on it longer. It will have greater impact in their lives and may even be something they can use to help another person in the future. When it comes to making disciples, it is our responsibilty to do all we can to provide visually memorable illustrations to help the learner recall what Jesus really wants them to do with the information they have learned. When we provide good illustrations, real change is more likely to occur in the lives of our learners. As we teach, never miss an opportunity to share a good illustration.
Next week: "Involving Your Learners in the Lesson"
We are a highly visual society today. We watch television, look at our computers all day, search the world on our smart phones and tablet devices, and are bombarded with moving digital pictures as we go through our day. Visual information is always coming at us because those creating the visuals understand that we are more likely to remember things if we see them than if we simply hear them.
In the 1960s, Edgar Dale studied the effectiveness of various teaching-learning methods. He determined from his study that if we only listen to a spoken lecture (the common method of teaching in the university), we will remember 25% after 3 hours and only 10-20% after 3 days. If, however, we read the material for ourselves, we can increase our recall to 72% after 3 hours, but still only 10% after 3 days. But, if we receive a good visual illustration combined with the verbal information, we can increase recall to 80% after 3 hours and still recall 65% after 3 days.
Jesus knew this, of course, because He had participated in creating us this way, ("Let Us make man in Our image." Gen. 1:26 ). Teaching the way Jesus did means using good illustrations. The more visual the illustration, the better. We have so many multi-media possibilities available to us today. Effective teachers spend time throughout the week looking for ways to illustrate what they are preparing to teach.
You and I may not be able to perform miracles as we teach, but illustrations are in abundance. Personal stories, stories from literature, current news stories, song lyrics, poems, articles from magazines, paintings, photos, etc. all make great illustrations. The job of the teacher is to guide learners to discover the application by showing the learner something that will connect. A teacher who waits until the night before the lesson to prepare will not have the tools needed to make the lesson come alive. They may be able to prepare good lecture content and may be able to come up with a good question or two, but in order to be most effective in our teaching, we need quality illustrations that will stick with our learner long after the lesson is completed.
If you are a teacher, and you want to teach the way Jesus did, use good illustrations. Your learners will recall more of what you are teaching and will be able to meditate on it longer. It will have greater impact in their lives and may even be something they can use to help another person in the future. When it comes to making disciples, it is our responsibilty to do all we can to provide visually memorable illustrations to help the learner recall what Jesus really wants them to do with the information they have learned. When we provide good illustrations, real change is more likely to occur in the lives of our learners. As we teach, never miss an opportunity to share a good illustration.
Next week: "Involving Your Learners in the Lesson"
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Teaching with Questions? But I Have So Much to Say!
Jesus commissioned us to "go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded". But how do we know when we have made a disciple, or when real teaching has taken place? Is teaching simply the imparting of information or did Jesus mean something far more?
When we study the teaching of Jesus, we see that He always asked a lot of questions. His disciples often asked Him questions and He would answer them with a question. What is the purpose of this kind of teaching? Jesus was such a Master at knowing just the right question to ask because He knew what was really in the heart of the people he was teaching. He wanted them to take a look at their own heart and realize their wickedness and their need for redemption. He wanted His disciples to see their need for growth because of the task that was before them.
As we seek to make disciples, the first step is asking questions that help people understand where they are in the discipleship process. Are there areas of their life where God still does not have full control? Are there things they should be doing that they haven’t begun to practice yet? Once a person identifies his need and level of maturity, he is better able to begin growing toward Christ-likeness.
When we teach a Bible passage, we should always have in mind some change that should take place in the lives of God's people. That requires a lot of prayer to make sure we are getting what God is saying. Then, we should plan our lesson with the end in mind. As we ask our questions, just as Jesus did, we are guiding our learners to the truth we want them to discover and the change that we think should be made. Jesus, the Master Teacher, watched His learners have those moments when they understood what He was teaching them; an "aha" moment. He told stories and He asked questions. He would refer back to the law and the prophets, but he knew if they were going to really get the truth that He wanted them to get, they had to think about it for themselves. We should follow His pattern as we seek to make His disciples. Of course, we should always be open to God doing something we had not planned. He’s just like that sometimes.
