Author Archive
Football….. A Disturbing Thing
Posted by: | CommentsA couple of years ago Churches across the country received an unusual notice from of all people the NFL. The message had nothing to do with spiritual concerns, but financial ones. They announced a new playbook regarding the broadcast of their games most specifically, the SUPER BOWL. In 
order to project the Super Bowl game on churches big screens, the congregations would be required to purchase expensive licenses, otherwise they must settle for a screen size smaller than 55 inches…….. and a cry went out!! The Fall Creek Church was one of the first to receive a notice. Through their spokeswoman Marlene Broome, the church said the letter was “really a disturbing thing.”
Hmmmm… really “a disturbing thing”? There are plenty of “disturbing things in this world, child trafficking, abortion of the unborn, abuse and murder of the innocent, a lost generation of American young people, loss of biblical based morality in the public arena, we could go on and on, and we go and choose a football game to get all agitated about.
The outrage among American Churches was such that it took only 13 months—this is “lightning speed” in the world of copyright deliberations—to render a positive solution. Thanks to bipartisan action in the U.S. Senate last winter, churches will be allowed to legally show Super Bowl 2009 in their facilities. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) brandished enough political ire to elicit a favorable response on Feb. 19, 2008 from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that will now allow churches to legally host this year’s Super Bowl events.
I wonder what the call on the field might be if we were to put this play up for review in THE booth with our heavenly father. Would we be proud to say that in a world where the Church is sliding toward obscurity, we held the line on a football game?
How much is a trillion dollars?
Posted by: | Comments Some things lack true dimension until we compare them with something tangible, like the length of eternity or how much is a trillion dollars! Suppose you were to earn 1 dollar per second 24 hours each day. In approximately 11.5 days you would have accumulated a million dollars, in 32 years a billion dollars and you would have to wait 32,000 years to accumulate a trillion dollars. To pay off our current national debt your wait would be roughly 448,000 years. You might be grey headed by then!
Or suppose you were to be paid in new crisp 100 dollar bills for a job. If your salary was 1,000,000 you would be able to easily fit that amount in a regular sized brief case. However if a trillion dollars is more your fancy you would need over 2 acres of land on which to place a cube 7 feet high of crisp bills.
The point has been made a million times, no pun intended, in a lot of different ways, that the consequences of our reckless spending will have an effect on someone, most likely our children, grandchildren, and several generations to follow!
Recklessly spending our lives has consequences as well, and they don’t just last 448,000 years, they last for eternity………
Five tips for healthy Family Bible Studies!
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- 1. Set a specific appointment for your Family Bible Study Time. And keep it!
Setting an appointment shows your children that you put a priority on the Word of God and on your family. Regardless of the age of your children, this should not be an option for them or for you. 
If one of you (parents) has a busy work schedule, take that into consideration as you select the time and frequency that works best for your family. Having one parent who travels or works long hours makes this “family first time” even more precious and important.
It does not matter how often the appointment is for, as long as it is dependable. A monthly appointment that is written in stone is much better than a weekly one that no one takes seriously.
2. Open and close family time with prayer.
How often does your family pray together outside of blessing your food? Starting and ending your Bible lesson with a prayer will begin to unify your family on a spiritual level.
During the prayer, invite the Holy Spirit in to join and guide your study. This will help your children to begin to understand that the Holy Spirit wants to be present and important in their lives.
After a few Family Bible Study sessions, encourage members of the family to take turns saying the opening prayers. As you close, ask each person one at a time if he or she would like to pray about something specific.
Note: I would also suggest that the parents get together and pray over this family time before hand. This will allow you to reconnect as a couple and to get on one accord about what will be taught.
3. Keep it natural, relaxed and fun.
You don’t have to sit at the kitchen table or office desk. Find a place where your family will be able to sit comfortably and won’t feel like their in place for a boring lecture. Sit in the living room or even in Mom and Dan’s bed. If your children are small and have a playroom with a reading corner, it can make a perfect spot for Family Bible Study.
4. Make Family Bible Studies a BIG deal!
Whether you decided to do your family time once a week or more often, as you get closer to the day, Talk It Up! Tell your kids how much fun it will be and how excited you are to spend this special time with them.
