Things In Common

 What does Columbus discovering America, the final episode of MASH, Compact Disc recordings, and the first time Jay Leno appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson have in common?  They all happened during the month of March sometime along history's timeline.  You might want to tuck these facts away in your mind for the next time you play Trivial Pursuit!

Know what else happened in March?  Victorious Life Church, Port Orange (formerly Bethel Assembly of God) was founded.  In March 1999 godly people came together under the pastoral leadership of John and Bobbie Jean Anderegg and prayed God would raise up an Assemblies of God church in Port Orange to His glory.  They believed against all odds - and prevailed.  These who have walked, served, and possessed faith before us are our "great cloud of witnesses."

Seldom do we look back to honor those who have carried the torch before us.  Somehow they get lost in the course of events that becomes history.  But remember and honor them we must.  While the things I mentioned in my first paragraph hold little, if any, spiritual significance the founding of a church for God's glory holds profound importance.

Think of the lives touched, those saved through our efforts, those who know healing because they found faith-filled believers who prayed.  Think of those who were filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized in water, changed by the power of God - and think about those who went on to heaven confessing Jesus as their Lord while they worshipped Him and were members of Victorious Life Church.  That's significant!  And even though it may never be a fact you will ever have to recall as you engage in Trivial Pursuit, they're facts written down in God's Book of Remembrances and Significant Dates.  Truth is - I'd rather be engaged in that which makes God's history books than that which makes this world's history any day.  Get involved in God's work.  Make a mark in the spiritual history of your church.

 

Mission and Miracles

A group prayed in earnest as they gathered in the predawn hours asking God to watch over them and direct the missions trip they were about to embark on.  With the last bag crammed into the already overloaded van they were on their way.  Miami was the airport that would ultimately lead to their destination of Barahona, Dominican Republic.  Their arrival at the Miami airport was pretty routine until….until it was realized one team member had not come with her passport.  She thought it was there, but "there" it wasn't.  Would the dream of taking her first missions trip, the one she worked so hard to raise money for and set her sights upon for so long, go up in smoke before it even started?  Not a chance.  It was determined she could still leave the country; it was reentry to the States that might cause the problem.  Nonetheless, she would go in hopes her passport could be overnighted to Barahona to guarantee her return.

As the team made their way through security time was growing very short.  The flight was to leave within minutes.  As each member's carry-on bag was carefully checked a hammer was found in one member's bag.  A hammer - after all the team was going to engage in some light construction work, so a hammer didn't seem to be so unusual.  "Nope.  Not allowed in the seating area of the plane.  It has to be shipped with the under-stored luggage."  As two team members dash off to box and check the hammer with baggage the final boarding calls are beckoning.  You could feel every second ticking away as the doors of the plane are pulled shut, but not without the two team-members scooting through the open crevice of the closing door.  One second later and the team would've been minus two members.

The packed flight of several hundred people went much as expected until...until final descent.  Upon descent the plane made several sudden jerks downward.  What was going on?  Why such a rough ride all of a sudden?  The pilot's voice soon brought the news.  It was uncertain if the plane's nose gear was engaged in the landing position.  The plane's instrument panel did not indicate it was down and locked into place.  After repeated sweeps by the airport the plane would circle over the ocean again, dump it's fuel, and prepare to belly-flop onto the runway.  Emergency fire and rescue personnel were already preparing for the mop up.  With one last sweep and a multitude of prayers ascending to heaven the plane meets the runway, and as we roll to a stop we realize the hand of God that kept us safe and had been with us since we prayed that morning - the hand of God that performs miracles when people are engaged in His mission of spreading the gospel to every corner of the world.

 

Refuse to live in the valley of the shadow of death

 

David writes, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."  There is a huge difference between walking through and living in the valley of the shadow of death.  We have to make a choice as to whether we are going to live and die in the valley of the shadow of death, or if we are simply going to walk through the valley.

Let me paint the picture of the valley of the shadow of death for you that David speaks of.  According to Phillip Keller, author of a Shepherds Look At Psalm 23, the valley of the shadow of death would be faced twice a year when shepherds would lead their flocks back into the mountains for grazing, then back from the mountains for wintering near the homefront.  It was as they made these journeys through the hills, clefts and mountains that the sheep and shepherd faced some perilous situations.  They faced the dangers of flash floods, avalanches, rock slides, narrow passages, steep cliffs, poisonous plants and snakes, and the possible attacks from ferocious mountain lions and other predators.  The trip was truly at the risk of death every time they made the passage.

