Thoughts on Christ and His Word

Recently I read a post in Pastor John Hopler's Morale Booster to GCC leaders.  He wrote: Pastors are always helping people work through relational conflicts. When doing mediation, consider 1 Peter 3:8: "Let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind hearted, humble in spirit." According to this verse, there is a close relationship between sympathy and harmony. Sympathy means "feeling what the other person is feeling." Time and time again, I have found that if both parties in a conflict can genuinely feel what the other person is feeling, harmony will occur. I think his thought is good for all Christians who are trying to help others resolve conflicts.  Let's help those we are helping to put themselves in the other person's shoes in order to evoke some sympathy for one another.

Have you ever wondered how or why Christians can walk away from Christianity and then you hear that they became Muslim or joined a religion that rejects the fundamentals of the Christian faith?   They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 1 John 2:19 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.   2 John 9 In these passages the Apostle John reveals a stunning truth: not everyone who is among us and looks like a Christian is really a born again believer. The fact that they would leave us, meaning Christians or Christianity, and reject the teachings of Christ - his deity, humanity, redemptive work on the cross, and his resurrection, reveal that they do not have God nor ever belonged to Christ. It's not that they lost the

I was watching CNN yesterday and I saw a report of how the terrorist group ISIS was coming after some people on top of Mount Sinjar in Iraq. And Iraqi helicopter touch downed and rescued about 15 people, among them young children. Horror was on their faces. This made me angry at this terrorist group.  They have slaughtered thousands of people simply because they don't believe in their version of Islam. Sin should make us mad. The Bible says Lot was a oppressed by the evil around him. He saw murders, homosexuality, rape, and all kinds of sexual and violent sin. He was vexed in his soul. Are we vexed by what we see around us. Or have we grown so accustomed to the sin that surrounds us that is no longer makes us sad or even mad. Or even worse, do we sit and enjoy the sin of others instead of being the light God intended for us to be.

J. Oswald Sanders writes "To aspire to leadership in God's kingdom requires us to be willing to pay a price higher than others are willing to pay.  The toll of true leadership is heavy, and the more effective the leadership, the greater the cost." (from Spiritual Leadership ) He goes on to talk about several areas where leaders must pay the price.  One such area is self-sacrifice.   "Those who lead the church are marked by a willingness to give up personal preferences, to surrender legitimate and natural desires for the sake of God." About fatigue he writes "If a Christian is not willing to rise early and work late, to expend greater effort in diligent study and faithful work, that person will not change a generation.  Fatigue is the price of leadership.  Mediocrity is the result of never getting tired." Spiritual leadership is a costly venture.

The other day I asked some of our church leaders what they did to pick themselves up when they felt discouraged.  Here is a few of their answers: Ask God for peace Listen to uplifting music Prayer Meditate on the Word of God I can say that I have done all of these at one point in my life to lift myself out of discouragement.   Paul had a method of keeping discouragement away - recalling how God's mercy had given him the hope of resurrection with Christ and the ministry with which he served (2 Corinthians 4). Everyone needs a strategy to get out of discouragement.  I hope some of the above can help you.

John the Baptist was a straight shooter. Simply put, he called things as he saw them. This got him in trouble later on in life and ended up with his head on a platter. John called people to a very practical form of faith in God. Luke 3 says John came "preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin". In v.8 he calls on the people to "produce fruit in keeping with repentance". In verse 9 he says "the ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." The people then asked him what to do in their specific situations. To one group he says if you got two tunics share with the one who doesn't have any; if you have food share with the one who doesn't have food. To the tax collectors he said don't collect anymore money than what you are required - meaning be honest in all your financial dealings. When soldiers asked him what they should do, he told them no

Do you ever get angry when you are interrupted as you're trying to do something important? Jesus was a man of compassion even when His plans were interrupted.  When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.   Matthew 14:13-14  Jesus had just heard that John the Baptist had been killed. So he wanted to go to a private place all alone to pray. But when he arrived to that place he was met by a crowd. A crowd that wanted his attention because many of them were sick or had brought a sick friend or relative.I would have probably gotten frustrated or even angry at this interruption of my plans. But Jesus had compassion. He healed the sick and undoubtedly taught them God's Word.  As evening approached the disciples wanted to get rid of all these people and have them leave to go and bu

As we complete our campaign of "Ambassadors for Christ, I was reminded of how Rick Warren summarized the purpose of our lives in chapter 39 of The Purpose Driven Life. He writes: Jesus...helped them [his disciples] to know and love God (worship), taught them to love each other (fellowship), gave them the Word so they could grow to maturity (discipleship), showed them how to serve (ministry), and sent them out to tell others (mission). Today God calls each of us to the same work. Not only does he want us to live out his purposes, he also wants us to help others do the same. God wants us to introduce people to Christ, bring them into his fellowship, help them grow to maturity and discover their place of service, and then send them out to reach others, too. I agree that a well-rounded Christian life will live out these five purposes in proper balance. May God grant that all the saints in The Rock live a purpose-filled life for the honor and glory of our great God and

Ruth is one of the best examples of loyalty in the Bible.  Although her mother-in-law begged her to return to her own people after the death of her husband and get a new husband from her own people, Ruth refused - "Ruth answered, “Don't ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried. May the Lord's worst punishment come upon me if I let anything but death separate me from you!”  Ruth 1:16-17 GNT Why was Ruth so loyal?  Not because Naomi demanded it, but because of the selfless LOVE Naomi always expressed towards Ruth. Loyalty is not something we demand from others, its something we give to those who have loved us greatly. We should be loyal to those who love us, but our greatest loyalty is to God who graciously gave His Son to die on a cross and save us from our sin.

Pastor Ronnie Floyd wrote a book called Our Last Great Hope concerning the great commission. In it he writes the following: "I want to see the final goal come to pass. I want to see the Great Commission fulfilled in my lifetime. I want to see the triumphant glorious return of Christ. I have to want it deeply, more than anything else. I have to want it more than just today's passing spiritual fad. I have to keep wanting it when the church changes the subject, when the world deflects my attention, when the Devil raises resistance, when I simply grow older and a little more tired. I have to want it more than anything on earth, short of knowing God himself." Perhaps I need to pray that God would make this my heart's desire also. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... -Jesus