- If you have a family calendar, add this special date.
- Put a decorative sign on the fridge announcing the upcoming event.
- Lay neat invitations on your children’s pillows inviting them to join in on this special family event!
5. Keep it REAL!
Keep the conversation up beat and exciting. Give examples of how the Bible Study topic applies in your own lives. Tell stories of how God has done similar things in your life. Be careful not to tell the stories of the Bible like fairy tales. Tell them like stories that really happened – Because they did!
Eight things that exasperate children:
Posted by: | CommentsMany of us as kids had to memorize the Bible verse found in Ephesians 6:1 and repeated in Colossians 3:20 which says:
- Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
And yet as parents we would do well to read on as Paul continues in both passages with some instruction in parenting he says:
- 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Possibly without meaning to many parents have driven their children away from a relationship with the Lord rather than towards him. They have done exactly what Paul warned against, exasperating their children, and destroying the very fibers of which a spiritual relationship with the heavenly father is built. Some versons use the phrase “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,” (NAS) and I feel this better sums up God’s feeling here. As parents it’s our job to prepare our offspring for a challenging and sometimes frustrating world, however we should do all in our power to make sure that our relationship leads them toward the safety and security we have found in the Lord. Paul put’s it differently in Colossians 3 by saying “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”
Here are 8 things as parents we can avoid to prevent our most precious relationships from become tarnished or destroyed!
1) Making promises that you don’t keep
(Even using the “maybe” word can confuse your children who automatically assume that you have made a commitment)
2) Nagging them to death; always finding fault
3) Micromanaging there lives (especially in their higher teens)
4) Having unrealistic expectations that they can never meet
5) Showing partiality in how you treat your different children / Playing Favorites
6) Being inconsistent in your enforcing of rules and exercise of discipline
7) Designing punishments that far exceed the nature of the infraction
8)Ignoring them; Failing to spend time with them in activities of their choosing
Taking a Stand
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the timeless questions of leadership is which battles to engage and which to leave to another day. There are some leaders who fail in both areas, either they engage in every confrontation and are branded confrontational or they engage in no difficult stands and are liked but not respected. A wise leader realizes that the place they need to be is somewhere in between.
Imagine the concept of “leadership cash”. Just like real cash if invested correctly it can yield an increase on our investment, however it can also be lost on a poor or unnecessary expenditure, and yes,when it’s gone it’s gone
How then do we decide which fight to join and which to walk away from?
1. Whats at stake?
Galatians 2:11
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
2. Is this my opinion or God’s Commandment?
3. What will happen if I do or do not become involved?
4. Do I have the leadership cash, or do I need to seek others input
5. How do other leaders feel and why do they feel this way?
Called to Lead
Posted by: | CommentsProverbs 11:14
Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls, but in the multitude of counselors there is victory.
Every leader should on occasion take the time to stop and ask themselves some important questions. Questions that probe the heart and ask the tough questions of our desire to lead
Questions like:
The Most Important person for me to lead is ___________?
I lead so _____________ ?
The most inspirational leader is _________________?
The Hardest Person for me to lead is _____________?
The Bible gives solid advice on a variety of subjects, leadership being one of them. The pages of scripture contain many stories of leaders both good and bad, and the inspired reflections of some of histories most famous figures. Today I have compiled just a few of these valuable lessons that will benefit leaders in any field.
1. Good Moral Character
The ancient and wise Israelite king Solomon once wrote:
“Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
In the Bible, the heart always refers to the seat of one’s consciousness and emotions. Today, we would describe those whose hearts are upright and pure as having good moral character.
Character epitomized the most celebrated of the Bible’s leaders, including Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Hezekiah, Peter, and Paul. And in the Bible, character was measured primarily by one’s heart being humbly and sincerely turned toward God.
The importance of character was also underlined by arguably America’s greatest leader, when George Washington declared: “Purity of morals [is] the only sure foundation of public happiness in any country.”
2. Importance of Vision
King Solomon is credited with the famous saying: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18a) When it comes to leadership, truer words have yet to be spoken. Effective leaders, by definition, are leading people in a direction. Knowing what direction to take is vital. Communicating the importance and value of that direction is what leaders do when they cast the vision.
The greatest leaders of the Bible, from Abraham to Moses and from David to Paul, all understood the importance of strategic vision. Even when they were unclear as to the specifics, they worked to keep the people focused on the hope and aspirations of where they were headed and for what they were striving.
3. Knowledge and Wisdom
The second book of Chronicles records God offering to give Solomon whatever the new king requested. Solomon asked for wisdom. God was pleased. According to II Chronicles, God replied:
11 Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—
12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
The interesting thing is that it was Solomon’s newfound knowledge and wisdom that empowered him to receive God’s blessings of wealth and honor. The same is true for anyone today.
While you might get lucky in the lottery or an unexpected inheritance windfall, the truth is that most people will not acquire meaningful or stable wealth without wisdom. If you want to be a successful leader, you have to be knowledgeable and savvy.
4. Perseverance
The theme of perseverance in the Bible runs deep. Joseph was sold into slavery and later languished in Pharoah’s dungeons, before finally getting the opportunity to govern Egypt and deliver his people. Moses endured years in the desert, rejection by Pharoah (until the plagues temporarily swayed him), and then led the children of Israel – a frequently unruly lot – on a 40-year trek, before they could finally enter the Promised Land. Consider the challenges and obstacles that confronted Peter, Paul, and John. Or for that matter….Jesus.
Perseverance is a critical skill of leadership. If you aren’t able to keep leading toward your goals, when confronted with challenges and adversity, you will not succeed as a leader.
5. Incorporating Biblical Leadership Skills into Your Life
Mastering the skills of leadership requires that one begin with the qualities of leadership. And those qualities of leadership can all be seen in the pages of the Bible. A leader who exercises good moral character, casts a strategic vision, acquires knowledge and wisdom, and exemplifies perseverance will be one great leader indeed
Matthew 20:25-28
But Jesus summoned them, and said, ““You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant,
even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
The Unforgivable?
Posted by: | CommentsIs there an unforgivable sin?
An unforgivable sin is described in Mark 3 and Matthew 12. These passages involve Jesus Christ’s repeated and widespread public defeat of Satan and his demons. Many readers have been confused about the true nature of this sin. As you read these verses for yourself (below), bear in mind part of the purpose of Jesus Christ’s ministry was to directly confront darkness with the light of truth in a public battle of pure good versus pure evil. The only being in the universe that is more powerful than the Evil One, is God. He is the only one with enough power to bind Satan himself and forcibly dispossess him.
Mark 3:22-30 states,
“And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebub,’ and, ‘By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.’ …’Assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation;’ because they said, ‘He has an unclean spirit’” (NKJV, emphasis added / Note: The Pharisees made the same charge in Mat 9:34.).
In Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus says to the Pharisees,
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (NKJV, emphasis added).
What is the context of these statements, and what is the exact sin described?
Pharisees
The Pharisees had long observed the sinless Jesus Christ.
- They observed him doing undeniable and powerful miracles that were, at the very least, clear evidence of power supplied by God.
- These impressive miracles were freely given in pure kindness and love to release people from obvious suffering and the oppression of horrible evil.
- However, the Pharisees had so firmly set their hearts against accepting Jesus as the Messiah that they rejected the obvious truth before them and perversely twisted it to influence the crowds.
- They publicly credited the most ultimately evil being in the universe with these precious, godly miracles. In other words, they called the precious and holy Spirit of God, the unclean spirit of Satan.
- In effect, they charged Jesus Christ with sorcery; one who is in league with Satan. These charges are not only appalling and extremely serious, but clearly absurd. As Jesus immediately responded,
Mark 3:23-27
“How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house”
Luke 11:14-23
21″When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.
Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15But some of them said, “By Beelzebub,[a] the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
17Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. 19Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
23″He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
God’s ability to save is not limited by man’s sinfulness.
In fact, every person, before he accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, is in total rebellion against God, though sinfulness many not manifest itself with equal intensity in every person.
John taught believers,
‘If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world’ (1 John 2:1-2).
