Doubt????

Mark 6: 4-6 -  Then Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his household."  So He was not able to do any miracles there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them and He was amazed at their unbelief. Now He was going around the villages in a circuit, teaching.

After pondering over this subject, which I think you would agree is a common problem for all Christians, the Spirit began to speak to me about what it is that causes me to slump in this department, my problem is the same problem that prevented the citizens of Nazareth from seeing Jesus, it was what they already "knew."  

Paul warns us about this in Phillippians Ch 3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh. The citizens of Nazareth certainly could not see past the flesh could they.  In fact we shouldn't be to quick to judge them, after all, this is the crowd that Jesus grew up around, the ones that were familiar with His family, you know they "knew" who He was in the flesh.

The old saying that goes something like this is so true, we really don't grasp the full meaning of it most of the time, " it is hard to fill a cup that is full."  So our problem is solved when we empty the cup of the flesh that it knows so well, and fill it with the Spirit of God who will help us past these "huge" problems that hinder our flesh from recognizing who God is in our lives, just as it hindered the people of Nazareth.

Is it easy, no not by any means, but that is why we are told in God's Word that without faith it is impossible to please God, for it is through faith in Him that we truly see who He is.   We cannot shrink back at the harder things, they are there to make us better, we are really to do the opposite, we are to "boast" of what Jesus can do in us and place all that we are in His Hands.  A big task for us all, but we have a big God...

In His Grip
Pastor William


Doubting

“I think the trouble with me is lack of faith. I have no rational ground for going back on the arguments that convinced me of God’s existence: but the irrational deadweight of my old sceptical habits, and the spirit of this age, and the cares of the day, steal away all my lively feeling of the truth, and often when I pray I wonder if I am not posting letters to a non-existent address. Mind you I don’t think so–the whole of my reasonable mind is convinced: but I often feel so.”

C.S Lewis

How To Burn Brightly

Paul is writing to Timothy from prison. He is desiring to inspire this young man that he spiritually adopted, with nothing held back...he loves Timothy. Timothy's world has seen the increased persecution of an unfriendly world and Paul wants him to survive this test.

2 Timothy 6,7  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

What is it that will sustain Timothy in the increasingly hostile world of Nero. I think it is love...Paul is communicating that isn't he. He is reminding Timothy of the moment he layed his hands on him and shared the ministry of Christ with him. 
What kind of love is that? It Family love. We can go back to Romans chapter 12 vs 9-11, and find this blazing flame here, "Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.  Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord."  Isn't this saying the same thing, Paul is encouraging family affection, brotherly love, showing of honer, diligence, and fervency of Spirit in serving the Lord.


I have heard so many times people use the excuse that they can "worship anywhere."  Yes, that is definitely true, but, and this is a big "but"  here, we have to be together to fan the flames of the Spirit in one another. This cannot be replaced with anything else, not a TV preacher, not a weekend on the river reading the Bible, or 40 days in the desert seeking God.  All of those things have there place. But we cannot fan the flames alone, it takes the Family of God around us to keep us honest, uplifted, accountable and strengthened.


For us to thing we can make it without each other is ignorance of the worst nature, and allows Satan to attack a lone Christian with no protection. If you go back to vs 1 Paul addresses Timothy as his dearly loved son. Was he Timothy's natural father? No, he was his spiritual father, and we have this same kind of relationship with each other in the family of God.  We are meant to be together, we make each other better and we can't do that unless we are acting like family. 


One of my first early memories of church was of the fans that used to be on the pews.  If everyone was fanning while the word was being taught it moved a lot of air in that room. I can remember sitting next to others that would make a wide swing with their fan to the benefit of those next to them, a young child, or an elderly person next to them. That's what I'm talking about, you need the fans of others to avoid overheating in this spiritual journey...you need the Family of God.

In His Grip
Pastor William

“The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.”



― C.S. Lewis

What is Normal?

      Well, after being on the medicines that helped me deal with the pain from the the detereorating condition that caused my knees to age at an advanced rate and collapse, I am now getting back to feeling normal.  I now have two titanium knees, which I received last year. The first on May 5th, and the second on November 15th. The medicines that helped me to function somewhat normal, also came with the nasty effects of withdrawal symptoms from those pain killers.  This caused me to ask myself the question, if I am feeling normal again, what is "normal and, is it good to be "normal, " and do I really want to be normal?

