Atta-Boy!

My son asked me to go outside and play football with him the other day. Mind you, he’s 5. So football for him looks a lot safer for me now than it will in a few years.

We were throwing the ball back and forth, and he was loving every minute of it. I’d throw it as high as I could, and he’d watch it come crashing down to the ground and bounce strange directions. He’d mimic me and watch it bounce again.

He’d say, “Daddy…watch me!” And I’d watch him throw the ball up in the air and hear him squeal with delight that he did it.

Of course, when he would, I’d go nuts, making a big deal and encouraging him that he threw the ball.
Then one time, unintentionally, I didn’t encourage him. I didn’t tell him he did a good job. I watched him throw the ball, then walked over to pick it up and continue the cycle.
It’s not that he didn’t do a good job…I just didn’t tell him that he did.
And he asked me a question that caused me to stop mid-stride:

Dat cool, daddy?

He wanted to know if he was still doing it right. He wanted validation from someone who knew the ropes, and knew what a “good throw” was supposed to look and feel like. He wanted to hear from his dad that I thought what he was doing was cool.

Don’t we all have a bit of that longing inside of us?

We all want to be validated by someone who knows the ropes. By someone who’s been in our shoes and walked where we’re going. Who can shed a little light on our paths to make the journey a little more navigable.
Older leaders: we need your encouragement. We need your ‘atta-boy!’ We need your wisdom and insight. We need your gut-level response to our gut-level response.

Don’t give up on us. We need you.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. – Hebrews 3:13

In our daily walks sometimes we can feel like we are doing all this on our own. In those moments we find our self frustrated and on the brink of giving up. We long to hear God's encouragement and the crazy thing is.... it's there. We just seem to miss it.

--We say: 'It's impossible' God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)

  --We say: 'I'm too tired' God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)

  --We say: 'Nobody really loves me' God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

  --We say: 'I can't go on' God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

  --We say: 'I can't figure things out' God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

--We Say: 'I can't do it' God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)

--We Say: 'I'm not able' God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)

--We say: 'It's not worth it' God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )

 --We say: 'I can't forgive myself' God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

 --We say: 'I can't manage' God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)

 --We say: 'I'm afraid' God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)

 --We say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)

 --We say: 'I'm not smart enough' God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)

 --We say: 'I feel all alone' God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

If you are a leader in any way. Don't miss the moments to invest in those under you. Don't miss the opportunities to encourage and strengthen your leaders. As little as that seems, it goes a long way. Today if your feeling like giving up, God's encouraging voice is there every single day that you need it. His word is filled with it, go ahead and dig in. The next time you feel like throwing in the towel, Open God's word and hear His still small voice saying "Atta-Boy!"

Joy for the Joyless

For so many people, Christmas is pure joy. Gifts. Family. Food. Relaxing. Celebrating.But for some, Christmas is tough.

It’s a reminder of our pain.

Maybe you lost someone you loved, and every Christmas season you’re reminded.
Maybe you’re lonely, and all of the chatter about family, friends, and celebrations reminds you that you don’t have anyone. No family. No children. No spouse. Nobody to celebrate with Christmas morning.
Maybe you got fired during the holidays one year. Maybe your dream crumbled before your eyes.
If you have a family, and you’re able to see them on Christmas, you’re prone to forget about others’ loneliness.
If you haven’t lost someone you love this time of year, it’s easy to forget that others have.
If you have plenty, it’s easy to forget that others don’t.
This season, remember that Jesus came for the broken. The hopeless. The helpless. The shattered. The confused. The sick. The lonely. The angry. The depressed. The fakers. The weak. The ones in pain.

Jesus came for us.
He didn’t stay up in heaven and simply tell us he loved us. He entered our pain. He shifted our world. He came to be one of us, and offer us hope.
He doesn’t offer hope that this life is going to be easy, pain-free, and full of wealth. But He promises to be with us through it all.
Christmas reminds us of that. At Christmas, we see a God who’s not far off, but is near. A God who can sympathize with us in our weakness. (Hebrews 4:15) A God who doesn’t just let His creation groan in pain from afar, but through whom all things hold together.

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. – Colossians 1:19-20

Jesus came for us.

Just One Last Time

 I was sitting in my home with my family waiting for my parents to join us for Christmas morning.

My parents finally came pulling into my driveway and frantically running into our home

"Mom, Dad... What's wrong? I ask them....

All I heard in reply was the rapidly-inhaling wheeze someone has when their words are battling with their tears.

“What’s wrong? Take a deep breath.”
“It’s Mammaw…she’s…”
*wheeze*
“Guys, What’s wrong with Mammaw?”
*wheeze*
“She had a heart attack, son. She’s on her way to the Hospital.”

My world started spinning. I felt like things slowed down and sped up, all in the same moment. Everything seemed incredibly real and tangible…and at the same time, chaotic. In shock, all we new to do was to pray.  So we said a quick prayer and all I remember after that was the sound of the ignition as it combined with the screeching of tires from my parents car as they sped away to the hospital.

Immediately following that my older sister Dawn calls me and asks me to come pick her up and head to meet the family at the hospital. We quickly call our friends from Church to see if they can watch the kids and then my wife and i speed out to pick up my sister.I will never forget the Call we got just 3 miles from the Hospital.
"She's gone son, She's gone."

I couldn't believe my ears, I was in Shock. Was she really gone? We were just with her two nights ago... She seemed so well? I wrestled with my feelings over the next few miles while my wife and sister were overcome by their emotions.

When we came walking into the area she was in, we all cried and hugged each other in shock of what just happened. I just had to see her one last time, My wife, sister and I walked into the room where she was. Mammaw was laying on the bed. She’d died in her own home. She hadn’t been feeling the best, but her general demeanor and look were improving. Then, she was gone. In an instant, she went to be with Jesus. I bent down and kissed her cheek, a tear dripping down mine onto hers. “I love you, Mammaw” I whispered.

Last Year, on Christmas morning, I lost my Grandma. I’ll remember that day for the rest of my life. I’m reminded of her love, her warmth, her laugh, and her put-everything-from-the-freezer-in-the-pot soup. Every Christmas Eve, I remember the breakfasts we’d eat and the gifts we’d open. I remember the shows she loved and the coffee she drank. I remember the smell her house had. I remember the letters she would write to me when I was living in Chicago away from my family and running from God. She would affirm me that no matter what, God still loved me and had a plan for me. I remember what her Bible looked like and the worn cover from the years of use. I will always view her as a cornerstone for the Weidman family, a pillar of Faith, and a Woman of God

I wish I had one last Christmas with her. That I could have one last Christmas to hear her laugh at Tippy jumping off of her couch at everyone in the room. That we had one last Family get-together to eat her huge, very-unhealthy-but-very-good meal. That one last time I could hear her say, “Eat, honey. Eat ’til you’re full. Then eat some more. Eat slow and eat a lot.” That I could open up the refrigerator one last time and see all of the drinks she’d gotten…she always had your favorite good and cold.

