Stitched in Prayer and Love!

“And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ –Matthew 5:40

In the above passage Jesus Christ is giving us a glimpse of the end of time. We are seeing the judgment seat of Christ. He is not specific on how we do all of these things, but I would like to highlight one. We have a ministry at Grace Baptist Church, where some of our ladies make prayer blankets, pillows, shawls… They meet every Sunday evening at around 4:45 pm for about an hour or two. These faithful ladies stitch together these gifts to give to those who are terminally ill, having a difficult time through grief, or just running low on hope. I will be the first to admit, when I first heard about this ministry of the church I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure how people would really respond, but I was wrong to be skeptical. Since I have been pastor over the last six months, I have personally given away two of these prayer blankets to individuals with terminal cancer, and both were very well received! You see they are more than just blankets, pillows, shawls… They are reminders that God has not forgotten them in their suffering, and that they are being lifted up in prayer. Let me share a short story with you from my week,



Last Sunday, I requested a prayer blanket from the ladies for John Maskew, my good friend James’ Dad. James and I grew up together, James' Dad John was diagnosed with bone cancer about four weeks ago. After I preached the AM service Sunday at Grace Baptist, I got I text from James asking me to call him. When I did, he told me that his Dad, John, had passed away that morning around 9 or 10 am. I had given the blanket to James to deliver to his father last week. John was touched by the blanket. He said, “It is so soft.” He was so very touched that our church had ministered to him, loving him and lifting him up in prayer. John slept with the prayer blanket his last night on earth. He was reminded that day that God had not forgotten him in his broken and sickly condition. Thank God for the ladies of Stitched-n-Grace and the needs they are meeting for those who are hurting. If you like they are always looking for more help with this ministry, please stop on by on Sunday Afternoons.

What a Church Is and Isn't!

"...Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her" -Ephesians 5:25

In the above passage we see that Jesus Christ is deeply concerned and passionate for his church. This is on two levels, one being the universal church, that is all the churches from all times and locations. The other is the local church where we see a people covenanted together for the gospel taking the Lord's Supper together and performing baptism. I would like to share a few common mistakes people make when thinking about the church. Please remember that the local church is an expression of the universal church. We cannot claim entrance into the universal without entrance into the local body of believers, with the very rare exception of someone coming to Christ just moments before death. Here are a few things the church isn't:

· The Church is not a BUILDING! The first century church met in houses for their gatherings (Acts 2:46; 20:20). Our buildings are at best tools, or as I like to think of them, tool boxes. The tools that God uses for his kingdom and purposes are the people, not a building! The above passage does not mean that Jesus gave himself up to develop real estate.

· The Church is not a CLUB! I do love Sam's Club! Buying in bulk is amazing for savings. In order to be a member, you must pay your yearly dues. Once you pay your yearly dues, you become a card carrying member able to enjoy certain prices, hours, and free samples! The church on the other had does not require simply paying dues; it requires you! We give to the church out of a heart that is thankful for what has been done for us in Christ. We do not pay our way in, we are given the free gift of grace. Sam's Club is driven by what pleases the members most; the church is driven by what Jesus Christ wants most for his bride.

· The Church is not just an INSTITUTION! We benefit greatly from our schools and government agencies. But the church is more than just an organized institution, she is a group of people who function as a family! The family is an institution that God organized and established with Adam and Eve, but we don't think of it in those terms. We think of the family in terms of people: grandparents, aunts and uncles, parents, and children. Knowing that parents make mistakes and kids will be kids. In a similar way, church leaders will make mistakes and church members will be church members.

The church is a group of people that have covenanted together and rallied around the mission of glorifying God in all parts of life. The local church is the stage that God has set for you to live out the gospel you now believe. The church is a body of believers who need one another to do all that Christ has called us to do! The church is much more than just a building, club, or institution.

Show Yourself A Man!

