I just saw this GREAT article called Sleeping In on Sunday Sedates the Soul. It’s a must read

Who wouldn’t want to sleep in on Sunday morning rather than getting up to go to a church service? Especially after a long and tiring week of work. It makes a lot of sense to sleep in. There would have to be plenty of motivation for someone to get out of bed on the weekend.

What if you happen to be someone who has only experienced boredom in church? In that case, you really wouldn’t feel like getting out of bed to go there. Who wants to have one of your two weekend mornings taken up by something boring? That wouldn’t make any sense at all.

It makes a lot of sense to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday, unless of course you have to work. Two other things that get people out of bed are sporting events and travel. Those are fun things to do. Of course a person is willing to get up early for those things. But here again, there is a high level of motivation to do those things. Most of us are willing to make some sacrifices for those things we are motivated to do. That’s just the way life works.

We have a young man in our church who was at the worship service this morning after having just completed Army Basic Training. It was his first time back with us after 18 weeks of specialized training. I guess it made sense for him to get up at 4:15am every morning during his training. He was motivated, and besides, he was required to do it. He enlisted.

I am reminded of a classic Christian hymn entitled, “Onward Christian Soldiers.” It speaks of the commitment that is needed in order to be effective in “God’s army.” There is a spiritual war going on all around us, and we would be unwise to enter battle without “the armor of God.” (see Ephesians 6:10-20)

But what if I want just enough “religion” to make me feel good, but not so much that it interferes with my busy lifestyle and my favorite hobbies? After all, each of us deserves to have our weekend just to recoup after a hectic week of work, right?

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If man had no soul, this would be a moot point. Sleeping in on Sunday would be no better or worse than going to church. Without a soul and without a Creator, it would be fairly ridiculous to ever attend a church service. I sure wouldn’t do it, and I am guessing you wouldn’t either.

That, however, is not the situation we find ourselves in. There is a God. He did create us. He does desire to have a loving relationship with us. And He does give His children the motivation to love Him and worship Him.

Attending church only makes sense if you are genuinely connecting with your Creator through that experience. If it’s not authentic and life empowering, why do it just to “go through the motions?”

Just because some people have been bored by church does not mean that God and Christianity are boring. It just means that either their soul was bored with God, or the church they attended produced boredom, or both. Who wants to attend church if it is boring to do so?

Here’s the thing. No person in heaven and no angel in heaven is ever bored by worshipping God. Just allow that fact to sink in for a minute. Genuine worship is always inspirational, and uplifting, and motivating. One of our problems here on earth is that we sometimes give up on important things rather easily.

It happens in marriage. It happens in the work place. It happens in sports. And it happens in matters of faith. It is easy to quit. It is easy to tell ourselves that it would be a waste of our time to continue doing that “same old same old.”

But in matters of faith, not all churches are created equal. Not all churches will bless your soul. Some will, and some won’t. Some will facilitate a spiritual filling of God’s living water in your soul, and others don’t have a clue what that would even look like. So which kind of church have you experienced?

Have you attended worship services where it was like “heaven came down” and the people were thrilled and highly motivated to be there? If you have not experienced that personally, I can see why you might be reluctant to attend church. That makes sense.

At the same time, I have never met a strong Christian who has given up on God and given up on attending church. Every strong Christian I have ever known has found a way to make Sunday morning a priority because they were motivated to be there (or on whatever day and time their group met for worship).

I have never known someone who is “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Eph. 6:10) who didn’t also have a super high level of interest in attending worship. Strong Christians are motivated to be there not just to receive strength, but also to encourage and bless others. In fact, that passion to serve others becomes a fire which fuels their desire to want to meet at least once a week with their Christian friends for worship.

How many strong Christians have you known? Are you one? Attending worship services is only one of many things that strong Christians do, but it is an important one to be sure. This is why the New Testament places such a huge emphasis upon it. (see Heb. 10:25, Matt. 18:20; Col. 3:16; Acts 2:42; James 1:22; Matt. 16:18; 1 Peter 2:2; Eph. 4:12; Romans 12:5; Romans 10:17; Matt. 28:19-20; Heb. 3:13; 2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 2:41; 1 Cor. 12:12-27)

Apart from faith in Christ, man’s soul is “asleep,” and even “dead.” How can it wake up? By repenting of your sin and placing your faith in Jesus and His cross. Once the soul is awake, it desires “to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.” (2 Peter 3:18)

Getting saved through faith, but then not gathering at least weekly with other believers, would be similar to enlisting in the military but then attempting to skip Basic Training. It doesn’t work that way for obvious reasons. You are either in, or you are out.

Does it make sense to want to sleep in on Sunday? Sure. Just like it makes sense for an enlisted man or woman to want to sleep in once Basic Training is completed. I asked the young man in our church today what time he got up this morning. He replied, “7:30am.” But yesterday, he and and younger brother were up at 4:15am to go out running together (on a Saturday morning no less!).

Some habits die hard I suppose. And good soldiers have a way of recruiting others to join them, even when the cost is high. It all boils down to motivation, and whether or not you have enlisted.

What about you? Are you a “soldier for self,” or a “soldier for Christ?” You can’t be both, but I suspect you probably already knew that didn’t you?

By Dan Delzell , Special to CP

May 19, 2013|7:33 am

If Jesus came to your house…what would you do, what would you hide?

If Jesus came to your house
To spend some time with you,
If He came unexpected,
I wonder what you’d do.

Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room
To such an honored guest
And all the food you’d give to Him
Would be the very best.

And you would keep assuring Him
You’re glad to have Him there–
That serving Him in your home
Is joy beyond compare.

But when you saw Him coming,
Would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome
To your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes
Before you let Him in
Or hide some magazines
And put the Bible where they’d been

Would you hide your worldly music
and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus walk right
in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder – if the Saviour
spent a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing, the
things you always do?

Would you go right on saying, the
things you always say?
Or would life for you continue
as it does from day to day?

Would you take Jesus with you
everywhere you go?
Or would you maybe change your
plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him
meet your closest friends?
Or would you hope they stay away,
until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him
stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great
relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know,
the things that you would do,
If Jesus came in person, to spend
some time with you.

Which path are you taking, obsession with what you have, or your spiritual life?

It’s OK to have money it’s what you do with it that makes it a sin. Some people become so obsessed with making money and reaching their “Dream” of having what they want (Which usually overshadows what the Lord has given them), that they focus more on trying to reach material goals over spiritual ones.

I’m going to include some great scriptures below on why materialism is so wrong. It really bothers me that people will get grouchy and angry over their finances when they call themselves a follower of Christ. If you really put your complete faith and trust in God, then you’d be willing to live on the streets without a penny to your name, without complaining. Now most people would say that this isn’t God’s plan for them, but to that I say, if you’re so focused on money and possesions, how can you know what God’s will for you is when you’re so focused on money?

I want you to think of a scene here, and think about which one you would do….If you saw a path that led to Jesus, and one that led to money, which one would you take? Which one are you taking now? If you’re constantly dwelling on what your life would be like without something, then you’re obsessing, and taking the wrong path. Focus on what God has to offer you, treat people right, and see what happens to your spiritual bank.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

 

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

 

1 Timothy 6:7-10 For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

 

Luke 12:33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

A perfect article on being grateful even in times of trial…this is a great one.

Habakkuk 3:18 – Yet I Will Rejoice

yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:18, ESV)

Early on in my faith, I imagined that Jesus was going to make my life perfect. The impression that I had of my savior was that if I prayed, all the bad things in my life would go away. Eventually I discovered that following Jesus didn’t work like that. I had to reassess my faith in light of this new revelation.

I can’t help but wonder if Habakkuk had to re-exam his own faith when he realized what was about to happen to his people by God’s hand. The people of Israel were once again caught in a state of rebellion and through Habakkuk, God told the people of Israel that they were going in to exile under the cruel Babylonians. Habakkuk took issue with that and had a couple of tough conversations with God about His plans for the future of His people.

And yet, despite his misgivings about God’s purposes, he was willing to say, “…yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” I had to learn that lesson early on in my faith journey, just as Habakkuk learned to trust the Lord implicitly no matter the circumstances. In fact, I’m still learning after 20 years of faith.

Do you trust God as Habakkuk did? I know I could use some work in this are. How about you?

Guest Devotional by Jeremy Andrews. Jeremy is the Pastor of College Ministries at the CMA church of Morgantown in Morgantown WV. Learn how you can become a guest writer.

Law-breaking baker won’t make cake for same-sex union…were they right or wrong?

Below is an interesting story I saw on MSN that discusses a Bakery in Oregon that refused to bake a cake for a same sax marriage. It’s short, followed by scripture condemning homosexuality. What do you think?

 

You’d think that bakers of wedding cakes are bringers of joy to one and all, infusing the ceremonies of life’s special occasions with their magical, edible touch. And perhaps that’s generally the case, but now there’s a second baker in Oregon drawing the line between their kitchen and a same-sex marriage cake. When Pam Regentin of Fleur Cakes realized that customers Erin Hansen and Katie Pugh were both women, she refused to fire up the oven — which is illegal, per state law. An Oregon business must offer “full and equal accommodations without any distinction on account of race, color, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.” What would Betty Crocker think?

 

• Lev. 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”1
• Lev. 20:13, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them”
• 1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
• Rom. 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.”

Sinning when you KNOW it’s wrong…it’s a touch subject that needs to be dicussed.

How many times have you done something you know was wrong, but you justified it by just saying, “God will forgive me?” If you’re like most Christians, you’ve done it more than once, but most people will publicly deny it. So this morning we’re not going to ask for a public admition, we’re just going to take a look at why it’s so wrong, and he Bible says about it.

So what’s the problem with asking for forgiveness after you’ve committed an act you knew was wrong? The biggest issue with repetitive sin is that is shows that we have a lack of the Holy Spirit. If our walk with the Lord is the way it should be, then our desire to sin is either easier to resist, or it doesn’t happen as often. Now this doesn’t mean we’re beyond hope, it means that we need to ask Jesus to point out the areas in our lives that need spiritual attention. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to come into that black part of our heart that still craves the sinful nature, and to replace it with the healing and love of the Lord. When that part of our heart is replaced, it becomes easier to resist the sins that the flesh finds so enjoyable.

I’m sure there will be people who look at this blog and start thinking about people they know who are guilty of repetitive sin. To those people, I say to look into your own lives first. Romans 3:23 says that we have ALL sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so we need to examine our own lives, because I can almost guarantee that all of us commit some sort of repetitive sin.That doesn’t make us beyond the point of no return, it means that we are all sinners, yet eligible for forgiveness because Jesus gave His life so that we could have a second chance.

This blog isn’t aimed at anyone but myself. I woke up this morning and the Lord laid it on my heart to discuss this issue that is so seldom talked about, but incredibly important in our Walk with the Lord. He laid it on my heart that I need to search my soul and Him to replace the dark spots I’m trying to hide, and replace it with His love. It’s a hard thing to do, but I encourages us all to give it a try… Let me know how it works out for you…:)

 

Below are some great scriptures and how they can help you understand and get over repetitive sin.

 

1 John 3:6-10 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

 

Romans 7:15-25 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. …

 

Hebrews 10:26-27 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

 

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

 

 

 

God in a box

We love gadgets. We love seeing that delivery truck pull up in front of the house, and eagerly hop down the stairs to answer the door. When inside, the box is immediately ripped open and whatever was contained inside is put to quick use. Many times, when we begin using the new product, if it’s a good one that is, we discover many features we never knew it had! Sometimes, things turn out to be even better than we had anticipated.

The same is definitely true with God, he is infinitely better than we anticipate. But, we still try to keep God in a “God Box” and think of him in terms of the nifty features he comes with. In reality he wants us to let him come bursting out of the box and show us how much more he is. God did this with the shepherds. He told them they would find a baby, who would save the world, wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a feed trough. That is thinking outside the box. More than likely, they had a “God Box” with the savior being a military dictator. But, God burst that paradigm and displayed his mercy and compassion. When he got out of their box, he showed them that he is a God who reaches out to those who nobody else wants to. Shepherds weren’t considered the most moral. In fact, they didn’t often go to church because sheep needed to be constantly tended, and they couldn’t even testify in court. Yet, they were the first to hear the good news of the Savior’s birth.

As you read your Bible, don’t let your preconceived notions of who God is interpret what you read. Instead, let scripture and the Holy Spirit guide you in the characteristics of God. Let God break out of his box in your life today and show you who he really is. Remember, his thoughts and ways are not ours (Isaiah 55:8).

The Church in times of need, and how they should respond.

You can always count on a church or christian organization to arrive on the scene when there has been a natural disaster of some sort. Hurricane Katrina was a great example of this. Churches continued helping in New Orleans by cleaning and rebuilding years after the storm struck. Why does the church live this way? Why do Christians spend their money and time to help others in trouble? There are many reasons for this, but a great component is the comfort we receive from our Father in heaven when we are in need of it. A person who has truly experienced the grace of God in these events simply cannot stand back and watch others suffer. Especially after they have experienced the comfort and peace that comes from none but the Almighty God (Philippians 4:7).

We do not only provide a physical comfort to those who are suffering though. The Christian’s is a comfort that cannot be matched by food, money, a new house, or anything here on the Earth. The early church actually grew, in many ways, because of the manner in which Christians treated and helped non-Christians in their time of need. There is something special when a person helps someone who is not of their family without expecting to receive anything in return. Remember the words of James, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV)

Fear is not failing

When God asks us to do something, it can be doverwhelmng, terrifying even, and cause usanxiety. Maybe it is moving to a new city, asking someone if they know Jesus, or even quitting a job. This happened multiple times to Gideon, who was a Judge in the Old Testament. There is encouragement for us though. God didn’t look at Gideon as a failure because he was afraid and questioned God about the things he was supposed to do. In fact, each time he was afraid, God provided for him.

But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. (Judges 7:10 ESV)

In this verse we read that he was afraid to go down to the camp alone. So, God told him to go with one of his servants. God could have easily said, “You failed and I will use somebody else!” But he didn’t. Don’t feel as if you’ve failed when God has called you to do something and you are afraid. He will provide a way for you to make it through your fears and succeed. Being afraid is okay, but succumbing to that fear and being disobedient is not. God will call us to do hard things in our lifetime, but as with Gideon, He will be ever present and strong in our weakness!

