Hot and Cold and the End of All Things...

Well today an Arctic blast is moving across our area of WNC. Snow and temperatures have fallen in some regions. This winter so far has been a roller coaster. Warm one day Cold the next.

I notice that my life with Christ is very similar. Hot or Cold. Some days I am on fire, and others I am not. It is not that my desire to live Holy leaves or my want to live for God fades.Many times I would like to attribute these fluctuations to outside circumstances, but I cant blame it on anything but my on depravity.

It turns out I have a problem with a humanist. This person believes that the end of all things is man's happiness. This person wants himself lifted up. All others seem to come second or even third in his priorities. This person is me.........in fact we are all this way. God, let us be as Paul and desire to know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. What wretched, weak, life wasting people we are.

Suffering is foreign concept to most Christians. We think we suffered if we came to church on a cold wet night. We love pride. We even worship it. We do not want to cause a scene or a disturbance even if it means furthering the Gospel. We are our own problems. WE ARE WASTING OUR LIVES!!!!!!! What is your life goiong to mean at the end. What will you and I have to offer at Jesus' feet? Will it be our pride, popularity, our money and riches, our education, our Jobs? Will we lay our boats, campers, 401(K)s, cd's, bonds, houses, time share? Will these matter in the end??? NO!!!

May we lay down the sufferings we went through on Earth at Christ's feet. May we lay down changed lives, fixed homes, souls of saints,, songs of praise, shouts of victory all for HIS GLORY!!! MAY WE LIVE FOR HIS GLORY!!!

Submission, subjection

Glorifying God is our purpose in life. It should be displayed in all avenues and area of life. Our reactions and relationships with authorities are direct views of how we feel about glorifying God.

here is a picture of my little girl Emma and her older cousin K.C. just before they Glorified God with their obedience to Baptism...Praise God for this picture...may all our little ones live for HIM.

I Peter 2.13-25
13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 2:14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

We are to Glorify God in our public life.

I. Submission vs13-15

As said above we are be in submission to the authorities because it is the will of God. The American Christian says no to this...he even links with those who may help him obtain rights that the Christian "needs". We are to submit. When we rebel it is a reflection of our poor relationship with God. This trickles down to every level of authority, from presidents, police, preachers, and parents. Submission is also a witness to a lost world. Submission is also our calling. Verses 13-15 display the principle of submission profoundly.

II. Freedom vs 16-17

Now freedom is something we can talk about right? We all want to be free. As Christ followers do we live in freedom? Or freedom can and should Glorify God. Many of us live in the world of legalism. Living by a set of rules that govern our every move. Yet many also live in a state of liberalism. These folks use the grace of God as a "go ahead" to do and live as you want. Holiness is not important in liberalism. So many of us live in one of these two. We must live as FREE people. This means that our freedom is from God and his grace not form OUR rules. Yet free people are not bound to proving their freedom by lascivious living. We are free to Glorify HIS Name. We are not bound to sin, death, darkness. But we have been awakened by this marvelous light. FLEE the chains Christian...Glorify God with your freedom.

III. Suffering vs18-25

Suffering is done through service to others. This verse makes concrete that our rights are a blessing not a need. Even in hard times SERVE. Suffering happens through sorrows. When we face sorrows for Christ this suffering Glorifies HIM. As Paul said may we know the fellowship of his sufferings. Oh how we dodge suffering to be comfortable.....notice the account of Christ suffering in this text...did HE dodge it...did he look for revenge..did take the sword...no he was like a LAMB Lead to the slaughter. Through his sufferings Christ Glorified God like no other ever has or ever will. Now may we accept our sufferings so that we may Glorify our father.

Don't waste your life on the rotten corrupted world. Do not let the system of corruption infiltrate your life and drown your life. Oh dear brothers and sisters may we engage our life and bring him Glory!!!!!!! HE is Worthy HE is worthy he is worthy...THE SINGS MY SOUL, MY SAVIOR GOD TO THEE...HOW GREAT THOU ART, HOW GREAT THOU ART.

revival

what is revival? Is it a set of religious meetings, or is it a movement, maybe a feeling.....who knows?