Here is the parallel – every Christian faces the valley of the shadow of death.  It is that valley in which your spiritual life is put to the test.  There you will either live or die.  But notice, it is not a place where we are destined to linger.  It's a valley we walk through, but it is not a lodging place.  Yet this is where many make their mistake – some choose to live in the valley of the shadow of death.  So, all they talk about sounds like death.  "Do you know who died this week?  Did you hear the bad news about so and so?  I am feeling so badly; I'm not sure if I am going to make it.  My finances are at rock bottom; my situation is bad, bad, bad."  With every statement they dig their grave as they linger in the valley of the shadow of death.

Do yourself a favor and refuse to live in the valley of the shadow of death.  Might you have to walk through it occasionally?  Yes, but you don't have to vacation or live there.  We simply pass through it.  We'll face the dangers on both sides; we may even have a few scares along the way (David did); but we continue to walk through it, never allowing ourselves to get snagged there.

God tells us we can walk through this valley with confidence.  David said as he led his sheep through this valley again and again, "I will fear no evil, because you are with me."  God, you go with us.  And David said, "Your rod and your staff, they comfort me."  In other words, Lord God, you offer me security.  In the midst of every threat, God, you offer protection.  You say, 'It is going to be okay.'  You keep me from being afraid.

Here is the difference.  If you are simply walking through the valley of the shadow of death as a part of your journey through life, God has your back.  But, if you have chosen to linger there, even live there, you're in a heap of trouble.  Your spiritual well-being is at risk.  The devil is about ready to pounce on you and take you out.  Listen, determine now to get out of that valley – refuse to live or linger in that valley.  Change whatever has to be changed - because it won't take you to your desired end or bring God's blessings to your life.

 

My Two Cents Worth

Believe me I am not going to go deep here (as if I could being that math and science were not my strength in school), but there is a law of physics that says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Simply put - there are consequences for your actions.  You may think nothing of one more swipe of the credit card for the sweater "I absolutely adore and can't live without" or, the new cell phone that's "got the cutest little ringtones" or, dinner at that favorite restaurant where "the food is to die for."  Guess what.  There are consequences for those actions.  It's called a credit card bill at the end of the month.

You may feel one more dessert, that extra plate of food, and the super-sized burger may not catch up with you, but guess what.  There are consequences for those actions.  Those things translate into unwanted pounds, cholesterol, heart-disease, and more - and it literally demands a pound of flesh (and fat!) to shed those unwanted pounds.

You may think laying off one more Sunday, or dropping Wednesdays or your small group from your church routine, isn't going to have much of an effect.  Oh yea!  The famous last words of every backslider!  All of these things have consequences.

There are two words we do not hear or practice often anymore - discipline and moderation.  We live during a time of excesses.  We demand more, always more, even when budgets, waistlines and our spiritual beings are crying ENOUGH ALREADY.  Whatever happened to disciplining our desires against that which we can afford?  Whatever happened to denying ourselves that "one more" little item that takes us over the edge?  It's time to give new consideration to living lives of discipline and moderation.

Now is the time to serve notice on yourself.  You must get a grip on these things (and/or other things not mentioned above).  If you are to have a healthy, happy and prosperous new year you must begin the regiment of discipline and moderation.  Otherwise you will pay the price, and believe me it will cost you big time.

 

Worship His majesty

 

Present day hymn-writers are few and far between, but several years ago Jack Hayford penned a new hymn titled, Majesty.  I'm not sure of all Dr, Hayford had in mind when he wrote the words of that hymn, but he captured a few truths we cannot overlook.

The first is that of worship.  From the very beginning we were fashioned to be worshipers - worshipers of the Eternal God, our Creator and Redeemer.  The truth is we all have a need to worship something or someone.  Our worship will be expressed in some fashion or another.  I believe it is within our inner-being to worship God, but some have displaced that desire and directed their worship to a secondary longing.

The second concept within Dr. Hayford's hymn is the concept of majesty.  When we are captured by something so grand, so majestic, it takes our breath away.  Who, what, can be any more majestic than God Himself?  There are some amazing breathtaking sights in this world, but nothing compares to the majesty and splendor of Almighty God.

