Can I work my way to heaven?

This evening:  Romans 4:1-8.

Can I work my way to heaven?

In a recent study by leadership journal suggests that of those who call themselves Christians there are five kinds.

There are active Christians (19%).

There are professing Christians (20%)

There are liturgical Christians (16%).

There are private Christians (24%).

There are cultural Christians (21%).

Of these, only active and professing Christians said, "accepting Christ as Savior and Lord" is the key to being a Christian.  That is, more than 60% do not believe that faith in Christ is essential to salvation.

According to a Barna study last year, more than half of all adults (53%) believe that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during his life, he will earn a place in heaven.

This misunderstanding of saving grace is one of the major reasons why Paul writes to the church in Rome.

We will see this evening that not even Abraham or David (Romans 4:1-8) were saved by their works.  Their good works. 

That is good news.

Let me tell you why.

We live in such a performance based culture, don't we.  Our self worth and value is many times determined by what we have done.  Our production.  Our profit.  Our performance.

The more we do and the more successful we are, the more value we have (according to our society). 

Some say, "I'm good because I closed a deal."  "I'm significant because I got straight A's".  "I'm okay because I got a big raise at work." 

I used to have a t-shirt that said, "you are only as good as your last game) - and the true nature of what I do is that I am only as "good" as my last sermon.

The challenge with that kind of thinking is that God isn't impressed by our outward performance.  God doesn't look on the outside; he looks on the heart.

Nothing is hidden from him.

We can't fool God by our performance.  He judges our motives, not just our actions. 

That's why, my relationship with God (and eternal life) is a gift from Him.  I can't "boast" about it.  I can't claim any kind of credit for it.  It only comes from God.

It's only through believing in the life, death and resurrection of God that I experience his presence, power, favor and love. 

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Core values

What motivates you?

What drives you?

Kouzes and Posner, in their book, "The Truth About Leadership" state, "You can't fully commit to something that doesn't fit with who you are and how you see yourself."

Most people will join or connect with a church that is consistent with their personal values, or how they look at life.

When someone new comes to our church they ask themselves:

What does the church are about?

What drives them?

What makes them happy?

What makes them upset?

What is their story?

We as a church must understand who we are, what we care about, and why we do what we do.

Below is listed the 10 core values of Stone Church.

I would ask that you read them through several times and assimilate them into your mental computer.  Please feel free to share them with those around you.

Core values of Stone Church: 

1. It’s never too late to be who you might have been
2. Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you
3. Passionate worship brings us closer to God
4. Creating community is accomplished through large and small group gatherings
5. Being culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure is foundational
6. Everyone is invaluable and irreplaceable
7. Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it
8. To be all that we can be, we must use all that we can use
9. Reaching non-churched people is important to God and therefore important to us
10. Helping the hurting outside and inside our church is the only loving thing to do

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

Great weekend with Pastor Bob Rhoden.

What a man of God.

Subject:  Leadership.

Some of his thoughts:

You make a difference.  Modeling or being an example is the best way to make a difference.

Values drive commitment.

If someone takes ownership of the corporate values (of any organization) they are more apt to be committed.

Mission is what we do.

Vision is where we are headed.

Values are what we believe.

Goals are the specific points of making the vision happen.

If a person's personal values conflict with the corporate values - there is conflict. 

Conflict on any level (marriage, co-worker, company, church) comes when the way you assume something will happen is different from the way somebody else assumes it will happen.

When your beliefs or values are different from someone else there is conflict.

We can't create an anointed future by constantly looking over our shoulder to the past.

We bless the past - live in the present - dream big for the future.

Great spirit of worship this Sunday - especially after the second service.

Really, really proud of our Teen Bible Quiz teams.  Thank you to Bob Hong and Dawn Wolf for your leadership!

Met several new guests yesterday in our services.

Looking forward to continuing my series in Genesis this Sunday.

Let me invite you to our Wednesday evening services.  40 minutes of worship.  Then a 30 minute teaching on the book of Romans (verse by verse).  Then we worship again for 20 minutes.

Great time in the present of the Lord!

Love you all,

George

Love, acceptance and forgiveness

One of my greatest responsibilities as a pastor is to first love and accept and forgive people around me, and second, to bring them to ministry readiness by teaching them to do the same.

Everyone, and I do mean everyone, stands in need of love, acceptance and forgiveness.

We all want to be loved.

We all desired to feel accepted.

We all crave forgiveness.

Here's what I know:  At Stone Church, when we "go after" the people nobody wants, God will send up people everybody wants.

Our desire is to reach the "no so togethers", the "non-perfect" people of this world.

Jerry Cook (a former Foursquare pastor) writes this:

"When love, acceptance and forgiveness characterize our lives and our churches, the Lord will send u people who need to be made whole."

He goes on to say:

"A pastor friend called me one day every upset at our church.  This was a brother I liked and respected then, and still do.  He was irritated because some of his people had started coming to our church.  I knew what he was talking about and I felt he needed to get it off his chest, so I let him talk.  At one point he said, "You know what you are out there?  You're nothing but a bunch of garbage collectors."

Jerry Cook writes, "As I thought about it, I realized he was telling the truth.  That's exactly what we are, garbage collector.  What were we before Jesus found us?  Weren't we all just garbage?  Jesus finds us and recycles us.  I mentioned this in church one Sunday and afterward a man who owns a garbage collection agency came floating up the aisle, all excited.  "That's supper," he said.  "Let me tell you something about garbage.  There's a landfill near here.  For 10 years we used it as a place to dump trash and garbage.  Know what's there now?  A beautiful park."

Finally Pastor Cook concludes:  "I've seen human garbage become beautiful too.  I've seen the stench of sin turned into the fragrance of heaven.  That's our business.  WE can't worry about what critics think nor say.  Where is God going to send the "garbage" for recycling if He can't put it on our doorstep?  He'll find a place.  If we're not open for business, someone else will be.  But we want to be used by God.  When love, acceptance and forgiveness prevail, the church of Jesus Christ becomes what Jesus was in the world:  a center of love designed for the healing of broken people, and a force for God."

Good stuff for a Thursday.

Propitiation

We are going through the book of Romans on Wednesday evenings.

Paul writes in Romans 3:25, "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement (speaking of Jesus)." 

The King James version used the word, "propitiation"

It means to "turn away wrath by offering a gift."

Pagan religions are built on the concept of propitiation, whereby a devoted person brings a chicken, a goat, a lamb, or a plate of food and offers it to his god (I saw this in Bali, Indonesia - where most follow the Hindu religion).

By bringing the blood of a chicken, the followers of voodoo hope to appease the evil spirits and turn away their wrath.

To use an illustration that is more culturally relevant for you and I, it would be as if a husband stops by a flower shop on the way home to buy flowers for his wife (after a horrific verbal "discussion"). 

He hopes the offering of flowers will turn away the "wrath" of his spouse and restore the relationship.

In the Old Testament (as we will see tonight), the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year - on the Day of Atonement - bringing with him the blood of a bull.  When he sprinkled the blood on the Mercy Seat - the lid of the Ark of the Covenant - that blood was accepted by God as an "atonement" or a "covering" for the sins of the people.

I am, and remain, and will always be grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross.  It is by that sacrifice that God's wrath against my sins is taken away.

How about you?

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Seasons of tempation

The past couple of years, there has been a Robin that has built her nest right outside my office window at the church.

She just came back today.

What that means is this:  Spring is just around the corner.

A new season has arrived.

I say this a lot (and have even blogged about it before) - that I am a big, big believer in seasons.

While you may or may not live in an area of the country (or world) that has seasons, life itself does.

There are seasons of joy.  There are seasons of sorrow.

There are seasons of victory.  There are seasons of defeat.

Well, you get the idea.

Life is fluid, it never stays the same. 

Seasons come and seasons go.

One of the seasons (that I didn't get to fully explain this past Sunday in my teaching) that we go through are seasons of temptation.

There are certain times and situations where you and I as followers of Christ are more vulnerable to temptation than at other times.

Satan knows this.

He studies you.  He studies me.  He studies us to find out what season is it where we are more vulnerable than others to his fiery darts.

Here's what I know:  It is important to be aware of the seasons of high temptation and be ready to defend yourself spiritually during these times.

Ask yourself:

When am I the most likely to be tempted?

What day of the week?  What time of day? 

Where am I most likely to be tempted?

At work?  At home?  At a neighbor's house?

At a bar?  In an airport or hotel out of town?

Who is with you when you are the most likely to be tempted?

Friends?  Coworkers?  A crowd of strangers?  When you are alone?

How are you feeling when you are tempted?

Tired?  Lonely?  Bored?  Depressed?  Stressed out?  Angry?  Worried?

One of the keys of spiritual victory in the midst of battle is to know when and how the enemy will attack.  Be aware of Satan's tactics, friends!

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

Busy, busy weekend.

What a delight it was to watch our Teen Bible Quiz teenagers in a match with other churches. 

Our kids know the Bible!

I am 100% behind memorizing the Bible.

Our church team won State!

On to regionals!

I was extremely pleased and proud of them.

Thanks to all of our adults leaders as well!

Our district youth director, Paul Hinzman, spoke last Thursday evening to our youth group.  Great guy.

Title of his message - Stop staring!

In other words, we are to not keep our gaze, our eyes on those who lead us or those around us - we are to keep our eyes on Jesus!

God is moving in our youth group!

I was thrilled as I watched 25 or more teenagers worshipping God around the altar.

Again - many thanks to our GREAT leadership team!

It was my privilege to baptize 5 people in water yesterday (two adults, three children). 

One of the women that was baptized came to our church through the following story:

A few weeks ago, she had set her GPS to go to Nordstrom's Rack, here in Orland Park (on a Sunday morning).  Her GPS instead lead her to our church.  As she drove up the driveway to Stone Church, the GPS stated, "you have reached your destination."

She decided to come into a service (the first time she had been in church in 20 years) and has been coming ever since!

Praise God!

Wonderful testimonies from our teenagers as they went to Ascension convention - they are "on fire" for God!

God is moving - by His Spirit!

Father, we desire renewal and revival!

Love you all,

George

Catching your kids doing something right

Parenting is hard.

Difficult.

There are seasons of great joy - and seasons of great challenge.

Now that our three kids are out of the house - I am an authority on parenting.  :)

Here's what I know (and this applies to anyone in life that you are in relationship with):  Catch your kids doing something right - and praise them for it.

While this is especially true during the critical two to four years of age - it can be vitally important during the junior high and senior high years (which can be brutal relationally) as well.

As our children interact with other children, it is inevitable that they will come across criticism, teasing and even taunting.

By the time they come home on any given day, the last thing they need is for mom and dad to add on to the constant stream of being putting down throughout the day.

Now then, I really get the idea of "If I spare the rod and spoil my child, that won't be pleasing to God."

We must never shy away from discipline as parents.

I get that.

But here is what I would suggest:  We must be slow to criticize and quick to praise (and by praise - I mean genuine applause from the heart).

Try to catch your child doing something right.

Years ago, Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson wrote the excellent book entitled, "The One Minute Manager."

The thesis was that as you enter and exit someone's life, you can, in one minute, leave them "better" than when you found them, leaving them with a sense of feeling good about themselves by giving them a quick, "you did good on such and such."

It's called - giving affirmation.

Instead of seeing your parenting role as primarily a matter of catching  your kids doing something wrong and making sure to correct them, why not take a fresh look at relating to your children and spend just as much time, if not more time, in catching them doing something right?

Everyone needs affirmation.  Everyone needs encouragement.  Everyone needs appreciation.

Even Jesus received affirmation from God the Father in Matthew 3:17, "This is My Son, Whom I love, with Him I am well pleased."

Now then, a word of caution.  Praise, but praise in the right way.

Your child must know that you love them unconditionally. 

That is so important, for if you only praise them for doing something right, then they will start to live on a performance basis, thinking, "If I do a good job.....if I get A's...If I hit a home run...then my parents will appreciate me."

That produces a lot of unnecessary guilt. 

So, here's the solution.  Bend over backwards to make your children feel accepted, first - and then appreciated.  Let them know that you accept them and then move on to appreciation. 

Josh McDowell, in his wonderful book, "How to be a hero to your kids" (from which I get a lot of this blog) writes, "I appreciate my child's effort more than my child's accomplishment, and I appreciate my child's worth as a human being even more than my child's effort).

Good stuff for you parents.  Praying for and with you!

Just a thought for a Thursday.

hypocrisy

Here's what I know:

The Christian who thinks everyone is a hypocrite but them - is a hypocrite.

We are all being deceived in one area of our lives (as followers of Christ), we all act in ways that aren't consistent with who we say we are - as much as we don't like to admit it.

That's what we will be looking at tonight as we continue our study in the book of Romans (chapters 2 - 3:20).

Paul is writing to a church in Rome that is filled with both Jews and Gentiles.  The Gentiles thought they should receive even more grace because they hadn't had the Old Testament law as the Jews did.  Their excuse?  Ignorance of spiritual things.

The Jews were thinking that they weren't as bad as the Gentiles, because they weren't as "bad" as they were.  Their excuse?  They were more "spiritual" than the Gentiles.

Both were wrong.

At the root of both of these groups was a feeling of judgmental ism, pride and finger pointing.

Paul writes in Romans 2:1, "You, therefore (the Jews) have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."

It is hypocritical to judge others, without first of all looking at ourselves.

It is especially hypocritical to judge someone for doing the same things that we are doing.

A hypocrite says, "Mary is always criticizing others."  That, in and of itself, is a criticism of Mary.

We don't become righteous by pointing out the sins of others.

Someone once said that a "hypocrite is someone who complains there is too much sex and violence on their DVD collection."

Whom do you judge more - yourself or others?

Three takeaways that I am going to give tonight at the end of the teaching.

All three of them are "don'ts". 

My prayer is that we all (and that means me) learn to three principles and apply them to our lives.

Don't condemn in others what you do yourself.

This is clearly an enormous point in the mind of Paul in Romans 2 and 3.  The essence of hypocrisy is to preach hard or speak harshly against the very sins (in the life of others) that you commit in secret.  It is to excuse in yourself the behavior you condemn in others.

Are you practicing what you are preaching?  Are you living what you are saying?  Does your life match up to your lips?  Do your deeds match your declarations? 

Don't claim special privileges without accepting personal responsibility.

Religious people do this all the time.  They like to give advice, but they don't like to take it.  They like to talk, they don't like to obey.  They like to be first in line - they don't like to do the "chores after dinner."

The Christian life includes freedom but also responsibility.

Don't go through the motions without Christ in your heart.

As shocking as it might sound, there will be many church members in hell.  Why?  Because  many people are locked into a false religious confidence.  They trust in religion.  They trust in how long they have gone to church.  They trust in the ministry that they are doing - rather than trusting in Jesus Christ.

Just some thoughts for a Wednesday.

Being polite; being nice

Here's what I know:

Being polite is not the same thing as being nice.

I meet people in the kingdom of God (and in our church) who are very polite.  But they are not very nice.

They are politely mean.

Some Christians have perfected this "art" over the years.

They know how to smile that plastic smile, and feign friendship and concern, if only for a moment.

They are polite and even give to others (or serve in a ministry) (Martha's - men and women - in the faith tend to be susceptible to this - they think that their service in ministry nullifies a bad attitude).

Can I give you a suggestion?

Just because you are polite - does not mean that you are nice.

People can slander - politely.

People can gossip - politely.

People can disagree - politely.

People can sit in a church service - politely.

And still be mean.

Meanness is most of all an attitude.  An attitude of the heart.

Have you ever heard someone say, "your attitude stinks?"

That can be more than a metaphor for what's going on inside.

Sometimes, I can "smell" people's attitude about life in general - from a distance.

I would ask that you pray about something:

Pray about being polite and nice - and the fact that just because you are polite - does not mean that you are a nice person.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Self esteem and the past

Do you find your self esteem from the past?

Individuals do that.

Corporations do that.

Nations do that.

Churches do that as well.

Churches can look back and become obsessed with the past to the point of it creating a sense of stagnation and a refusal to change and grow.

"I remember when Pastor so and so was here," they say.

"I remember when we used to do it this way back in the past."

They remember the "good ole days" and take great pride and relish in reminding people of the great moments from the past.

They begin to hold up the past as an idol.  Nothing that is done in the present can "live up to what was done in the past."

They derive their self esteem from the past.

That, in and of itself, is a recipe for disaster.

Life is not meant to be lived in the past - life is meant to be lived in the present.

Growing people, growing companies, growing churches understand that.

My self esteem does not come from what I have accomplished in the past; my self esteem comes (or should come) from what I am doing in the present and in the context of my relationship with God.

I was asked, "what is the greatest sermon I have ever preached," (the other day) and my response was, "the next one."

We need to keep on striving, keep on moving forward, for God's glory and our ultimate benefit.

Churches can look back and become obsessed with the past to the point of it creating a sense of stagnation. 

When Michael Jordan turned 50, ESPN magazine ran an extended essay/interview about Jordan's continuing obsession (or idolatry) with the best days of his basketball career.

The article stated:

"Jordan's self-esteem has always been, as he says, "tied directly to the game."

Without it, he feels adrift.  Who am I?  What am I doing?  For the past 10 years, since retiring for the third time, he has been running, moving as fast as he could, creating distractions, distance.  When the schedule clears, he'll call his office and tell them not to bother him for a month, to let him relax and play golf.  Three days later they'll get another call, asking if the plan can pick him up and take him someplace.

He's restless...he feels his competitiveness kick in, almost a chemical thing, and he starts working out, and he wonders:  Could he play at 50?  What would he do against LeBron?

What if?  "It's consumed me so much," he says.  "I'm my own worst enemy.  I drove myself so much that I'm still living with some of those drives.  "I'm living with that.  I don't know how to get rid of it.  I don't know if I could.  And here I am, still connected to the game."

He knows he won't ever play pro  basketball again.  He knows he's got to quiet these drives, to find a way to live the life he worked so hard to create, to be still.

Jordan asks, "How can I enjoy the next 20 years without so much of this consuming me?  How can I find peace away from the game of basketball?"

In a very, very, very small way - I can relate to that. 

After a great senior year in high school and a wonderful senior year in college, I used to have dreams (well into my thirties) of having a year of eligibility left in college - in order to play basketball again.

I took great joy (and pride) in the fact that we won the European championship (International School of Brussels) in 1974.  Basketball was a haven, where a huge amount of my self esteem was created.

Eventually, I learned that my effectiveness as a person (and as a follower of Christ), my present self-esteem, must not and cannot come from what I did in the past - but from what God is doing in me - in the present.

Where do you find your self-esteem?

From your job?  Your family?  Your children? 

Past glories?

I would suggest that you find our self-esteem in God - and realize that your best days are ahead.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Without excuse

Someone once said that an excuse is the "skin of a reason - stuffed with a lie."

That can be true.

This evening, we will be looking at Romans 1:18-32.

Lots there to unpack.  Lots there to wrap our minds around.

One of the most troubling thoughts (troubling in the sense of being difficult to understand) from this passage (and there are many) is the idea that the "heathen" (those without a connection to Jesus Christ) are without excuse before God.

Paul writes in Romans 1:19, 20, "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

The question is not, "can a person acknowledge and understand God through his conscience and through nature," but will that knowledge save them?

The answer is no. 

Knowledge of God through creation and through the conscious can only make man aware of God's presence - which in turn can only condemn him and not save him.

People die and go to hell because they are sinners.  Rejecting Christ only "seals the deal."

Follow the logic:

God reveals himself to a person through his conscious (or that "God-shaped vacuum in them - the realization that there is a 'higher power') and through nature around him. 

That realization prompts him to live a life of choosing between right and wrong.

A person cannot live a consistent godly life without the power and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

It is only through Jesus that a person can be saved.

Now then:  the challenging thought is that it is only through Jesus that people can be saved - our responsibility is to share Jesus with the world around us.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

The supernatural and openness

How open are you to the supernatural?

Great question.

Are you open to God working in your life in ways that go beyond what you can see, touch, taste, smell and hear?

Here's what I know:  Our God is a God of the supernatural.

But do you really believe that?

We talk a lot about God's ability to heal - but do we really believe that?

We talk a lot about God's ability to work miracles - but do we really believe that?

Are you open to experiencing God in ways that go beyond the norm?  The natural?

The Bible is filled with men and women of God who experienced unusual events in their lives (at the prompting of God).

Isiah walked around naked for three years.  Hosea was asked to marry a prostitute (and did just that).  Peter was prompted to walk on water.  Noah built an ark in the middle of the desert - in anticipation of a flood - and it had never rained.

In the life of a Pentecostal Christian (where experiencing the supernatural should be a natural daily experience), we are continually challenged to walk in the unusually supernatural - and experience God's presence in ways that go beyond the normal.

In the scriptures, the sun went backwards, the red sea parted, frogs fell form the sky - the Bible is filled with examples of people who experienced something that went beyond the normal.

(God's Holy Spirit impregnating a 16 year old girl - the virgin birth - now that is a supernatural act).

As Christians in the 21st century we struggle with this.  We live in a world where non-Christians are reaching out for the supernatural (via movies and books that are popular now days) and Christians are wanting to pull back and only experience that which they understand or can control.

It is an interesting, ironic statement of the end times.

Can I give you a suggestion?  Be open to the supernatural.  When you see the supernatural occurring, don't stand back with criticism and a closed mind.  There is enough of that in the world today.

By the time you are through "analyzing" what is going on, God's presence has moved on.

Be willing to risk - and to trust that God knows what he is doing.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

From yesterday's Sunday morning service:  Those who drove in from Canada, Ohio, Indiana (and other states) wonderful.  Hearing Steve Hill preach - powerful.  Sensing people's expectation levels for more of God's presence - incredible. 

Experiencing God's presence - priceless.

Continue to move in us Holy Spirit!

May we receive more of your presence in order to change the world we live in!

Steve Hill's message of exhortation is a needed thought for the world we live in.  We must continue to preach, teach and share the truth.  Grace must always be balanced with holiness!

Many, many thanks to everyone who helped yesterday in making the service "go".  From the children's volunteers to the sound booth guys, to the worship team, to the coffee connection folks, we thank you!

Every volunteer in our church is needed!  Every ministry worker is a vital part of what we are trying to do in our church.

We are a church to belong, grow and serve!

We love people.  We love God!

Come on Sunday mornings, serve in a ministry, attend a life group!

Let's not be afraid of the Holy Spirit.

Let's not be afraid of what the Holy Spirit can do in our lives.

God has more for us.  Our future will be greater than our past!

I am not looking to the right or to the left - I am looking to Jesus Christ!

Like barking dogs surrounding a train going down the tracks - so are those who criticize, complain and grumble. 

The train keeps going!  The Holy Spirit is our fuel!

The destination is reaching everyone in the Chicago Southland with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Father, keep the train going!

This week is a busy, busy week.  Wednesday evening activities.  Good Friday service (7:00 P.M.)

Sunday morning - Easter presentation - "The Bridge".  8:30 A.M.  10:30 A.M.

I encourage you to invite friends and family to the services!

More people are brought to Christ (and start a relationship with Him) by friends than any other medium of sharing the gospel (preaching, advertising, television, radio). 

Invite someone and then offer to bring them to our church campus!

I love you all!

George

Revival

We are extremely privileged to have Steve Hill with us this Sunday. 

Steve is a "revivalist" in every sense of the word (that I described a couple of blogs ago).  As we speaks, you will sense the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. 

Just a note:  We are having one service this Sunday, March 24th (10:30 A.M.).  Steve is still struggling with some physical infirmities and can only preach once - and then pray for people.

But what a service it will be!

I would encourage you to arrive early (we are having a prayer meeting at 8:30 A.M. in room 102) and find a seat and spend time in the presence of the Lord.

One of Steve's mentors was Leonard Ravenhill.  Let me give you some of Leonard Ravenhill's thoughts from his book, "Revival God's Way'.

Let his words challenge you today - and encourage you to seek after God.

He writes:

"Why revival - God's Way?  Because we have tried every other way.  Because, instead of healing the cripple at the gate of the church (in the Acts story he was a type of the crippled world), the "Church" is now crippled and asking alms of the world to carry on the Lord's work.  How amazing!

"In God we Trust" may be on our coins, but who does trust Him?  Do the radio and television preachers trust Him for their needs?  If they did they would never drag His  name before a cynical world in their tearful begging sprees.

I am often asked to pray for the healing of the nation.  No!  I am praying for the healing of the Church.  Then the healing of America, Britain (Ravenhill was British) and other nations will follow.  As the Church goes, so goes the world!"

Will you be in prayer this week for Stone Church?  Will you be in prayer with me that we hear a "mighty rushing wind" this Sunday morning, and that many are healed and saved?

God we desire your ministering presence!  Come Holy Spirit!

Send us your glory, God!

The power of the gospel

Tonight we begin a verse by verse study of the book of Romans (this evening - Romans 1:1-17).

I am really looking forward to it. 

The theme of the book of Romans wraps itself around one word.  Gospel.  Not any gospel but THE Gospel.

Paul writes in Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:  first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

Let's unpack this wonderful verse.

The Gospel is power!

The Greek word is dunamis, from which we get the English words "dynamic," "dynamo," and "dynamite."

The Gospel contains the dynamic power of God.  That's why Paul said that he wasn't ashamed or felt the need to apologize for coming to Rome (the New York City of that day).

He knew that in the Gospel, there is a power that can overwhelm anything that comes against it.

It today's preaching culture, it is popular to use videos and drama to partner with the Word of God so that the message is relevant and easily assimilated. 

I get that.  In fact, I am for that.  In fact, further still, I have done that and will continue to do that.

But at the end of the day, there is nothing like the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of God found in both the Old and New Testaments.  There is power in the Word!

Notice this:  It is the power of God for salvation.

Only the Gospel can save sinners.  Not science, not education, not religion, not moral reformation, not a change in political party, not fame or fortune.  Only the Gospel saves sinners.

It has the power to forgive us for our sins (past), give us new life (in the present) and launch us into heaven (for eternity - in the future).

Notice this:  It is the power to save those who believe. 

Who what?  Who believe - or those who make a personal commitment, to trust by an act of the will.

By the very nature of its power, the Gospel always demands some kind of response.  A personal response. 

We can't just internalize it or read it like a great novel.  We must respond to it one way or another.

I often say that if a person is not changed in worship, they have not truly worshipped.  The thought just occurred to me that if I am not changed in some way as I read the Word, I have not truly read the Word.  The Word will always convict or encourage or challenge us in some way.

Notice this:   It is the power to save those who believe, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.  The gospel is for everyone.

Now then, does that mean all the Jews must be saved before Gentiles can be saved?  No.  He's talking about chronology not importance or priority. 

God gave the message first to thew Jews, his chosen people, and they were to spread it around.  Why were the Jews called the "chosen people"? 

God chose one nation to be the missionaries to the world.  They were chosen to spread the gospel.  But the Jews blew it!

They took the good news of a relationship to God and they didn't share it.

They kept it to themselves.  God turned to Plan B - the Church.  He sent Jesus Christ to die for us.  Now the Gospel belongs to everybody no matter what your skin color, family background, religious preference, sexual orientation, race, education, age, income or moral degradation.  No matter how much you have "sinned" the Gospel can be for you!

Let me leave you with this - why not share that Gospel with someone today?

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

A season of revival

Renewal and revival.

Great words.

Needed words.

Needed in our hearts and our spirits.

Renewal is when the people of God are brought alive in their walk with God.  They draw closer to the Lord.  They are rebooted, so to speak in their intensity and passion for God.

Many times, as God's people are renewed, they experience certain manifestations of the Holy Spirit.  Trembling.  Falling on the floor.  A sense of peace.  A sense of passion for God.

As followers of Christ, we all need those times when the fire of God is lit once again within our spirits.  Where we once again follow God not as a "have to" but because we "get to."  We are so full of God that it literally bursts within our spirits.

Sometimes we quarantine those experiences and say to ourselves, "God has moved - He has sent revival."

But revival, in the truest sense of the word is when people are connecting to Christ.  They are being saved from their sins.  They are turning away from the past - asking for forgiveness of sins - and changing the patterns of behavior and thinking in their lives.

We desire both.  We desire that God not only stirs our hearts as Christians, but that that experience will so empower us that we reach out to those who do not know God.  The non-churched.  The unsaved.  The non-Christian.  However you want to put that.

Yet, the third step is the step that few revivals ever reach.  Where God moves so strongly and His power is so evident that the culture and the society in which the people live is changed.

The way people live, the way they work, eat, drink, sleep and play is transformed into a holy, godly culture.

We change.  That's renewal. 

Non-churched people are changed.  That's revival.

Changing our culture - that's the ultimate goal.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend

Great spirit in our church yesterday. 

We are becoming unified and geared up for the days ahead.

Unity is so precious in God's eyes.  Unity flows from the anointing - and the anointing flows where there is unity.

Paul writes in Romans 12:8, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

And the writer to the Hebrews states in Hebrews 12:14, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy."

Unity is my responsibility.  Unity is your responsibility.  We are to "make every effort." 

That means we are to live unselfishly.  Unconcerned about power and control.

Letting God move.  Taking our hands off what God wants to do.

I have been enjoying worship and the end of each service the past two weeks.

Getting a great response to the verse by verse teachings from Genesis.

Worship and the Word!

No better way to celebrate a Sunday than to worship God and study His Word!

We live in the most biblically illiterate country in the world. 

Confession:  I am still amazed at those who do not bring their Bibles to church on a Sunday morning.

It would be like going to a knitting group without anything to knit with.

It would be like going bowling with a bowling ball.

Well, you get the point.

Let's be people of God's Word!

Wow - we are getting reports of people from far and wide who will be with us this Sunday for our Steve Hill meetings. 

Invite a friend.  Invite a friend who needs Christ (for that matter - invite your enemies as well :) )

Invite someone who needs healing in their body.

God is good - all the time!

Many, many thanks for those who gave of their time this past Saturday in going door-to-door.  28 people went and visited almost (if not over) 2000 homes. 

Only God knows the benefits that will come from Saturday's outreach!

Love you all,

George

God is up to something great!

Okay, let me tell you this right away:

God is up to something great in your life!

Perhaps you find yourself in an impossible situation - wondering how your circumstances will possibly turn around for the better, how your life will ultimately come to some kind of meaning and purpose.

God is up to something great in your life!

Do you believe that? 

If you feel down today, pushed down by the verbiage of this world, the mistakes that you have made, the dreams that have been shattered, the failures that have come despite your best efforts - know that God is up to something great in your life!

In life, there is the good, the bad and the just downright ugly (with all due respect to the Clint Eastwood movie of the same title).

As you walk with God, please know that He can take the good things that you remember most fondly, the bad things that you would like to forget, and the ugly things that have shaped you into something you did or didn't want to be and use all of them to create in you the purpose that He has for you.  Today.  This afternoon.  This evening.  Tomorrow.

As Job said in Job 42:2, "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted."

God is able to take and make whatever He will.

He can take whatever and whoever you are and make you into whatever and whoever you need to be to become your best possible self.

No matter what you are dealing with today, the good, the bad or the ugly, know that God is up to something great in your life! 

Believe it and then receive it!  Repeat that continually today:  "God is up to something great in my life!

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Door to Door

One of the foundational building blocks of our church is that we are prayerfully and desperately (for the Kingdom's sake) desiring people to connect with God.

To start a spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ.

C.T. Studd lived from 1860 - 1931.  He was educated at Cambridge and was one of the top cricket players of his time.

In fact, he was so good that others in the sporting world compared him to America's Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb.

Well, it so happened that C.T. Studd became a Christian.  As a result he decided to contend for men and women who seemed headed for the fires of Hell.

He gave away a fortune and became part of the famous Cambridge Seven, bright university students who left comfortable England and went instead to the mission field.

Eventually, Studd died an old man in distant Africa, but not before saying:

Some want to live within the sound
Of church or chapel bell,
I want to run a rescue shop
Within a yard of hell.

I am challenged by that.

Here's what I know:  In all probability, God is not calling you to go to Africa, but he is calling you to go across the street.

Let me share with you how:  This Saturday, March 16, we will be meeting here at the church at 9:30 A.M. and going door to door - leaving door hangers inviting people to our Sunday morning Easter services.

We have over 2000 homes that we will be visiting in the span of two hours.

Would you consider joining us - and walk the walk concerning reaching the lost?

People need Jesus - we have the answer.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Dust in the wind

The group Kansas used to sing a song entitled, "Dust in the Wind - all we are is dust in the wind."

The Bible tells us in Genesis 2:7, "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (soul)."

We were made from dust and to dust we will one day return.

I read today of the value and worth of the human body - if you broke it down into its constituent elements.  To start with, our bodies are 65% water.  But then you add in the trace amounts of iron, phosphorus, sodium, calcium potassium, magnesium, chlorine, and all the rest.  When you figure it up at today's market prices, the total comes to about $4.50. 

Think about that.  You're worth a five-dollar bill with 50 cents to spare.

We all are.

Water and dirt.  Dust in the wind. 

We are the original "dirt people" (somebody should make a movie about that)!

We come from the dust of the heart, which is a lowly position and we are filled with the breath of God (the spirit of God) which gives us a high honor.

In other words, your value does not lie in  your body or in the things you do with your body.  Your value comes from the life God gave you.

Apart from the "breath of life," you wouldn't survive even one more second.  If God should remove his hand from you, you would cease to exist and your body would quickly return to the dust.  We like to boast of what we have done and accomplished.  We brag of our achievements as if we were immortal.

But our lives are like a vapor that appears for a moment and then vanishes away (James 4:14)

Final thought - my value comes from God's spirit in me.  Nothing more and nothing less.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend

First of all, let me say how excited we are to have Steve Hill with us on March 24th, for both morning services.

I encourage you to invite your non-churched friends, neighbors, family and co-workers!

Fueled by his own dramatic deliverance from drugs, alcohol and crime back in 1975, Steve dedicates his life to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.  His love for people and his passion for genuine, God-breathed revival have only intensified after years of ministry.

Steve has been powerfully used by the Lord in two of the greatest revivals in the past century:  In the Argentine revival and the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida.  During these revivals, hundreds of thousands came to Christ and were transformed by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Recently, Steve came through a life-threatening bout with cancer - and God has miraculously touched him.  He will be sharing of that an a prophetic end time vision that he received from the Lord during his sickness.

Had a great time at Jessie Insalaco's birthday party yesterday.  She and Mickey (and their family) are just great folks.

Took home some ribs from Hog Wild restaurant.  "Fall off the bone" good!

What can I say about the Upward Basketball celebration this past Saturday?

The gym was filled with parents and their children - most of whom do not go to our church.  Several of the boys signed up for the Pinewood Derby this coming Saturday, March 23rd.

A short gospel message was preached by Pastor Aldin.

Many, many, many thanks to all of our volunteers for your time, faithfulness and hard work this year!

We are also looking at adding on soccer in a couple of years.

Our plan is to change our culture - to help change the world - with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Met with the youth leader's staff Saturday morning.  What a talented group of people.  I am so grateful that they are "filling in the gaps" as we search for a new youth pastor.

I was told that they had six visitors last Thursday evening!

Love you all,

George

Half truths

Teenagers can be famous for telling them.

Some people are addicted to them.

Others can't get away from them.

Cults use them to attract and retain followers.

What are "them"?

"Them" are half-truths.

Something we take for being totally true - but in reality is partially false.

Recently, Subway made the news when various news organizations pointed out that their $5.00 foot long sandwich was actually 11 inches instead of 12.

In article by Linton Weeks entitled, "Half-truths we can live with,"gives us a few more half-truths:

1.  Peanuts are not really nuts (and neither are cashews or Brazil nuts).  Walnuts, pecans, and chestnuts are really nuts, but peanuts are actually legumes.

2.  The American buffalo is a bison, not a buffalo.  It is part of the Bovidae family, which includes domestic cattle and goats.

3.  A koala bear is not a bear; it is a marsupial.

4.  A palm tree is not a tree.  Palms trees belong to the monocot family of flowering plants, which also includes grasses and grains.

5.  "Swollen glands" are not actually glands; they are a series of lymph nodes.

6.  A mountain goat is not really a goat.

7.  Pink is not exactly a color.  Physicists claim that pink should really be called "minus green" because 'Pink" is just the leftovers of white light when you take out the green.

Some people tell half-truths by simply not telling the whole truth.

I've come across people like that - and so have you.

It isn't that what they are saying is a direct lie - it's that they leave out the part of the story that could change the way people treat them or react to them.

In the long run - we can never go wrong doing the right thing - which is telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth - so help you God.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

The thing in hand

Did you know that the "good" in our lives can be a hindrance to our walk with God?

That which preoccupies our mind and spirit.

Watchman Nee has written a chapter in his book, "The Release Of The Spirit," which explains this.

He gives the analogy of the father who asked his son to do a certain thing.

The sons answers, "Right now I have something in my hand; as soon as I finish it, I will do what you order."

"The thing in hand" is the thing which the son is doing prior to his father's orders.

What is the "thing in your hand," that is preventing you from a deeper walk with God?

It can be anything, even something good or important in our lives.

AS long as the outward man remains unbroken, we will full our "hands" with the things of this world (and even our religious interests, appetites, concerns and ministry."

So, when God comes knocking at our door, wanting to speak to our inner man, our inner spirit, we cannot hear.

So the "thing in hand" can block our way to drawing closer to God.

Watchman Nee goes on to use another analogy - comparing our human physical strength with the emotional and spiritual strength that we have in our lives.

I can only lift so much weight.  My physical strength is limited as to what I can and cannot do (especially as I get older).

As my physical strength is limited so is my emotional and mental strength.

For instance, I only have so much "love" to give around.  If I gave all of my attention, focus and love on one person, there would be nothing left for anyone else.  My "soul" strength" would be drained with nothing left to direct to others.

When we were raising our kids, I had to work at having enough relational energy to show my family every evening - after a day of helping and loving others in our church family 

Knowing that my family was first priority - it was still hard - in the emotional realm.  I would come home drained in my outward man.  My soul.

It is the same with our mind.  If my mind is focused on one thing; in all probability something negative, than I can't focus on anything positive or spiritual. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:2 that "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free form the law of sin and of death."

But why is this law of the Spirit of life not working in certain people?

Paul goes on to state, "The righteous requirement of the law should be fulfilled in us who walk according to Spirit."  (Romans 8:4).

In other words, the law of the Spirit of life works effectively only for those who are spiritual, those who focus on the things of the Spirit.

Who are these people?

Those who do not mind the things of the flesh.

"Mind" can also be translated "to be intent upon, to be attentive to."

You leave your child with the baby sitter, the baby sitter is going to take care of your child, or give attention to them.

You do not want your baby sitter to be on the phone, watching television and making a snack while your child sits in the corner!  You desire that your child gets her full attention.

IN the same way only those who are not intent on carnal things can pay attention to spiritual things. 

As long as we have "things in hand" in our mind - we cannot focus on God. 

What "things in hand" did you come into God's presence today?

What is keeping you from a full relationship with God?

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

mini vacations

Here's what I know:  You and I were made to work - but also to rest.

God did not create us to go 24-7, without periods of pause, times of refreshing, days of rest.

I share with people all the time that I can go through long periods of hard work and long days - as long as I know that there will be "light at the end of the tunnel" that I will have a period of rest and vacation in the future.

Until that time comes, however, I encourage you to try a "mini-vacation" this week. 

In other words, to stop and pause and open your eyes to what is around you.

Let me give you a few examples of what I mean:

Get up early and watch the sunrise - or what a sunset (although with today's snowfall that it going to be tough to do).  Praise God for what you see.

Don't get out of bed tomorrow morning until you can think of one thing you are thankful for and then say, "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad."

Hug someone or something.

Phone somebody and wish them a great day - and tell them you love them - or better yet - tell them  you like them.

Walk around your house or your yard and try to find something that you've never seen before (I do this sometimes on my drive to work).  You'll be surprised at how many there are.

Laugh at least once tonight after dinner.

Set a goal - to be happy by 8:00 A.M.  In other words, don't let your circumstances control you.

Do something special for yourself in the morning - make yourself a special cup of coffee, kiss your spouse, read a favorite portion of the Bible. 

Tell each member of your family one reason why you are glad they are in your family.

Tell Jesus one reason why you are glad that He is your Lord. 

Pray for someone. 

Choose one word or one line of Scripture and mediate on it for the entire day.  Peace.  Joy.  Lord.  Healing.  Life. 

Phone or email your spouse throughout the day and let them know that you love them.

Think of 10 reasons why you are glad to be alive.

There are many more. 

Why wait until the summer to take a vacation?  Let these mini-vacations rejuvenate you today.

Just a thought for a Tuesday (on a day when a lot of people are in their homes because of the snow)...... :)

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend

Had a great date night with Debbie last Friday evening!

She is the "love of my life."

My best friend.

I am extremely grateful for all of those who minister on a Sunday morning - to make it "go".

Many, many thanks to all of you who take your time and lend your ministry giftings - so that we might minister to others!

We are - the body of Christ.

You are needed.

Everyone is needed.

From those who serve during the coffee connection to those who lead in worship to those who help out in the nursery - we are all in this together!

Would you be in prayer with me that those who are visiting us - would connect with us as The Lord leads them?

There is power in the words that you speak.  Your words can bring death or your words can bring life - "death and life are in the power of the tongue" as the Word says.

I choose to proclaim words of life.


This Wednesday evening:  Pure Worship.  We will also continue our teaching series in Jude.

Don't forget - March 24th - Evangelist Steve Hill!  I encourage you to begin the process of inviting non-churched friends to these wonderful Sunday morning services!

Love you all......

Etch A Sketch and forgiveness

When I was a kid I used to love to play with an "Etch A Sketch".

Turning the little nobs, creating something and then turning it upside down and shaking it - and then turning it back over with the slate clean.

It was a wonderful tool to to create, make mistakes, wipe away your mistakes and have a new start.

What a powerful illustration of God's grace.

Like an Etch A Sketch, sin makes it mark on the screen of our lives.  The evidence of our disobedience is there for all to see. 

It is not a pretty picture. 

But when we ask for forgiveness, the blotches of sin on the screen of our lies are erased and we are made like new.

I, for one, am very, very grateful for that.

God forgives us instantaneously and completely.

He always gives us a second chance.  And a third.  And a fourth.

I guess that's why they call it Grace.

So, forgive yourself today - God has.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Sounds of silence

Simon and Garfunkel used to sing a song entitled, "The Sounds of Silence."

In the midst of computers, the Internet, Ipods, C.D.'s, radio and television, the roar of traffic - the midst of our frantic lives - listening to the sounds of silence has become a lost art in our world.

David writes in Psalms 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God."

Be still.

Be quiet.

Wait in silence.

"In solitude," Henri Nouwen wrote, "I get rid of my scaffolding."

Scaffolding is all the stuff we use to keep ourselves going, propped up, to convince ourselves that we are important or okay.

In solitude we have no friends to talk with, no phone calls or meetings, no television sets, no music or books or newspapers to occupy and distract the mind.

I was reading today of a church in England that recorded "the sounds of silence" on to a CD.  The CD has become a surprise hit with its congregation.

The members of St. Peter's church in Sussex, England recorded "a little bit of the silence" of the building's atmosphere.  The recording features the surrounding sound of footsteps, voices, background traffic noise - but mostly just silence.

The church technician at St. Peter's, Robin Yarnton, said, "It does what it says on the cover.  Silence is all you get.  Mostly people have said it's nice and they like it, and that it is quiet and peaceful."

The full CD features a 30 minutes track, with a spoken introduction, closing words, and 28 minutes of silence.  According to the church, customers from around the world have been buying the recording.

So, what to you do when you practice solitude and silence?  The answer is, "nothing."

At least once a day, I encourage you to be silent.  It could be anything from sitting in your front room without the T.V. on - and pausing to soak up the quiet - to not turning on the radio as you are driving in your car.

Silence is not only a building block of your relationship with Christ - it is a great tool of solid mental health as well.

Be still.  Be quiet.  Let God speak to you.  Let your brain be at rest.  Process your day, letting the voice of the Father permeate the silence with an infusion of reality.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Staying connected to the body of Christ

In the book of First Corinthians, Paul uses a great metaphor of the people of God being the "body of Christ."

He writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27, "the body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.  So it is with Christ......now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

Here's what I know:  You are a part of the body.  And as part of the body of Christ, your own growth cannot take place without growth in others.

When  you change, the whole body changes.

That is why it is very important that you stay connected to a local church family - a local body of believers - a larger community to which you belong (and Stone Church is a place to belong).

When you go through times of difficulty, trial and even temptation, and you are walking through a season of challenge, a season of adversity, it is important that you stay connected to a body of believers (and here is the different thought I would give you) not just for your sake, but for their sake. 

Think about Jesus.

During His earthly pilgrimage he asked his guys to follow him even where they really didn't want to go.

In the journey you are taking, Jesus is with you and whether or not you are fully fully cognizant of it, you are taking your brothers and sister with you as well.

When you hurt, we hurt.  When you suffer, we suffer.  When you rejoice, we rejoice.  When you are in need, we feel that need with you.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, eveyr part rejoices with it."

So.......the way you react to adversity will challenge or encourage the body of Christ around you to react or not react in the same way.

That is the power of the connection we have as followers of Christ.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

Daniel Day Lewis - well deserved win for best actor in a movie as a leading man.

I have never seen someone who can "disappear" in a role like he can.  Incredible.  His "Lincoln" is one for the ages.

Met a couple of new families yesterday at our church.

Am grateful for guests, visitors who are checking us out.

Jesus said:  Follow me - in the context of trials and tribulations and of not comparing ourselves with others.

Great altar time at the end of the second service - God took hold and moved in a powerful way!

It thrills me - in fact it is one of my favorite things in life to see people standing around the altar worshipping God.  There were tears, people crying out to God.  Our God is a good God.

To find meaning in life we are not to go purpose hunting but God hunting.  And when we find God, we will find our purpose.

The reason I exist on this planet it to worship and serve God.

I exist for God, God does not exist for me.

God is concerned about me.  God desires to answers my prayers.  God would have sent His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for me (for the forgiveness of my sins) - but this whole human experience is about God not about me.

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience - we are spiritual beings having a human experience.

To make a difference - I must make loving God a priority in my life.  I must walk in forgiveness.  I must believe that I must and I can make a difference in someones life.

Do you leave people better when you leave their presence than when they entered in your presence?

Michigan State - lost two in a row.  Come on, Spartans!  You can do better!

Can sense spring coming around the corner (despite the snow we are about to get this week).

Again, (and it's a wonderful "broken record" that I get to say this) I met some people I didn't know at Upward Basketball this past Saturday.

Two more Saturdays to go!  May God do a work in the life of each parent and child who attends!

Being real and open with one another is the only way to go - to have a meaningful, successful relationship with someone.

I need you, you need me - we all need God.

I would encourage you to hang out with God this week!

Love you all....

Offense

I read this the other day:

"Just because you are offended, doesn't mean that you're right."

I've been mediating on that quite a bit.

Just because I am offended doesn't mean that:

A.  I have the right to be offended.
B.  They are wrong in what is said or done.

Sometimes we are offended when we shouldn't be. 

Somebody says something and we take offense, either because it "hits us wrong," or we have experienced a bad day. 

Under normal circumstances it wouldn't have bothered us, but "if you knew what I've been going through, you would understand why that offended me."

In other words, what was said or done was done at the wrong time, in the wrong way and at the wrong place.

But let's talk about those times when somebody says or does something that is right - and yet we still remain offended.

Someone speaks the truth (and they speak it in love) and we choose to walk away - in offense.

Whether it is out of embarrassment or the realization that our faults have come out into the open, we can choose to walk away with feelings of hurt and anger.

Here's what I know:  Some people walk around with a spirit of offense.  They are constantly being offended.

Like the garbage that piles up in your house, they carry around with them the "smell of offense."  You can "smell" their offended feelings when you come in contact with them.

They are just waiting for you to say something or do something whereby they will leave your presence offended.

To put it crassly, those kinds of people are a bummer to be around.  You have to watch everything you say and do.  At no time can you simply "relax" with them and be yourself.

Everything is judged.  Everything is examined. 

Here's what I know:  offense is a choice we make.  I make a choice as to whether or not I am going to be offended.  And when I am offended, I choose as to whether or not I will remain entrenched in that offense.

Offense gives the person who has offended us control over us.  They hold a power over the way we feel and the way we act (many times for a lifetime).

Don't let that person control you by remaining in offense!  Choose to be set free today and move on!

Let the "perfume" of God's Holy Spirit bathe you in love and forgiveness!

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Critiquing culture versus making culture

Many Christians feel that it is their spiritual mandate to critique the culture we live in.

"Why are they doing this?"  "What about that?"

"That is disgusting."  "That is perverse."

"How can you participate in that?"

I really get that.

We as Christians have a responsibility to be aware of the culture that we live in and stand for righteousness.

We have a responsibility to lift our voices and quell the downward spiral of American morals, ethics all wrapped up in this one word, "culture".

But here is what I am learning, and please don't misunderstand me.

The most effective way of stemming the tide of evil and immorality in our culture is not just by critiquing it - it is by making it.

The best method of changing our culture is not by continually articulating, "don't do this and don't do that," but by saying, "this is what you can do, this is what we need to do."

Hear me well:  We as Christians must give just as much energy in promoting and offering hope and compassion as we do in lifting up the banner of righteousness and truth.

We can critique all we want - but what are we offering in return?

People around me hear me say many, many times, "if  you take something away, replace it with something else."

Andy Crouch writes, "So if we seek to change culture, we will have to create something new, something that will persuade our neighbors to set aside some exiting set of cultural good for our new proposal."

Maybe we as Christians need to spend more time loving those around us - rather than pointing out their faults.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.  

Trust

Trust is such an important yet fragile word.

Trust takes time, many times a lot of time to earn, especially with those who have had their trust in someone broken in the past.

Trust can be lost in a moment, in the time that it takes to snap one of your fingers.

Whether it be a word that it said or a deed that is done, our trust in someone or some/thing around us can be broken, trashed, nuked in a nano second.

During those moments, you and I immediately walk through the grieving process, "This can't be happening - how could they say that", and then anger at the person who betrayed our trust, bargaining with God in an attempt to overcome our emotion hurt, depression over the fact that we just can't seem to get over the hurdle of brokenness, and finally acceptance that while the relationship might never be the same, we can reestablish or reconcile with the person and move on with our lives.

Those are, of course, the 5 steps of grief.

However, here is what I know.  If after two years (which is a generalize time frame from most psychologist) you are still struggling with trusting that person who has broken your trust, it might be time to talk to a Christian counselor, pastor or mentor in your life.

If, after two years, you are still struggling with what happened (you remember the time, the place, the words that were spoken, the way that they were spoken) and you can't let go - it might be time to seek some kind of emotional help and support.

This is so important, for to withdraw trust completely from the world around you is self-destructive. 

Many choose to live in self imposed prisons with walls so high it makes any prison in Chicago look pale in comparison.

"I'm never going to be hurt by that person again, or for that matter anyone else," they cry out.

But at what point can that person redeem themselves in your sight?  At what point can a friendship, a relationship be restored in your eyes?

How much does that person have to "pay" to get back into your good graces?

How long are you going to hang it over "their heads"?

"How long must that person suffer before they can attempt to reconcile with you"?

As I have said many times, "many of us are harder on others than God is."

At what point does your "hurt" and your "woundness" become just another way of attracting attention or allowing yourself to wallow in self-pity?

The way to overcome a lack of trust in our lives is not to withdraw trust - or to withdraw from relationship with those around us - but to forgive and move on.

Forgiveness doesn't make the other person right - forgiveness sets you free.

Let me say that in another way:  Reconciling with someone doesn't make the other person right - reconciling with them allows you to move forward with your life.

How do you reestablish trust in someone?   Give them trust.

It is that simple. 

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

Busy weekend of ministry at Stone Church.

The church gym was filled with three different activites - one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

I love it!

I continue to meet parents and children at Upward Basketball who do not attend our church.  What a great outreach.  What a wonderful way of bringing people from our community to our church campus - and connect!

There is enough energy in our church gym on a Saturday morning to run Chicago for a day!

I am extremely grateful for all of our Upward volunteers - those who coach, run the clock, the concession stands, etc.

Thank you for your time, your help and your service in God's kingdom.  You are loved and appreciated!

The younger couples of our church had a potluck on Saturday evening, with a time of sharing and having fun afterward.

Debbie and I had the privilege of being with them - the evening was full of laughter - good times.

It encourages me to see that group growing numerically, and closer to one another relationally.

I am now at the stage where I get to be "grandpa" to all of their kids.

We continue to work hard, and minister and do God's kingdom work.

My responsibility is to be faithful and obedient - God's responsibility is to bring in the harvest.

He is "Lord of the Harvest".

Would encourage all of us to invite someone to come this Sunday, as I will be concluding my series in the book of John.

Several raised their hands for salvation yesterday - I praise God for that!

Let the Holy Spirit energize you today!  Let the Holy Spirit rejuvenate you this week!

Per my comment last week about the Pope resigning and me sending in my resume - no one has contacted me yet.  :)

Love you all......

Angels and us

One of the biblical principles that you and I find in the Bible is that angels exist.

While I believe in angels, and while I believe in their existence and ministry in our lives - the whole subject can be mystifying.

Most of the time angels are invisible to us.  There are angels working behind the scenes in our lives - ministering to us but also ministering for us.

The reason why they (on the whole) remain invisible (in the natural) to us is that if they consistently took on human form (which they can do) people would tend to venerate them in a way that would border on worship.

Paul writes in Romans 1:2,425 that we are to worship the creator and not His creation. 

In other words, angels are not to be worshipped.

We do not pray to angels.  We do pray to God that He would release His angels to minister for us and to provide, for example, protection for our loved ones.

Almost every day, I not only "plead the blood of Jesus" (Job 1) over my kids and family, I ask that God would send His angels to watch over and protect them.

To exaggerate just a little, I believe that there are angels in heaven just waiting to be used by God.  "Oh, God, can I go help this one - can I minister to that one."

Let's also not confuse the ministry of angels with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Angels are mightier than you and I, but they are not gods and they do not possess the attributes of the Godhead.

They are messengers of God who serve we as followers of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:14).  The Holy Spirit is omnipresent, but no angel can be in more than one place at any given time.

But to explain it even further, on a broader scale, God uses angels to work out the destinies of men and nations.  He has altered the courses of the busy political and social arenas of our country and directed the destinies of men by angelic visitations many times over.

Please know that angels keep in close and vital contact with all that is happening here on earth - under the direction of God.

So, why not ask God the Father to provide angelic support over you and your family today?  Protection.  Watchfulness. 

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Spirit led praying

We are in a spiritual battle.

The enemy doesn't fight fair.

As a result of this - we as followers of Christ need to use everything at our disposal to overcome Satan and his demons, including prayer.

But, and if I can say this without being misunderstood, many times "prayer" is not enough.  We need to pray, but we need to pray in the Spirit.

It is called, "Spirit led" praying.

We are to pray in the Spirit. 

What is praying in the Spirit?  It is allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you as you pray.

It is using the spiritual language that God gives you to pray when natural words will simply not come. 

The Bible tells us in Romans 8:26,27, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's Will."

Those verses tell us that the Holy Spirit knows our weaknesses. 

I have taught many times that the enemy studies you and I.  He goes for the jugular when he can.  He knows our weaknesses. 

But the Holy Spirit studies us as well.  He knows our strengths and weaknesses as well.

We can't fool God.

He knows that "we do not know what we should pray for."

He know we don't know how to pray, so he sends the Spirit to lead us!

He prays for us "with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Many times I just don't know what to pray.  So I will pray in the Spirit.  And when God's spirit is speaking with God Himself my prayer will naturally be answered. 

Here's what I leave you with.  Prayer, Spirit-led praying, doesn't start with me but with God.

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Taking it to the Lord in prayer

I have found that there are three types of people in the kingdom of God when it comes to prayer.

There are those who bring nothing to God in prayer.

They have a Messianic complex that "if it is to be - it is up to me."

Nothing could be further from the truth.  To believe this means that person believes that they can handle everything without God.  They can do everything themselves; they are independent.

They just go on with their life trying to make their own breaks.

Then there are those who bring some things to God in prayer.

I would say 90 percent of us fall into this category as followers of Christ.  We bring some things to God in prayer.  We certainly don't bother with everything.  Just the issues that seem to put stress on us.

Again, even as Christians we can think that we can handle stuff on our own.  And then if it becomes too heavy - we take it to God in prayer.  We dont' turn it over to God until it becomes too heavy.

Finally, there are those who take everything to God in prayer.

Here's a great axiom to follow on this:

If it is worth panicking about - it is worth praying about.

God is concerned about every area of our lives. 

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

The Valentine's Day banquet last Saturday evening was one of the best church events I have ever been too, which is saying a lot, I know.

Great time of relationship.  Good food.  Fun!

Congratulations to Mike and Chris Chapan for winning the Newlywed Game!

We all renewed our vows, expressing our love to our spouse.

As Scott and Darnisha spoke, I could sense the presence of the Lord.  And then as she lead us in, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," my heart was touched.

Powerful stuff.

Incredible story of how Darnisha actually died in a diving accident - and was brought back to life.  In the interim she had an experince of standing at the gates of heaven.

There is an afterlife!

We will live for eternity!

Met several new families this past Saturday at Upward Basketball!

That is always fun for me.

I read where Pope Benedict XVI is resigning.  I sent my resume in today.  :)

Loved our worship time this past Sunday. 

Three words come to mind.

Flow.  It is powerful to experince the flow of the Holy Spirit.

Freedom.  Where the spirit of the Lord is - there is freedom! 

Authority.  As you and I are lead in worship by someone walking in spiritual authority - that allows us to walk in authority as well.

Looking forward to our "younger couples" potluck this coming Saturday evening, February 16th, at 5:00 P.M.!

My prayer is that this year continues to be a season of renewal and revival!

Love you all......

Alive or dead

Back in the days of all of the westerns on television, you would frequently find the sheriff of a town saying, "go get the bad guy, "dead or alive".

That's was good maybe for catching the ones stealing cows or robbing banks in the old west, but not really good theology for those who are followers of Christ.

God's desire is that you be alive in the faith - and not dead. 

His desire is to "catch you alive" - especially on Sunday mornings as you worship.

Are you alive or dead on Sunday mornings?

Years ago, a minster made an unfortunate mistake as he conducted a funeral.  Before him in a open casket lay the remains of the departed brother.  Motioning toward the deceased and speaking in somber tones the preacher said, "This corpse has been a member of my church for ten years."

Are you alive or dead on Sunday mornings?

What if God walked away from our worship experience, totally grading us on how you personally worshipped Him?

Would He be pleased?  Or would He be saddened by the lack of spiritual vitality?

Sadly, the Church appears to be filled with spiritual corpses, or those how lack divine vitality. 

They may attend church, even occasionally read their Bibles and pray, but they lack a real quality of spiritual life.

They are not too unlike those Christians pictured by a young girl who was trying to describe her pastor's sermon that morning to her parents, who had been unable to attend church that day.

"I really can't remember much that he preached," said the child, "but I think his text was, 'Many were cold and a few were frozen.'"

At Stone Church, we desire a season of renewal and revival!

We desire God to move in our midst!

And praise God, a thaw is coming for those who learn to pray with spiritual energy and vitality in the name of Jesus.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that Jesus is a "life-giving spirit".  Great verse.

In other words, all of the divine energy that flows from God is available in Jesus' name, and God never, ever "slumbers or sleeps" (Psalms 1`21:4). 

Jesus is a quickening spirit - a revitalizing, breath-of-life giving "resuscitator" of weary people. 

When your spiritual breath rate seems too heavy and the pace impossible, it is probably a sign that you are only functioning on your own strength.

You need to once again be filled with the "breath" of God.

My prayer is that the spirit of God breathe upon you today - and that you come Sunday morning pumped and ready to receive from God.

Just a thought for a Thursday.

Setting the mind

The mind.

Sounds ominous doesn't it.

The mind.

Sounds like a title to a Stephen King novel.  "The Mind".

The Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."  Proverbs 23:7

Paul writes in Romans 12:2 to be "transformed by the renewing of our minds".

Another translation says it this way (NLT):  "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think."

God's desire is that your mind (your thought life) works for you everyday and not against you.

God's desire is that we learn to set our minds to godliness, purity and wholesomeness.

From experience, that is "easier said than done."

How can I stop thinking wrong thoughts?

Here is what I know:  it is not by trying harder to not think negative, wrong thoughts that I begin to think positive, right thoughts.

It is by thinking about something else.

Something that is godly.  Something that is pure.  Something that is positive.

You and I can choose what we pay attention to.

At any moment, including this one right now - you and I can turn our thoughts in one direction or another.  It is within our capacity to set our minds - which explains why two people can be in the same set of circumstances and yet have completely different experiences.

What is the difference?  It is a way of thinking. 

John Milton wrote, "The  mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven or hell, a hell of heaven."

John Ortberg writes, "setting your mind is like setting a thermostat.  It is creating a target for the climate.  Once you set a thermostat, the heating and air-conditioning will have to adjust in relation to the weather.  It is a constant process, but the goal is for the system to create a life-giving climate.  So too it is with our minds.  Many people try to tell themselves to stop thinking negative thoughts - which immediately brings to mind the very thoughts they re supposed to stop thinking."

Paul writes that we are to, "set our mind on things above, not on earthly things."  Colossians 3:2.

So then, my suggestion?  When negative, ungodly thoughts fill your mind today - don't float away in denying those thoughts or try to achieve a state of "mindlessness" but fill your mind with life giving thoughts, specifically the word of God."

Just a thought for a Wednesday.

Living your wounds through

There are times when I come across a thought so profound, so "deep" that I have to sit back and take a few moments (even days) to think it through.

Let me give you one from Henri Nouwen (that I read today).

Henri Nouwen writes about the fact that we have all been wounded in many ways.

That is a fact.

It is a given.

You and I will be hurt in life.

Henri Nouwen writes, "the more you open yourself to being healed, the more you will discover how deep your wounds are.  You will be tempted to become discouraged because under every wound you uncover you will find others.  Your search for true healing will be a suffering search.  Many tears still need to be shed."

He goes on to write, "do not be afraid.  The simple fact that you are more aware of your wounds shows that you have sufficient strength to face them."

And then the sentence that causes pause, "the great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through."

Not running from the pain, not trying to understand the pain, but truly embracing and living through the pain.

I quote again, "It is better to cry than to worry, better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them, better to let them enter into your silence than to talk about them.  The choice you face constantly is whether you are taking your hurts to your head or to your heart."

Nouwen suggests that true healing, healing that brings wholeness comes from taking the pain from your head to your heart.

You and I are tempted to analyze our hurt, find the causes and the consequences and coin words to speak and write about them.

But true healing comes from letting the wounds go down into our hearts.

As you experience the pain in your heart (soul, emotions) you and I begin got discover that we are going to make it - that we will not be destroyed.  That with Jesus in us, we are greater than our wounds.

That means I practically let go of the "Who, What, When, Where and Why".

Now then, I would suggest that you take the above thoughts and let them seep into your spirit.

And experience, truly experience what you are walking through - rather than running away from it.

In the end - you will be stronger for it.

Just a thought for a Tuesday.

Thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend:

The final Super Bowl game score shows that I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet.

I picked San Francisco to win and win big.

Great game though.

After the second half opening kickoff, I turned to another channel, turned back to the game to find out about the lights going off and the delay, turned to another channel, and then back just in time to see San Francisco make a comeback.

My opinion?  It was pass interference - the last offensive play that San Francisco had.

The Super Bowl has turned into a national holiday.

I understand that San Francisco's quarterback is a Christian.

Thanks to the RFKC team for giving such a great presentation yesterday!  What a wonderful ministry to foster children!

Had dinner with Becky, our daughter in Wicker Park at a Polish restaurant.

Two older polish ladies in the kitchen cooking.  Authentic.  Delicious.  Friendly.

For those of you who have been asking God for snow - you're prayers have been answered.

At the youth super bowl party last night, they had a great crowd and a great time!

Thankful to all of our youth leaders who are "stepping it up" to help out.

Our district youth director, Paul Hinzman, will be with us this Thursday evening, February 7th, to speak.  We encourage all of our Stone Church teenagers to not only come but also to bring someone with you.

Hard to believe it is February, much less February, 2013.

Let's keep pressing in and asking God for even more of His presence.  Renewal and Revival.

We need you Lord!

We need your wisdom!

We need your presence!