     Deuteronomy 14:2, 1 Peter 2:9, and also Titus 2:14, gives me a clue as to the answer of my question.  Listen to God in Deuteronomy and then read the rest of these scriptures for yourself. "For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be His special people out of all the peoples on the face of the earth."

    The word read in many translations as "Peculiar" is interpreted in the Greek as special. That is something that God has said about you and I, we didn't choose it for ourselves.  This also removes from us the option of being normal, or ordinary. Now this can all get confusing if we aren't careful.  Normal is often what society says and defines as "Normal," and this can't be trusted as a safe guideline, and then there is the other standard, "just going back to being me," and what I think is normal.

     Well, if we go back to being ourselves, then we start a journey back to what God saved us from.  Now that leaves us only one safe shelter to return to from all of our journey's in life, and that's back to being that special person that God Himself called you to be.  You aren't to be normal, and God has already accepted the "ME" that you and I are, and now we continue on as His Special People, on a very special journey, to a wonderfully special place...with Jesus, He, Christ is the true picture of who we need to be...
Be Filled With His Blessings
In His Grip
Pastor William

 "Human beings, all over the earth, have this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, and can't really get rid of it."
C.S. Lewis
The Case for Christianity



      

Sweating The Small Stuff

     This past Sunday was a good experience for our church.  We all talk about trusting God through tough times, but when we face the reality of fear and testing we sometimes fail the exam.  Consider the pressure this morning that Jacob was under as he obediently returned to his homeland as commanded by God.

      Genesis 32: 3-8 - Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor." When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has 400 men with him.”  Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, cattle, and camels.  He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.”

     God had made specific appointments at different timesto visit Jacob and reassure him that He was with Him and that he would be Safe in His Hands.  God had given to Jacob the very same promise that He had given Abraham, and Isaac.  He would bless those that blessed him and cursed those that cursed him, He would be watching over him closely.

     Now look at Jacob as doubt begins to interfere with faith.  Most likely the servants that came back to report to Jacob may have had some doubts, but it doesn't matter where the doubt will come from, just be reassured that it will come.  Jacob now begins to plan ahead, he isn't comforted by what God has told him personally, he has to take things into his on hands. He splits up his camp, sends his family away and then starts sending gifts of contrition ahead to his Esau.

     Of course, if we read on we find that Esau was excited to see his brother and embraced him and welcomed him home.  When we doubt God we can end up looking foolish.  God had already been working ahead of Jacob and had prepared this day for him.  The years of hate had diminished and Esau was not the man he remembered. We must believe that God is working in front of us and that He has our days in His Hands, when we don't doubt will take away from us the experience of growing in faith as we see God's hands working in a real way in our lives.
In His Grip
Pastor William

     God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

INCREASING, OR USELESS

    

I'm sitting by the fire this morning as I write this and reflecting on the words of Peter in 2 Peter Chp1 vs 5 - 9... can't seem to let this go from Sunday, I think it is very important...

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.
     
Getting back to the fire...I've hauled a lot of wood that I cut and sawed to stay warm with this morning, and for that effort I will stay warm as long as I'm still cutting wood.  Now the results of that is the warmth I receive from God because of that effort, (a man once said, " The man who cuts his own wood gets warmed twice) I have stayed warm.
     Now let's apply those same principles to what Peter is trying to tell us. Peter says first, "make every effort," so we must ask ourselves first if we are making honest efforts to excel in these things.  He then shows us the woodpile, goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness,brotherly affection, love...ok, you've got the picture.  He then asks each of us two questions, "are they yours? and are they increasing."  Increasing is the defining word here in this scripture.
     Lastly he he tells us how to avoid falling in this trap, and then a picture of the trap itself, blindness, uselessness, unfruitfulness, and a shortsighted picture of who you were before Christ found you. You know who I'm talking about don't you?  The person inside of us who thinks we have earned our spiritual degree and are qualified and don't need anything else, we have it all figured out, and have quit chopping wood.
     The ashes of many logs will go out in a small bucket, funny isn't it, all of the resources that God will use to keep us close,  it's hard work chopping, heavy hauling it in, and easy to haul out, he uses all of this creation around us to keep us comfortable physically and most of all, God sent His Son to warm our hearts. He also requires of us to be chopping spiritual wood for us and others, and if we do not all become cold shivering forgetful Christians, and useless in God's Kingdom work.
May God Bless You Greatly
Pastor William

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery