Couch Potatoes

Went to our Sectional Meeting today and had a great conversation with the other Pastors there. We always have a great time of discussion, and today's meeting was no different. We got in a conversation about growth. Which branched into the idea of quantity verses quality...

In any event, my friend Ron, from Clarion, made this statement which I thought was so good. He said, "Consumpsion without movement is not good." (Or something to that effect.)

Well, we know that this is true in regard to our physical bodies. If we take in more calories than we burn on a daily basis, we will gain weight. Then, you become more sedate and less productive, which is all the more worse for you. In turn, this makes for a neat thought in regard to our spiritual lives. If all we do is attend Church and just soak in the truth of God and His Word, but yet never do anything with what He has invested in us, then are we not "Spiritual" couch potatoes? Are we not only pew warmers? And, are we not missing out on what the point of what the Word would have us to do in the first place? Jesus commanded us to GO into all the world and preach the Gospel! To be in joyful, and fruitfull service for Him.

Think about the guys that were given the talents in Matthew 25. Their master expected them to do something with what was given to them. They acknowledged that their master was a hard man...so they knew that He would expect something from them, and from his investment.

With that thought in mind... What about our productivity? What do you think God willl expect of us someday? Will we wish we were more productive one day? Do we need to get up off our pew and do something for God today? Does our activity match our consumption?

New Sermon Series...

Colossians 1:18

He (Jesus) is also head of the Body, the Church.

Once I return from vacation this week, I am starting a new series of messages that I have entitled, "Jesus is in the House!"

The text will be from Revelation 1, where John sees Jesus reveal Himself in the midst of the Church. I will be highlighting each of the items in regard to Jesus, and how that speaks to us today.

Hope you don't miss one Sunday! And, for you who jump on the blog and don't attend GTAG, I will try to post a thought from each message on here for you...

Church: Tearing it down, or Building it?

Saw this neat little ditty, and thought I would share it here...

Ten little Christians standing in a line,

One disliked the pastor, then there were nine.

Nine little Christians stayed up very late,

One slept in on Sunday, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians on their way to heaven,

One took the low road, then there were seven.

Seven little Christians chirping like chicks,

One disliked the music, then there were six.

Six little Christians seemed very much alive,

But one lost his interest, then there were five.

Five little Christians pulling for Heaven’s shore,

But one stopped to rest, then there were four.

Four little Christians, each busy as a bee,

One got her feelings hurt, then there were three.

Three little Christians knew what to do,

One joined the sports crowd, then there were two.

Two little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done,

Differed with each other, then there was one.

One little Christian can’t do much ’tis true;

Brought his friend to Bible study, then there were two.

Two earnest Christians, each won one more,

That doubled their number, then there were four.

Four sincere Christians worked early and late,

Each won another, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians, if they doubled as before,

In just a few short weeks, we’d have 1,024.

In this little jingle, there’s a lesson true,

You belong to the building, or the wrecking crew.

Bridge Out!

Have heard this joke a few times, and thought it could make a good point for us Christians / Clergy if we think about it...

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Two men of the cloth, a Catholic Priest & a Episcopal Pastor, were out on a roadside one day hanging a sign which said, "The end is near! Turn yourself around now - before it's too late!" Just as they were tapping it into the ground, a car sped by them, and the driver yelled out, "You leave us alone, you religious nuts!"

After a moment, from around the curve, they heard the sound of screeching tires and then a big splash. After which, the Priest turned to the Pastor as asked, "Do you think the sign should just say, 'Bridge out?'"

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Have you ever wondered why people don't listen to us (Christians) anymore? Maybe because they already know what we are going to say... Judgement, condemnation, etc. We might have to change our strategy, not the Message, but the methods...? Try showing them the love of Christ.

Like the old saying goes, "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Canality VS. Spirituality

We had an Evangelist, Rev. Carl Harris with us here at Glad Tidings A/G all last week. What a great time we had, and what a powerful time it was. By the end of the week, I was able to witness a wonderful change in the attitudes and spirits of the people. Our lives were changed to say the least...