Be encouraged today and trust our good God to equip you for the work laid before you! Below are some amazing verses on fear

• Psalm 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

• Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid?

• Psalm 118:6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

• 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

• Psalm 115:11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD– he is their help and shield.

The subject we all know about , but don’t talk about…Hell

One of the saddest things we can do today is not talk about Hell. In the 60′s and 70′s, there was an evagelistic effort called “turn or burn.” In other words, we needed to turn from our sins, or burn in Hell. It doesn’t get more blunt than that. But somewhere along the line, we softened our approach to evangelism and turned away from the subject of our consequences of sin, and redirected them to the love of God.

Now I love to talk about the love of God, but we also need to tell more people that our sins WILL seperate us from that love, and it’s a choice we make. Along with that choice comes consequences, and that consequence is called Hell. If we choose to rebel against the laws of the Lord, then we choose an eternal damnation. Once again, blunt, but true.If more people knew this, and understood it completely, then there would be a lot less sinning and a lot more winning. If you doubt this, think about the difference in society between the 60′s, and now. Back then Hell was preached on, and although people still rebelled, the world was a lot more God-Focused than it is now that we teach only love with no consequences.

I once came acreoss an outline on the subject of Hell that I would like to share with you below. Please repost this, and share it with as many people as you can. We need to address the topic of Hell more often, and the post below explains how to get in and out of it. It’s a subject that we need to share more often so Satan’s Hotel will not be so busy.

Key Facts About Eternity

(1) Everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15).

(2) Everyone has only one life in which to determine their destiny (Hebrews 9:27).

(3) Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them (John 3:16, 36, etc.).

Key Passages About Hell

(1) Hell was designed originally for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

(2) Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).

(3) Hell is conscious torment.

• Matthew 13:50 “furnace of fire…weeping and gnashing of teeth”
• Mark 9:48 “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched”
• Revelation 14:10 “he will be tormented with fire and brimstone”

(4) Hell is eternal and irreversible.

• Revelation 14:11 “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night”
• Revelation 20:14 “This is the second death, the lake of fire”
• Revelation 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”

Erroneous Views of Hell

(1) The second chance view – After death there is still a way to escape hell.

Answer: “It is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

(2) Universalism – All are eternally saved.

Answer: It denies the truth of salvation through Christ which means that a person decides to either trust in Christ or else he/she rejects Christ and goes to hell (John 3:16;3:36).

(3) Annihilationism – Hell means a person dies like an animal – ceases to exist.

Answer: It denies the resurrection of the unsaved (John 5:28, etc. – see above). It denies conscious torment (see above).

Objections to the Biblical View of Hell

(1) A loving God would not send people to a horrible hell.

Response: God is just (Romans 2:11).

• God has provided the way of salvation to all (John 3:16,17; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15; 1 Timothy 2:6; 4:10; Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9).
• Even those who haven’t heard of Christ are accountable for God’s revelation in nature (Romans 1:20). God will seek those who seek Him (Matthew 7:7; Luke 19:10).
• Therefore God doesn’t send people to hell, they choose it (Romans 1:18,21,25).

(2) Hell is too severe a punishment for man’s sin.

Response: God is holy-perfect (1 Peter 1:14,15).

• Sin is willful opposition to God our creator (Romans 1:18-32).
• Our sin does merit hell (Romans 1:32; 2:2,5,6).
• What is unfair and amazing is that Christ died for our sin and freely offers salvation to all (Romans 2:4; 3:22-24; 4:7,8; 5:8,9).

Biblical Terms Describing Where the Dead Are

• Sheol – a Hebrew term simply describing “the grave” or “death” – Does not refer to “hell” specifically
• Hades – A Greek term that usually refers to hell – a place of torment (Luke 10:15; 16:23, etc.)
• Gehenna – A Greek term (borrowed from a literal burning dump near Jerusalem) that always refers to hell – a place of torment (Matthew 5:30; 23:33)
• “Lake of fire”- the final abode of unbelievers after they are resurrected (Revelation 20:14,15)
• “Abraham’s bosom” – (Luke 16:22) a place of eternal comfort
• “Paradise” – (Luke 23:43) a place of eternal comfort
• “With the Lord” – a key phrase describes where church age believers are after death (Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 5:8)
• “New heavens and earth” – where believers will be after they are resurrected (Revelation 20:4-6; 21:1-4)

Conclusion

Our curiosity about the abode of the dead is not completely satisfied by biblical terms or verses. What we do know is that either eternal torment in hell or eternal joy in heaven awaits all people after death, based on whether they trust in Christ’s payment for sin or reject Christ.