If we are going to be effective at making disciples, the task before us is not to help people just know more information. Law, prophets, poetry, history, the gospels, and the epistles are all important parts of the Bible that need to be learned. However, what good is simply listening to information if we are not understanding how God wants us to live differently in light of it? James admonishes us to be “doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) The task before us is to help people become more like Jesus Christ by living a life that reflects the teaching of Scripture. When we stand before our group to teach, we do so with the understanding that the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and He will speak to hearts as we plan well the questions we will ask after we have explained the context of the Bible passage. We may need to say less so the Holy Spirit is able to say more.
If you are a teacher in God's church, I want to challenge you to try to teach as much like Jesus as you possibly can. When he taught the masses, he used mostly the lecture method, inserting plenty of illustrations to help them see. But when he taught the small groups, he used mostly questions. Since discipleship is best done in smaller groups of people with close relationship with one another, I want to ask leading questions to help my learners discover the truth of the Scripture; the way Jesus did. I hope you will too.
Next Tuesday, June 11, 2013: “Never Miss an Opportunity to Share a Good Illustration.”
When we study the teaching of Jesus, we see that He always asked a lot of questions. His disciples often asked Him questions and He would answer them with a question. What is the purpose of this kind of teaching? Jesus was such a Master at knowing just the right question to ask because He knew what was really in the heart of the people he was teaching. He wanted them to take a look at their own heart and realize their wickedness and their need for redemption. He wanted His disciples to see their need for growth because of the task that was before them.
As we seek to make disciples, the first step is asking questions that help people understand where they are in the discipleship process. Are there areas of their life where God still does not have full control? Are there things they should be doing that they haven’t begun to practice yet? Once a person identifies his need and level of maturity, he is better able to begin growing toward Christ-likeness.
When we teach a Bible passage, we should always have in mind some change that should take place in the lives of God's people. That requires a lot of prayer to make sure we are getting what God is saying. Then, we should plan our lesson with the end in mind. As we ask our questions, just as Jesus did, we are guiding our learners to the truth we want them to discover and the change that we think should be made. Jesus, the Master Teacher, watched His learners have those moments when they understood what He was teaching them; an "aha" moment. He told stories and He asked questions. He would refer back to the law and the prophets, but he knew if they were going to really get the truth that He wanted them to get, they had to think about it for themselves. We should follow His pattern as we seek to make His disciples. Of course, we should always be open to God doing something we had not planned. He’s just like that sometimes.
If we are going to be effective at making disciples, the task before us is not to help people just know more information. Law, prophets, poetry, history, the gospels, and the epistles are all important parts of the Bible that need to be learned. However, what good is simply listening to information if we are not understanding how God wants us to live differently in light of it? James admonishes us to be “doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) The task before us is to help people become more like Jesus Christ by living a life that reflects the teaching of Scripture. When we stand before our group to teach, we do so with the understanding that the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and He will speak to hearts as we plan well the questions we will ask after we have explained the context of the Bible passage. We may need to say less so the Holy Spirit is able to say more.
If you are a teacher in God's church, I want to challenge you to try to teach as much like Jesus as you possibly can. When he taught the masses, he used mostly the lecture method, inserting plenty of illustrations to help them see. But when he taught the small groups, he used mostly questions. Since discipleship is best done in smaller groups of people with close relationship with one another, I want to ask leading questions to help my learners discover the truth of the Scripture; the way Jesus did. I hope you will too.
Next Tuesday, June 11, 2013: “Never Miss an Opportunity to Share a Good Illustration.”
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
What's Your Excuse? - Don't Miss a Blessing!
In 1986 I had an opportunity to do something I was scared to death to do. Until that point I had taken some short mission trips within the U.S. But, when my pastor approached me about joining him on a 17 day mission trip to Argentina, I had a lengthy list of reasons why I couldn't do it. As I spelled out all my reasons including finances, never flown before, no passport, a young wife who didn't need to be at home alone that long, and the big one - I had never actually shared my faith with anyone to this point, he was able to reason away every excuse I gave. I'm so glad he did because my life was impacted forever.
