Monday, July 28, 2008

Cross off that name!


God is good! Wow, what an incredible understatement. Last night I lethargically showed up at Journey. Tired and grumpy from camping at East Lake over the weekend, I came with no great expectations. Thinking I would just go through the motions and go home. Well, a funny thing happened. The Holy Spirit showed up and stole the show. While we were praying before Journey started, I sensed something change in me. I started to get excited about what the night might hold. Our "Journey moment" turned out to be the launching point for the Holy Spirit. There were three people who shared a great experience with the Lord over the weekend. But the one that was just stinkin awesome was Mike's story. Mike led his best friend to the Lord in Nebraska, and he was the first to cross off a name on the prayer board! For me, that was what it's all about. It was so awesome to see Mike get so emotional over what had happened with his best friend. To cross a name off the prayer board with a bright red marker signifies that Mike's best friend is no longer lost, but is now going to dance with Jesus in heaven! He is a brother in Christ now. What an awesome thing.

To top it off, "rev." Keith was back and delivered as always a great message. We took communion, worshiped the King, and finished off the night praying and singing. It was a great night. The diversity of the people make me smile. We are not a church, we are "the" church. It's so cool to see the "body" all come together. Old, young, homeless, hurting, scared, abused, confused, unsure, all of it. Yes...God is good!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Tomorrow May Never Come


I got a call the other day from an old high school friend who said a mutual friend of our had died. Even though I hadn't talked to him in over 20 years it still hit me hard. In high school Marty & I were very good friends. Marty was voted best looking in our class and had everything going for him. He turned to a life of drugs after school and continued to spiral downward until his life ended with a heart attack. At the time of his death he was living in a tent behind the Dairy Queen we all used to frequent so often. I think a few of the reasons this hits me so hard is the "friend" who called to inform me of Marty's death used to be my best friend, and now he is divorced, and listening to his words, has shut God out of his life and it's all about him. Also, I don't know for certain, (only God knows for sure) but would be surprised to know that Marty was a Christian. That being said, when we die here on earth, that's it. It's final! The final part I'm talking about is that we don't have another chance to make our decision to follow Christ. We don't get to say "wow, that bright light over there is real, and I'll take door number one!" That's it, final!


We sure talk alot about being doers and not talkers, but my prayer is that we reach out to our friends who are not Christ followers. We can't convince them to follow Christ, only He can do that, but at least we are doing what He asks us to do. It breaks my heart to think that Satan probably got one of my friends. It also pisses me off. I wish, now in hindsight, that I would have reached out to Marty a long time ago. This serves as a belated wake up call to action in the army of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think one of Satan's greatest victories is the complacency he indwells in us Christians. Satan is the great deceiver, beware. Don't' let complacency run your life. Jesus tells us in Revelation "I am coming quickly." Our time is short here, lets make the most of it.

Acts 5:42
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Stuck


This week is my week to introduce the question to our group the SBS. Here is the pre cursor to my question:


Jesus says He would rather you be hot or cold than lukewarm. He despises a lukewarm Christian; He wants to spit them out of His mouth. When you first become a Christian you are “fired up” so to speak. Then during your sanctification process we become stagnant for whatever reason. Stuck if you will. I can think of many reasons why we become stuck, but what do you do to get unstuck, and how do you get to the next plateau in your Christian walk? The real crux of this question is a heart check for us all. Are we stuck in the middle right now? It makes me think of a book I read clled Your God Is Too Safe, that talks about being in that place, or in between might be a better way to state it. What do you do to get out of the mire and muck and stagnation of your walk with Christ and increase your sanctification?
So here is the question:

How do we get past the stagnant point between salvation and sanctification?


My Answer:

One, is we have to cut out the distractions in our life that interfere with our "Jesus Time" by that I don't mean to join a commune and lock your self in a room and pray and read your bible 24/7. What I mean, is that there are probably things we could re-evaluate and tweak a little. For me it could be TV or the computer. Between the two, I probably spend an average of 4 hours a day engrossed in one or the other. What if I spent a quarter of that time in prayer, or in my bible?


Two: We have to see Jesus for who He really is. If we sit down and shut up for awhile and just meditate on who Jesus really is, we should fall over backwards in our chairs! We have (or at least I have) become so comfortable and complacent about Jesus that He becomes just another name we throw out there. We need to recapture the awe and reverence of who He really is. How about for starters, the creator of everything! We get to have a dialogue and conversation with this Jesus...and He listens, and He cares!! Do you grasp that?!!


Three: involve yourself. Surround yourself with other Christians who are fired up! For example, if you want to get good at skiing, you surround yourself with people who are passionate about skiing, who are good at it, practice all the time, devote themselves to getting better at it. You wouldn't or shouldn't expect to get better if you go once a month, or go with someone who is just starting out.


In conclusion the best way to get "unstuck" and move forward is to realize who Jesus is, and what He has done for you. If that doesn't get you unstuck and motivated, you better check your pulse. Your "christian" pulse.