Update

Dear PBC Voice readers,

I appreciate all of you who check in from day to day. Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with you.

There will not be any blogs for the next few days. I hope to update you in a couple of weeks to explain why.

I pray that the Lord will bless each of you and look forward to the time that I can share with you.

In Christ,

Neal

Free from Restrictions

2 Corinthians 6:12, "You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections."

This is a powerful statement from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church. We would do well to pay careful attention.

Who doesn't want to live a life without restrictions? Inherent in the heart of every person is the desire to be free. No one want to be a slave. However, what I find interesting is that those who push for freedom often find themselves slaves.

For instance: You have a teenager in your home who longs to be free. They don't like your rules, your restrictions, or your way of doing things. What happens next is a push to get out of the home & on their own. In doing so they become uninhibited in their behavior. Now you find someone addicted to various things (drugs, alcohol, sex, porn, etc.). In their push for freedom they have actually become enslaved!

This happens in our lives as well. The Corinthian church was full of various problems. This church had started out so well. However, they allowed their hearts to be turned. They allowed their affections to be poured out in other areas. They restricted the flow of God's love, spirit, and power in their lives. The apostles hadn't restricted them - they had restricted themselves.

Jesus said of the church at Ephesus in the book of Revelation that they had "left their first love." This departure caused them to have the wrong affections. Love for the things of the world always does.

When we become ruled by our affections rather than our faith we will see ruin all around us. Marriages fall apart we become affectionate about things other than our spouse. If we will LOVE the Lord our God with all that we have there will be no room for a wandering heart.

How do we get back to a life of freedom? Learn to live in the grace and mercy of our Lord. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. LOVE Him with all your heart. Then watch God allow you to break free.

What Is Your Season?

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

You don't have to talk to people very long (especially with the weather we have been having) to discover their favorite season. Personally...I'm a spring and fall kind of guy. I love to watch the changes. Others like summer - vacation, warm weather, playing at the pool. Then there are those few who just love winter with its snow. Regardless of your favorite season there isn't much we can do to stop or accelerate them.

This same principle applies to life. We often find ourselves in various seasons. Some seasons are pleasurable while others leave us with difficulty. Some seasons are welcomed while others need to leave quickly. Regardless of the season we may find ourselves in there isn't much we can do to stop it or make it hurry along. No, all we can do is be faithful.

The writer of Ecclesiastes goes on to say that there is a time to:
be born
die
plant
pluck up
kill
heal
break down
build up
weep
laugh
mourn
dance
cast away stones
gather stones
embrace
refrain from embracing
gain
lose
keep
throw away
tear
sew
keep silence
speak
love
hate
war
peace

That's a pretty extensive list! And regardless of the our willingness to enter into these seasons they just come and go. The only thing that we can affect is how we go through them.

How do I respond when nothing seems to be going my way? What about the seasons where it seems that the Lord isn't speaking the way He used to? How does a person handle a heaven that seems to be made of brass?

All I can say is keep praying, keep believing, and keep going. This season will not last forever. I'm sure that it feels that way but it will come to an end. However, if you will remain faithful you will see how the Lord uses each season in our lives to draw us closer to Him.

What good are the mountain top seasons if we never enter the valleys? How will we ever learn to draw upon the insights, strength, and joy that we gained if we are never put to the test? Jesus never stayed on the mountain top but was willing to come down into the valley to do His Father's will. Shouldn't we do the same?

Actually, if we will learn faithfulness during the difficult seasons we will find greater joy during the easy ones. And we will also discover that regardless of the season our God never leaves us and never forsakes us!

I pray that you will experience God through every season of life. May you be conformed into the image of His Son.

Getting Ready for the Rain

Preparing for a Spiritual Awakening - A.W. Tozer

1) Get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself.

2) Set your face like a flint toward a sweeping transformation.

3) Put yourself in the way of blessing.

4) Do a thorough job of repenting.

5) Make a restitution wherever possible.

6) Bring your life into accord with scripture designed to instruct us into righteousness.

7) Be serious minded.

8) Deliberately narrow your interests.

9) Begin to witness.

10) Have faith in God.

If we take seriously the stewardship of the Gospel then we can expect REVIVAL in our lives and a SPIRITUAL AWAKENING in our community. So my word to you today is: Get Ready for the Rain!

What happens when we share the Gospel? We actually come into agreement with the heart of God. And when we come into agreement with the heart of God - heaven kisses earth and we all get caught up in the "smack!"

I have no doubt that God is ready for a people who will take this to heart. He's ready to equip, strengthen, and bless them in ways that have never been imagined. He's ready to pour out the power of Holy Spirit in our lives and He's ready to SAVE the lost. If we will but come into agreement.

Take some time to go through the list provided. Take seriously a move of God upon your life and the church and GET READY FOR THE RAIN.

Just one note on the rain: Rain tends to mess up our plans. How many times have we asked God to hold the rain for an outdoor event? The rain of the Holy Spirit will change our plans as well. When God begins to rain down in our lives and the lost begin to be saved - WATCH OUT! They won't look like regular "church folk" and they definitely won't act like them either. Styles of ministry and structures of services will have to change. But the good news is that we will be in agreement with God.

SEND THE RAIN LORD!

2010 - Year of Harvest!!!

In 2008 the mayor of a small town in France banned villagers from dying. This is a true story!

After a court decision that would not allow the cemetery to acquire the land needed for an extension - the mayor issued this ban. The ban states that if you do not have a plot in the cemetery then you cannot die & there will be sever punishment for anyone who disobeys.

I wonder if it worked?

The truth of the matter is that we cannot stop death by making it illegal. It's a nice thought but the reality is that death will continue to come even if it's outlawed.

The only hope that we have is found in Jesus Christ. Through His death on the cross Jesus removed the sting of death and the victory of the grave.

This past Sunday at PBC I delivered a Word from God concerning our focus for this year. That word was: STEWARDSHIP. In particular God was leading us to be Stewards of the Gospel. As stewards of the Gospel we will directly affect the harvest of 2010 in Max Meadows, the state of VA, our nation, and the world.

How will we handle what God has entrusted us with? Will we live as those under the Lordship of Christ by sharing the Gospel with those around us? Will we be faithful to speak the words of life with the lost? We won't keep people from dying but we can affect their eternity!

It is my prayer that God's people will take this Word seriously. May we be able to say with Paul: "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." 1 Cor. 4:1

Through our salvation we possess the greatest treasure that can be discovered in this world. The Gospel message is the "Pearl of Great Price." It is a message of boundless grace, unlimited love, and abundant mercy. It's the message of God's love for His creation. A message that states that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son to be a sacrifice for their sins. Through our faith in Him we can be forgiven, made right with God, and brought into an eternal relationship with Him.

I have no doubt that God longs for people to be saved more than we do! He payed the greatest price to ensure that this would happen. And this message has been given to us! What will we do with it?

If you are like me - you don't have to look far to find someone who is lost. You may look into the cubicle next to yours. You may be able to look into the eyes of someone living in your house. You may look down the street and see a family that doesn't know Christ. Why not share the Gospel with them?

It's simple. God has given us the plan of salvation in His Word. If you haven't done it already - mark these passages in your Bible:

Romans 3:23
Romans 5:8
Romans 6:23
Romans 10:9-10/13

Now take this treasure and share it with someone in need. Be a Steward of the Gospel.