Many times we can get bogged down with the ins and outs, daily pressures, emergencies, and general chaos that happens in life. These things can easily stress us and damage our relationships, or even add to our the stress of our daily grind. When it comes to our relationship with God, this can be just one more pressure added to our plate.....

Our purpose in life is to Glorify God with our entire being. We are to bloom where we are planted.

How can we when we live in a time such as this. There are wars, famine, financial crisis, and many uncertainties the we MUST deal with. How can revival be had, how can we bloom for God?

The answer is found in the Word of God. II Timothy 3.16-17

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

The answer is the Word of God.

The word of God is provided so that we may know how to live and function in this world. If we want to be taught, corrected, trained, competent, joyful, and equipped in this life we must immerse ourselves in the WORD of GOD.

REVIVAL will be experienced when the Christian takes the time to be in the WORD of GOD.

Then and only then will revival be experienced once again.

MAY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN, RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!

This is a part of a sermon by Paris Reidhead call "Ten Shekels and a Shirt". What motivates our lives? What motivates our Christianity? Is the happiness of man the end of all things or is it the Glory of God. We are so ingrained by bad theology that the church of Christ has become utilitarian. Meaning that we use God as a means to get our happiness. This story illustrates the opposite of humanism and the utilitarian. These two men became mission with God to bring Christ Glory with their lives.

Two young Moravians heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British owner had 2000 to 3000 slaves. And the owner had said, "No preacher, no clergyman, will ever stay on this island. If he’s shipwrecked we’ll keep him in a separate house until he has to leave; but he’s never going to talk to any of us about God. I’m through with all that nonsense." Three thousand salves from the jungles of Africa brought to an island in the Atlantic and there to live and die without hearing of Christ.Two young Moravians heard about it. They sold themselves to the British planter and used the money they received from their sale, for he paid no more than he would for any slave, to pay their passage out to his island for he wouldn’t even transport them. As the ship left it’s pier in the river at Hamburg and was going out into the North Sea, carried with the tide, the Moravians had come from Herrenhut to see these two lads off, in their early twenties. Never to return again, for this wasn’t a four year term; they sold themselves into life-time slavery. Simply that as slaves, they could be a s Christians where these others were. The families were there weeping, for they knew they would never see them again. And they wondered why they were going and questioned the wisdom of it. As the gap widened and the housings had been cast off and were being curled up there on the pier, and the young boys saw the widening gap, one lad with his arm liked through the arm of his fellow, raised his hand and shouted across the gap the last words that were heard from them, they were these: "MAY THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN, RECEIVE THE REWARD OF HIS SUFFERING!" This became the call of Moravian missions. And this is the only reason for being, That the Lamb that was slain, may receive the reward of His suffering.

Buck Stoves and Other stuff

The stove is now in the house, thanks to the help of my buddy Shane. We have not used any propane heat in about three days. The savings should be substantial. I have burnt myself about thirty times putting in wood. The hardest part is getting the stove regulated. It is very sensitive and efficient, thus you can overheat the house very easily. Beth and I are very pleased with the stove. I have enjoyed a few great cups of coffee around the fire already and I look forward to many more. Here is a picture of what I put in. I will have actual photos of the stove in my house soon.

On a more spiritual note........

So this is christmas, and we are in the "spirit" of giving. Or is is the spirit of spending? Well whatever the case they are both wrong. Christmas is about the creator of the universe, the LORD of lords and the KING of Kings leaving his throne for a womb, leaving the womb for a manger, and the leaving the manger for the cross. Christ became a man to die for men. He became sin so that we could be forgiven. He took the punishiment of a just God so that I wouuld be reconciled. Christmas is the Gospel.

Wake up!!!

