Stalked - Where do 2 million Iraqis who have fled to neighboring countries go now?.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Giving Thanks Always, And For Everything
Preparing and preaching “Thankful Always and For Everything” from Ephesians 5:15-20 on Thanksgiving Sunday was very convicting and good for me. I am thankful that the Word is so powerful and precise. It is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV).
May it be more and more true of us at Rocky Bayou Baptist Church that we be people who are noticeably and radically thankful people— thankful “always and for everything to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). How can we grow in such thanksgiving? By being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). As we submit ourselves to His control by drinking in the Spirit-authored Word of God (1 Corinthians 2:12-14), and asking the Father to fill us up with Him (Ephesians 3:14-20), and agreeing with the Holy Spirit’s purpose to glorify Christ in us (John 16:14), the outflow of our living will include “giving thanks always and for everything”.
For more on being thankful people, please read the article below, “When ‘Thank You’ Means ‘You Win, Lord’”, from Trevin Wax. Thankfulness honors Christ! Happy Thanksgiving Day to you!
When “Thank You” Means “You Win, Lord”
November 24, 2008“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?”
- Jesus, to the Samaritan who returned to thank Him (Luke 17:17)
The account of such flagrant ungratefulness on behalf of nine lepers, healed graciously by Jesus, seems shocking to us today. How could only one of ten come back and say “Thank you?”
Yet, in Jesus’ day, the absence of vocal thanksgiving was not uncommon at all. In fact, thanking someone for hospitality or for an act of kindness could actually be considered an affront to the host!
If a person in Jesus’ day received a gift from his neighbor, he would not dare thank the neighbor verbally. Instead, he would begin thinking of how he could return the neighbor’s graciousness by doing something above and beyond that which had been done for him.
The culture of honor and shame created a climate leading each person to try to “outshine” the other in acts of generosity. Relegating gratitude to simply saying “thank you” essentially implied that one would not return the favor, thus ending the “give-and-take” relationship.
Understanding this ancient mentality opens up a deeper meaning to the Samaritan’s action of thanksgiving.
Instead of clinging to his cultural pride, the healed leper renounced the game of “outshining” the other’s honor and threw himself at Jesus’ feet in worship. He was announcing his utter weakness in trying to repay the Master for the gift of healing.
More than showing recognition for his healing, the Samaritan was recognizing that Jesus had “won” - the honor was His! It was pointless to try to return so great a favor, senseless to seek to uphold personal honor.
When we come before God with thanksgiving, we are doing much more than showing Him gratitude for certain gifts and blessings He has bestowed on us.
More importantly, we are renouncing the game of seeking our own honor, humbly acknowledging that God has given us more than we could ever repay! He is the only one worthy of praise and nothing we will do can ever compare with His amazing grace.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Nov. 16 Sermon Follow-up: God Uses Means to Speak the Gospel
In the last sermon from Jonah I reminded us that God uses means to speak out the truth and the good news of Jesus Christ. Let us be ready to do so.
1 Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready to give a defense or reason or answer for the hope that is within us. What about my life or yours would move others to inquire about our hope? A convicting question, isn’t it? Zach Nielsen’s blog (below) contains an on-target challenge to live life for Christ in such a way that people are befuddled and have to ask why. What do you think?
THE WORD IS LIFE
On the weekend of November 9th I had the joyful experience of being with friends in Bradenton, FL, to share in Bethel Baptist Church’s 50th anniversary. It was a sweet time! I am grateful to Bethel Baptist because the people there patiently loved and cared for me as Rynette and I ministered among them fresh out of seminary as their inexperienced assistant pastor.
On Sunday morning my dear friend, Don Windmiller, preached a great sermon about being a warrior for the Lord from Judges. I loved hearing Don again! Bethel’s present pastor, Joey Mimbs, graciously gave me ten minutes to speak that Sunday morning. I could have shared warm memories of our time at Bethel from 1979-85. But the Lord helped me to point the church to the importance of the Word of God as they looked ahead on their big anniversary. Here’s the outline of what I said?
- Bethel has always faithfully preached and taught the Bible. May it always be so! And I asked the preachers and teachers of the church to stand and receive the charge of Jeremiah 15:19—“Therefore thus says the LORD, ‘If you utter what is precious and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth.’” What an awesome privilege for God’s people—to share in the declaration and reception of and life response to God’s precious truths.
- Be people who are ravenous for the Word. I chose the term “ravenous” deliberately. We must be ravenous for God’s truth because without it we shrivel and die. The Word is life to us! “It is no empty word for you, but your very life.”
- Be people who obey the Word—for joy! Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:10-11).
- And be people who tremble at the Word because we need God to be for us, not against us. God said in Isaiah 66:2, “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”
I pray this for Bethel Baptist in Bradenton and for ourselves at Rocky Bayou Baptist Church!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)