I wish I could tell her I love her Just one last time

Marks of The Church

Like a day trader watches the markets, or a political junkie watching C-SPAN, I observe the church. It’s fascinating. It’s theology in action. Another term you might hear regarding the church is ecclesiology. Fancy word. Comes from the greek word ekklesia, which simply means assembly. Ecclesiology is the study of the church, an assembly of believers, and its various functions (worship, ordinances, teaching, etc). In other words, theology in action. So when Scot McKnight blogged about the marks of a church, I thought I’d chime in.

Scot provides eight marks via Mark Driscoll. As Scot notes on his blog, and I will echo, I’m not interested in Driscoll or his theology at this point, just the list of marks associated with the church. The marks are:

1. The church is made up of regenerated believers in Jesus
2. The church is organized under qualified leadership
3. The church gathers to hear preaching and to respond in worship
4. The church rigfhtly administers the sacraments
5. The church is spiritually unified
6. The church is holy
7. The church is devoted to fellowship
8. The church is committed to Jesus’ mission

Scot asks what we would strike out or add. I’ll take these one by one. The first mark is a good foundational place to begin. I understand these are brief statements with a lot to unpack behind them. I would add something to make clear the church is also a safe place to ask questions for the believer and unbeliever alike.

The second mark is fairly straight forward, except in many cases it is interpreted either too loosely or not at all. What constitutes “qualified” leadership? The Bible is quite clear on the subject, see 1 Timothy 3.

To number three I would add teaching. However, the language of this mark is interesting. Is worship a response to preaching? Can worship exist independent of preaching or teaching? Another note I would add is that preaching or teaching itself can be a worshipful act. I would simply say the church gathers to worship, whatever that looks like in the moment.

The fourth mark is another one of those statements with a lot of theological unpacking behind it. A sacrament is simply a ceremony or rite ordained by Jesus. The word sacrament comes from a Latin word sacramentum, which is something set apart as sacred or holy. To the early church, proclamation of the Gospel and teaching were also regarded as sacramentum. This means marks three and four are closely related.

Mark five refers to the church’s spiritual unification. This is obviously important locally and universally. Nothing to add or strike here.

Mark six is holiness. The church as the bride of Christ is called to be holy. I would add something referring to how holiness is attained. I would make reference to the church being a place of discipleship, and as a result of discipleship the church continually becoming more Christlike through sanctification.

Number seven, committed to fellowship, I’m all for.

Finally, number eight, committed to Jesus’ mission, I wholeheartedly agree with.

In summary, I wonder how helpful lists like this are. Certainly for church leaders it is vital. But when I read mark six, the church is holy, I immediately think sanctification and discipleship would be better emphasized. Why not simply say one of the marks of the church is it disciples believers and encourages sanctification? Our holiness, after all, is found in Christ, and only in Christ. In the end, it’s all about Jesus, not lists. We can create and critique lists all day long, but do we love God and love our fellow man? If we do, I don’t think a list could contain all the marks of a Holy Spirit empowered church operating in the love of Jesus.

Passing Through

Ever feel like you are in the wilderness?  The word “wilderness” means solitary place, or dry place.  A wilderness experience may begin by feeling very spiritually dry or the feeling that you are all alone.  Not only is this difficult, but many believers do not know how to maintain their spiritual walk during these times.

So, what do you do when you wake up in a wilderness like experience?

 

1.  Be consistent.
Do not allow the enemy to steal your private time with God.  Many people allow their feelings to determine whether they seek God or not.  This is the biggest mistake of all!  Actually, seeking Him when you are desperate may be the very thing you need to get to the next level of intimacy with Him.

2.  Do Not Quit.
Luke 12:37 says, blessed are those servants, who are watching when the master comes.  Due to circumstances, the other servants gave up and began to do other things than care for the Master’s causes.  They allowed circumstances to make their decisions.  Never allow your feelings to rule your dealings!

3. Live Intentionally!
Intentional living does not subject itself to what’s happening.  Living intentionally is focused living with purposed action.  When you live intentionally, your decisions are based upon your convictions, goals, and actions that result in living the life you desire. Intentionality means acting your way into a feeling, not feeling your way into an action.

--The next time the wilderness feeling shows up in your life, just stay steady.--

 The wilderness is only for a season and you are passing through!

Questions To Ask Yourself Before 2013

I’m not a big fan of New Year resolutions, but I’m a HUGE fan of transformations! I think any time we can turn a page and have a opportunity to ask ourselves some serious questions because we are facing a new chapter is a good thing.

The beginning of a new year is a great time to step back and ask questions that can become seed for new transformations in our lives. Here are some questions I try to ask myself at the beginning of a new season of life…

Spiritual

- How is my love relationship with Jesus?

- If I truly love Jesus as I say, would others around me know it by how I reflect Him?

- What do I need to change so my heart is more His, and others can see it in me?

Physical

- Am I taking care of my body?

- What do I need to add to my life to become more healthy?

- What do I need to take out of my life to become more healthy?

Emotional

- Am I happy with my life right now?

- Am I excited about the future?

- What do I need to add to my life to increase my joy?

- What do I need to get out of my life to increase my joy?

I know, those are very simple, but they can bring huge change if you answer them honestly and prayerfully. It’s not an exercise to just buzz through, but rather one that takes some planning and real work.

Answer the questions and WRITE DOWN your new plan of attack, and refer to it daily. I pray your new season will be greater than you ever imagined!

Lead BIG my friends.

The Glorious Middle

The “middle” part of your salvation, what theologians call “progressive sanctification,” is more important right now than either justification* or glorification*.

Go ahead. Label me a heretic. It’s okay. You can use the hashtag #DerekWeidmanTheHeretic.

It’s all talk

 

We tend to talk a lot about the beginning and end of salvation.
We love to (rightly) look backwards and remind ourselves of our sin and our story. Remind ourselves of our beautiful Savior.
We also love to (rightly) look forwards with hope, anticipating eternity in heaven.
But the most important part of your spiritual growth is not in looking back. It’s also not in looking forward. It’s in what you’re going to do now. 
In looking back on who Jesus is, what He did, and growing to understand his love and grace more doesn’t propel you to live differently, what good is it? ** If this dreaming back doesn’t leave you more generous, loving, forgiving, and full of grace, then has it done anything?
Looking backwards isn’t as important right now.

In looking forward with great hope in the second coming of Jesus, to the day when there will be no more tears or crying or pain, doesn’t mean you take more faith risks, then you’re just an idle dreamer. If you’re not consistently breathing hope into the life of others with your forward-reaching dreams, if you’re not progressively becoming more loving, more gracious, more hospitable, and less bitter, then what good are your mere daydreams? They’ve become a sort of twisted self-pleasing fantasy.
Looking forward isn’t as important right now.

The Glorious Middle

 

What’s important right now is the “glorious middle,” that part of your salvation that’s overlooked because it’s not sexy. It’s sexy to talk about what’s coming. It’s sexy to talk about what has passed. But what’s now is what we’re all experiencing, the doldrums of existence on earth. It’s picking the kids up from school. It’s being late for work. It’s getting sick. It’s dealing with loss and pain. It’s being financially strapped. It’s dealing with difficult relationships. It’s not ever having enough time.
It’s in those, shockingly normal activities, to which Paul says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) How do I know that Paul’s referring to the mundane, everyday life here? Because he follows this command with, “Do all things without grumbling…” (Philippians 2:14) Nobody grumbles about heaven. Nobody grumbles about the great sacrifice Christ paid on our behalf. Either of those will get you kicked out of a deacon’s meeting faster than if a couple of poker chips were to fall out of your pocket.
Think deeply on who Jesus is, the depth and filthiness of your sin, and the glorious forgiveness that God offers us in Christ.
Think deeply on the promised life to come, eternity spent in the presence of God.
But don’t neglect the “glorious middle,” the glorious, yet unglamorously normal life that God has called you to right here and now.
That’s more important.


