Is Our Church More Than a Conqueror?

We celebrated Pleasant Prairie Baptist Church’s 40^th Anniversary yesterday. I had thought two hours would be sufficient time to herald the past 40 years at Pleasant Prairie Baptist Church. Don’t get me wrong, I get nostalgic from time to time. I even did a video for my wife on our 25^th Anniversary (10 years ago-I figure it’s good until our 50^th). But actually, I’ve always been a here and now kind of preacher. In fact I’m more a what’s happening tomorrow kind of guy-always looking to the future, never looking back. I’ve always taken Paul’s phrase to heart – “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead”. As a preacher, if anyone frustrates me, it is Christians that live in the past. You can recognize them by the sighing and the tears when they talk about the “things we used to do”, or they remember how the people “used to do this or that”. But when you ask them about what God is doing NOW they usually get a blank look on their face. Older Christians with multiple “battle scars” seem to be more inclined to this “nostalgia”. Sometimes I believe we focus too much attention and emotion on what might have been. “If only this hadn’t happened, if only that had happened”. Anniversaries are important, and we should take time to honor those who have brought us to this moment in time. But shouldn’t we Honor God most of all?

The truth is that many churches, especially smaller churches, that have been through a lot of ups and downs (and splits) view themselves as SURVIVORS. This spirit was in evidence just a little bit yesterday. It is true, our church has SURVIVED many trials, TWO major Splits, an endless parade of Pastors (we have had more Interim's than Called Pastors). I was hoping that there would be no mention of past pains, because as long as we are still dealing with painful memories we are blocking any view of God’s Purpose. I understand that there may be regrets, painful memories, but we must be God-focused, and God is Jehovah Rophe, the God who HEALS.

Is God a Survivor?

Do we view God as a SURVIVOR? After all, He endured a HUGE split that took one third of the heavenly host away from Him. His Son was rejected as the Messiah and then horribly crucified. Most of the world uses His Holy Name in vain. If anyone is a SURVIVOR, it should be God. But that is NOT the God of the Holy Scriptures. God is a God of PURPOSE. There is NOTHING that happens that surprises God, or catches Him off guard. The following verses declare the omnipotence and omniscience of God:

• Job 42:2 (ESV) 2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
• Psalms 33:11 (NASB77) The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.
• Proverbs 19:21 (ESV) 21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
• Isaiah 14:24 (NLT) The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has sworn this oath: “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided.

The Church of God is the Bride of Christ.

We are being prepared for that fabulous Banquet in Heaven. God’s Church is said to be "More than a Conqueror" (Rom 8:37). We need to see the bad things that happen in our church as the GOOD things of God. God is building His Church. We must acknowledge the HAND of God in building His Church. Most of the problems that a church experiences are the direct result of the flesh blocking the Holy Spirit of God. The flesh can block growth, the flesh can block God, the flesh can make it impossible for a Church to experience the Power of the Holy Spirit. The flesh will be pruned. Those that do not bear fruit, the Holy Spirit will cut off. Instead of seeing our church as a Survivor, we must see our Church as a Conqueror. Building a church is the work of the Holy Spirit. His mission is to move and call and prepare the Bride of Christ. The most important thing a church can celebrate is that the Holy Spirit is moving among the people, because we have united our hearts with the Purpose of God!

In Nehemiah 8 we find Ezra reading the Law of Moses. Many of the people had never heard the Word of God before. They had to have it explained to them. As a result, the people started weeping and mourning as their sin and rebellion and selfish ways were revealed by what God's Law commands. However, Nehemiah proclaimed to the people NOT to mourn or weep. In fact he told them to go and feast and party, because this day is holy unto Jehovah. Do not be sorry, for the JOY of the Lord is your strength.

The lesson for us is that when we as a church unite our hearts with God and His purpose, and depend totally upon God and His Word to accomplish the task of building our church, then we will experience the JOY of the Lord. In fact the JOY of the Lord will be our strength!

Priests were forbidden to wear garments that would make them sweat when they were ministering to God. God did not want any sweating going on in His Temple. After the fall, man was condemned to work by the sweat of his brow. In the ministry of God’s Word, it is not man’s sweat that ministers, it is GOD! God wants His preachers empowered by the Holy Spirit. He does not want us to work in our own strength. He does not want us to sweat as we minister. The sweat symbolizes our own fleshly efforts. The flesh is the enemy of God and His Purpose.

Ezekiel 44:15-18 (NKJV) 15 "But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood," says the Lord God. 16 They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. 17 And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. 18 They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat.

Pleasant Prairie has been a great church with great people. I received several compliments on how wonderful the Anniversary Service was.

We had an appearance by Lizzy Lou, singers Jack and Rachel Wicker, the testimonies of Janice Fogle, the Andrews and Cory Young. However by the time I stepped into the pulpit to deliver a message that I believe spoke to the FUTURE of our church, it was 12:13. We had started at 10 AM. I know a restless crowd when I see one. I promptly announced that I would only preach for 5 minutes and I did.

Does it seem that sometimes we push God out of the way? Does God want to lead a church where He is only allowed on the sidelines? Churches are full of people with good intentions. But how often do we stop and ask "God, Are we in line with Your Purpose? God, are You pleased with what we are doing? God, what do You want to accomplish with our Church?" Churches can sometimes get stuck in the rut of doing their own “agenda”, and just throw God in for good measure.

I believe that the people of Pleasant Prairie aligned themselves with the Purpose of God in the early days. That is why God blessed and multiplied the church. As Pastor, my concern is that we again unite ourselves with the Purpose of God. We cannot do that and focus our hearts on the pains and regrets of the past. We must accept that sometimes God does a shaking, so that those left can truly worship Him. God desires that we be “unshakable”.

Hebrews 12:25-29 (NLT) "Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire."

Pleasant Prairie Baptist Church has great potential. Not in our own strength, but through the Power of God. We have a great core of people who are humble, and seek God’s will for their lives. There is a spark missing, a cylinder that is miss-firing, and I believe it is caused by those holding on to the failures or misspent opportunities of the past. We have got to change our focus from failures and the past to the future we have with God and His purpose. We need to stop crying and mourning and discover the JOY of the Lord, and let Him be our STRENGTH!

I believe we are on the edge of very exciting moves of God. I believe God is ready to pour out His Amazing Grace upon our people. He is very excited by what is happening in our church. Hearts are being touched, lives changed. Sure there are problems, sure there are challenges. But God must be allowed to be Sovereign. He must be allowed to work without our meddling and our own personal agenda’s. We must not hold on to the past, we must not hold on to painful memories, we must not hold on to the way things used to be. We must let go and grab hold of God's Purpose. We must seek Him and keep seeking Him until we see His purpose for our church. We must not get content. We must willingly agree to unite our Hearts with His Word and His purpose.

I was very proud of our church yesterday. I believe the guests that came could sense God is being honored and is at work. I believe some people came that secretly desired to come back and re-discover God’s purpose for their lives. I pray that we will all move to that end, that we will become a church of God’s Purpose, a Church that is More than a Conqueror!

Pictures & Videos from our 40th Anniversary:

Pictures
Rachel Wicker
Lizzie Lou
Janice Fogle pt 1
Janice Fogle pt 2

There Are None Ignorant, No Not One

God speaks generally to every man and woman, boy and girl on earth. No one can claim ignorance when they stand before God. It doesn't work with the cop and his radar gun, so why do we think it will work with God? Solomon writes:

Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud: "To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. (Pro 8:1-4 ESV)

The Wisdom of God is pictured as a woman, and Solomon claims she calls to all and is readily available. Proverbs 1 confirms this truth:

Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. (Pro 1:20-27 ESV)

God's wisdom is seen once again as a woman, and her testimony is that no one paid attention. She condemns us by saying: "you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof." Paul utters a similar indictment against mankind:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Rom 1:18-20 ESV)

There is no one that has ever trod this earth that can stand before Almighty God and claim that he turned away from Him because God never provided any understanding of His existence or His power and works among men. The witness of God has been in His creation and acts of goodness, and for over six thousand years has been through His Word.

Romans 2:14-15 presents yet another claim of God that voids mankind's excuses:

...For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them ...(Rom 2:14-15 ESV)

Deep within everyone, regardless of race or location, is a God-given awareness, a consciousness, not only of His existence, but even of some of the basics of what He requires, things written in God's biblical law. Despite all of this evidence, we universally reject Him. So thorough is mankind's rejection of God that, when He came as a man, we killed Him!

Am I Bonkers? Kids Always Made Fun of my Big Ears

I remember getting upset when kids made fun of my 'big ears'. They wondered if I could listen in on the Chinese. I remember trying to tape them down so they wouldn't stick out so much. Thankfully I grew into my ears (maybe a little too much). I have grown to accept the way God made me. Words that people say don't upset me like they use to. I have learned the importance of understanding why they say what they say.

But I did read something this morning that brought back those memories of having 'big ears' . I felt like I was being made fun of all over again. Andy Klein was quoted in praise of Bill Maher’s new film “Religulous” in the Pro-Con section of the Kansas City Star’s Opinion page. Andy said

“For many of us, it makes about as much sense to take the Bible (or any of the other religions’ texts) as absolute truth as it does to regard The Lord of the Rings (or Gulliver’s Travels or The Story of O) as Holy Writ. The Bible’s exceptional status is more an accident of history than a proof of divine origin. And thinking God is actually speaking to you is, well, a little bonkers, whether you’re Moses or Joan of Arc or the guy on his knees praying, right down the street.”

Andy is a film reviewer for www.lacitybeat.com. And yes, he represents a growing number of people in America who define “bonkers” as thinking that God speaks to you. Such a view is widespread because we have raised an entire generation of children without teaching them the reality and authority of God’s Word. Nor have we DEMONSTRATED the reality of God’s Word. Sure people have a knowledge of God, even a desire to worship Him. But they only love the “concept” of a traditional God. What this generation loves is actually an idol, a god of their own making. He might as well be a voiceless statue if to hear Him speak is “bonkers”.

To know the true God is to listen to His words. To understand the true God is to believe that He in fact speaks to us. Hebrews 1:2 says that God has spoken to us through His Son. John 1 says that “The Word” (God’s message to us) was with God in the beginning, and in fact is God. In him appeared life and this life was the light of mankind. The light still shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.

People like Bill Maher and Andy Klein will always make fun of people who “listen” to the Word of God. They would have made fun of my "Big Ears". They are like the kids who make fun of blind people and other kids with disabilities.

John 1:11 says even when He came to his own (the Jews) His own people did not receive Him. And the Jews believed the Word of God! So why should we expect an entire generation of Americans who have grown up without a Biblical foundation to believe that God really does speak to people? The problem with the Jews who believed the Word but rejected the physical manifestation of the Word (Jesus) was their hearts of stone.

Jeremiah 2:19 (AMP): Your own wickedness shall chasten and correct you, and your backslidings and desertion of faith shall reprove you. Know therefore and recognize that this is an evil and bitter thing: [first,] you have forsaken the Lord your God; [second,] you are indifferent to Me and the fear of Me is not in you, says the Lord of hosts.

The Jewish leaders (Pharisees and Sadducee's) were self-serving and corrupt. Their hearts had become hardened to the voice of God. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist (the Voice of one crying out in the wilderness), and now they rejected the message of Jesus of Nazareth. As Jesus proclaimed on the Temple steps:

15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” John 7:15-19 (ESV)

If people of this day and age desire to do the will of God, they will listen to His Word. If they only desire their own authority, they will worship a god of their own making, a god who is speechless and without impact on their lives. They will continue to think their virtues of generosity, kindness, and sincerity will be sufficient to live moral upright lives of significance. They will continue to call listeners to the Voice of God “bonkers” as they continue to cover their heart and ears to the call of His Word. Jesus is calling all to the Salvation He has provided. As the Voice of God says:

