Know the Word

Lately I have been challenged more and more to know God's word.  Not to just hear it or to glimpse over it in a daily devotional, but to explore it for myself 

One of he first things that I realized is that knowing God's word is a dangerous thing.  It teaches us, it guides and instructs us.  It literally has the power to change us. Seriously?  Read John 1 

So if we begin to read God's word daily, shouldn't we then be able to learn God's word and His word to our lives?  We should!  But many times we don't.

The problem is that we expect other people to tell us or show us what God is all about.  We trust preachers and teachers to instruct and inform.  We wait for a spiritual moment or an event that will enlighten us.  Too many times we do not take the time or make an effort to sit down to meditate and read through God's word for ourselves.  

Most Americans own a Bible. In fact, 92% of households in America own at least one copy.  Of those households that own a Bible, the average number of Bibles is three.  This includes not only the homes of practicing Christians but hundreds of thousands of atheists as well.  Although most Americans own a Bible, use of the Bible varies significantly.  In a poll taken by the Gallup Organization, 59% of Americans reported that they read the Bible at least occasionally.  The percentage of Americans who read the Bible at least once a week is 37%. Wow 37%! So do we really "know" God's word?

Ponder this; If you are a Christ follower, then people should be able to look for—and find—fruit in your life. Why? Because a disciple of Jesus Christ will produce spiritual fruit. Jesus said, " 'My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father'" (John 15:8 NLT). Jesus also said, "'By their fruits you will know them'" (Matthew 7:20 NKJV).

Love one another, create fruit.  It's in the good book.  It's God's word. 
dave

Be thankful

In my quiet time this morning I was reflecting on appreciation. Last night was a pretty late night for me. I left the church around 10:30 or so after we finished a rare, late, band practice. On my way home I got a text from my wife telling me that she had gotten sick and she was not feeling any better. Anyone who is married with children knows how important a stay-at-home mom is to the delicate structure of family life. So aside from the natural concern for her health and well being, I went into “What can I do” mode.

What can I do? I realized that the boys and I are totally are dependent on her. She fills so many gaps and holes in our household that we many times do nothing and magically things get done. Wow! Do we live our lives depending on someone or being co-dependent? There is a difference, look it up.

Our culture is such that it has provided a way for all of us to live our lives expecting other people to do everything for us. We are dependent on so many things. We depend on having gas dropped into the ground for us to pump into our cars, food stocked on store shelves. We even depend on news and entertainment being “on demand” and piped directly into our homes and cell phones.

So what? It’s the American way! I agree, it has certainly become the norm. I am not suggesting that we all move out into some far corner of a vast wilderness and learn how to hunt and kill our own food. And that we build our own houses and plant our own crops. I am simply offering up one simple thought…………be thankful.

While I looked at my wife resting this morning I was reminded of how wonderful she is to do all that she does for our family. She never complains, she never has a second thought. Why? If you asked her, she would tell you that she is thankful to have her boys in her life. Thankful.

So if you have not done it lately, take a moment and thank God for all of the people in your life that you are thankful for. Then go one step further and tell them how much they mean to you. Call them, text them, facebook them, or whatever it takes to let them know that you appreciate them.

thank•ful –adjective - feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

Blessings,

dave

Why is Easter so important?

Some call it Easter, some call it Resurrection Sunday. Whatever you choose to call it is not as important as the event and the purpose of Jesus’ resurrection.

The timing of the crucifixion and His resurrection was no accident. It happened during "Passover" and during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. But Dave, why was “Passover” so important? It was important because it commemorated God's "passing over" the Hebrew's homes by the angel of death (Exodus 12:29). In the book of Exodus the Bible tells that God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Hebrew slaves, with the tenth plague being the killing of all of the firstborn, from the Pharaoh's son to the firstborn of the dungeon captive, to the firstborn of cattle. The Hebrew’s were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes, hence the term "passover".

When Pharaoh freed the Hebrews, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover, no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread". Matza (flat unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday. Together with Shavnot ("Pentecost") and Sukkot ("Tabernacles"), Passover is one of the 3 pilgrimage festivals during which the entire Jewish populace historically made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Festival or Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with unleavened bread (bread made without yeast) and sacrificing an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. Jesus stood in as the final unblemished, sacrificial lamb (the lamb of God). He went to the cross for our sin. Yours and mine.

But the cross is only half of the miracle. Jesus died. No doubt about it. Jesus died on the cross. They buried Him, they closed the tomb and He was done. What makes this story so amazing is that Jesus rose from the grave. Paul emphasized the importance of the resurrection by saying this:

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”.