Wake up call
Colossians 1.21-23
I. Condition of Depravity
a. Alienated-non participate of Grace, estranged, under the law and prisoned by sin
b. Bent toward sin- mind is swayed to sin
c. Contaminated actions
This wake-up call is for Christians a reminder of their once depraved condition. It goes into a detailed description of our depravity. It should sober us to our true condition without Christ. We must realize that we were totally estranged, sin sick, and our actions are contaminated with our depravity. Can you describe how are sinfulness alienates us from God? How are our actions contaminated by sin?
II. Cost of Reconciliation
a. Humanity—(Christmas’s importance)
b. Brutality- death, crucifixion sacrifice
c. Fidelity- faithful, sacrificial
Here we have the cost of reconciliation that Christ purchased for us. Man sinned, man must atone for sin. This is why Christ had to become a man and die. You see,sense we were depraved we could not atone for our sins. Even if we were given the opportunity to save ourselves on the cross it would not be enough!!! It is impossible to save yourself. Christ suffered for us, in place of us, for the Glory of God. (key in on this section) What does this mean to you? How can we live a life worthy of his sacrifice?
III. Call to Accountability –life doesn’t stop at salvation
a. Foundation (stability)
b. Steadfast-unmovable, unshakable
c. Hope- finding your pleasure in Him
Paul ends by letting them Know that life doesn’t stop at salvation. You see, we are to continue on in the faith. Salvation is not insurance from hell, it is a life, it continues. We should be founded in the faith, or stable. This means that we should build our life on the Word of God. Our life should be unshakable and unmovable. We are called to live with our hope totally in him. Would you say that you are unshakable when it comes to your relationship with Christ? Why do we seem to put our hope in the wrong things? What does an unshakable life look like?

Doctrine:rooted part 2

Well in the mean time while I am waiting for my stove to come in I thought I would bring in some thoughts on true discipleship...

doc·trine
doc·trine [dóktrin]
(plural doc·trines)
n
What isa doctrine?
1. rule or principle: a rule or principle that forms the basis of a belief, theory, or policy
2. ideas taught as truth: a body of ideas, particularly in religion, taught to people as truthful or correct
As a Christian, why do you think that it is important to study the doctrine of our faith? (write down your answer)

Reasons why we should study doctrine
· Lack of theological conviction
· In days gone by, many believers were persecuted or burned at the stake because of their doctrinal convictions. People believed that one’s relationship with God was more important than all other considerations.
· Today many believers are so shallow in their convictions that as God’s sheep, they cant tell the difference between grass and Astroturf!
· Lack of Biblical Knowledge
· Today many Christians in America would rather be tolerant than have truth. Biblical and theological Accuracy are things that are left to scholars. This was not true in the past. Actually this is a new concept.
Biblical illiteracy is rampant
1. Half of Americans can’t name the first book of the Bible.
2. Only 1/3 know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount
3. 75% do not know what is celebrated at Easter.
4. 6 out of 10 can’t name half of the Ten Commandments
5. 12% of Christians think Noah’s Wife was Joan of Arc
6. 64% of Christians don’t read the Bible because they are too Busy
The Bible is the best-selling, least read and least understand book.
What does the word say????????????
Discussion
Colossians 2.6-8 (6) Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, (7) rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (8) See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

( The outline is given to help you understand the scripture. Use it if you want, or make up your own)
A Charge to Know the Truth
I. Walk in Christ (vs6)
a. Live (everything)
b. Life (found)
II. Root your Mind (vs7)
a. Word
b. Prayer
III. Protect your Life (vs8)
a. Knowing the truth
b. Knowing the lies

The following Questions are to help aply the scripture to your life.
Discussion Questions-
I. Walk in Christ (vs6)
What are ways we walk in Christ?
Is this something you think your generation does well?
II. Root your Mind (vs7)
How can we be rooted in the faith?
Why is this important?
III. Protect your Life (vs8)
How can Knowing the truth protect us?
Do you think that knowing the lies can help a Christian stay protected?
(Give examples of when the truth is needed and important, use personal examples if you want)