2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn," -1 Kings 2:2 (English Standard Version)

I would like to thank Keith Davenport for putting together the prayer breakfast this past week. The men of our church had food, fellowship, and prayer. It was an excellent opportunity to pull men together for a biblical reason. I was asked to say a few words, and I shared the above passage with our men. In this section of scripture, King David is sharing his dying words with his son Solomon, who would become king in his place. We all lean in a little closer when someone is giving us their dying words, so Solomon took these words to heart. I would like to share four observations from this text for how we can "show yourself a man":

1. Be Strong- It saddens me that when I see most any television show today, the husband is shown to be stupid, weak and childlike compared to his wife counterpart. We are called in this passage to be strong in our minds, our leadership, and our souls. The wisdom that David shows here, is he encourages Solomon that his death is not the end of the world. David reminds his Son to lead his family and God's people in the wake of his death.

2. Be Courageous- If you read on in this chapter, you will see that David instructs his son concerning his enemies. He tells him whom should not go unpunished and who should. As men today, we have many enemies that seek to destroy us. With pornography more available than it has ever been, we need to be courageous for our families. Remember we are not just betraying our vows to our wives, we are betraying our children. They need to see us model courage in the face of enemies.

3. Walk in the Ways of the Lord- Perhaps one of the most important pieces of the puzzle is the need to walk in the ways of the Lord. This means we must be men committed to the spiritual disciplines, which include discipline of studying God's word, prayer, service, worship, stewardship, evangelism etc... We are called from this passages to produce the gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10) & fruits (Galatians 5:22-23) of the Spirit.

I love the prayer below that Pastor Darren Patrick prays with his sons every night:

“God, make me a man with thick skin and a soft heart. Make me a man who is tough and tender. Make me tough so I can handle life. Make me tender so I can love people. God, make me a man.”

Now more than ever we need the men of the church to arise and lead in the way that King David instructs. I ask that the men of our church would show themselves to be a man!

Can God Use Me Even Though I Have Sin In My Life?

"I always thank my God when I mention you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and faith toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.[1]"

The book of Philemon is a pastoral letter from the apostle Paul to Philemon. Paul had been instrumental in Philemon coming to know the Lord, as well as his run away Onesimus. Paul had met Onesimus, while he was in prison. As you can tell from the way that Paul address Philemon in the above passage, Philemon was a believer. He did many works out of a heart of thanksgiving for the grace he had been given. But Philemon had a blind spot in his life, he was a slave owner. And while slavery in the first century roman world would have been more kind and gentle than the slavery we know from our country's history, slavery still flies in the face of the human dignity. People are image bearers of the living God, not items to be bought and sold.

I think our minds tend to put people in one of two general categories, either good people or bad people. We struggle when we find out that a celebrity or leader we admire, struggles with sin in their life. When a scandal hits the media, we find out people are more complex than just good or bad. The Bible shows the same truth about all of the leaders/characters that pass through its pages. Kind David, whom the Bible states is a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), is an adulterer (2 Samuel 11:2) and murderer (2 Samuel 11:14). Many other men of the Old Testament had their sinful blind spots like: Sampson married an unbeliever, King Solomon was a polygamist, Elijah struggled with depression, etc... But God still used all of them in mighty ways. The Bible does not approve of slavery, polygamy, or adultery. The Bible is the story of God using people who have been caught in slavery, polygamy, and/or adultery for His purposes and glory. God only uses sinners! That is the good news that we all love that comes from the examples of the broken, sinful heroes from the Bible. But there is more in this tiny book of Philemon.

There can only be one true hero of the Word, namely Jesus Christ. The Bible, like a mirror, shows us that though we may try, we still stumble in many ways (James 3:2). The Bible teaches us that if we do not allow other Christians access to our lives, we will never be able to see our own blind spots (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:12). We need others to expose our blind spots to us. God can still use you like he did Philemon. And please remember beloved, that when your sin is exposed, be quick to repent. Your sin may not be inexcusable, but it can be defeated.


[1] The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Phm 4–5). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

Redeeming the Time

"Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." -Colossians 4:5 (KJV)

In the above exhortation, the apostle Paul is closing out his letter to the church with a sobering exhortation: redeem the time. An exhortation is a strong encouragement to do something. This word used for redeem is only used four other times in the New Testament, twice for the blood of Jesus redeeming mankind and twice in reference to time. We have all had moments where we wish that we could stop time like a sunny day by the ocean or a lovely day in the Mountains. We all receive 24 golden hours with 60 diamond studded minutes in each hour. We are being encouraged to seize every opportunity that is covered in precious time. Here are a few observations I would like to share about this passage:



1. The nature of redeeming the time.

This command is written to those who know the Lord. Time was given to us by God to use/invest wisely or correctly. The call of scripture is to exercise the use of time wisely. We must not spend our time consumed with mindless entertainment. We live in an age in which we are surrounded by apathy to the Lord. We must awake and arise where our life is concerned. Time is something that is given by God while we live on earth because, there is no time in heaven. We must live in the present, walking wisely in this age. We must not be in love with days gone by when certain kinds of ministries worked, but with what God is doing now!

2. The necessity of redeeming the time.

We are suppose to determine what we are to do with the time we have been given. In college football, time is a very important element in how you play the game. How a coach uses the clock could determine if the game is won or lost. We are not just playing a game here! We have people at stake: our families, our churches, and our obedience to Jesus Christ. If you found out today that you only had 12 months to live, would you change how you spent the next 12 precious months? Could you justify your behavior or priorities? Every day we wake up there may be 10 or more things we want to do, but only three or four may get done, based on our priorities. Do we let our calendars set the priorities or do we let the priorities set the calendar?

3. The neglect of redeeming the time.

Many people long for a pastor who will tell people what makes them feel good about themselves. I have always found it interesting that this same principle is not used when it comes to physical health. No one in their right mind wants a doctor who will make them feel good, they want a doctor who will be honest and tell the truth. Do not neglect the following exhortations that Paul gives around redeeming the time:

• Continue to pray (Col. 4:2)
• Pray for the preacher (Col. 4:3)
• Speak to those who are lost so that you will not be misunderstood (Col. 4:4)
• Give an answer to people who are critical or skeptical of your faith (Col. 4:6)
• Let all your speech towards those who don't know Christ be seasoned with grace. (Col. 4:6)

5 Types of Dads That Exasperate Their Children

 "Fathers,  do not exasperate  your children, so they won’t become discouraged."

- Colossians 3:21

I would like to share with you the five types of fathers that exasperate their children.  The word exasperate means to strongly irritate, and to do so repeatedly.  Let me share a few statistics on fatherless children:

·         63% of youth who commit suicide are fatherless.

·         90 % of all youth who run away from home had no father at home.

·         85 % of youth/children with behavior disorders have no father.

·         80% of all rapist had no father at home.

The Bible places a special emphasis on fathers in the raising of children, but  this post is helpful for anyone who is raising children.  Here are five types of Dad that strongly irritate their children which provokes them to anger:

1. The Proud Dad- this is a father who will rarely admit he is wrong. You will never hear him these words, "I am sorry" or "Please forgive me". There is a need to always be right. This type of father demands repentance from his children, but rarely gives it to them. His motto is "Do as I say, not as I do." His children are provoked because they see no justice!!

2. The Angry/Controlling Dad- These are fathers who are ridged and inflexible, having a short fuse. These fathers are quick to speak and slow to listen. His motto is "Do this because I said so!" This father has forgotten that the anger of man will not produce the righteousness God requires. (James 1:20) His children are provoked by the constant turmoil in the home.

3. The Inconsistent Dad - This type of father is always moving the boundaries for the home. The house rules are fluid and always changing from day to day. His motto is "I know I said that yesterday, but this is what I want today!" He will provoke his children, because they never know what can or cannot be done.

4. The Religious/Perfectionist Dad- This type of dad sets out standards that are to lofty to be met by any child. No behavior or performance is good enough for this type of dad. They are often times church goers, who drive their children to make the necessary behavior changes to fit a church culture. This type of dad doesn't aim for the heart of his children(Matthew 15:8-9) and will raise either a rebellious or religious child like themselves. Often their children are worse than their fathers were on them. (Matthew 23:15).

5. Submissive Dad- These are fathers who constantly cave to the temper tantrums of their children, especially in public. They fear conflict and are afraid to correct. They want to be their kids friend not their parent. This provokes the children to anger because there are no boundaries, setting them up for failure as an adult. There have been many business meetings where 60 and 70 year old men throw temper tantrums to get their way, many churches caving to them. Sadly these men never outgrew their manipulation tactics.

We need to love our children with gospel centered love, discipline, and investment.  We must affirm our love for them, and be honest about the reality of sin in their lives and in ours.  Fathers and parents, we will never make a more beneficial investment of time, money and energy, than in our children!  I would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Steward Scott for helping me to think through these matters.

10 Steps to Forgiveness

Note this has been taken and modified from Neil Anderson's Victory Over the Darkness, ch. 11

"Healing Emotional Wounds From Your Past"

 

Following these steps will help you prepare your heart for having an attitude of forgiveness and unchain yourself from the past.  Helping you to get on with your life in a manner that is pleasing to God:

1.  Write on a sheet of paper the names of the person(s) who offended you or sinned against you.  Describe in writing the specific wrongs you suffered (i.e., rejection, deprivation of love, injustice, unfairness, physical, verbal, sexual or emotional abuse, betrayal, neglect, etc.).

2.  Face the hurt and the hate.  Write down how you feel about the person(s) and their offenses.  Remember:  It is not a sin to acknowledge the reality of your emotions.  It is a sin to live and be controlled or led by your emotions.  God knows exactly how you feel, whether or not you admit it or not.  If you bury your feelings you will bypass the possibility of forgiveness. 

3.  Acknowledge the significance of the cross.  It is the cross of Christ that makes forgiveness legally and morally right.  Jesus took upon Himself the sins of all who would trust in Him - and He died "once for all" (Heb. 10:10).  The heart cries, "It isn't fair!  Where's the justice?"  It's in the cross.

4.  Decide that you will bear the burden of each person's sin (Galatians 6:1,2).  This means that you will not retaliate in the future by using the information about their sin against them (Luke 6:27-34;  Prov. 17:9).  All true forgiveness is substitutionary as Christ's forgiveness of us was.  Remember when you choose to forgive you are saying:

a.  I will not bring this matter up to you (the offender) again in a hurtful way in the future

b.  I will not bring this matter up to others

c.  I will not choose to dwell on it myself (to rehearse it and nurse it)

5.  Decide to forgive.  Forgiveness is a crisis of the will, a conscious choice to let the other person off the hook and free yourself from the past.  You may not feel like making this decision, but this is a crisis of the will.  Since God tells you to, you can choose to do it.  The other person truly may be in the wrong and subject to church discipline or even legal action.  But that's not your primary concern.  Your responsibility is to let him off your hook.  Make that decision now; your feelings of forgiveness will follow in time.  Right feelings follow right action or obedience to God's commands.  Don't wait until you feel forgiving.  It will likely never happen.

6.  Take your list to God and pray the following:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for the riches of Your kindness, forbearance, and patience, knowing that Your kindness has led me to repentance (Romans 2:4).  I confess that I have not extended that same patience and kindness toward others who have offended me, but instead I have harbored bitterness and resentment."

Then use the following sentence to go through the list of offenses that you wrote down in step #1.  And pray,  "I forgive (name)  for (list the offenses individually, one at a time). "

7.  Destroy the list.  You are now free.  You do not need to tell the offenders what you have done.  Your forgiveness is between you and God.  The person you may need to forgive could be dead.

8.  Do not expect that your decision to forgive will result in major changes in the other person(s).  Instead pray for them (Matt. 5:44) so they too may find the freedom of forgiveness (Gal. 5:1,13,14).

9.  Expect positive results of forgiveness in you.  In time you will be able to think about the person(s) who offended you without feeling hurt, anger or resentment.  You will be able to be with them or hear them spoken of without reacting negatively.

10.  Thank God for the lessons you have learned and the maturity you have gained as a result of the offenses and your decision to forgive the offender(s)  (Romans 8:28,29).