Without Jesus returning from the grave every purpose of Christ would be unfulfilled and the foundation of Christianity would have fallen apart.

So Easter is important because it honors the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It honors God's provision for the perfect and final sacrifice for man's sins. With this provision, mankind has been given the opportunity for a new life of forgiveness and an escape from the bondage of sin.

Happy Easter everyone!

Thank you Jesus!!

dave

One Church, or many?

Professing Christianity believes that God’s Church is split into different branches. Perhaps the Methodists best explain the common position of Christianity: “Nourished by common roots of this shared Christian heritage, the branches of Christ’s church have developed diverse traditions that enlarge our store of shared understandings. Our avowed ecumenical commitment as United Methodists is to gather our own doctrinal emphases into the larger Christian unity, there to be made more meaningful in a richer whole” (emphasis ours).

While this sounds honorable, is it what Christ intended? Are there to be many groups of “diverse traditions” all with their own “doctrinal emphasis”?

Even the Roman Catholics, who, for the most part, believe that God’s Church cannot be divided, say this: “Those [outside the Roman Catholic Church] who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church” (Catech 838).

Again, are all these differing groups what Jesus intended?

The Bible is clear that the Church—Christ’s Body (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18)—is unified. Think about this:

• I Corinthians 1:10: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

• I Corinthians 12:25: “…there should be no schism in the body.”

• Ephesians 4:16: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together [Moffat translation: “welded together”] and compacted by that which every joint supplies.”

Do these scriptures describe the condition of the modern Church today? The answer is clear! The world is filled with all sorts of different groups professing to be Christian, and most profess that the other competing groups are also Christian. Yet, notice Christ’s words: “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25). The Greek word for “stand” can also mean “abide, continue, be established, hold up.” A house or any organization cannot stand—abide, continue, hold up—if divided. Yet, the world of Christianity is divided!

Would Christ have built His Church to contradict His statement in Mark 3:25? Of course not. Simply put, Christ said, “I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18)—not churches!

My prayer, my new found passion is unification of the church……....God’s united people. If you are a follower of Christ, help me remind our brothers and sisters that the time for division is over. Christ followers must begin to re-unite

dave

Different Churches?

Two billion people on earth profess to be Christian. In other words, nearly every third person believes he is following Jesus Christ and the Bible.  Dominant in Western nations, Christianity is the world’s most popular religion, appearing in all sorts of shapes, sizes, varieties and flavors.  Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions, described the world of Christianity this way: “From the majestic pontifical High Mass in St. Peter’s to the quiet simplicity of a Quaker meeting; from the intellectual sophistication of Saint Thomas Aquinas to the moving simplicity of spirituals such as ‘Lord, I want to be a Christian,’ from St. Paul’s in London, the parish Church of Great Britain, to Mother Teresa in the slums of Calcutta—all this is Christianity.” Was he correct? Is this the picture of true Christianity?

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different churches around? Have you ever thought to yourself, “Is this what Jesus meant when He said, ‘I will build my Church’?” Also “What is the difference between these churches?” or which one is the exact continuation of the original first-century Church?”

If you are a spiritual person, then your beliefs are important to you. Your faith is probably the central part of your life. Have you ever examined the traditional view of Christianity? Have you actually compared it to the Bible? Or do you simply assume that the church that you attend is correct?  I am fortunate to have always had very forward thinking Christians around me. They taught me to not to take the answers to these questions lightly.

Would an early Christian be able to tell you what Christianity would look like in 2,000 years? Certainly not. I think they would be a little surprised to see all of the different churches around too. The one thing that has remained the same over all of those year is God's word, the Bible. Since the Bible is the very foundation of Christianity, it clearly holds all of the answers.

So why are there so many different groups today calling themselves Christian? The simplest answer is that they all teach different things. If they taught the same doctrines, then they would be united as one true church. The book of Acts begins with the birth of the New Testament Church. Therefore, this would be the place to begin. Notice how the Church was described after 3,000 people were baptized in one day, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” Acts 2:4

Why is this significant? The two most defining features of God’s Church are evident: steadfast continuation in (1) the apostles’ doctrine (teachings), and (2) fellowship. Then, after verse 43 explains that the fear of God was apparent in “every soul,” verse 44 adds, “…all that believed were together.” Verse 46 also says that they continued to be of “one accord (in agreement),” meeting together “daily” in various houses in “singleness of heart.”  The Church that God designed was unified! Not divided in varying and disagreeing groups all calling themselves Christian.

This is the kind of stuff that I have been reading in the book of Acts and looking to see in the local church. Tomorrow I wanna talk about “One Church or Many”

til then,
dave