Anyhow... I wanted to share a quote from one of the messages from Bro. Harris that just struck a chord with me in regard to complaining, he said...

"A carnal man complains about a thing.

A Spiritual man proclaims a thing."

I just thought that was a great line, that came from God, and was able to zero in on the hearts of men. We all need to hear this once in a while...that we need to keep positive and focused on the Lord. Philippians 4:4 tells us to "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" Then, a few verses down, we are given another verse that is important for us to remember in regard to our thoughts and attitudes (since our thoughts produce attitudes). Philippians 4:8 -Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Case and point...get Spiritual about our situations and circumstance, and avoid complaining. Easier said that done, right?

Why go to Church?

This seems to be an age-old question. One that many, if not all, struggle with on a weekly basis. So here is some advice for that personal debate that I thought was worth posting here.

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A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to Church every Sunday (or Saturday). "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

Well, as you can imagine, this started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for two weeks until someone wrote this clincher: "I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals but I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to Church for nourishment. I would be Spiritually dead today!"

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Remember, when you are DOWN to nothing...God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and recieves the impossible! Thank God for your physical AND Spiritual nourishment!

Arrogance trips someone up again...

I am watching a pretty awesome Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. So far, it is a pretty great game. The first half of the game has proven to be the second best scoring game of all time in the first half, with 54 points.

Anyhow... The play I want to highlight is in regard to the rookie, DeSean Jackson (Eagles) who was about to score a touchdown towards the beginning of the second quarter, but because of his arrogance, he threw the ball down (as if to say "did you see that?"), thinking that he had already scored. To his dismay, the play was called back and those six points, were pulled off the scoreboard, and his touchdown was erased out of the books under his name; for no other reason than his arrogance which led the way to his fall.

There is an obvious Scripture verse for this play. Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. And oh, how true that was for this instance. From listening to the commentary on the television, it seems that this has been an ongoing problem for DeSean, and they sited a play that Desean did back in his High School career, if I am not mistaken, when he took a swan dive towards the end zone, while running the ball in from the five yard line, and fell short at the one yard line. Ouch!

DeSean, I guess that it is time to get that pride under wraps before it really costs you and your team some losses. As we all need to do... Pride is a horrible attitude that works in opposition to God and His will in your life...so get victory of it before it gains victory over you.

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BTW - I was able to attend a Monday Night Football game back in '95 between these same two teams in Philly. It was an awesome game to be at, especially being that this is a great rival. And, I hope that the outcome is the same as back then. Go Cowboys! They just scored again, and pulled ahead!

A Fresh Perspective...

I read this from Pastor Tim Satryan's e-newletter today, and I thought it was worth sharing here. It really makes you think about what you have, and what you have to do to get it...then, it gets you to wonder if it is worth it all anyhow.

One day, a financially comfortable father decided to take his son to the country, with the purpose of showing him how poor people live, and that the son could understand the value of things, and realize how fortunate they were.
They stayed overnight at a very humble family’s farm for 1 day and 1 night. As the trip ended, and during their return home, the father asks his son:
So what did you think of the trip?
It was great, dad!
Did you see how poor and needy some people have to live?
Yes!
And what did you learn?
I saw that we have one dog in the house, but they have four. We have a huge swimming pool, but they have a river that never ever ends. We have imported lamps in the patio, they have the stars. Our backyard ends at the fence, but theirs goes on and on into the horizon. Especially though, dad, I saw that they have time to talk to each other and live as a family. You and Mom have to work all day, and I hardly see you both!
As the conversation ended, the father remained silent, and his son added: Thanks Dad, for showing me how rich we could be!!

We'll never forget...

New York City - Washington D.C. - Shanksville, PA

It is hard to believe that seven years have past since the attack on September 11, 2001. We remember the people who died from this tragedy, and the heroes who took the plane down in Shanksville, PA. Plus, we can never forget just how much we need the good people who work in emergency services in all of our towns.