Don’t leave your Gospel zipper undone.


* justification – the moment when God declares you “just” before him, as a judge declares a criminal just and free. This happens the moment you place your faith in Christ.

* glorification – this will be your nature after death, where you will be made whole for eternity, in heaven with God.

** I’m not advocating salvation by works here. Salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone. I’m talking about ongoing, progressive sanctification.

Keep "X" In Christmas

Taking a break from looking extensively at reformed theology, today's post is a look at "X"Mas.

We use the letter ‘x’ for a variety of things.

• It marks the spot on a treasure map.
• It stands for ‘kisses,’ as when you sign something XOXO
• It represents an unknown amount of something. As in something that costs $XX.XX
• It represents getting rid of something. I’m “X”-ing that out. Striking it from the record.

Used alone, ‘X’ often stands in place of something else. In other words, it “replaces” the real meaning that should be intended. It stands in place of something more important that, for whatever reason, you did not wish to display.

Replacing Christ with an X

Which can get a little hairy when it comes to Christmas, right? X-mas is seen by many as a way of, quite literally, removing Christ from Christmas. Replacing the King of the world with an “X.” I mean, at least it’s a capital letter when it’s done…but still, it seems a bit too easy to be rid of the most pivotal person in all of human history.
And, come on…nobody says, “Happy X Day” for Labor Day or “Happy Xter” for Easter or “X Luther King, Jr. Day” for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. That would be weird. Except for Xter day…I kind of like how that sounds.

Greek to English

Before you get yourself in a tizzy over the X that people often use “in place of Christ” in Merry X-mas, I think it prudent to understand a bit about language. Here’s rule number 1:

Greek is different than English.

At least that’s what they taught me in Bible College.
And it’s so relevant in this situation.
English has basically transliterated the Greek word (which is the language of the New Testament) for Christ. The Greek word for the name of Jesus Christ is pronounced ‘yay-soos’ ‘cree-s-toss’. Spelled out, it looks like this: Ιησούς Χριστός.
Notice the first letter of the second word: ‘X’. “X” is the first Greek letter in the name of Jesus. And that ‘X’ isn’t actually an ‘X’ like it is in English. It’s actually a “Chi.” You may have seen/heard this in various fraternities/sororities (e.g., the sorority: Chi Omega).
Throughout history, ‘X’ has been a shorthand way of referring to Jesus because it’s the first letter of his name in Greek. In no way meant to be disrespectful or derogatory, ‘X’ has historically just been a way of referring to Jesus Christ.
‘X’ is not, and has not been, a replacement for Christ in Christmas. There are many ways to keep Christ out of Christmas…but unfortunately for those of you who like to hop on the “keep Christ in Christmas” bandwagon, this isn’t one of them.

So I’m starting a new campaign.

“Keep X in Christmas!”

I’m having buttons made as we speak.
Merry X-Mas!

Did Jesus Die For All?

 In this post we will look at the teaching of LIMITED ATONEMENT. Those who hold to limited atonement believe that the death of Christ was for the elect of God.  They believe Jesus did NOT die for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2) but for the sins of the elect out of the world. They believe Jesus died to gather the elect children of God. They also believe Jesus didn’t suffer on the cross for all people but only for the elect.  The question then becomes why do Calvinists who hold to limited atonement teach that we must exercise faith in Jesus Christ, His death, and His resurrection to secure salvation?  While they acknowledge that we must do so, why should we if Christ died for our sin which must include the sin of unbelief?

In actuality, those who hold to limited atonement do not believe that faith saves.  The death of Christ saves.  Jesus died to secure the salvation of the elect.  They accuse Arminians of believing in an atonement that does not actually save anyone but merely provides the means to salvation.  However, consider the limited atonement view for a moment.  If Jesus died for the sins of the elect and if He did in fact secure their salvation on the cross, the elect then are sinless since He died for their sins and provided the perfect righteousness of God on their behalf.  The sin of unbelief nor any other sins do not apply to the elect since God predestined the elect and sent His Son to atone for their sins on the cross.  Justification is not then by faith but unto faith since God must regenerate the elect for them to believe in the first place and since their salvation has already been accomplished and applied in Christ.

From the viewpoint of the reprobate, limited atonement means that they are not lost for rejecting Christ or their unbelief but simply because Jesus didn’t die for them.  His blood was not shed for them and they are lost because God simply chose to reject them and save only the elect.  The non-elect then are in destroyed in an eternal hell not because of their sins or unbelief in Jesus and the gospel but because Jesus simply did not die for them.  As one Calvinist noted that even in hell the people there will be there for the glory of God.  I am not sure how that is glorious?

Over and over again we are called to place our faith in Jesus Christ for our salvation.  Belief is the heart of John’s Gospel (John 1:12; 5:24; 20:31) and belief/faith is the heart of the book of Acts.
--Romans 10:9-10 is a clear statement regarding salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and His cross.  --Romans 3:23-25 is another place where faith is the key to salvation.
Notice Romans 3:25-26:
“whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

The sinner then, according to the above passage, is declared justified through faith as Romans 5:1 says later.  Romans 5:8 says that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners but by faith in Jesus (verse 1) we are now reconciled to God through Jesus (Romans 5:9-11).  Romans 5:18 even says,
“Therefore, as one trespass led to the condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”  

The key is that this gift of salvation must be received through faith according to Romans 5:17.  The universalist loves to read Romans 5:18 but they ignore verse 17 that says that we must receive this free gift of God’s Son.

Ironically, Calvinists use Romans 5:18 to teach universal total depravity but deny universal redemption in the Son.  They believe that Adam’s sin affected all as Romans 5:18 says but they deny the second part of the verse that says that Jesus’ sacrifice leads to justification and life for all men.  Romans 10:14-17 says that this salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ who must be preached.
Bear in mind that no person has ever been saved or ever will be saved apart from faith.  This is the design of God (Hebrews 11:6).  Galatians 3:24 says that we are justified by faith and verse 26 says that we are sons of God through faith.  Jesus said in John 6:29 that the work of God (for salvation) is to believe or have faith in the Son.  There is no salvation but through faith.  The Calvinist statement then toward Arminians that belief in a unlimited atonement must lead to universalism is false unless you hold to the Calvinist view of the cross where Jesus died for the salvation of the elect apart from faith.  If that is your view of the cross then yes the atonement of Jesus would be a universal redemption.  But this is not the Arminian view. Arminians believe that a person must believe to be saved.  Arminians believe that the saving work of Jesus on the cross is sufficient only for those who believe the gospel and repent.  They become the elect of God at that point (1 Timothy 4:10).  The elect believe the gospel (Acts 13:48).  Those who reject the cross are lost in their sins and unbelief (John 3:17-18; Revelation 20:11-15; cf. Matthew 25:46).

