I just don’t feel like it! (Lunchtime for 10/28/09)

Some people legitimately appear to have an emotional burden and heart for the lost.  That is great, but I don’t!  I wish I did, but I don’t.  Nor have I seen most Christians have a “quote” heart for the lost.  But, I do love God with all of my heart.  And I have been given the gift of a new life and with that new life I have been given a new purpose.  This new purpose is very clear and in no way ambiguous for any Christian.  Nor is this new life and new purpose dependent upon feelings.  Regardless of whether you feel it or not, in Christ you are a new creation and have been given the mission to be Christ ambassadors, His ministers of reconciliation as though God Himself is making His appeal through you (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).  All throughout the scripture, we have been called to go out share the love of Christ with the lost, and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).  So, maybe we should stop caring or worrying about whether or not we have a “burden” or if we “feel like” praying and loving the lost and simply do it because God has asked us to.  Is that not enough?  It should be.  For freely we have received so freely we should give (Matthew 10:8).

Colossians 4:2-6

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

2 Thessalonians 3:1

Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.

In search of God’s treasure! (Lunchtime post for 10/21/09)

Out all of the treasures we seek and find here on earth I think it is fair to say heaven out shines them all.  Yet, Jesus left heaven and sacrificed everything, even to point of shedding His blood and giving His life.  So what is so important to Jesus that He would leave heaven, the best there is and come to earth in humility as a poor carpenter, and give up His life?  The answer is the lost.  Believers, including all of those who do not yet know Jesus are God’s treasure.  God the Father, who loves Jesus His Son, more than we could ever imagine or love ourselves, gave up His Son in order to save all who would believe in Him.  Christ was and is diligent and committed to seeking His treasure.  It is where His heart is.  If our goal is to seek after God and the things of His heart then lets be encouraged and invest in treasure that will not fade away or fall victim to thieves and let us invest our time, talent, and treasure in praying and sharing Christ with lost.  Pray for divine appoints.  Pray for God to soften the hearts and open the minds of those who do not know Christ in an intimate relationship.  And pray that God will give you a hearts desire for that which He treasures!  God bless.

Pastor Joe

Are you Good Enough? (Lunchtime for 10/14/09)

Are you good enough for God to listen to you? Will your prayers make a difference? This seems like an absurd question, but nonetheless, one people subconsciously ask & answer all the time. Our own shortcomings and sin, which fundamentally separates us from God, has an annoying consequence of constantly raising the question: Am I good enough? Our failures and struggle with sin elicit the voice of the accuser (Satan) along with our own guilt telling us that we are not good enough to serve God and should give up. Thus, serving God and praying for the lost can feel like a waste of time when we often feel lost ourselves. But isn’t that the point of having a savior? On our own we are lost. It is only in Christ that we are found. The beauty about praying for the lost and sharing Christ is that we are all called to be on the same journey: sinners saved by grace and in constant dependency and need of Jesus. We must remember that our purpose is to seek out God’s kingdom and His righteousness, not a realization of our own kingdom with our own personal righteousness within that kingdom. This side of heaven we will never be perfect for we still maintain a physical body that is cursed with sin. According to scripture (Romans 7), we have a battle raging within our very self, a battle between our spirit and our flesh. This truth is not an excuse to sin, rather an essential reminder that we will always need a savior. And just as important, it is a reminder that we are “Good enough” not based on our failures or lack of failures but based on our savior—Jesus Christ. We must continue to learn to place our value in Christ and His completed work on the cross and not our own personal qualifications, including our lack of qualifications. It is because Christ was and is “Good Enough” that we are able to approach the throne room of God with confidence.  As Hebrews 4:14-16 declares, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.   Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  With that promise from the God almighty who does not lie, let us Pray!  Pray feverishly and with boldness knowing that our Heavenly Father looks upon you as more than Good Enough thanks to our Lord Jesus.  For there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus our Lord.  God bless,

Pastor Joe

A Sacrifice of Praise (Lunch time for 10/7/09)

Psalm 141:1-2

O LORD, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you. 2 May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Although we all may feel it, we do not generally acknowledge the fact that at many times we do not feel like praying.  I don’t.  Whether it be laziness, business, exhaustion, or a variety of reasons it is difficult to stop and slow ones mind down and listen and humble oneself before God.  But, that is okay.  What I mean is that God is aware of the difficulty to slow down and focus our eyes not on ourselves but on God.  It is for this reason that prayer is called a sacrifice of praise.  We read in Psalm 141:1-2, David petitioned God and referred to his prayer as an evening sacrifice.  Again, in Hebrews 13:15-16 we read, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”  The word sacrifice means to give something up, just as Christ sacrificed His life for us.  In Romans 12 we are called to be living sacrifices, daily offering our bodies up to the Lord.  We are then told that this daily sacrifice is our true worship to God.  So don't be discouraged when you feel tired or unmotivated to pray.  Understand that feeling is normal.  But it is at that time, when you do not feel like praying, that your prayer becomes a sacrifice of praise.  And it is this sacrifice of praise that God loves and calls us each to give.  So, let us encourage one another, and offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.  Today as you take time from yourself and you own needs, offer up a sacrifice of praise to the lost, for those who do not know Jesus.  This is Christ's heart and it is what He sacrificed His life for.  Keep fighting the good fight, and remember we do not fight as the world fights.  But as scripture promises us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.  Let us pray.  God bless

Pastor Joe