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. John 3:17-19 (ESV)

Go ahead and call me bonkers. You do so because you love darkness and your works are evil. Paul affirms this in Romans 3:10-11 when he quotes Psalms 14, “There is none righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God”. If you desire to seek after the true God, and hear His Voice, you must allow the Son of God into your life. You must worship Him as your Savior. He will speak to all those who call upon His name and give their hearts to Him as Savior and Lord. “whom having not seen, you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith-the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Hearing the Word, seeing the Word, believing the Word, is the key to knowing the true God.

Jesus Christ is the Word. He in the flesh was the visible manifestation of the invisible God. As 1 Peter 1:21 says: “who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

I am bonkers

according to this ‘new-age’ definition of those who believe God speaks to them. I hear the voice of God in His Son and the Words He spoke as recorded in the Bible. I hear the Voice of God in the Scriptures when I read them. I hear the Voice of God when the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart. My God is not a speechless statue. My God is not a god of my making. He is real, He is intimate, He lives in me. He lives in me through Jesus Christ His Son, my Hope of Glory!

What Would Jesus Do About America's Economy?

The big debate between Palin and Biden was on last night. If we believe the candidates our salvation is just around the corner. Our economic and banking woes will be over come January when the evil Bush administration is cast out.
"What would Jesus Do?" is an over used and vilified statement that is more mocked than taken seriously anymore. Yet one day Christ will reign from Zion. He will rule over the economies of the nations. What would King Jesus Do?
I believe the most important thing Jeus would do is deal with mankind's greed. We are basically greedy people. We covet what we do not have, and we hold tight to what we do have. It is so obvious that GREED motivates our Congressmen as revealed by what it takes to get votes on an important piece of legislation like the banking relief (bailout) bill. Congress failed to pass the 3 page legislation last week. But now tha the Senate version has added over 400 pages and $105 Billion in "Pork", it will probably pass. This "pork" is nothing more that bribes to get certain Representatives and Senators to support the Bill. It is GREED at its worst.
The reason we got in this mess in the first place is our greed.

As Martin Wolf wrote in the Financial Times:

I suggest we should take a broader view of events. The aggregate stock of US debt rose from a mere 163 per cent of gross domestic product in 1980 to 346 per cent in 2007. Just two sectors of the economy were responsible for this massive rise in leverage: households, whose indebtedness jumped from 50 per cent of GDP in 1980 to 71 per cent in 2000 and 100 per cent in 2007; and the financial sector, whose indebtedness jumped from just 21 per cent of GDP in 1980 to 83 per cent in 2000 and 116 per cent in 2007 (see charts). The balance sheets of the financial sector exploded, as did the sector’s notional profitability. But leverage, alas, works both ways.

Since US net international debt was 39 per cent of GDP at the end of 2007, virtually all of this debt is an asset of another domestic entity and would net out to zero. But when the gross debt stock is huge and economic conditions difficult, the chances that many entities are bankrupt is high. When people fear mass insolvency, lenders stop lending and the indebted stop spending. The result can be the “debt deflation”, described by the American economist, Irving Fisher, in 1933 and experienced by Japan in the 1990s.

The reason our debt rose astronomically was because we wanted more. Consumers wanted more toys, bigger homes, banks wanted to make more money. Now it is all crashing down around us and people want quick solutions. We are still GREEDY.

When King Jesus reigns He will observe the Law of God. God's Law says "Thou shalt not covet." There were provisions for behavior in the Law that mitigated against coveting. Harsh penalties, a Sabbath day of rest and cessation from business, a Year of Jubilee when all debts were forgiven and land returned to the original owners, limits on interest rates (usury). He will once again place God's Law in effect.

I realize we must do something about the short-term crisis in credit and banking. As usual Governemtn will get bigger and the middle class will get squeezed. The rich will get richer. This is the American Way. But without dealing with America's GREED Factor, this problem will not go away. In fact, I believe God is at work in such a way that He is calling America to repentance. He is going to stop at nothing to bring this Nation to our knees. He wants us to acknowledge our GREEDY hearts and confess that it all belongs to Him. We must enter a period of Godly Stewardship of our possessions and wealth. As Psalms 2 states, we must "Kiss the Son lest He be angry".

I like this little tidbit from John Cochrane. There is a link to his entire article. This problem will not go away no matter which candidate is elected President. There are fundamental problems that must be addressed, and it will take time.

The Treasury Plan

The treasury plan is a nuclear option. The only way it can work to solve the central problem, recapitalizing banks, is if the Treasury buys so many mortgages that we raise mortgage values to the point that banks are obviously solvent again. To work, this plan has to raise the market value of all mortgage-backed securities. We don’t just help bad banks. We bail out good banks (really their shareholders and debt holders), hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, university and charitable endowments – everyone who made money on mortgage-backed instruments in good times and signed up for the risk in bad times. This is the mother of all bail-outs.

There is a storm out on the lake, and some of the boats are in trouble. Commodore Bernanke has been helping to bail water from some boats until they can patch themselves up, encouraging other sound boats to help, and transferring passengers on sinking boats to others. But it’s getting tough and the storm is still raging. Someone has a great idea: let’s blow up the dam and drain the lake! Ok, it might stop the boats from sinking, but there won’t be a lake left when we’re done. That’s the essence of the Treasury plan.

Short of that, it will not work. Suppose a bank is carrying its mortgages at 80 cents on the dollar, but the market value is 40 cents. If the Treasury buys at 40 cents or even 60 cents on the dollar, the bank is in worse trouble than before, since the bank has to recognize the market value. Unless the Treasury pushes prices all the way past 80 cents on the dollar up to 90 or even 100, we haven’t done any good at all. And $700 billion is a drop in the bucket compared what that would take.

There is a lot of talk about “illiquid markets,” “price discovery,” and the “hold to maturity price;” the hope that by making rather small purchases, the Treasury will be able to raise market prices a lot. This is a vain hope – at least it is completely untested in any historical experience. Never in all of financial history has anyone been able to make a small amount of purchases, establish a “liquid market” and substantially raise the overall market price.

Since the Treasury will not be able to raise overall market prices, it will end up buying from banks that are in trouble, at prices fantastically above market value. This is transparently the same as simply giving the banks free money. Make sure the taxpayers get a thank-you card.

There is other talk (reflected in the Senate bill) of abandoning mark-to-market accounting, i.e. to pretend assets are worth more than they really are. This will not fool lenders who are worried about the true value of the assets. If anything, they will be less likely to lend. Conversely, if prices are truly artificially low, then potential lenders to banks know this and would lend anyway. We might as well just ban all accounting if we don’t like then news accountants bring. No, we need more transparency, not less.

Many of the changes in new versions of the Bill make matters worse, at least for the central task of stabilizing financial markets. The Senate adds language to protect homeowners – “help families to keep their homes and to stabilize communities.” That’s natural; a political system cannot hope to bail out shareholders to the tune of $700 billion dollars without bailing out mortgage holders on the other end. But it makes the bank stabilization problem much worse. Mortgages are worth a lot less if people don’t have to pay them back. This will directly lower the market value of mortgages that we’re trying to raise.

Yes, we need to do something. But “doing something” that will not work, with potentially dire consequences, is not the right course, especially when sensible and well-understood options remain.

We must pray for America and our leaders. We must confess our greed and covetousness. We must dedicate ourselves to Godly Stewardship of our money and assets. Only then will there be healing in our economy.

Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

I love the letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians. The more I study it, the more I realize I don't know about the ways of God. Paul had such an insight into God's heart and how He works. Last night we only covered Eph 4 verses 2 and 3. We almost got to verse 4, but I decided to end at about 7:55.

Paul wants us to walk with weight that is equal to our calling, in view of all that God, Christ and the Holy Spirit have done for us (mentioned in Eph 1-3). The starting block of this walk is built upon the foundation that we must embrace humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearing one another in agape love. Our goal and that which we strive with all our energy and determination is the Unity of the Holy Spirit in the bond of peace.

We are bound together in the most powerful force this world will ever know-peace with God. That is the gift of the cross, peace with God. And having peace with God, we can have peace with man. Our hearts can be one. When our hearts are one with God and with each other, there is the Unity of the Spirit. That is to be the purpose of our walk, that is to be the purpose of the church.

Most people say that is crazy talk, impossible to achieve, especially in a local church. Many a pastor has lost heart endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit. But perhaps we have been going about it in the flesh, in the way big business and marketing guru's suggest. How does Paul say we should do it?

1. Realize we are prisoners to our Lord-we submit to Him.
2. Realize (having the eyes of our understanding enlightened) all that we have as indwelt and sealed believers.
3. Focus on walking (not running or racing) one step at a time.
4. Listen with attentive ears to God's voice (His calling)
5. Embrace Christ's "low-mindedness", His attitude that there is nothing we are too good to do on behalf of others.
6. Learn to be gentle - bear injuries without anger or a desire for revenge.
7. Be forbearing-going the extra mile to cover up and even overlook the ugliness of those around you. (Seeing God in the face of all you encounter, even mean ones)
8. Allowing God to love others through you.
9. Never give in to disillusionment or apathy, but dedicate yourself to diligence on God's behalf.
   
10. Major on the Major things of God, the Seven Essentials of Eph 4:4-5.

These are the lessons of Ephesians 4:1-3. If these be the foundation of our church, Christ will be Lord indeed. Any rational man would look at those and say, they are not possible. That is why we must endeavor to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The walk of Ephesians 4-6 is a walk of life in the Spirit, which means putting off the old man of stinking flesh.

May this be the goal of church elders and deacons and leaders across the world. The day is coming when God's throne will force the church to reveal whether we are walking in the Spirit or the flesh. Blessed are they that endure to the end.

Feel Like You Are Banging Your Head Against the Wall?

In Acts 15:36-40, we find Paul going forth on his second missionary journey. Paul teams up with Silas, a leader in the church and a prophet as well. Barnabus wanted to include John Mark, and Paul refused to take a quitter along. So, God through this personality disagreement, has TWO missionary teams where there was once only one.

Someone once said the reason there are so many different kinds of churches is because we have so many different personalities.

In Acts 16:1-5 we find Paul & Silas returning to Lystra and Derbe. A young man by the name of Timothy caught their attention. Paul saw a great potential in Timothy and wanted to take him along with them. There was a small problem. Timothy’s Mom was Jewish, but she had married a Gentile man. This meant that Timothy was not circumcised, and would be regard by the Jewish people Paul was witnessing to as something similar to trash. This would severely handicap their witness in the synagogues and to the Hellenistic Jews they would encounter.

Paul circumcised Timothy, not because he was conceding to the Judaizers, but because it removed a barrier to evangelizing the Jews, who all knew that his father was a gentile. “And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.”

Paul and Silas then had what we preacher’s call a “Head banging experience.” Maybe you have had one too. It’s when you feel like instead of making progress you realize you have simply been banging your head against a wall. First they had been forbidden to go into Asia by the Holy Spirit. So they went through Galatia and started to go toward Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. But that night Paul had a vision: a man from Macedonia appeared saying “Come over to Macedonia and help us” Paul immediately realized that God was directing them through this vision.

Realize this: As Revelation 7:10 says “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb”.

God is busy in this world speaking to people and working circumstances to draw people to Jesus. Most of you can bear testimony to the fact that before you accepted Jesus as you Savior, that God had been using circumstances and even His own words to touch your heart. That is why God needs people who are willing to partner with Him in reaching the lost that He is calling. So while Paul and Silas were spinning their wheels, God was preparing the hearts of three people. God was arranging circumstances. God kept Paul and Silas spinning their wheels until He was ready for them!

Don’t ever think you are banging your head against the wall when you are serving Jesus. You may think you are spinning your wheels, but all the time God is preparing someone or some situation for you to be used in. There will be times of feasting, but there will be times of seeming famine. Do not lose heart. Hope thou in God! For we shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance! God is preparing someone’s heart for you to talk to. God is still in the Saving Business! Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb!

How Are We Saved

The controversy was long and bitter. Martin Luther insisted on a real presence of the body and blood of the Lord.

But Zwingli held the blood and body to be present only in emblems, and that the words, "This is my body," were to be interpreted like those similar words, "I am the door," "I am the vine," or that strikingly similar phrase used of the Paschal Lamb, "This is the Lord's Passover," where, Zwingli pointed out the word "is" means represents.

This word "is" was the rock on which the Reformation split. Agreement being impossible, Zwingli turned to Luther and said:

"Martin Luther, let us confess our union in all things in which we agree, and, as for the rest, let us remember that we are brothers, with the same cause at heart. While we all hold the grand doctrine of salvation by faith, we differ on minor points."

There was an anxious pause, waiting for Luther's response, and great tears rolled down Zwingli's face as he reached out the hand of brotherly love to Luther.

But, alas! the great reformer of Saxony refused that outstretched hand, and the opportunity for a new and mighty illustration of Augustine's motto, "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity," was forever lost.The Swiss reformers and the German reformers parted in sadness, and even yet the breach is not healed.

If any of you have been around churches for very long, you are well aware that there are occasionally disagreements that arise. This is not just a Baptist thing, but is a problem that crosses denominational lines. The early church had disagreements. The first was the treatment of Hellenistic Jews by the Jewish converts, particularly in the distribution of goods and provision of food. After prayer and seeking the Holy Spirit, it was decided to seek deacons to care for these matters. Some of those deacons were Hellenistic Jews.

That may seem like a minor matter, but I assure you, denominations as well as churches have been divided and even split over much minor issues.

However, in Acts 15, we find a disagreement which could have shipwrecked the early church and brought to a sudden end the precious work of Jesus Christ.

We find that certain men have come down from Judea and were teaching the believers at First Baptist of Antioch that to be truly saved you must be circumcised. To these devout Jews who had come to Christ, the idea of Gentiles being equal to them through Christ was just as controversial as if I were to announce at invitation time:

• “Folks, you have the privilege today of being saved just like the drunks, adulterers, harlots, liars & cheats!”

The idea of grace is foreign to most people.

Our world has made the word grace impossible to comprehend:

• There is no such thing as a free lunch.
• You get what you deserve
• You want something-work for it.
• Do unto others before they do unto you

Here was a defining moment in the early church. What they decided at this first Jerusalem Council would set the course for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the centuries to come.

Now you may be sitting there saying, Pastor this is a no-brainer. Of course you don’t have to be circumcised to be a born again Christian. That is ridiculous. But what if it they had said something else like:

• Be Baptized
• Have Communion
  
• Join a Church
  
• Stop Smoking
• Stop Drinking
  
• Stop Dancing
• Stop Going to Movies
  
• Divorce your unsaved spouse
  
• Stop Gambling
  
• Stop Listening to Ungodly Music (however you define that)
• Start Tithing
  
• Start Witnessing
  
• Start reading your Bible
  
• Get a Hair Cut
• Any other do’s and don'ts

In actuality, that is exactly the point. For when the matter got down to Jerusalem, it not only was circumcision, but the believer’s who used to be Pharisees said they also need to follow the laws of Moses.

So the Question before this early church was:

Does anything you do or stop doing have any bearing on whether you are a truly born again Christian?

