The Voice of Determination

I must say that the last couple of days have been interesting. You know, I really did not realize how much I used the cpu at home until it was down. It's still in for repair cause the "mother board" is fried.

The cpu itself is only 3-4 years old. My last computer probably lasted for 10 years before going out. Which brings me to this question: Why this computer? Why now?

I'm sure that people with more tech knowledge will tell me that these things happen all the time. However, I find it interesting that I have never had a cpu problem until I started this blog. I know that some of the entries that I have posted have been straight-forward truth and others have been set upon my personal convictions, but I believe that our common enemy "satan" does not like what I'm doing.

I have a few words about that: "I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing." What you are hearing today is the voice of determination. You see, we all have a choice when facing obstacles in our lives. We can take them on at full force or we can run away. I will not retreat. I will not surrender. I may be limited in what I can say and how much I can post until my home cpu is up and running - but I will not quit.

Why? Because a few years ago I joined the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."

"I, Neal Hawks, am part of the 'Fellowship of the Unashamed.'

The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line.

I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.

I'm finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,

tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity.

I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded.

I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer and labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me.

And when Jesus comes back for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the 'Fellowship of the Unashamed.'"

*I do not have a source for this pledge, since it was anonymous when I received it. If anyone has information regarding the true source of the pledge please email me - pbcpastor08@gmail.com

Sorry...nothing new today.

Sorry folks, but my cpu @ home is down which is why there isn't a new posting today. I hope to be able to submit something tomorrow.

I hope that you have all had a wonderful day.

In Christ,
Neal

Our Excessive God

In Ephesians 3:20 the Bible says that we serve a God "who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all the we ask or think, according to the power at work in us."

I absolutely love teaching on this verse of scripture. It's one of those verses that you cannot exhaust because it's packed full of remarkable promises regarding the nature, character, and ability of God.
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I. God Exceeds Our Situations (20a)

Able

Able to do

Able to do what we ask

Able to do what we ask or think

Able to do all that we ask or think

Able to do above all that we ask or think

Able to do abundantly above all that we ask or think

Able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think

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Notice that there are no negatives in this verse. Why? Because when we talk about the power and ability of God we cannot be anything but positive. The God of Scripture has shown Himself able.

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II. He Exceeds Our Expectations (20b)

- I don't know about you but I can ask and think about a lot of things. This verse teaches us that God can exceed what I think He can do and what I could ever ask of Him.

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I can tell you that I have seen God give children to people who were not able to conceive simply because we asked. I have watched God make the impossible possible. He heals, saves, delivers, provides, etc. What do you need that your Heavenly Father cannot supply?

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III. He Exceeds Our Limitations (20c)

- Last of all I want to point out that God is able to do all of this for,in, and through us.

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Notice that none of these attributes are according to us. It's all according to the power at work in us. It's His power. It's His Spirit at work. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all according to His power at work in us.

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Jesus said, "With men it's impossible, but with God all things are possible." Luke 18:27. Let me ask you, What are you asking God to do? What are you believing God to accomplish? He is able. He is able to do all that you ask or think. In fact, He is able to exceed what you could ask or all that you could think. And when He does it - it will be according to His power at work in you.

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Take some time today to thank God for His indescribable power at work within you. Thank Him for the presence of His Holy Spirit in your life. What would we do without Him?

I Believe It!

The Apostles Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

A few years ago, before his death, Rich Mullins took the Apostles Creed and made it into one of the greatest Contemporary Christian songs ever played. There is no way that I can count the number of times I have heard and sung along with the words that you just read. Dove Award winners - Third Day - even released a live, more modern version of the song, which is by far my favorite rendition.

I was taking my kids to school this morning while listening to Third Day's Chronology II CD and this song came on. And as I listened to the song something happened. It's something that I have experienced before at the same exact moment in the song. It came with these words: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, one holy church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, I believe in the resurrection, I believe in a life that never ends." It was during those last two lines that I experienced a great filling of the Holy Spirit. It was so overwhelming that I began to cry and thank God for the forgiveness that He has offered me, the promise of the resurrection, and eternal life.