Yes Jesus died for All. Yes Jesus Died for our sins but we must exercise faith to be saved (John 1:12-13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7).  And This call goes out to All (Acts 2:38-39).

God Loves You..... Maybe?

In my last post, I brought up some questions about Reformed theology that I’ve wrestled with. This time around, I’ll be writing about a few of the issues I have with Calvinism and the tension I feel with them. I don’t think Calvinism is the most consistent soteriology, at least as it’s commonly practiced, and I would prefer consistency across the board. Can a consistent Calvinist tell a stranger on the street that God loves them? The stranger might not be elect. D.A. Carson would say yes, tell them God loves them because He has given them common grace and provided for them temporal blessings. He might have even allowed them to hear the Gospel’s (universal) call. It seems like a tricky issue. Calvinists don’t know who the elect are any more than I do.

What about with regard to pastoral care? What if a young Christian, struggling with assurance of salvation, walked into a pastor’s office and began pouring out all of their doubts. Serious doubts. Doubts that keep you up at night. What does pastoral care look like from a consistent Calvinist perspective? The whole issue hangs on how the question is framed. From the Calvinist perspective, it all depends on election, doesn’t it? The worry becomes, “am I truly elect? Has God chosen to save me? What if I don’t love God? What if I don’t believe in Jesus? Am I damned and there’s nothing I can do about it?” That seems to be the reality of Reformed soteriology. I often hear from Reformed believers that the fifth point of Calvinism, perseverance of the saints (the “P” in TULIP), is a great comfort to them. It means that it’s impossible for an elect believer to fall from God’s grace and lose his or her salvation. Though, again, so much depends on the framing of the issue. Instead of struggling with losing one’s salvation, a Calvinist in doubt would probably worry about their elect status. If they weren’t elect (which they have no control over, it’s a decision made by God alone), then they will fall away from the faith.

To set this next part up, classical Calvinism would say election is God’s domain. We play no part. If you are, in fact, elect, when God pours out His grace on you, it’s irresistible. You will be unable to resist or decline it. You will be saved, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Then I read this from Calvin:

Besides this there is a special call which, for the most part, God bestows on believers only, when by the internal illumination of the Spirit he causes the word preached to take deep root in their hearts. Sometimes, however, he communicates it also to those whom he enlightens only for a time, and whom afterward, in just punishment for their ingratitude, he abandons and smites with greater blindness. (Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 3.24.8)

This is confusing, especially when read with classical Calvinism’s doctrine of irresistible grace and the efficiency of God’s special calling (which is 100% effective according to classical Calvinism) in mind. Calvin isn’t referring to God’s universal call, but the special call that goes out to the elect. In this passage, Calvin describes God opening someone’s heart, calling them with His special calling and giving them grace, only to smite them with even greater blindness because they didn’t respond to Him with gratitude. To borrow some words from Dr. Jerry Walls, that kind of sounds like they could’ve responded (in the Arminian sense) to God’s call, doesn’t it? Based on my understanding of irresistible grace, Calvin’s statement doesn’t add up. God’s special call went out, grace was given, and grace was rejected with ingratitude. Was irresistible grace resisted? How does this fit within Calvinism’s soteriology? To borrow some more words from Dr. Walls, can someone explain that to me in Calvinist terms?

Can a Calvinist truly say to the man on the street, “God loves you”, when in truth, it’s unknown if God truly loves them? I think it’s a valid question. How we answer could impact how we do evangelism and missions. How does the Calvinist counsel the doubting Christian? Can he honestly tell them of God’s love and desire for their salvation, knowing all along that if they aren’t elect they are eternally damned? Temporal blessings don’t amount to much at that point. What does a man profit if he gains the world but loses his soul? And finally, what do we do with problem passages from Calvin like the one above? It seems to be inconsistent with classical Calvinism’s doctrine of irresistible grace.

I’ll end by saying this: God loves you, and His desire is for your salvation.

In coming posts, I’ll discuss prevenient grace, unlimited atonement, Arminianism’s high view of God’s character and sovereignty, and more from the other side of the debate. Maybe I should recruit a solid Calvinist to post some rebuttals…

Heresy?

One of the most fascinating areas of theology, at least to me, is soteriology, specifically the doctrine of Election. I was thrown head first into this doctrine about 2 years ago. The recent growth in Calvinistic Theology (aka Reformed Theology) has been astounding. Each of us depending on our church background have a preconceived idea of Calvinism or Arminianism. Just mentioning one of the words might bring up a certain image or feeling. You may find yourself automatically on the defensive, or you might identify with one and feel a sense of security (no pun intended). Either way, it's one of the dominant theological debates of our day. SBC seminaries are increasingly leaning toward the Reformed Tradition. In fact, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has been called "ground zero" for the neo-Calvinist movement. As seminary students graduate and begin to assimilating into churches, a growing percentage will bring Calvinism with them.

I consider this to be an in-house Christian issue. Both classical Arminianism and Calvinism are well within Christian orthodoxy. I echo Dr. Roger Olsin's statement that it's impossible for someone to be an Calminian (One who mixes both theology to form their own). I don't embrace extremes on either side. Both hyper- Arminianism and hyper-Calvinism are unbiblical and do damage to the Gospel.

There are a number of questions I've wrestled with. (1) If the Reformed version of election is true, and if we carry it to a logical conclusion, what does it look like for the individual in the Church? (2) Is some are chosen (the elect), doesn't that mean the rest are also chosen to be Damned? I've struggled with the notion that it is possible for one to accept predestination without double-predestination. Choosing one thing over the other is making a dicision with regard to both things, isn't it? (3) To what extent has God sent out His Grace to mankind? (4) Can the TULIP stand without all five points? (5) Is it possible to be a three point or a four point Calvinist? (6) Does free will exist or is every last thing in the universe predestined before the foundations of the earth to be a certain way?

I suppose this is an introduction to a series of writings that have been brewing on the inside of me for quite some time now. I hope to address each of these questions, and many more surrounding this subject. I would be out of place to label any of these points of view as heresy. For one, either of these points of views are NOT heresy. Second, Heresy is a BIG word and must be used sparingly, My aim here is to explore this subject and hopefully write about it soundly

--I will give you a spoiler..... I'm a Arminian--

"Please Help" -- Outreach to Contentment

When you think of the word contentment, what does it mean to you? Are you content in this life? Are you content in all circumstances? Some people get confused about the concept of contentment because they think it means they have to settle where they are, or just sit back and go with the flow. However, there’s a huge difference between being content and being complacent. When you are content, you are satisfied; you’re full. It’s not that you aren’t pursuing your goals or striving to reach new levels; you are just able to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.


Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/wordsofhopeandinspiration/2012/07/11/balance-and-contentment/#ixzz2DiQFwnbq

When you think of the word contentment, what does it mean to you? Are you content in this life? Are you content in all circumstances? Some people get confused about the concept of contentment because they think it means they have to settle where they are, or just sit back and go with the flow. However, there’s a huge difference between being content and being complacent. When you are content, you are satisfied; you’re full. It’s not that you aren’t pursuing your goals or striving to reach new levels; you are just able to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/wordsofhopeandinspiration/2012/07/11/balance-and-contentment/#ixzz2DiQLt3ZP

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/wordsofhopeandinspiration/2012/07/11/balance-and-contentment/#ixzz2DiQLt3ZP

When you think of the word contentment, what does it mean to you? Are you content in this life? Are you content in all circumstances? Some people get confused about the concept of contentment because they think it means they have to settle where they are, or just sit back and go with the flow. However, there’s a huge difference between being content and being complacent. When you are content, you are satisfied; you’re full. It’s not that you aren’t pursuing your goals or striving to reach new levels; you are just able to enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/wordsofhopeandinspiration/2012/07/11/balance-and-contentment/#ixzz2DiQFwnbq

In life, it’s easy to get so   focused on our dreams and goals, the things we want, that it consumes us. We can get to the point where we’re not happy, and we’re not going to be happy until it happens. But I’ve found that if we have to have something in order to be happy, our lives are out of balance. When our goals and dreams start to frustrate us, and we lose our peace and we’re not enjoying life, that’s a   sure sign that we’re holding on too tightly. What’s the solution? You’ve got to release it. Freedom comes when you say, “God, I’m turning it all over to You. You know my desires, and You know what’s best for me. I’m choosing to trust You and Your timing.”

Here are a few things that we can do everyday that will help us keep things in perspective.

1) Give Thanks In All Things. Paul had learned to give thanks in every circumstance and he encouraged all believers to do the same. Thankfulness is a matter of obedience (1 Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:18), but it is also a characteristic of a Spirit-filled believer (Eph. 5:18-20).

2) Rest in God's Providence. If we truly know God, we know that He is unfolding His agenda and purpose in our lives. He has determined each part of His plan for us so that we'll be benefited and He'll be glorified (Rom. 8:28). We should not be surprised when we experience trials because we know that God sees perfectly the end result (1 Pet. 4:12-13).


4) Live Above Life's Circumstances. That's how Paul lived. In 2 Cor. 12:9-10 Paul didn't take pleasure in the pain itself, but in the power of Christ manifested through him in times of infirmity, reproach, persecution, and distress. We also should learn to take pleasure in the power of Christ in times of distress.

5) Rely On God's Power And Provision. The apostle Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"; and Jesus said He will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Like Paul, we can learn to rely on Christ's promise. He faithfully promises every believer with His own strength He is with them in their time of need. (Eph. 3:16).

6) Become Preoccupied With The Well-Being of Others.  This one is the one that will completely change your mindset. Paul summarized this mindset in Philippians 2:3-4, where he wrote: "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

  A self-centered person is a discontented person. But the person who lives for the interests and benefit of others, will find blessing upon blessing in his life. Today, I encourage you to find contentment in your journey by reaching out to others. Focusing on others instead of your own circumstances brings balance to your perspective. When you live in balance, you live in supernatural contentment and position yourself to be a vessel of His glory all the days of your life! -- “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” (Philippians 4:12)

Today, I encourage you to find contentment in your journey by reaching out to others. Focusing on others instead of your own circumstances brings balance to your perspective. When you live in balance, you live in supernatural contentment and position yourself to be a vessel of His glory all the days of your life!
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” (Philippians 4:12, NIV)


Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/wordsofhopeandinspiration/2012/07/11/balance-and-contentment/#ixzz2DiSf9i7z

(see Prov. 11:24-5; 19:17; Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6).

The Danger of Emotional Leadership

 “And Pilate again said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?’  And they cried out again, ‘Crucify him.” - Mark 15:12-13

Pilate released one prisoner annually during the Passover to gain favor with the Jews.  He offered the Jewish crowd that had gathered Barabbas, a thief and murderer.  But the chief priests had salted the crowd with anger against Jesus.  In mob violence, it’s always a few who start the anger.  Then it spreads.  Soon, everyone is yelling the same thing.  Everyone feels the same anger.
The people respond to Pilate’s offer of Barabbas by shouting out again, “Crucify him.”  They want Roman execution for Jesus purportedly breaking Jewish law.  It’s strange reasoning.  It could be that Pilate had never faced anything like it.

In my opinion, Pilate shows a very poor aspect of leadership.  Strong, forceful, good leadership doesn’t ask the crowd for its opinion in decision-making.  It doesn’t try to get the followers to make a tough decision.  They don’t have all the facts.  They don’t have all the information.  Often, as is seen here, they are ruled by mob emotion which isn’t rational.

Strong leaders often have to make difficult decisions that are right when the crowd doesn’t agree.  Strong leaders are the ones who have most all the information.  They understand the outcome of the decision.  Their desire is to do what’s right, no matter what the cost, even if the decision is unpopular.
All leaders can learn a valuable lesson from Pilate.  Leaders must make decisions, based on the information they have.  They can seek input from followers.  But, ultimately, they must do what is the right thing to do, not necessarily the popular thing.  The leader may not win any popularity contests.  But deep in his or her heart, they know they made the right decision.That’s why strong leadership is often costly and lonely.

So what is the big deal? What is the Danger of Emotional Leadership?

Emotions affect the decision making process. If you lack this insight you can easily be manipulated, make less than wise decisions, and you will be limited in your ability to influence others. This goes for  when your leading in the Home, at Work, or in Ministry. Don't allow yourself to be persuaded by popular opinion. “Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; / He directs it to whatever ends he chooses” (Prov. 21:1). The key to godly leadership is submission, for leadership under God’s control will accomplish God’s work. The kings of Israel are an instructive example of this principle. Those kings who submitted to God and followed His ways experienced success while those who went their own way or followed the crowds opinion met disaster. A good leader must also be a good follower. But a Follower of the Lords Leading

Wanna Get Away?

The world is stressful. It is not getting any easier. Many of us live busy lives with multiple different responsibilities on our plate in a given day. I for one go through this everyday. Trying to juggle my Family Life, Ministry Life and my Professional Life takes a tole on me. So I asked myself.....

What should we do? How do we handle the stress of daily living?

Here are 7 General Suggestions

Have A Greater Purpose Than Today – If it’s all about your current situation, when times are good you’ll be good, but when times are bad… You have to live with a greater purpose. What’s beyond today? Where are you headed? What’s the future look like for you? Do you have a plan beyond the stress of today? It will help free your mind from stress when you can lift your focus from today. (By the way…mine is an eternal purpose!)

Be a Giver – People who cling tightly to what they have stress when they have less or what they have feels in jeopardy. Stinginess leads to discontentment. Giving frees you to joy.

Direct Your Thought Life – It is a discipline to think of the glass as half full. Stress often comes through what consumes our mind. Garbage in…garbage out. In times of extreme stress, we have to pull from our ability to look to the bright side no matter what our current situation looks like.

Stay As Physically Healthy As Possible – Exercise and eating healthy are always good ideas, but it becomes monumentally important during stressful times of life. We tend to do the opposite. We skip our workouts and grab junk to eat. In the process, we starve our bodies of energy and our brains of needed nutrition. In April of this year I began to Juice and eat less processed food. I will be the first to tell you, the results have been life changing.