While God’s ability to save is boundless, the Bible clearly shows that there are certain conditions under which He can not save.
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For instance, God can not save those who neglect or despise Christ’s sacrifice
Hebrews 10:26
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The real danger arises, however, when one can continually violate God’s law and never feel the slightest remorse over his rebellion. The Bible’s warning should jolt the spiritually flippant out of their complacency:”
“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6).
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1).
In Short the only sins that God can’t forgive are those we don’t ask him too! (for which we aren’t repentant)
Lead Like Jesus
Posted by: | CommentsLeading Like Jesus
Introduction
Equipping people to become servant leaders will be a task of the church until Jesus returns. Therefore it is important that we keep the mentality of a servant (slave) at the forefront of our ministries.
Jesus, the greatest leader of all time, was unquestionably a servant-leader. The crown of his servant-leadership was a crown of thorns.
- The symbol of Rome’s leadership—a sword
- The symbol of the Greek’s leadership—a pen
- The symbol of secular leadership—a chair
- The symbol of the Christian’s leadership—a towel and basin
Maybe a better title for this topic would be, “Developing a Foot-Washing-Driven Church.”
Servant Leadership is what the entire Bible is about!!
The Problem
In the last 50 years, “the church” has been experiencing an identity crisis. She has unfortunately been receiving her cues from the secular market place rather than the authoritative Scriptures. Preachers have courted the world’s philosophy so long it’s become second nature, the norm, and embraced as a viable style of leadership.
The by-product from this type of secular thinking is a non-spiritual hierarchy in the Church (2 Cor. 4:5). Service, not status, is the goal of a leader who has Christ as his master.
- Natural Ability vs. Spiritual Giftedness
- CEOs vs. Shepherds
- Executives vs. Servants
- Managers vs. Leaders
The church does not need only strong-natural-leaders. The church needs strong-servant-leaders. Two many preachers are building resumes rather than people and churches.
“Most of us would have no objection to being masters, but servanthood holds little attraction.”
- J. Oswald Sanders
The Servant Paradox (the top is through the bottom)
A leader starts by first being a follower.
A servant-leader is not a title or position. It is a lifestyle.
The principle is simple The way up is the way down in God’s economy.
A successful servant-leader in ministry descends not ascends. So many leaders excel at climbing the ladder but fail at coming down the ladder.
The more authority, giftedness and natural abilities you have the more you have to work at servant-leadership. The flesh is a menace to servant leadership. Me-ism is the idol of today’s leadership and it is antithetical to Christ leadership style.
Let me draw your attention to some key texts:
Mark 10:35-45
- This, without question, is the key text in the Gospels to define Christ’s leadership style.
- Christ has already made three predictions about his impending crucifixion (Mark 10:32-34 being the third).
- James and John ask an inappropriate question that is still being asked, or at least being thought, today.
- Jesus’ closest disciples were looking for a messianic “secretary of state” not a suffering servant.
- Notice that their ambition is not wrong. However, their ambition is certainly misinformed and misguided. Notice they are not condemned for seeking greatness. Aspirations are not wrong as long as they would seek the right kind of greatness. Their error is in the goal. (Self-centered vs. Others-centered)
- On the spot, Christ transforms their concept of greatness. Jesus redefined greatness and being first. True greatness is when you serve. You are first when you are a slave.
- The paradox of all paradoxes is the way to the top is through the bottom!
- God’s standard for leadership is selfless-servanthood! Servant-leaders give up personal rights to find greatness in service to others.
- Jesus spent his whole life and ministry serving others. The cross, a case in point, is the ultimate sacrifice/service to others. Jesus wanted James and John to know that following him would cost them their lives, not gain them places of position.
- Servant-leadership is two-sided. On one side it requires drinking the cup and being baptized with the baptism of Christ’s suffering (Mark 10:38-39). On the other side serving others is a tremendous privilege (Acts 20:35).
- These exhortations are unqualified! Jesus did not call us to servant-leadership only when it…is convenient, fits our schedule, or if fits our personality.
Servant-leadership is God’s standard for spiritual leadership! To say it another way, servant-leadership defines spiritual leadership.