Third, it is His Majesty that is to capture our hearts.  This speaks to the person of Jesus, not His attributes, but His person.  The Scriptures declare that as Jesus came to earth His majesty caught everybody off guard.  So much so wise men came from afar, angels announced the good news to shepherds watching their flocks in fields.  Even King Herod was overly concerned with this One born with such majesty.  It's not simply the concept of something majestic that we worship.  It is His Majesty - the fullness of His Majesty - so tremendously beyond comprehension as it may be!  That Jesus would step outside His majestic heavenly splendor and come down to us is beyond belief.  But He did.  He became flesh, so that we might draw near to Him, and be reconciled to God, and worship Him.  We are privileged to worship whatever we desire.  I will worship His Majesty.  Turn full face with me and worship Him this Christmas

I Stand Appalled

 New Survey Raises Concerns

(Taken from The Pastor's Weekly Briefing; A publication of Focus on the Family Ministries)

 

If ever there was a need to return to the ministry of discipleship, this report shows it is now.  We cannot allow another week to go by without educating believers in what the Bible teaches.

 

"According to a study released last month by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of general religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions.

Of the 32 religious knowledge questions, the average number of correct answers was 16. Atheists and agnostics averaged 20.9 correct answers, Jews averaged 20.5 correct answers and Mormons averaged 20.3 correct answers. Catholics answered an average of 14.7 questions correctly and Protestants, as a whole, gave an average of 16 correct answers. Of the 12 questions dealing with Christianity, Mormons answered an average of 7.9 correctly and evangelical Christians answered an average of 7.3 correctly.

The survey also dealt with perceptions relating to the separation of church and state, and found some confusion over the line between teaching and preaching in public schools. Among the questions most often answered incorrectly is whether public school teachers are permitted to read from the Bible as an example of literature. Two-thirds of those surveyed (67%) said "no" to this question, even though the Supreme Court has stated that the Bible may be taught for its "literary and historic" qualities, as long as it is part of a secular curriculum. The single question that respondents most frequently got right is whether U.S. Supreme Court rulings allow teachers to lead public school classes in prayer. Nine-in-ten (89%) correctly said this is not allowed. (The results of the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey were based on interviews with 3,412 randomly sampled adults from May 19 through June 6, 2010. For the complete report go to The Pew Forum.)"

 

Could it be that as more and more churches have done away with the Sunday morning Discipleship hour (i.e. Sunday School), they have set the stage for the "dumbing-down" of Christians?  Let us return - NOW -  to teaching the Bible, and away from many of the fads that have prevailed in many churches these past several decades that have set this stage.  If you are in a church that does not offer a Discipleship Training hour or small group, ask you Pastor to begin one.  If you are a Pastor who has opted out of Discipleship hours for the conveneince of compacted service times, or some other reason, reconsider what you are doing.  We cannot do in 30-45 minutes in the pulpit what needs to be done in training and making disciples.  I call you to return to the making of disciples through diligent systematic studies of the Bible, that is Sunday School or its equivalent..

This Is A Critical Hour

I don't often use my role as a pastor to address political issues, but I sense our nation is facing a critical hour politically.  The direction our nation has been going the last fifty years or so has set us on a course where "we are no longer a Christian nation".  Our nation may have been founded on Christian principles, but we have strayed far from them.  I remember so vividly reading my "Weekly Reader" as I left school as a child.  I remember when prayer was offered in our schools, and then how it turned to a moment of silence, and now is completely absent from our schools.  I remember when we offered the Pledge of Allegiance with passion, and when someone chose not to stand to pledge allegiance to our flag it was frowned upon.  Not anymore.  Within me there is a certain sadness and disbelief that we have come so far.  Also within me is a raging plea to return to our roots, back to a Christian nation, back where God is lifted up, and a banner of righteousness is proclaimed and promoted.

I offer two ways for this to happen.  One, is for every believer to exercise his or her right to vote.  The elections are just around the corner, and probably before you receive our next newsletter you will have had the opportunity to vote.  Do it.  Vote.  Secondly, pray for our nation, it's leaders, and for godly men and women to get into office.  Our battle will never be won on the picket lines.  It will be won on our knees, crying out to God to raise up a standard of holiness and righteousness.  The Bible says, "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (individual) avails much."

Enough of criticizing our government and those in governmental leadership positions.  Now is not the time for criticism - it is time to pray and vote.  Let's do it.  Let's take our petitions before God, on our knees, and let's let our convictions be heard as we go to the voting polls.

"Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven…"