Forgive Easily – The lack of forgiveness injures you more than the person who injured you. Holding a grudge leads to bitterness. Bitterness leads to store up destructive emotions. That’s a recipe for stress. Pile on the normal stress of life and you’re going to be one stressed out person. Let go. Forgive. Move forward in freedom. You’ll stress less.

Ground Yourself In Truth – You need some roots in something that will sustain you during times of stress. God’s word is my foundation. I read it everyday. I sometimes write a verse down so I can see it during the week. Here’s a good verse: “He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians 1:6) Or, “When I am afraid I will trust in You, in God whose word I praise.” (Psalm 56:3-4)

Celebrate Often – Take time to laugh. Decompress. Unwind. Choose the bright side of life. It is there even on the worst days. Sometimes I get up from my desk, put my headphones in my phone, crank up a fast Worship Song, some Neon Indian, or Foster The People. It breaks the hold stress has on me at the time. Also, surround yourself with positive people when you can. Find a community of hope. That’s what church does for me and I LOVE My Church!

Here are 7 specific Things I Do From Time to Time for Handling Stress

Plan Each Day – Begin each day with a predetermined win for the day. What do you intend to get accomplished? Learn to plan what you can actually do. Don’t overcommit. Complete the item or move it to another day. Keep in mind, if you keep moving items you are either not making good use of your time or planning too much for effectiveness. The more you plan days you can complete the less stressful individual days will be and, ultimately, the more effective you will be.

Switch Projects – If your like me and have multiple different projects at once, it gets overwheming sometimes. So when I’m really stressed about a specific project, I like to take a break and work on something different; hopefully something I can easily complete. Now obviously that can become a problem if you never complete the stressful project, so use it as a help not a crutch. Sometimes, howerver, the energy created in making progress on another project will fuel you for the stressful project.

Review Your Time Commitments – Monitor all the ways you spend time. If you were going to create a monetary budget for the first time, financial planners would have you track everywhere you spend money. The same principle applies here. If you’re always stressed chances are good you have a time management issue on your hands. Figure out the problem areas and you’ll decrease stress.

Practice Redirection of Thoughts – Read a Psalm. Listen to a song. Recite Scriptures that mean a lot to you, Look at pictures of your family. Take a moment to reflect on something of greater value in your life than that which is causing the most stress. (By the way, this works even if the family is causing the stress)

Move Your Body – Take a walk. Stretch your muscles. Head to the gym. I have found that the deeper the stress the more exercise I need, even during the middle of a busy day. When I come back from time in physical activity I’m more energized to attack stress and win!

Stop and Dream – This one is my Favorite. What is something you can look forward to? It may be at the end of the day, the weekend, or a year down the road. Knowing there’s something beyond today helps me handle the current stress. Guys, this is one reason I’m always intentionally trying to have a mini-vacation on the calendar for my family and me. I know she and I both need that in our marriage to handle the daily stress grind. Again, don’t let this become a distraction to progress.

You’ll have to discipline yourself back to the task at hand, but,in my experience, typically people who stress the most (people like me) are wired for progress more than process. We stress when things aren’t getting done fast enough and we tend to overcommit. I’m not sure our basic wiring will ever change, but sometimes, in the midst of that stressful moment, stopping to “smell the roses” lowers our stress level, gives us more fuel for the journey, and makes us more efficient…and more happy!

Selfish Church?

 

All organizations tend to lose their focus and forget their original purposes over time. The attitude becomes one of protecting the way we’ve always done it rather than looking back to the original purposes and reasons for existence.

The primary dangers with a selfish church are twofold. First and foremost, the Church can forget the very reason it was created. Second, the drift is often extremely subtle. Many Churches don’t even realize there is a problem until it’s too late.

When Selfishness Comes to Church

The majority of churches in North America are likely in crisis because of the negative impact of becoming selfish. Some of the labeling of congregations is unfortunate. Particularly, when we speak of “traditional churches” or “contemporary churches,” we rarely come to a clear definition. My Pastor Sam Masteller, uses the term “established churches." An established church is simply a church that has been in existence for a few years and is susceptible to drifting into becoming selfish. Indeed most any church three years or older will likely begin to experience some of the symptoms of this.

An Established church, however, can exist for years and even decades while becoming selfish. 

"What do you mean by a selfish church?" Glad you asked! The church may not be making disciples. It may not be reaching the community and the nations with the gospel. But it continues to exist more as a religious social club than a true New Testament church. Its members and attendees are willing to fund the congregation since it meets their perceived needs and desires.

6 Signs of a Selfish Church

The signs of Selfishness in an established church are clear even though the members don’t often recognize them:

1. Most of the ministries and programs are focused on meeting the desires and needs of the members.
2. There is More Funerals than Baptism's in a given Year
3. The budget of the congregation is directed primarily at funding the projects and even comforts of the members.
4. Conflict in the congregation is not uncommon since members are more concerned about getting their perceived needs and desires met.
5. There is little to no focus on Evangelism, reaching out to the community, and getting the Gospel to the nations.
6. Leadership is weak and reluctant to address the problems, because that leadership emphasis could disrupt the status quo.

Addressing the Issue of A Selfish Church

First thing is First. We need to See it. When we fail to see the deterioration that is taking place, we will not see the need to make changes to reverse the course. Such is the crisis in many of our established churches today. And it is that Gradual Inward Flow that often makes it so difficult to lead a congregation toward healthy change. In my post this coming later this week, I will address some of the possible steps to lead an established church toward change without destroying it in the process. I hope you will join me then.

God's Delight

 The Lord you God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Take a moment and savor that verse. Read it. Read it again. Read it one more time!
Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

God takes delight in you! He rejoices over you with singing!

I love the smile on the faces of my kids when I tell them how special they are to me. It still seems to bring such peace to them to hear me brag on them. They seem to want to know my pleasure in them.

I find the same joy in my heart when I read this scripture!

The idea that God delights in me! I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t feel very delightful! Sometimes I wonder how I can even stand myself! Yet, God, the Creator, Sustainer, Lord Almighty, the Great I AM, takes personal delight in me! Me!
Picture this! God rejoices over you and me…enough that He does it with singing!  

What a wonderful testimony of the depth of our Father’s love!

As you lay down to sleep tonight, listen carefully for your Father’s tender voice, as He takes great delight in you and rejoices over you in song! Somehow I picture Him having a special tune…a unique lyric…words that are designed just for you.

The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save!

Are you listening? What do you have to worry about with a God like this?

The Problem With Thanksgiving

Many who read this will be celebrating Thanksgiving today.

For those of us in the United States, this holiday has come to represent a chance for families to gather, eat too much, watch football, and perhaps prepare for Black Friday shopping. Oh yes, and to give thanks for our blessings.

I love my family, good food and football. And I am as blessed as anyone, so it is easy for me to be grateful on this day.

But that is the problem. Thanksgiving reminds us to give thanks and raises our awareness of the things we are grateful for on one day. By designating a day, we are at some level saying this is the day to be thankful and show gratitude. Unstated for this designation is that for the other 364 days we can return to our regularly scheduled life, oblivious to the blessings, and ignoring the reasons to be grateful.