I believe it! Whole-heartedly, completely, and without reservations. What wonderful promises from God's Word. How great it is to know that with God my account has been made clean and that this world is not my home. That filling (not feeling) of the Holy Spirit was a reminder to me of all that Jesus promised. He was doing what He came to do. The Holy Spirit is in me to remind me of all that Christ has spoken.

I'm not going to take a lot of your time today. Instead, I want you to focus on your confession of faith. Do you believe what God's Word has spoken? Do you believe in what we call the Apostles Creed? Take some time and look over those words again. If you have a copy of the song version - put it in the CD player and sing with all your might these awesome words. And may the Holy Spirit fill you with the same awe and wonder that I experienced. Then take that experience along with your beliefs and share it with someone else.

Who knows? God may use it and you to bring someone to faith in Christ today!

Complacent Christianity Kills

Del Fehsenfeld Jr. in Ablaze with His Glory said, "I do not know of any greater need in the church today than for the fire of God to fall. When we refer to the fire of God, we are talking about the manifest presence and glory of God. We are talking about the supernatural power of God. We are talking about services that are more than just nice meetings with nice music and nice preaching. We are talking about results that cannot be explained in terms of human effort."

To that I say, "AMEN!"

The church is in desperate need of the fire of God. And as I think about this subject the question that always comes to mind is, "Why don't we have it?" Even some of the most charismatic churches in our country aren't experiencing genuine revival. I hope to answer at least part of this dilema.

In Judges 16:20 we read that after Delilah cut Samson's hair she called out to him to say that the Philistines were coming. He awoke from his sleep and according to God's Word said, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord has left him."

How sad to think that even the greatest of champions can be lulled into complacency. You know - that self-satisfaction that seems to come over us at times. And according to the definition of complacency it's usually in an unreflective way and without being aware of possible dangers.

That's it! That's what is wrong in most of our churches today. We have become complacent. Pat Riley said, "When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat." Maybe that's why we see so many church splits or church problems that aren't related to growth. We have become complacent in our faith so we no longer have a passion to reach the lost, change what we are doing as a church body, or seek out new ministry opportunities. And since we don't see anything wrong with us the problems are because of somebody else. We blame pastors, deacons, youth leaders, or music ministers for everything but can never see that our church isn't going anywhere because of our unrevived state.

Here are some lessons from Samson that can help us overcome complacency:

1) If You Play with Sin You will Lose (7,11)
The best advice that I can give you regarding sin is: Deal with sin while it is little.

2) Arrogance and Stupidity Go Hand in Hand (20)
William Pollard said, "The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow."

3) Failure is not an Option (28-30)
The good news about Samson is that he finally recognized where his strength came from.

Complacency is one of the biggest "Christian Killers" in the American Church. We must overcome this deadly evil in our lives if we ever hope to be more than pew warmers in the Kingdom of God.

Revelation 2:5, Jesus said it best, "Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works..."

The "Lie" of Abortion

According to UK's Telegraph, Emma Beck - Artist, hung herself after aborting twins.

The suicide note left behind said, "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it's too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies: they need me, no-one else does." And with that, on her 31st birthday, the day after her abortion she killed herself.

Why am I sharing this? Because it angers me and saddens me at the same time. I'm saddened by the death of two unborn children and I'm saddened by the self-inflicted death of an individual. I'm angry because of the "lie" of abortion.

The lie of abortion is: "It's a woman's right to choose" or "It's o.k. to wait until you are ready." But this is what our society and planned parenthood want you to think. They want you to believe that aborting an unborn child is just as natural as becoming pregnant. It's all lies.

Being a part of the creative process of God is a blessing. Being a part of the abortion process is a curse. In this case it was a curse for two unborn babies who were never given a chance at life outside the womb. It was a curse for this young lady becuase she could never escape the guilt and resentment she felt. In her own words, "I died when my babies died." This is the side of abortion we never hear about. There are women whom you meet on the streets, in your office, or at your school who are carrying around this awful burden. A burden which many of them will never escape.

The tragedy in all of this is that the enemy won big time. He loves murder and suicide - He has come to kill and destroy. He loves for people to carry around guilt - He has come to steal. And throughout this whole process people still support the lie. The experts will say that Ms. Beck was a person who struggled with depression, etc. The experts will say that this is not true in every case and that abortion on demand is still the "right" path for some people. It's a lie. Jesus said of satan that he is the "Father of lies". And the only way that we can refute a lie is to share the truth. The truth is that life begins at conception. The truth is that every child should have an opportunity at life. The truth is that abortion hurts everyone involved.

Hear the words of the coroner, Dr. Carlyon, "It is clear that termination can have a profound effect on a woman's life." For the church this means finding ways to reach out a loving hand rather than waving a fist. If we don't reach out in love to these individuals who are thinking about abortion or have already had one - who will? We cannot allow planned parenthood or pro-abortion advocates to have the only voice. The church needs to be a crisis pregnancy center.

I want to say to anyone who may be reading this blog entry who is thinking about abortion. Don't do it! That child inside of you is alive. That child is a part of God's creation. Don't do it for the sake of the child and don't do it for your own sake as well. There are other options. And for those reading who are carrying around the guilt of having an abortion, there is forgiveness.

There is no sin too great that God cannot and will not forgive. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ according to Romans 6:23. God's Word assures us in I John 1:9 that if we confess our sin that God is able to forgive us and cleanse us completely. Don't allow that guilt and that burden to destroy your life. Allow God to forgive you. Ask Jesus Christ to forgive you. Believe and accept His death on the cross for your sin. Trust in His resurrection from the dead to give you new life in Him.

As I close there is a song playing in the background I think God wants you to hear.

Kutless - Sea Of Faces

I see the city lights all around me
Everyone's obscure
Ten million people each with their problems
Why should anyone care

And in Your eyes I can see
I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine

Sometimes my life it feels so trivial
Immersed in the greatness of space
Yet somehow you still find the time for me
It's then You show me Your love

And In Your eyes I can see
And in Your arms I will be
I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine

If only my one heart
Was all you'd gain from all it cost
Well I know you would have still been a man
With a reason
To willingly offer your life

I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine

Just one in a million faces

Simon Says

I'm amazed at how many people watch American Idol and say, "I can't stand Simon."

It's my opinion that most people started watching American Idol because of Simon. Something about hearing a man in a British accent saying all the things that we would like to say if we were "totally honest".

Last night, however, some think he may have crossed the line. The final vote was in and one of the guys was getting ready to go home. As Colton stood there at center stage, Ryan asked Paula for some advice. Paula did her usual just keep singing bit. Then he turned his attention to Simon, and asked for some constructive critique. Simon, as always, being the honest guy he is basically told the kid to find a good job and enjoy singing but that he wouldn't have a career in music.

Ouch! "But what about the children?" Everybody get so upset when you don't make people feel better about themselves. I have seen several posts on this very topic. Men and women who probably agreed with Simon yet didn't like his timing. Others who think Simon was way off base. The truth is we don't like the truth. We want people to tell us what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear.

As I thought about this last night and this morning Proverbs came to mind. In 27:5 we read that open rebuke is better than secret love. Oh, but how we hate to be rebuked - told the truth. We don't want people to be honest with us, and we don't want to be honest with ourselves. In today's culture we have children walking around middle/high schools believing that they are going to grow up and be a rap star or play professional ball. The sad part in all of this is that if a kid never grasps the fact that they probably won't be a professional "baller" or singer they will end up wasting their life. (Look up the statistics.)

That's right - I said it! Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go..." What I truly love about this verse is that it doesn't stand alone. In verse 1 of the same chapter the Word says that a good name is better than riches. Come on folks, put it together. We should be raising our children to have a good name. We should be raising them to seek truth in their lives. It's o.k. to have dreams, and it's o.k. to have goals; but have a contingency plan. What happens when I get voted off of American Idol? What happens if I blow my knee and my career is over? What happens if I never get that scholarship that I dreamt about? If we will raise our children to be men/women of integrity, honesty, and followers of Christ then we can trust that they will be fine should they not reach the pinnacle of their hopes and dreams. Why? Because we will have raised them to seek a Good Name rather than Riches.

