Field Trip

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be away for the remainder of the week. I'm headed to Jamestown with my son for a school field trip. Blessings to you all. I look forward to sharing more with you next week.

LUI = Living Under the Influence

"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" {Ephesians 5:18}

"Do not quench the Spirit" {1 Thessalonians 5:19}

These are two very interesting commands in regards to the church and the Holy Spirit. The Ephesians verse teaches us to be "continually filled" (according to the Greek) and the Thessalonians verse teaches us to never do anything that would "stifle", "put out the fire", or "suppress" the work of the Holy Spirit. While these verses are working from a different perspective, they each have a common denominator: The Holy Spirit of God.

I don't think the Apostles ever considered having church apart from the Holy Spirit. I truly don't believe that our Lord envisioned a time when the church would never need His Spirit at work in them to bring the nations to Christ. On the day of Pentecost we witness the Promise of Jesus coming upon the believers in the upper room. What you may not know is that this was during the "Feast of Firstfruits." It was a time of bringing in the first of the spring harvest, with the promise that God's provision would never end. What took place on the day of Pentecost was only the beginning. The church, and believers, would continue to experience more of the Spirit's filling throughout the book of Acts.

This is vital to our understanding of what it means to live a Spirit-filled life. How can we expect to live out our faith if we are missing out on the working of the main ingredient. Jesus said it was the Holy Spirit that would guide the believer into truth. It is the Holy Spirit that was to teach and admonish the believer. We have established discipleship programs within the church that basically says if you will read the Bible all the way through, memorize some scripture, and tithe that you will grow. I ask you (the reader), has anyone ever taught you how to be filled with the Spirit? Has anyone in the church taught you what it means to wait for Him to move upon you, how to recognize what He is doing, or how to go deeper in the things of the Spirit? While I believe every follower of Christ should read His Word, commit Scripture to memory, and give; there is so much more available to them than just going through the motions.

I truly believe that we are seeing a generation that expects to see more from the church. I'm serious...we cannot keep going with the same old stuff and expect to impact the world. We have tried being relevant without realizing that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit. We have tried being relational without understanding that it is very hard for light and dark to co-exist. While each of these goal are admirable, I believe that it is when the church decides to be a revelation in the world that everything will change.

How does this happen?

> Be Filled With The Spirit
> Don't Quench The Spirit

Jesus promised the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Paul said to be continually filled and then went on to tell us not to quench the Spirit's work. It is evidently clear that what we need to see more of in the church, and in our personal lives, is the Holy Spirit. It's a return to what worked in the 1st Century Church. They didn't have the educational background, the experience, or the finances to pull it off. All they had was the Holy Spirit and a commission to make disciples of all nations. Today...we have been educated beyond obedience, are way too experienced (know how to do it), and have too much money (scared to lose it). When all we need is just some men/women who are willing to walk with Jesus, be filled with the Spirit of God, and take the risk of taking the Gospel to the nations.

It's time for Living Under the Influence. Any takers?

Celebrating the Goodness of God

This past Sunday we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The PBC Family (as well as other churches) saw great increases in attendance. We had 300 people who came out to hear the preaching of the Gospel. The question for many in attendance is: What happens next?

It makes sense to me that people tend to come out in record numbers to attend a church service on Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter). While many of those numbers do not reflect a personal knowledge of Jesus, they do reflect a large number of people who want to believe. The main issue, in my opinion, is trust. Do we trust that faith in God is all that it is the answer? Do we trust that God is good all the time? Do we trust that faith alone in Jesus is enough?

What we celebrate each and every Sunday is the death and resurrection of Jesus. While it may not be the main theme of our gathering (as it is on Easter), we understand that the reason we can celebrate is because our sins have been forgiven, our lives have been made new, and God is good.

The death of Jesus marked the end of striving under the law. While the law in and of itself was good, man could never keep it. We were always falling short. Our struggle was no different than that of Adam & Eve's, we simply did not believe that we were made in the image of God and that He had provided all that we could want or need. The law was never meant to condemn us (religious leaders did that), it was meant to give us a blueprint of a life that is blessed. However, our unbelief kept us from seeing God's way as best, and God's heart as good.

For those 300 people that joined us this Resurrection Sunday, they have a decision to make. Will they continue to go through life as usual, or will they trust what I shared about God's love for them? Will they believe that Jesus' death was enough to bring forgiveness and His resurrection enough to bring justification? Will they actually believe that God has reconciled Himself to them? I know it sounds to good to be true, but I want you to read Romans 2:4, "...the goodness of God leads you to repentance".

I want you to consider that it is God's goodness, not His judgement, that actually brings people to saving faith in Christ. I had an encounter with my son not so long ago that taught me a very special lesson. He had been acting out in a way that I didn't believe reflected the nature of our family. He knows the "rules" and he had decided to behave outside of them. As I thought about how I could handle this problem, I decided to go the corporal punishment route. To be quite honest with you...I haven't spanked my kids in quite a while. We have been trying to give choices, demonstrate the love and grace of God, etc. I just simply thought it was time to use a different method. Did I alter his behavior? ABSOLUTELY!!! For about an hour we didn't have anymore problems. Why didn't his behavior change for good? His behavior didn't change because I didn't do anything to affect his heart.

I'm not saying that there isn't a time for spanking. What I was dealing with was a heart issue rather than a rebellion issue. What God did in the flood was to punish all of mankind for their sin. It wasn't long after the earth had finally dried up that man went back to their sinful ways. This is the reason for the cross. God chose to sacrifice His Son for the good of man. We have been forgiven, eternal life is ours once again, and the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe. God has affected the heart. His GRACE has saved us, and His GOODNESS has provided an abundant life that provides everything we need.