Research shows that consistently expressed gratitude has many positive benefits for us as individuals.

The Benefits of Gratitude

--A study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner felt more positive toward the other person and felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.

--A comparison study was done that found those who kept weekly gratitude journals exercised more regularly, reported fewer negative physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded negative or neutral life events.

--Researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania randomly divided university fundraisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group — assigned to work on a different day — started their shift with a message from the director of annual giving, who told the fundraisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fundraising calls than those who did not.

How often do you tell your people you appreciate them and their work?

While research is interesting, it isn’t really necessary. We instinctively know we feel better, have a better attitude, and are more focused and productive when we are aware and grateful.

So how can we as leaders help our team members and our organizational results with this knowledge?

Say thank you more often. We learned it as a kid. Never is it more important to do this than when we are leading.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. But the problem is that it is just one day. You can gain the good feelings and positive benefits of this day, every day, without the stuffed feeling of too much food. Will You?

Happy Thanksgiving

Jesus Wept For You

Read: John 11        

It's easy to find ourselves in a place where we approach God based off of our own limitations and failures. Meaning we go to Church on a Sunday morning and sing about the awesome Power Of God's Love, while screaming on the inside about how we screwed up the night before. Asking ourselves "How can this Loving God Love a Failure Like Me?" Or we open the Bible and read these amazing stories about Jesus on this earth going about performing miracle after miracle and we find ourselves at a place asking "where is this powerful God in my Situation? or "How can this all powerful God have time to care about my marriage, financial situation, my broken relationship etc?"

By doing this We place limits on God where there is no limits. God is all powerful no matter what situation you are facing. And He cares about every detail of your life. 

In John Chapter 11 we read about a Man named Lazarus who passed away. Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were friends of Jesus. When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When Jesus heard the news, he waited two more days before going to Lazarus' hometown of Bethany. Jesus knew that he would do a great miracle for God's glory and, therefore, he was not in a hurry. The purpose for this miracle was to strengthen the faith of His followers

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days. When Martha discovered that Jesus was on his way, she went out to meet him. "Lord," she said, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus told Martha, "Your brother will rise again." But Martha thought he was talking about the final resurrection of the dead. Then Jesus said these important words: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Martha then went and told Mary that Jesus wanted to see her. Jesus had not yet entered the village, most likely to avoid stirring up the crowd and calling attention to himself. The town of Bethany was not far from Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders were plotting against Jesus.When Mary met Jesus she was grieving with strong emotion over her brother's death.

The Jews with her were also weeping and mourning. Deeply moved by their grief, Jesus wept with them. 

Jesus wept NOT because he forgot what He was capable of doing. Jesus Wept NOT because He was overwhelmed with the situation He was facing. Jesus Wept NOT because His Power left Him. Jesus Wept because He seen the people that He cared for deeply for mourning and weeping over someone they cared greatly for.

Jesus was truly human. Only a human could feel with so much depth and so much beauty. And Jesus was truly divine. Only a Savior – only God – could raise a man from four days in the grave. This story is fascinating – not merely for the miracle – but because of the depth of human emotion and LOVE Jesus shows to those in their time of need. The people were so disappointed in the Master they had come to love and to trust. They felt abandoned and when Jesus arrived, four days after their brother had passed, they sought his comfort all while gently rebuking him for not being where they thought they needed him.

Jesus knew the moment He entered Bethany that He would raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew that He would perform one of His greatest miracles. And yet, when He met the people where they were in their grief. He felt their sorrow as His own and He wept with them.

So often we want Jesus to answer our cries with what we can see as the perfect solution to our problem. But what we have to learn from this is that Jesus’ healing – Jesus’ desire to fulfill our true needs – is so much bigger than what we can see in our little minds. And sometimes, to prepare us for the miracle he has planned down the road, He knows we need Him to walk along side us in the midst of our suffering and sorrow and we need him to weep with us. And without that good cry, we will never be ready to receive the blessing He has waiting on the other side of the valley.

Wherever you are at today: There is NO situation to great for our God. God has not over looked you no matter how you feel. God is walking with you. God is working for you. God has not forgotten you. God is weeping with you and cares for you deeper then you can ever Imagine. Be Encouraged -- Let Your Faith Be Strengthened Today - Your God Wept for You

"Jesus Wept" (John 11:35)

"The Voice"

The Voice - How to Know You're Hearing God's Voice 

Here are the Sermon notes from today's message: "The Voice"

Key Thought - God is always speaking, the question is, "Are You  Listening To His Voice?"

Luke 8:4-8

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

• Some People Just Don't Listen (vs 5)
• Some People Listen by. forget (vs 6)
• Some People Listen but its not Important to them (vs 7)
• Some People Listen and Hear the Right Voice (vs 8)

7 ways to know that You're Listening To The Voice of God

We can know that God is leading us to test whether or not our division, feelings or even someone's opinion is from; ourselves (Proverbs 14:12), God (Job 33:14), or Satan (2 Cor 11:14)

1 John 4:1

"Don't always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God; test it first to see if it really is!"

1. God's Voice is based on God's Word (Luke 21:33, Galatians 1:8) -- Some are waiting to hear God's voice when God is wanting to give you a Verse. God's word is a number of different stories that we need to understand before we apply it to our lives
2. God's Voice tells you to become more like Jesus (Philippians 2:5) -- God is not only interested into our temporary happiness. God is interested in developing you into the image of His Son Jesus
3. God's Voice will be confirmed by Godly Friends  (Ephesians 3:10) -- We need to have the right people in our lives that will tell us the truth
4. God's Voice tells you to do what He has wired You to do (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:6) -- God has placed His gifts on the inside of you and created you to do something special for his kingdom. 
5. God's Voice is concerned about HIS Will for your life, not everyone else's  (Romans 14:10-13) -- He created you to be YOU. Be more concerned about what The Lord is speaking to you about you own life not just what you need to tell others
6. God's Voice is convicting NOT Condemning  (1 John 1:9, Revelation 12:10) -- God Convicts us NOT Condemns us to bring us back to Him. 
7. God's Voice will give you Peace (1 Corinthians 14:33, Colossians 3:15) -- God's spoken word over your life will always confirm what The Lord is already speaking to you

This week stop looking only for the times where God Speaks supernaturally and focus on these 7 ways to hear God's Voice.

#Livestrong Part 2

Today we are continuing our look at the 8 Steps To Help You Livestrong that we started yesterday. For the first 4 steps read yesterday's post.

God has a place He wants us to go: I believe with all my heart that God wants us to succeed in this life. In fact, I believe that it is an expression of God’s love to us. Now please understand, I’m not just talking about money. Success includes money, but it is more than money. God wants you to succeed in your spirit, soul, emotions and physical body. He wants you to succeed  in your relationships, marriage and job. He wants you to excel toward the promises of God.

God has already done His part. He’s already made lots of things available to us, but if we don’t understand the process that we need to take to arrive at our destination, we could find ourselves making the wrong decisions, having a laps of discernment and in a sense of desperation finding ourselves compromising our integrity and making choices that will forever impact our lives.

Let’s look at the last 4 steps that we can apply to our lives to help us succeed in all areas of our life.

