March 1st, 2010
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I was reading a great sermon today about how a spirit-filled church should work and I had two really interesting observations from the article. There is a lot of good information in there and I encourage you to read it all, but a couple of points stood out to me and they both revolve around one central theme. God wants my attention.
In the exchange with the crippled man at the temple gate from Acts 3:1-10, Peter’s first words to the man were “Look at us”. He wanted to be sure that he had the man’s attention. Otherwise, what he was about to tell him might have gone unnoticed. God wants the same for us. He wants our attention, so that we will not miss what He has in mind for us.
The other thing that stood out in the sermon comes near the end and it ties into this same theme. In essence it says that we should be looking for places where God is at work. The author suggests that the first step to witnessing to someone starts with these steps:
- First God Works
- And then man explains what God did
I believe that one of our biggest problems today is that we don’t wait or look for step one. We try to jump to step two and make step one happen after that. The author of this sermon is not the first one I have heard this message from recently. In the book Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby & Claude King make the same point that we are to look for where God is at work and join in. Again, this requires us to pay attention to God. if we are not paying attention, then we might miss what God has in mind for us.
I urge you today to take some time and look around you and pay attention to where God is working. It could be in your own family or that of your neighbor. It could be in your church or in your workplace or classroom. Wherever it is, take time to pay attention and then ask God where you fit in. He really does want your attention!
February 18th, 2010
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I have been thinking about the news that I have been hearing lately and it seems we have had an unusual string of violence and loss. With teachers being shot, students dying in car wrecks, houses burning down and more, it seems that we are spinning out of control. It is hard to make sense of it all.
Then, I remembered something that helped. No matter how bad things seem to be, God is still in control and He can use any situation and make something good come from it. The Bible tells us in Romans that “… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I am reminded of the fact that the Apostle Paul wrote much of what we know today as the New Testament while he was imprisoned. If Paul had not been in prison, these letters to the early Church would probably never have been written. Paul would have visited these churches in person and shared his faith with them. But, since he could not visit them he had to write to them. As a result, we have some of the best material ever written to teach us about the love of God.
We may not understand it and we personally may never see the good that will come from these situations, but we must be assured, God Loves us and He is at work.
February 11th, 2010
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We seem to live in a culture that talks about acceptance and tolerance, but it only seems to divide us further. By tolerating someone you are saying I will let you do what you want, but I don’t have to be a part of it. Unfortunately, this also holds true for the Church. We spend too much time worrying about the things that we disagree on and little time working toward unity as followers of Christ.
We draw lines of division across many borders such as countries, territories, states, regions, cities, and suburbs. We often don’t work together with the people in other Sunday School classes in the same church community, much less with the believers in the church down the street from ours. In fact, we are often trying to draw members away from that congregation into our own. How sad is that?
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more below the surface. We seem to draw even greater lines in the sand when we try to cross other divides. We will be friends with someone from another denomination, but it is rare to hear of different denominations working together. Also, some lines are almost never breached. For instance, Protestants and Catholics seem to spend the majority of their time talking about why the other group is wrong.
As the Bible says “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Satan understands this and I feel that he is using that very principle against us. I hope that we can get ourselves to put our selves aside and come together as the Body of Christ. Just think of the possibilities.