In Ezekiel 11:19-20, we read about God's plan for restoring Israel: "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statues and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God." This is the goodness of God. Ezekiel's prophecy wasn't much different than Jeremiah's (Jeremiah 31:33): "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law into their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." This statement was followed by an even greater one "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Jeremiah 31:34).

I pray that you will come into this wonderful understanding. God IS Good!!!

It Is Finished!

On the darkest day in human history, we hear the greatest words ever spoken: "It is Finished!" {John 19:30}

Jesus' death on the Cross became the atonement for the sin of man. All that could be done, all that needed to be accomplished, and all that the Father had planned from the foundation of the world was complete.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 give us the amazing description of what Jesus was accomplishing by His death. Most of us understand that His death was a demonstration of the love of God (Romans 5:8), but the death of Jesus was so much more.

THE CROSS WAS GOD'S TOOL FOR RECONCILIATION:
- We read in verse 18 of 2 Corinthians 5 that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. In other words, God was bringing peace to a relationship where there was conflict. He was restoring order where there once was chaos. He was satisfying the need for atonement set forth in the law. "In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." {Hebrews 9:22} Jesus' death brought about the forgiveness that was needed. Sin had destroyed man's relationship with God. God used the Cross to restore what was lost.

JESUS BECAME UNRIGHTEOUSNESS SO THAT WE COULD BE MADE RIGHTEOUS:
- Verse 21 tells us that God "made Him who know no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He who knew no sin became sin so that we who knew no righteousness could be made righteous. What a trade!!! Jesus' death allows God to treat man as if he has never sinned. He no longer imputes the world's trespasses to them. He has removed every barrier.

THE CRUCIFIXION UNLOCKS SALVATION FOR EVERYONE:
- Paul makes it very clear that God has done all that needs to be done. The price for our salvation has been paid. The very thing that has kept us from knowing God has been removed. The blood of Christ has satisfied the Old Covenant and sealed a New Covenant. Our part in the New Covenant is to accept Jesus' atonement for us. When we confess Him as Lord of our lives, believing in His resurrection from the dead, the Bible says that we are saved. We are made complete, we are healed, and we are delivered. His righteousness becomes our righteousness.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS:
- Have you ever bought a home or car? Usually the process is complete when you sign a contract. In the contract you agree to purchase the item for the price that was established. In the New Covenant, God has done all the leg work and ran all the numbers. He took full responsibility for ensuring that you wouldn't have to pay a dime. If you want to enjoy this abundant life in Jesus, it is your faith that signs the contract. When you say "Yes" to Jesus, God has agreed to abide by all the terms of this covenant. You receive eternal life, forgiveness of sin, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and all you need for life and godliness. But the choice is yours. God will not force His will upon you. It is my job to tell you about the reconciliation of God and to allow Him to plead through me: "Be reconciled to God."

As we remember the crucifixion of Jesus I want you to take comfort in knowing that every bruise was for your iniquities, all the scourging was for your peace, and all the stripes were for your healing. God's love for you has been demonstrated once and for all. Everything needed for your salvation has been provided by God Himself. All that is left for you to do is accept by faith the incredible gift of God.

THE STEPS ARE SIMPLE:
A - Admit that God has not been first place in your life.
B - Believe that Jesus died for your sin and rose from the dead.
C - Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life.

A Closer Look at The Great Commission

Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..."

Before Jesus' ascension He commanded His followers to make disciples of all the nations. Where are we today?

I'm always amazed at how we interpret the Bible from our own mindset. I cannot tell you how many times I have quoted Matthew 28:18-20. I should know it by now. However, I was caught by surprise today when I was forced to consider them in a different light. I didn't place all the other verses on here for a reason. I wanted to make sure that you got the full blunt of verse 19.

Jesus told His followers to make disciples of all nations. How in the world can we be satisfied with anything less? It seems that the church has been content to make disciples in all nations rather than considering that God wants to disciple all of them. When we consider the weight of this commission, it's understandable why we needed the Holy Spirit to come upon us. The call of God upon the lives of His followers is SO GREAT that we must fully rely upon His ability at work in us.

Over the past few years, we have been heavily involved in missions. In particular we have sent teams to Ukraine, Alaska, & South Africa. Since we tend to view things from a management perspective (the church that is), it's easy to be satisfied with seeing a few converts. You know...we tend to take things in bite size proportions. We have been content with a slice while God wants the whole thing! How is this possible?

If you back up and read verse 18 of Matthew 28 you hear Jesus say, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Because of Christ's obedience to the Cross and His resurrection from the dead, the Bible teaches us that He has disarmed the enemy. All that had been lost through the fall of Adam has been restored through Jesus. Now the original commission that was given to Adam & Eve ("Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion..." ~ Genesis 1:28) has been passed on to us. When Adam & Eve fell, they gave authority to the enemy. Jesus got it back. It's time for the church to come to a full understanding of all that was restored through the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord. We walk in His authority and carry out His plan. And God wants it all!!!

This is why our identity in Christ is so important. This is why I have talked about defining ourselves the way God defines us. When we view ourselves through the Word of God, realize that God has seated us in heavenly places with Christ, and that we transfer that authority into this world...WATCH OUT!!! It's no wonder that Jesus told Peter that "the gates of hell will not prevail." How can they?

We have to grasp this:
Darkness cannot prevail against light!
Love is always stronger than hate!
And a defeated foe is a defeated foe!

The only way the enemy can prevail is when we fail to attack the strongholds. The children of Israel were given a "Promised Land" but they had to root-out the enemy. As long as they were willing to dispose of the enemies that they were able to expand the borders. It was when Israel stopped fighting that the enemy began to work its way back in. The kingdom of God works by advancement. We cannot get into a maintain attitude. We have to go out and claim what has already been purchased.

Anybody with me?