That was 27 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. I'm done with excuses now. I have seen that God is far bigger than any little excuse I can come up with. If we are obedient to do what He has instructed us to do, He will be faithful to bring fruit from it. I have seen it work over and over again since that time and I know that if I don't share with people, I'm missing a blessing. Are you missing a blessing or are you being obedient? God wants to use you in His kingdom work. He may not send you to Argentina; or He may. He may just send you next door or even to someone who is attending your church. I thank God for Dr. Joseph Anderson and what he did for me. I'm thankful that He and God didn't take my excuses. The Great Commission is for all of us; no matter what our circumstances may be. In the words of David Ring, the preacher with cerebral palsy, "What's your excuse?" It really doesn't matter, does it?
| Mate cup and straw |
The flights were definitely the worst part of the trip for me. To this day, I'm not real keen on flying; or should I say, my stomach isn't. But, once we arrived in Argentina, I saw God do things that I couldn't have imagined. Our work consisted of knocking on doors all day and talking with people about what Jesus had done in our life and what He wanted to do in their life. At night we would conduct evangelistic worship services in churches where I would lead the music and my pastor would preach. Following each of the services we would go to a home of a church member and sit around the table and share a cup of mate and fellowship. Mate (pronounced Mah-tee) is a strong tea in a wooden cup with a metal infusion straw. The cup and straw are shared by everyone and passed around the table. That took some getting used to; but, hey, when in Rome....
There are so many memories I could tell about that impacted my life and amazed me, but one particular night changed me forever. We had finished an evangelistic service at the church and an elderly lady came to me and asked if I would go to her house and have dinner with her family. I believed she was inviting me, the pastor, and my translator, but that was not the case. I was the only one on the team who was invited. When I arrived, she had arranged for a translator who had previously lived in California to join us and be my communicator. In addition to the translator, there were 7 other people around the table, and they all had their attention focused on me the entire evening. I was pretty uncomfortable with all of the attention. We finished a wonderful meal and my host, who invited me, looked at me and just nodded. I looked at my translator and she communicated that it was now my turn to tell everyone why I was here. So, I began telling my story. I told how Jesus Christ had changed my life and how I had been sharing that with people in the community. I asked if that had happened for them. I asked them individually with the help of the translator. One-by-one I watched as the translator would ask the question to each individual for me and they would respond "No". I was just about to go to the next part when I sensed that the Holy Spirit said "Ask the translator". When I asked her, she said "No", that had never happened for her either. My next question to each of them was "May I tell you how Jesus can do for you what He has done for me?" One-by-one they eagerly said "Yes", including the translator; all except for one old man who acted like he thought this whole discussion was stupid. I felt so sorry for him but I pressed on for those who wanted to hear. I explained about how all of us have sinned against God and deserve eternal punishment for our sins. I shared that He loved us too much to let that happen so He provided a way of forgiveness when Jesus died on the cross in our place. I told them of the resurrection of Jesus and how he ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us. I told them they can be with Jesus one day and they can have real joy right now if they would repent of their sins and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Savior. It took a little while, but that night 7 people repented of their sins and became followers of Jesus Christ; including the translator. I was forever changed.
That was 27 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. I'm done with excuses now. I have seen that God is far bigger than any little excuse I can come up with. If we are obedient to do what He has instructed us to do, He will be faithful to bring fruit from it. I have seen it work over and over again since that time and I know that if I don't share with people, I'm missing a blessing. Are you missing a blessing or are you being obedient? God wants to use you in His kingdom work. He may not send you to Argentina; or He may. He may just send you next door or even to someone who is attending your church. I thank God for Dr. Joseph Anderson and what he did for me. I'm thankful that He and God didn't take my excuses. The Great Commission is for all of us; no matter what our circumstances may be. In the words of David Ring, the preacher with cerebral palsy, "What's your excuse?" It really doesn't matter, does it?
Monday, May 6, 2013
Mom, We Applaud You
At the age of 49, I completely understand that it's not easy being a parent. My mother had a little more difficult time of it than most. She had to raise me, which was no easy task. There were times she had to simply sit back and pray that I would get through it alive and without any permanent damage. I know God heard those prayers. At the time I really didn't understand how much praying she was doing, but as a parent, I understand now that she was praying hard. In fact, she still is.
Mom is an avid reader of God's Word. I admire her dedication to the reading and study of the Bible. At times she has taught children in Sunday School or in after-school programs at her church. She has discipled many children who have decided to become followers of Jesus Christ. She has ministered to many of her friends who have experienced a loss in their life. Most exciting to see is the peace and joy that she has in just having a relationship with the Lord. She absolutely enjoys being saved.
Mom, entered a new stage in her life about 22 years ago. She became a grandmother for the first time. Turns out she's good at that too. She has five grandchildren and loves them all dearly. Although distance makes it difficult to be with the grandkids all of the time, Mom (Memaw) makes sure that these grandkids know they are loved and that she is praying for them. She is one of their greatest cheerleaders; something she was also good at back in high school.
I love my mother and I thank God that she is one of my best friends. The greatest lessons she has ever taught me have been by her example. She taught me to always trust that God will provide and no matter what, we can depend on Him. One of my mother's very favorite verses is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Prov. 3:5-6 She quoted it often and as I grew up God sank the truth of those verses very deep into my heart.
Mom, thank you that you pointed my heart to Jesus. Thank you that you prayed for me and that you still do. Thank you for praying for my children. Thank you for being a Godly example to me and Valerie and our children. Thank you for being an encourager to all of us. We love you and we thank God for you. Mom, we applaud you! Happy Mother's Day!
Mom is an avid reader of God's Word. I admire her dedication to the reading and study of the Bible. At times she has taught children in Sunday School or in after-school programs at her church. She has discipled many children who have decided to become followers of Jesus Christ. She has ministered to many of her friends who have experienced a loss in their life. Most exciting to see is the peace and joy that she has in just having a relationship with the Lord. She absolutely enjoys being saved.
Mom, entered a new stage in her life about 22 years ago. She became a grandmother for the first time. Turns out she's good at that too. She has five grandchildren and loves them all dearly. Although distance makes it difficult to be with the grandkids all of the time, Mom (Memaw) makes sure that these grandkids know they are loved and that she is praying for them. She is one of their greatest cheerleaders; something she was also good at back in high school.
I love my mother and I thank God that she is one of my best friends. The greatest lessons she has ever taught me have been by her example. She taught me to always trust that God will provide and no matter what, we can depend on Him. One of my mother's very favorite verses is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Prov. 3:5-6 She quoted it often and as I grew up God sank the truth of those verses very deep into my heart.
Mom, thank you that you pointed my heart to Jesus. Thank you that you prayed for me and that you still do. Thank you for praying for my children. Thank you for being a Godly example to me and Valerie and our children. Thank you for being an encourager to all of us. We love you and we thank God for you. Mom, we applaud you! Happy Mother's Day!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Where Do I Go To Find a Hero?
I heard a man called a "hero" the other day because he came out and explained to the world that he was gay. Really? Have we really taken the word "hero" down to that level? When I was growing up, a hero was someone who saved lives, even if it cost him his. An airplane pilot who does everything in his power to save his crew and his passengers at the risk of his own life has the right to be called a hero. A soldier who risks his own life trying to save his fellow soldiers could be called a hero. A fireman who runs in to a burning building that will soon collapse so he can save the children inside has earned the right to be called a hero. But the word has certainly been brought to a new low in the last couple of weeks.
The greatest hero that has ever walked the earth was Jesus Christ. He never sinned, yet He took upon Himself all of the punishment that we deserved for all of the sin in our life. He did not lash out at His accusers, but instead loved them right to the point of death; the death they orchestrated. He chose to do this for you and for me. He was brutally beaten, treated worse than a criminal, and mocked by those He came to save. He didn't have to come, but He fulfilled the plan of the Father to redeem us back to God. He left heaven where He had always been and came to this place of sinful wicked people who didn't deserve what He would do for them. Now that, my friends, is a hero. He ran to me and saved me from eternal hell so that I could be in relationship with Him for eternity. I deserved to burn, but He loved me too much to leave me there. That's MY hero. That's my KING. He knew my sin and loved me anyway. Oh, by the way, He did the same for you. He wants to restore you to God, but you must die to your own desires and living your life your own way and turn to this HERO, this KING, this Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He is ready to receive you if you will turn your life over to Him. "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
I think the lyrics to the song "Hero" by Abandon say it all:
And there He goes, a Hero, a Savior to the world
Here He stands with scars in His hands
With love He gave His life so we could be free
The Savior of the world
It's my prayer that you will follow THIS Hero.
The greatest hero that has ever walked the earth was Jesus Christ. He never sinned, yet He took upon Himself all of the punishment that we deserved for all of the sin in our life. He did not lash out at His accusers, but instead loved them right to the point of death; the death they orchestrated. He chose to do this for you and for me. He was brutally beaten, treated worse than a criminal, and mocked by those He came to save. He didn't have to come, but He fulfilled the plan of the Father to redeem us back to God. He left heaven where He had always been and came to this place of sinful wicked people who didn't deserve what He would do for them. Now that, my friends, is a hero. He ran to me and saved me from eternal hell so that I could be in relationship with Him for eternity. I deserved to burn, but He loved me too much to leave me there. That's MY hero. That's my KING. He knew my sin and loved me anyway. Oh, by the way, He did the same for you. He wants to restore you to God, but you must die to your own desires and living your life your own way and turn to this HERO, this KING, this Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He is ready to receive you if you will turn your life over to Him. "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
I think the lyrics to the song "Hero" by Abandon say it all:
And there He goes, a Hero, a Savior to the world
Here He stands with scars in His hands
With love He gave His life so we could be free
The Savior of the world
It's my prayer that you will follow THIS Hero.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Why Does A Vision Statement Matter?
There's an old saying, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." For the church, we know where we are going; or at least we should. However, we don't necessarily know which road to take in order to get there. A vision statement for a church can provide that road. Our mission, "The Great Commission", is the "WHAT". Our vision statement becomes the "HOW".
For Canaan Baptist Church, we have had no lack of vision for the past year. What we have lacked is a vision statement to huddle around and say "Okay, team, let's all go in this direction together." Recently, the pastors met and labored over the topic of vision statement. We knew it was needed but we knew it had to be something direct and to-the-point; something memorable that would be easy to communicate to one another. After some time of talking and occassionally just sitting there staring at each other like we weren't sure if we could find this all important statement, God gave it to us. The one statement that will drive everything we do going into the future at Canaan will be this: "Canaan Baptist Church exists to multiply communities of Christ-followers." After we had it, we felt pretty good; but you may be saying, "But what does it mean?"
Stated very simply, we want to make a Christ-follower who makes a Christ-follower who makes a Christ-follower, etc. We want to create a small group that creates a small group that creates a small group, etc. We want to start a new congregation that starts a new congregation that starts a new congregation, etc.
No one is saved and left alone. We want to develop saved people into true followers of Jesus Christ. We expect them to go on to do the same for others. Why? Because Jesus expects that of us. We don't just start a small group and then leave that group to just enjoy one another. The small group is to reproduce itself as soon as possible. Why? Because Jesus expects us to keep reaching more people for more groups. We don't just start a congregation and just leave it there to either grow or die. The new congregation is expected to develp a strategy for starting other new congregations. Why? Because Jesus expects it of us.
We feel that God has definitely given Canaan this vision statement. We believe it will drive everything we do in the future. We believe God will grow His Kingdom as we obey Him in this way. We believe we will be called "FAITHFUL" by our Heavenly Father. May God be glorified as He uses us to multiply communities of Christ-followers throughout the world.
For Canaan Baptist Church, we have had no lack of vision for the past year. What we have lacked is a vision statement to huddle around and say "Okay, team, let's all go in this direction together." Recently, the pastors met and labored over the topic of vision statement. We knew it was needed but we knew it had to be something direct and to-the-point; something memorable that would be easy to communicate to one another. After some time of talking and occassionally just sitting there staring at each other like we weren't sure if we could find this all important statement, God gave it to us. The one statement that will drive everything we do going into the future at Canaan will be this: "Canaan Baptist Church exists to multiply communities of Christ-followers." After we had it, we felt pretty good; but you may be saying, "But what does it mean?"