I don't think I'm going to take the "Simon" approach to parenting. My kids need more than that. But I hope that in the end I will never be accused of being the one that placed smoke and mirrors around them. I want them to see the truth, understand the truth, and live the truth.

My Deliverer is Coming

William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said the Dangers of the 20th Century are:
1) Religion without the Holy Spirit
2) Christianity without Christ
3) Forgiveness without Repentance
4) Salvation without Regeneration
5) Politics without God
6) Heaven without Hell

Rather prophetic words don't you think?

Where is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in churches today? Why have so many TV preachers left the preaching of the death,burial and resurrection of Christ? When did the Gospel message evolve from "repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out" into "just give your heart to Jesus? At what point did salvation become about feelings rather than changed lives? Why has God been so removed from our political process? And when did hell become a subject to be ignored rather than an eternity to be shunned?

I understand the need for the church to be relevant, however, I don't believe that we have to change the message. The message has always been relevant and will be relevant for all time. It doesn't matter what century we are in, John 3:16 will never change: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Have we simply forgotten the truths that are contained within His Word? Have we forgotten that God has promised that His Word will never fail? It's for certain that we have forgotten the words of the time honored song "The blood will never lose it's power."

We need a return to the preaching of God's Word. We need a return of broken believers desperate to see God move in our churches, families, and communities. We need a return of God honoring - passionate worship. II Chronicles 7:14 still rings true today; "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

If Booth was right (and I believe he is) in what he listed as the greatest dangers of the 20th Century. Then the greatest deliverer of the 21st Century is a spiritual awakening among God's people. Will we pray for it? Will we work toward that end? Will we worship God in such a way that He feels invited to manifest His presence among us?

I believe He will if we will. Churches get ready - our Deliverer is coming!

The $4 million question

According to ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=4310991 Oxford is spending $4 million (that's 6 zeros) to find out why people embrace God.

WOW! Have we really come that far? Is our society so depraved that we cannot understand one of our most basic human instincts; the need for God? According to Roger Trigg "...religion is the default position..." of most people. So they feel it's important to spend all of this money to try and figure it out. We are talking about all of the "ologists" in the world coming together to study this great mystery.

But is it really a mystery? In an attempt to lend a helping hand and save the school some money (unless they want to just send it to me) I'm going to give a basic answer to this trivial concern.

Allow me to start by asking a question: Why do children of adoption seek to know their birth parents? Could it be that there are things about themselves that they cannot figure out on their own? Why do they react to certain things the way they do? Why do they look nothing like their adopted parents? It comes down to the most basic question we have asked since we were old enough to ask; "WHY?".

Proverbs 25:2 tells us that it's the glory of God to conceal a matter but the honor of a king to search it out. However, God has never concealed Himself. God has always chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. He came to Adam & Eve in the garden. He revealed Himself to men like Abraham, Job, Moses, Noah, Daniel, etc. When He wasn't speaking to someone directly he often spoke through prophets. He even used a donkey once to reveal His plan.

My point is in all of this that God has always been involved in His creation. We - as a part of His creation - long to know our Creator. Why do people who have "no faith" hate lying, stealing, or murder? According to Romans 2:15 God's law has been written upon our hearts and our conscience bears witness to this fact. Maybe people embrace God because it's written upon the DNA code of every man. God has placed His signature upon every one of us which makes us long to know Him.

Another reason could be because of what the psalmist reveals. According to God's Word, the heavens declare the glory of God and His righteousness (Psalm 19:1, 50:6, 97:6). In other words everytime I step out of my house and look up at the sky, everytime I lay under a starry sky there is something that shouts to me "GOD did this!".

The Good News in all of this is that God can be found. This does not mean that He was ever lost. We are the one's that are lost. But His Word promises us in Jeremiah 19:13, "You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all of your heart." That search, if you will, is what leads many people to go to church, read the Bible, pray, etc. That search is something that God initiates in our heart when we realize that all of creation and even our own actions tell us that there is a God and we need to know Him.