Paul and Barnabus, zealous for the Gospel of GRACE and filled with the Holy Spirit, got into heated discussions with these Judaizers. But they would not change their mind. The believer’s in Antioch realized that there was a problem, and wanted advice on what the truth was from the Apostles in Jerusalem (The Mother Church). Paul and Barnabus were chosen to make the journey. As they travelled south, Paul and Barnabus gave testimony to the conversion of the Gentiles. This was a source of Great Joy to all the brethren. When they got to Jerusalem, they shared the same news with the apostles and elders. Here again in Jerusalem, some converted Pharisees stood up and said that these gentile Christians, in order to be really saved, must be circumcised and follow the law of Moses. This was a serious problem. If the Pharisees had their way, salvation would no longer be because of faith in what Jesus did on the cross, but salvation would rest on your WORKS.

You have to remember, there was no New Testament at this time. Everything the Apostles preached was a result of divine revelation based upon Old Testament writings and Direct Revelation. Some of what Paul preached was based upon his BDU degree (Backside Desert University). So these Pharisees were pointing to the Scriptures and rabbinical writing that they had studied all their life. It made sense to them. After all, Jesus was a Jew. Jesus was circumcised and followed the Law of Moses.

Praise God His Holy Spirit was still in charge of the early church. The Holy Spirit used Peter once again to set the matter straight:

⁷ And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:7-11 (ESV)

• The multitude was silent, for they knew that God had just spoken through His servant Peter.

The Holy Spirit Revealed these Truth's through Peter's Sermon:

1. Salvation is of Your Heart.

When Peter was preaching Jesus to Cornelius and his household, God knew what was going on in their hearts. He could see that they were opening their hearts to the truth of Jesus being their Risen Savior. He could see that their hearts longed for His forgiveness, and that they were turning from their sinful ways and wanted to follow after God. When God saw what was happening in their hearts, He bore witness to it by sending the Holy Spirit to them, before Peter had a chance to give the invitation.
2. The Holy Spirit is Proof of Your Salvation

The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is the evidence that you are a child of God. Does He give you a desire to read God’s Word? Does He open the Word to you, does He teach you? Does He work in your heart to change the wrong things you do-friends, music, movies, television? The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God. (Romans 8)

3. You Are Saved by Faith

Peter said that their hearts were cleansed by their faith. While Peter was preaching, their eyes were opened to the amazing truth that Jesus had bore their sins on the cross, and that his sacrifice was the perfect sacrifice for their sins. By faith they believed and entrusted their sins to Jesus. Their evil hearts were cleansed and made new by faith in Jesus.

Saved by My 'Good Looks'

evangelist preach on While an English farmer was walking through his field one day with a friend, he suddenly remarked, "You know, I was saved by my good looks." He explained that he had attended a gospel meeting where he heard anIsaiah 45:22. The farmer said, "He pictured Jesus on the cross in a general way as the divine substitute bearing the sin of the world. Then the preacher pointed us to Hebrews 12:2 and told us to look again unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who saves to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25) all that come to Him. He said that everyone has to accept this personally. When I saw the Lord in this way, I received Him as MY Savior." The farmer's friend was impressed. "Now I know what you mean," he said. "It was your good looks at Christ and His cross that resulted in your conversion."

Does your faith cause you to keep looking at Christ and His righteousness, or do you have your eyes only on yourself?

DO YOU HAVE FAITH TO SEE JESUS?

• Faith opens our eyes to the Light of Jesus Christ.
• Faith enables us to see Jesus as Lord.
• Faith enables the blinders to come off our eyes

4. Salvation is Not a Burden

Peter declared: “why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? Everyone knew what Peter was talking about.” Vivid in their memories were the occasions when Jesus lambasted the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and the way they had made the law burdensome to the people.

⁷ Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ⁸ 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. ⁹ And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' " Matthew 15:7-9

Jesus Calls Everyone to Come

God never wanted His people to be under a yoke.

⁶ “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6 (ESV)

5. SALVATION IS BY THE GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST ALONE!

Salvation in the heart of God has always been a free gift. This free gift was made possible by the death burial and resurrection of God’s holy son, Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. ¹⁶ And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. Romans 5:15-18 (NKJV)

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 (KJV)