Teen Tuesday: Week 13

Monday's Message: Reality Check

Reality Check:  

I Corinthians 4:8-21

"Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?"

This is an odd passage of Scripture; one that can be easily misread.  Some sarcasm and implied statements are made here, and if they are taken seriously it can change the entire meaning.  Paul was dealing with a group of people who had elevated themselves in their minds to a very haughty place.  These Corinthians no longer saw their need for strong preaching or for old-fashioned, archaic rules.  You see, they had it all figured out.  There was no need for them to suffer the persecution that Paul and those who traveled with him had endured; they had a better way to build their church and live their lives.  This mentality, I fear, is still prevalent in the church today.  No doubt, at times we have all been guilty of questioning some sermons we have heard preached that contradict our understanding or opinions.  I am not proclaiming the perfection of men of God, but rather the authority of the God they serve.  We must be careful not to adopt this arrogant, satanic habit of constantly questioning or criticizing truth.

Christ established and ordained local churches and over them He appoints pastors to lead them.  We all need to be a part of a local church with a man of God to guide us according to the Bible.  It is a very wise and humble decision to place yourself and your family under the authority of a pastor and a local church, but more importantly it is very Scriptural.  The wrong doctrine and direction crept in the Church at Corinth because they became “puffed up” and stopped following the man of God.  Believer, please make the wise decision to be faithful and loyal to your church and your pastor.

Ask yourself these question:

1.       Do I see myself the way that God and my Pastor see me?

2.       Do I have a spiritual mentor? If so, who is he?

3.       Do I allow a mentor to point out areas of weakness in my life?

Sunday Says: Week 13

Family Friday: Where is the Love?

Our world is in desperate need of families who strive to love and to serve, even when daily pressures, work and stress have them overwhelmed.

Jesus’ followers are called to stand out. To act in a way so unique and appealing that people sit up to notice, “What in the world?” This difference is love shown by a loving, serving heart:

o    A husband opening the door for his wife and complimenting her

o    A wife snuggled to her husband’s side with a hand on his knee and a smile

o    Children speaking to their parents with respect and volunteering to offer a helping hand

These scenes like this get your attention, don’t they? Jesus knew they would. In John 13:35 He says, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”  In many families, love has become misplaced and reinterpreted: “You love me if you do XYZ.”

The good news is there is a better way. There is a way to be noticed ... in the right way.

Get “caught” doing this:

1.  Watch your tongue.

2.  Display gentleness and respect in your body language.

3.  Don’t think, “It’s all about me.” Love, give, serve.

4.  Work as a team in challenging times and with difficult kids.

5.  Read God’s Word to learn what “a better way looks” like.

6.  Turn to Jesus and as His Spirit to fill you and guide you as you strive to live positively noticeable.

7.  Finally, make kindness your first response, trusting your family members will do the same.

Thoughtful Thursday: Ian's Story

While driving home from church one Sunday night, we drove up to an accident that had just happened.  A man on a bicycle, had been struck by a car.   We immediately pulled over, and my husband and I got out and rushed over.  My husband started directing traffic around and I rushed over to the man lying on the ground.  He was conscious, but a bit disoriented.   Having no medical training, I knew there was nothing I could do for his wounds, which did not appear life-threatening, so I just began to talk to him in order to distract him from his pain.  I asked his name.  He told me his name was Ian.  He lived nearby, so I tried calling his family to notify them of the accident. Meanwhile, someone had run to his house to tell them and his wife/girlfriend arrived shortly after.   This lady ran over to him and says "Ian!  Ian!   Are you ok??"   To which this battered and bleeding man, lying on the ground, replies "Yes, by God's grace".

Ever been slapped in the spiritual face?   Yeah, this was one of those moments.
How does one, in what seemingly is a terrible situation, have such a great outlook!?

How many times have we been having a "bad day" and someone asks how we are and they receive a reply like "Ugh!  I've been better." or "It's been a horrible day!"  When in all actuality, we just simply woke up late...or got a paper cut...or some other "horrible" thing that has caused us to dwell on the bad rather than the blessed.  I know I'm guilty of this more often than I probably realize.  