The reason people embrace God is because He has given us life. We understand that He is the Creator of everything. But to take it a step further we embrace God because He has given us eternal life. Sin separated us. Jesus died on the cross so that we could be forgiven of our sin. When we accept Christ, we embrace God. It's that simple. You see - it doen't take $4 million dollars to figure this out. All you need is a Bible and the Holy Spirit.

Look at it this way: Maybe when Oxford finishes it's study the people involved will "find" the one true God in all of this and accept Christ's death on the cross as atonement for their sin as well. I'm just trying to save them a little money. What God did is free to all!

It was a good fight

II Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

What a powerful expression of service. Paul, knowing that he was nearing the end of his life and ministry, shared these wonderful words with his son in the faith.

It's one thing to fight - but quite another thing to finish. My homiletics professor used to tell us "You can finish before finish." How true! All of us have the capability of never reaching this place in ministry or in our service to the Lord. How wonderful to be found faithful.

I don't know about you, but I want to be able to say these words. As my life is being poured out I want to say, "I have fought, I have finished, I have kept." I wonder how many fight but never finish. Or how many fight and in the end have lost their faith?

Fight - as though your very life depends upon it.
Finish - do what God has asked you to do.
Keep - And whatever you do, don't lose faith. God is with you every step of the way.

Desperate for God?

There is something to be said about desperate people.
Desperate - without care of safety; reckless; frantic; beyond hope; past cure.
This describes many of those who come to Christ for various things. Whether it is healing, divine intervention in some situation, salvation of self/others, or the need to feed a divine hunger in their lives. Whatever the situation, you can find those who are desperate for a touch from God Himself. And why not? God seems to be compassionate to those who display this desperate mentality. God’s ear is attentive to the prayers of those who follow after Him. God answers the cries of the desperate. The problem for many of us is that we have lost that sense of desperation.
You and I can enter into many churches today and find that they do not need the gifts of the Holy Spirit anymore because they are talented, or they can create the illusion that they know what they are doing, or they can market the church in a different way. We don’t see God moving the way we think He should then we change our approaches, methods, messages, and targets. We seem to change so much of what is on the outside (methods, etc.) when God is concerned with what is going on inside of us. God is searching for those who are desperate for Him to move. When He spoke to the prophet Joel, He spoke of rending your hearts and not your garments. God is searching for those who are desperate for His presence. God is searching for those who will do what it takes to get a hold of His heart.
To be honest with you I am sick and tired of cute church or packaged church. All those churches produce are cute and packaged people. What the world needs to see and what God is looking for is the church that is desperate to see God come in and do a work that only He can do. Desperate people do desperate things. What are we willing to do to see God move?

The Broken Church

This just in: People in the Church aren't perfect!
In fact, there is a ton of broken people in church today. I'm sure that this isn't breaking news for many of you, however for those outside the church walls they don't understand this phenomenom.
Please understand that I don't promote laziness in the lives of believers. It's in our own interest to read God's Word and pray, live a life that reflects His grace, and share the awesome message of God's love for His creation. BUT we aren't perfect. We blow it more often than not.
As a Pastor I see people come in and out of church who struggle with various issues. They have addictions they are trying to overcome, marriage problems that continue to keep them down, or bitterness/resentment from something that happened in their lives. And for some of these people church only complicates the issues. They don't feel as though they can "go to church" and have all this stuff in their lives.
Let me say that the church is for the broken. Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28. In the church you should find acceptance. Not for your lifestyle necessarily but for you as an individual. Even the most "saved" among us has been broken at some point. Each of us have experienced hurts. Many of us have had to overcome habits that we aren't proud of. But the reason we are here is because God has transformed our lives through Jesus Christ.
That is the essence of the Good News. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Please take note of the fact that God did not wait until humanity was perfect to send Jesus. He did not wait for us to come looking for Him. No, God is the one who intervenes.
Sure, there are many broken people within the church. But we are being mended daily. We are being made into the likeness of Christ. It takes time. I'll probably blow it before the day is over. However, God's grace is sufficient.