Step 5: Your Actions
Your decisions will determine your actions. And your actions cause the increase. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). So start acting like what you just decided. Start talking like what you just decided. God weighs your actions (I Samuel 2:3), so start doing what you can. Let your actions show what you believe.

Step 6: Your Habits
Your actions will determine your habits. You will develop in whatever you are doing on a daily basis. So you’ve got to check what you’re doing and saying every day, because what you do and say determines your potential. If you lie, you have a potential to become a developed liar. If you sneak around looking at pornography every day, you only have the potential to develop in that. So make sure you look at your actions because your actions will determine your habits, and you don’t want habits in your life that are out of line with the Word of God.

Step 7: Your Character
Your habits will produce Step 7: your character. Character is what people have come to expect from you. Understand this: You will never rise above the limitations of your character. The character we should desire is, of course, the character of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What was His character? Love. We should begin to develop in the character of agape love so we can learn how to love people with agape love.

Step 8: Your Destiny
Finally, the type of character you develop will determine your destination in life.
What’s your destiny? In John 10:10, Jesus says: “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)” There’s your destiny. Enjoy life! That’s where you’re headed.

The Word produces your thinking; your thinking produces your emotions; your emotions produce your decisions; your decisions produce your actions; your actions produce your habits; your habits produce your character; and your character produces your destiny. Where you end up in life will be based on how you handle that progression.

#Livestrong part 1

With the recent news of Lance Armstrong I find myself feeling heavy about the whole situation. For years Lance has been looked at as such a powerful figure of Inspiration, Determination, Hope, Hard Work and was looked up to by millions.

At 16, Armstrong began competing as a triathlete and became a national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990. In October 1996, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and lungs. His cancer treatments included brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy. His last chemotherapy treatment was received on December of 1996. In February 1997, he was declared cancer-free and the same year he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer support called LIVESTRONG -- The Foundation unites, inspires and empowers people affected by cancer.

On February 16, 2011, he announced his retirement from competitive cycling, while facing a US federal investigation into doping allegations. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) charged Armstrong with having used illicit performance-enhancing drugs, and in August they announced a LIFETIME ban from competition, as well as the stripping of all titles won since August 1998.

Lance Armstrong has cut formal ties with his Livestrong charity to avoid further damage brought by doping charges and being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. Armstrong also resigned from the board of directors for Livestrong on Nov. 4. He had resigned Oct. 17 as chairman from the charity he founded but had kept a seat on the board.

Here is a man who spent his entire life competing and striving to succeed and pushed himself to be the best. And by the choices he made he completely destroyed his legacy in the sport and stained his name. And now finds himself banned from the sport that he devoted himself to for life and stripped of all his titles. I gotta ask.... Was it worth the risk?

God has a place He wants us to go: I believe with all my heart that God wants us to succeed in this life. In fact, I believe that it is an expression of God’s love to us. Now please understand, I’m not just talking about money. Success includes money, but it is more than money. God wants you to succeed in your spirit, soul, emotions and physical body. He wants you to succeed  in your relationships, marriage and job. He wants you to excel toward the promises of God.

God has already done His part. He’s already made lots of things available to us, but if we don’t understand the process that we need to take to arrive at our destination, we could find ourselves making the wrong decisions, having a laps of discernment and in a sense of desperation finding ourselves compromising our integrity and making choices that will forever impact our lives.

Let’s look at what we can apply to our lives to help us succeed in all areas of our life.

8 Steps to Help You Livestrong

Step 1: The Word of God
The Word of God. This is where everything starts. If you’re going to succeed, you’re going to have to start with the Word. “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1).
The Word is the incorruptible seed, the seed that will always produce, the seed that will never fail. It is the origin for all success—the gateway to the blessings of God. We can’t achieve success  without it.
Livestrong is Word-determined, not money-determined. So many of us want to succeed, but we don’t have a life in the Word. And so we release our time, talents and treasures without any force behind it.

Step 2: Your Thinking
If you ask people why they read the Bible, they’ll give you all kinds of answers. But the reason you should read your Bible is because it governs your thinking. It shows you what type of mind-set you should have. And that’s the second step in this process: Word thinking.
III John 1 states, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you will prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” The success of your life is based on the prosperity of your soul—that is, your mind, will and emotions.
You will be as you think. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he.” If you think you’re going struggle all your life, you probably will. If you think you’re going to break out of this situation, then you’ll break out of it.
Consider how you think. Do you have a lack mentality? A poverty mentality? A sickness mentality? A mentality of defeat? You’ve got to look at your thinking and what influences your thinking, because everything that’s going on in your life can be traced back to how you think.

Step 3: Your Emotions
The Word of God will lead you to start thinking thoughts that are in line with the Word. And thinking that lines up with the Word will produce emotions that line up with the Word.
God gave us emotions. They are a gift. Jesus had emotions. The Bible says He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). It is fine to have emotions…but we must make sure that emotions never have us.
Emotions are feelings caused by pain or pleasure that will direct you or move you in a direction. God has given you emotions. If you don’t learn how to control them, they will move you to places you don’t need to go.
If the devil’s going to move you out of the will of God where success is concerned, then he’s going to do it by enticing your emotions. He tried to do that with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was sweating blood because He was “deeply distressed” (Mark 14:33). He was resisting, not allowing His emotions to take charge.
As Jesus resisted, the King James Version says He “went forward” (verse 35) and kept praying. When your emotions try to move you out of God’s will, do like Jesus and keep moving forward. Keep doing God’s will, regardless of how you feel.
You have authority over your emotions.

Step 4: Your Decisions
It’s extremely important that we understand how to take charge of our emotions because how we feel will determine the next step in this process: the decisions we make.
Life is a series of decisions. Every day you wake up, you make a decision. According to Deuteronomy 30:19, you’re a free moral agent. You can choose life or death, blessing or cursing. And when you make decisions in line with the will of God, heaven will back you up.
Look what happened when Jairus made a decision and interrupted Jesus’ plans in Mark 5:21-23: Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”

Now, look at what Jesus did in verse 24: “Jesus went with him.”
Did you get that? Jesus stepped off the boat, ready to accomplish the will of God for His life. But when Jairus interrupted Him, Jesus turned and went with him.
Then in verse 28, right in the middle of this situation, a woman with an issue of blood arrived. She had made a decision, too: “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” Jesus stopped and healed her right there on the spot. Shortly after that, Jairus’ daughter was healed, too.
In both circumstances, Jesus was doing one thing when He was directed elsewhere. When you make a decision that lines up with His will, He will stop, turn and show up at your house to remove burdens and destroy yokes. That’s how powerful a decision is!

You’re destined to live an Livestong life. You’re destined to be healed, to be at peace, to be a success. You’re destined to be happy. You’re destined to be sound. That’s what you were born to enter into. But not at the cost of your Integrity and Character. 

You can make the argument that Lance Armstrong is innocent and is free from all allegations. However he had to compromise something in order for his name to mentioned in these allegations. Guilty by association??

Tomorrow I will be posting the final 4 Steps, so Today: make the conscious decision to spend time in the Word and allow the Word of God to govern your thinking process. This will then help you control your emotions and make the wise choices that will position you for success