What is amazing is how I so vividly remember what I was doing on that morning. Do you?

Making the time...

Our Assistant Pastor and I were talking the other day in regard to people making time for doctor's appointments, but yet many fail to make time for God. Hear me out in this...

If you think about it, all of us have to make time in our busy schedules to get to doctor appointments, dentist appointments, vet visits for our pets, take the time to get our kids to their sport practices, etc., etc. Yet, when it comes to God and our need for Him, we become very passive. Thinking, if I can get there to Church, I will, if not, I won't.

Now, taking this a step further, think with me... As you read the Bible you will find many who went out of their way to be certain that they were able to connect with God to meet their needs. Consider the blind man named Bartimeaus in Luke 18. He would not be quieted, but yelled out all the more when asked to leave Jesus alone, "Jesus, have mercy on me!" The woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5, pressed in to just touch Jesus, even though she was not invited to do so. How about Naaman the leper in II Kings 5, here was a guy that went out of his way to seek out the Lord by going to the man of God for a healing in his body. Story after story in the Bible depics for us this idea of going out of our way to connect with God to recieve a special touch for Him. Bottom line, it takes some effort from us. In spite of our not wanting to impose. It's funny how we will go out of our way for our health to get to a doctor's visit, but we fail to go out of our way to go to the GREAT PHYSICIAN. What is wrong with us?

Last guy to consider... King Asa in II Chronicles 16. He was a Godly King, but it ended up that at the end of his life, he got sick, in fact, the Bible says that he became diseased in his feet, according to II Chronicles 16:12. What is sad about the whole of is life is shared in that verse too. It goes on to say that "His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians." Now, don't misunderstand me here, I am not against going to the doctor. However, I am against those who prefer to consult the physicians, and neglect to consult the Lord.

My exact point is this...we take all the time we need to tend to ourselves for the physical body (our hair, nails, doctor's visits, the chiropractor, the dentist, etc.) Yet, we give God only an hour on Sunday and expect Him to meet every need that we have. I think the Biblical pattern is opposite that. We have to get determined to pursue the Lord and seek Him out for our lives and our life's needs (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional).

All in all, my heart is simply wondering why we, as Christians, don't make getting to God a priority, so much so that we would tear through a roof to get to Him? Consider this thought with regard to your life today, and see if the Lord wouldn't say that maybe you (and I) haven't been guilty of doing this.

"Flip-Flop" Religion...

I was doing my devotions out of Malachi 1 from "God's Word for Today" and it had a great thought which I want to expand on...

It says in Malachi 1:6-8 - " 'A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?' says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, 'How have we despised Thy name?' [7] "You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, 'How have we defiled Thee?' In that you say, 'The table of the Lord is to be despised.' [8] "But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?" says the Lord of hosts.

Sadly, what is happening is that God is disturbed at the people who give Him only what they want to...not what they should. Instead of presenting the very best for a sacrifice as was required of them, they would offer a crippled or blind animal to God. Surely they supposed, they were going to die anyhow, and God wouldn't want us to fall short, they must have reasoned. But they all to quickly forgot that God is a jealous God! He is not one to overlook His requests of us just because it might be too hard or trying for us. No! God must come first, and we show Him that He is first by the sacrifices we make for Him on a daily basis.

While I know that I am not sacrificing a lamb to God today, my life is a "living sacrifice." Romans 12:1 - I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Therefore, it is considered "reasonable" for God to require the best for us...not just what we have left over once we have worn ourselves out. That is where the "flip-flop" idea comes in. We intend to give our best, but when the actual moment of requirement comes, we hold out on God and give Him what we can, because our best would hurt too much. Aren't you thankful that God didn't do that to us? Aren't you thankful that Jesus didn't do that to us? I sure am! They gave their best! They gave their all!

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One more thought...

I heard this recently from a missionary, Rev. Denny Seler, missionary to Jamaica. He was speaking to our Church from Mark 12:13-17. In it Jesus is being questioned about paying taxes, and whether they should do it or not. Jesus picks up a coin and asks, "Who's image is on the coin?" The obvious answer is Caesar, to which Jesus replies, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

The point to be made here is in the answer to this question..."Whose image are you made in?" Come on, you know... Genesis 1:26 - Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..." You and I are made in HIS image! So then, as LIVING SACRIFICES, what should we give to God? Our best...not just what we can "afford." We were made in His image, for His pleasure.

So, when God requires something of us, should we hold out on Him? Should we commit and then abandone our commitment? No! We must be faithful and stay faithful. DON'T FLIP-FLOP! There is enough of that today in the Church. People saying, I'll be there, and then you never see them. People who make a commitment to serve the Lord and the Body, and then they never come around again. People who make the decision to be committed to God when they are in trouble, but then abandon ship when the going gets good. People who can never get up to go to Church, but will not miss the early morning men's breakfast. People who can't seem to find the time to do service for others, but when there is a concert they want to go to an hour away, they won't miss it. People who...you get the point.

All in all... Christian, give your best, and don't flip-flop on God. He does not simply overlook it as we might think, because there is no immediate consequence. Malachi 1 is an example of how it makes God feel.

BTW - Don't you love the Red Sox too?

Gov. Sarah Palin, Republican V.P. Candidate - an A/G girl!

Hey, I thought this might be of interest, Gov. Sarah Palin at the Wasilla A/G Church in Wasilla Alaska; of which she was and her family were a part of, up until 2002. So, check out this link here http://www.netbroadcasting.tv/sarah_palin.html to learn a little bit more about her and her faith.

BTW - I am not working on the McCain - Palin Campaign. :)

The Doctrine of Balaam - #3

Here is the final installment of my thoughts on Balaam and his long decline into narcissism. Hope you have enjoyed it, and I also hope it has exposed some failing in your heart as you may have sought your will over God's.

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The TEACHING of Balaam.
Revelation 2:14 - But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality.

Balaam is given ample opportunity to repent and change…
-On three occasions, Balaam goes to curse Israel, and yet…Israel is blessed by God.
-And each time Balaam returns home, burning with the desire to HAVE THAT MONEY!

So, he devises a plan to get Isreal in trouble, and get his money!
He creates a “teaching” for the King of Moab to share, getting the children of Israel to stumble into sin, and loose God’s blessing…

You can read of it in Numbers 31:16 - "Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord."

-Basically, Balak corrupted Israel by leading them into idolatry and immorality.

Psalm 106:28 confirmed the falling away when it says…”They joined themselves also to Baal-peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead.”

Therefore, this “teaching” caused Israel to violate God’s call for them to SEPARATE from this world…to come out, and “be ye separate!”

-Therefore, judgment came upon them!

So, just what was this “teaching of Balaam?”
It was the misconception that they, being the chosen people of God and blessed by Him because of their covenant with God; could not be cursed again.
-A sort of “once-saved-always-saved” mentality…
-Or a “hyper-grace” teaching…which means that it is a grace that forgives sin without repentance. FALSE!

So, because of this false teaching that Balaam spread among them, they were cursed, in spite of their believing otherwise…
And people were STUMBLING in their faith because of it!

All in all, it was COMPROMISE! And, compromise will never pay, will it Church? In fact, as we know, it is dangerous to compromise with the world!

There is an old Russian parable that goes like this: A hunter went into the woods to shoot a bear for a fur coat. When he found a bear and was about to shoot the bear startled him by speaking in a gentle soft voice, “Isn't it better to sit down and talk this through, maybe we can come to some agreement or compromise.” They sat down, the bear asked, “What do you want from me?” The hunter replied, “A fur coat.” The hunter then asked, “What do you want?” The bear replied, “A full stomach.” The bear then said, “Good, I think we can help us both.” Soon the negotiations were over...and out from the woods came the bear...ALONE! The bear had a full stomach and the hunter had a fur coat!!!
-Compromise rarely satisfies both equally!

Listen friends…Paul warns us all to take heed…1 Corinthians 10:11-12 - "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. [12] Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."

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BEWARE of Balaam's doctrine in our world today...rest assured, it is out there!

Save our Economy - Vote for John McCain!

I was sent this clever little piece of information and I thought I would share it here...quite funny actually, and very practical. With its advice, we can "kill two birds with one stone" so to speak.

How To Save the Government (and us) $5 Million.

A president's pension currently is $191,300 per year, until he is 80Years old. Assuming the next president lives to age 80. Sen. McCain would receive ZERO pension as he would reach 80 at the end of two terms as President. Sen. Obama would be retired for 26 years after two terms and would receive $4,973,800 in pension. Therefore, it would certainly make economic sense to elect McCain in November. How's that for non partisan thinking???

The Doctrine of Balaam - #2

Here is the next installment on this thought of Balaam and his wanderings... Hope it helps you.

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2. The ERROR of Balaam.
Jude 1:11 - Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Woah! This is quite the motley crew, and people you do not want to be associated with…
-And in the middle of them is our old pal, Balaam…

Now, the original word used for “error” here is the Greek word for “delusion, deception fraudulence, or to wander.”

Therefore, Balaam’s error was in his persisting in search of that “reward” from the King…
-Because he wanted to get his hands on that loot, he opened himself up to trouble and error.
-Why?
-Because he would have done anything to get it…

And, that is just how sin works in us too…especially if it is something that we really want…
-We will find a way to get it…we will also then, justify it!
-Even if it means that we have to follow a false line of reasoning…thinking that it really won’t bother God all that much.

Oh, we couldn’t be more wrong if we get into this position…and you probably won’t hear much from God either, because you won’t want to hear it! (Balaam’s donkey came into play because of it.)

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This short lesson ought to help us to see just how delusional we get when we are going in out own direction, against the Lord. Pray that God would send you a "donkey" to help you when you get this stubborn. :)

The Doctrine of Balaam - #1

I have been wanting to place these thoughts about Balaam's downward spiral on this blog for quite some time now, and I am finally just going to make the time to do it...

I have found this stuff to be facinating as I have come across it while studying for a message from a series I did on the Seven Churches in Revelation, chapters 2 & 3. When I came to the 3rd Church, Pergamos, I found it...the Doctrine of Balaam. We remember him from the Old Testament and his talking donkey; but there is so much more that we rarely catch. Hopefully these next few blogs will catch some of us up on his ways and teachings that seem to still be creeping their way into the Church at large in 2008...

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1. The WAY of Balaam
2 Peter 2:15 - …forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness…

You see, Balaam typifies all of us who try to pressure and persuade God into our plans…
-So that we can do what we want to do? Have you been there?
-And while we rationalize what we are wanting to do…we are giving in to compromise…and ultimately, the devil!

Church, the “way of Balaam” refers to those who nag God into letting them do what they want to do…even in direct opposition to His will and purpose.

It means that you are going YOUR WAY instead of GOD’S WAY!
And, God will permit it, only because you have “free will.”

But, listen to the truth in this one passage… Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

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I know this is a very short synopsis of it, but more is to come. However, in your spare time read up on the history of Balaam, and see just how he handles his temptation. Check it out in Numbers 22.

I leave you with one thought in Balaam's story that can be applied to us all...

“Any praying about the known will of God is rebellion against God!”

An atheist walking in the woods...

An atheist was walking through the woods. 'What majestic trees!' 'What powerful rivers!' 'What beautiful animals!' He said to himself. As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charging towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him. At that instant the Atheist cried out, 'Oh my God!' Time Stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. 'You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist, and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?' The atheist looked directly into the light and said, 'It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?' 'Very Well,' said the voice. The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke: 'Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.