Even on a day when we wake up late, we should be thankful that God allowed us another day to live for Him.

Even on a day when we feel overwhelmed, we should be thankful that we serve the One that has unlimited strength for us to rely on.

Even on a day when we just don’t feel like smiling, we should be thankful that we are on our way to Heaven…by God’s grace!

Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:3 - For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Colossians 3:15a - And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,

We Pray Wednesday: The Beauty and Blessedness of Prayer (Part 1)

The Beauty And Blessedness Of Prayer

(Part 1)

            Oh, What a beautiful thing it is to find your place in conversation and communion with God! What a comfort to know that you can, at any time, call on a loving God that has endless and unimaginable power to perform miracles and marvelous acts of love!  What a wonderful feeling it is to know that you are secure in the hands of God and nothing in the universe can touch you without His permission! The eyes of the Lord are upon all those that love Him. We serve an awesome and powerful God, One that will listen and answer the request that we make known to Him out of a pure heart. 
Prayer is a joyous privilege that we have as “Born Again Christians”.  Imagine the reality of our being; we abide on a very small planet in the midst of a universe so vast and immense that the human mind cannot comprehend. We can see thousands and thousands of light years into space with our telescopes and behold trillions of stars and planets, none of which can match up to our little planet earth that is suspended in nothingness and held together by the powerful God that we serve. We are alone in space abiding on a planet that is perfectly positioned in the universe to sustain life. What a powerful God! And we have the ability to communicate with Him and He with us. This blessed right that we have is called “Prayer”.

           

As always, I like to give God’s definition from His own word; The BIBLE, which is the final authority.  Here we find at least three Hebrew words in the old testament that define prayer; #1 – “pilla” defined as a plea or petition,

#2 – “palal”defined as a mediation or intervention,

#3 – “siha”defined as a meditation. 

Then you have at least three Greek words in the new testament defining prayer;  

#1 – “deesis” defined as a request, a petition or supplication,

#2 – “enteuxis” defined as an intercession, 

#3 – “proseuche” defined as the act of or place of praying or petitioning. 

The one common denominator of all these definitions in relation to our position with God is; Prayer is talking with God, pleading, petitioning, mediating or making intercession. Prayer must be sincere, humble and reverent in the fear of God. Praying must be done in the name of Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit and supported by pure motive. Prayer is essential for survival as a Christian. If you want to know God and have a relationship with Him, you MUST pray. Prayer is a form of worship.  It is,in my opinion, the highest form of worship, and we all know that if we are going to worship God, we must worship Him in spirit and in truth.This cannot be accomplished without talking with God on a regular basis.

We need God so very much! We are nothing without Him. He is our strength, our protection, our guidance and our wisdom. That is why we must communicate with Him numerous times daily. It is so very sad to say that the average professing Christian spends less than five minutes a day talking with God. Many do not even speak to God. Personally, I cannot imagine having the Holy Spirit living inside and not having a burning desire to have an intimate relationship with God. I am from the old school and I say; Give yourself the test. If someone has the Holy Spirit living in them, there are things that will be NOTICEABLY PRESENT in their life. 
First of all; they will possess the fruit of the spirit. The BIBLE says in Galations 5:22-23“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”  These things will be VERY EVIDENT in the life of the True Born Again Christian. Also, the True Born Again Christian is going to publicly testify of his/her salvation experience. I’m not buying the “sit at home, don’t ever say nothing to no-one about Jesus” salvation.  God is no respecter of persons, He wants all Born Again Christians to witness; NO EXCEPTIONS! Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33“ Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” 
So, what are we saying? We are merely reiterating what Jesus said in Matthew7: 20-23 "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in Heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”   

Simply saying; If you are saved, Born Again, you will talk to God or you will be a Christian most miserable. That is why we see so many SOURPUSS Christians in the world today – because they have grieved the Spirit of God. The reason I mention these somewhat negative remarks is because Christians need to grow up and understand that we are truly nothing without God. We MUST communicate with God to survive as Christians in this wicked world that we live in today. He sees and knows all things and He knows exactly how many seconds or minutes or hours you spend in prayer each and every day.