Stated very simply, we want to make a Christ-follower who makes a Christ-follower who makes a Christ-follower, etc. We want to create a small group that creates a small group that creates a small group, etc. We want to start a new congregation that starts a new congregation that starts a new congregation, etc.
No one is saved and left alone. We want to develop saved people into true followers of Jesus Christ. We expect them to go on to do the same for others. Why? Because Jesus expects that of us. We don't just start a small group and then leave that group to just enjoy one another. The small group is to reproduce itself as soon as possible. Why? Because Jesus expects us to keep reaching more people for more groups. We don't just start a congregation and just leave it there to either grow or die. The new congregation is expected to develp a strategy for starting other new congregations. Why? Because Jesus expects it of us.
We feel that God has definitely given Canaan this vision statement. We believe it will drive everything we do in the future. We believe God will grow His Kingdom as we obey Him in this way. We believe we will be called "FAITHFUL" by our Heavenly Father. May God be glorified as He uses us to multiply communities of Christ-followers throughout the world.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
You - In Community
Dietrich Boenheoffer, in his book Life Together, writes "Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him." The truth that we need to understand from Boenheoffer and from the New Testament is Believers are strengthened and spiritual maturity continues when we remain in community together.
The word community can be broken down into two words: "common unity". Therefore, a community is group of people united around a common belief system, set of values, and mission. Followers of Jesus Christ are to be in common unity with one another. This is very evident throughout the scriptures. Jesus and his disciples had a common unity. When the church was established in Acts, the believers continued to meet house to house and "had all things in common".
It is not natural for a believer to try and do life alone. This is not God's plan for us. We are brought together by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and we are meant to continue doing life together until He returns. Scriptures are full of "one anothers":
We need one another just like the Sequoia trees. If we will have a common unity with other followers of Jesus Christ, we will be strengthened. But if we try to live life alone, we are likely to go the way of the large oak tree in my neighborhood. It was a beautiful tree, but there was a problem. The oak didn't have the support like the Sequoias. When the storm came, the oak was toppled. With the tree lying on it's side, you could see the problem; the roots were not strong enough to hold it in the ground when the strong winds blew. No other trees were there to help. Believers must stay in community with one another or we will go the way of the large oak tree. We may look good on the outside, but underneath we are susceptible to the attack of the enemy who wants to topple us.
The vision statement of Canaan Baptist Church is Canaan Baptist Church exists to multiply communities of Christ-followers. We are united by our common belief system and values and our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, please make sure you are in relationship with other Christ-followers and let's do life together. We will be stronger for it.
The word community can be broken down into two words: "common unity". Therefore, a community is group of people united around a common belief system, set of values, and mission. Followers of Jesus Christ are to be in common unity with one another. This is very evident throughout the scriptures. Jesus and his disciples had a common unity. When the church was established in Acts, the believers continued to meet house to house and "had all things in common".
It is not natural for a believer to try and do life alone. This is not God's plan for us. We are brought together by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and we are meant to continue doing life together until He returns. Scriptures are full of "one anothers":
- Love one another (John 13:34)
- Accept one another (Romans (15:7)
- Instruct one another (Romans 15:14
- Greet one another (Romans 16:16)
- Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
We need one another just like the Sequoia trees. If we will have a common unity with other followers of Jesus Christ, we will be strengthened. But if we try to live life alone, we are likely to go the way of the large oak tree in my neighborhood. It was a beautiful tree, but there was a problem. The oak didn't have the support like the Sequoias. When the storm came, the oak was toppled. With the tree lying on it's side, you could see the problem; the roots were not strong enough to hold it in the ground when the strong winds blew. No other trees were there to help. Believers must stay in community with one another or we will go the way of the large oak tree. We may look good on the outside, but underneath we are susceptible to the attack of the enemy who wants to topple us.
The vision statement of Canaan Baptist Church is Canaan Baptist Church exists to multiply communities of Christ-followers. We are united by our common belief system and values and our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, please make sure you are in relationship with other Christ-followers and let's do life together. We will be stronger for it.
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