Warning Lights

One of the most "frightening lights" is the one that says "check engine." Man, when that light comes on, panic sets in. "Oh no! What is happening? What is the problem? How much is it going to cost? Will I make it home or is this thing going to blow up before I get there? It's Saturday and my mechanic (I get possessive with mechanics -- I mean, doesn't everyone have their own persona mechanic that's at your beck and call -- yeah, right) is off today. How am I going to survive the weekend?" You know the feeling of fear, right? I hate that light.

Another little light I hate is the one that says, "low tire." Lately, that little light has been driving me nuts. Anytime you change your tires, like putting on studded tires for the winter, or rotating the tires, that little light comes on -- and it won't go off until you reset the thing. Of course, resetting that light is tough when your sailing down the freeway at the legal speed limit (which varies with the individual, depending on their level of integrity and willingness to accept responsibility for obeying the law) and pulling off onto the emergency lane seems really dumb. And to reset this light means that you have to stop the engine which is also inconvenient at 65 miles per hour. I mean it's just a yellow light, right? Just keep on going -- maybe it'll go off. Uh, huh, right.

Now, I know that these little lights are an important function of the car and, I guess, they have a purpose, no matter how dumb I think they are. The object of these lights is to let me know that something isn't working right and I better take a look to find out what's going on and get if fixed so that I can keep on going. They maybe inconvenient and perhaps even costly. But I'm grateful that my car has them. Those little lights will keep me on my toes.

It's kind of the same thing with the Christian life. The Holy Spirit uses conviction to let me know that something isn't right and I need to get it taken care of. That conviction is that little light in my heart that tells me that I need to pay attention and not just ignore it and hope that'll it go away. Sometimes taking care of that problem is inconvenient and may cost me something -- like forgiving someone for something they said or did to me. But unless that is taken care of, the engine of my life isn't going to run right. So, pulling off the road of life before I go any further is important to keep things from getting any worse. Like getting rid of bitterness, or anger, or unforgiveness. Those things will really drag you down to where you're not going to be productive or effective for the kingdom of God.

When the Holy Spirit is working in your life and He allows one of His warning lights to come on,
it's a wise thing to pay attention to that "little light." It might go away if you ignore it. That's resisting the Spirit of God. He might let it turn on again and again and again. Ignore it long enough and your engine of life might shut down.

Something to think about. Have an amazing week.

"Lessons From A Model Church"

This is the teaching from Wednesday evening Dec. 9, 2009. All Scripture verses are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

THE BOOK OF ACTS
“Lessons From A Model Church”
Acts 16:11-40 – Part 1
December 9, 2009

In these verses we read about a rather obscure piece of the gospel and yet, it’s very important because it’s the story about the entrance of the gospel to Europe. Ray Stedman said, “Perhaps no single event since the cross of Christ has so affected the world as Paul’s seemingly unpretentious decision to cross a narrow neck of water.” Remember last week we talked about Paul wanting to continue up through Asia but was stopped by the Holy Spirit and he was led to Macedonia in Europe.

As we look at what Luke is writing, we find a familiar pattern that these early Christians followed in bringing the gospel to new places. In these verses, we are again reminded of how the church should work today to change a city, state or nation. So, let’s start by looking at Acts 16:11-13 to see these principles at work. The first principle we see is that there was:

THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD – Acts 16:11-13 (ESV) So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

Paul and the others came into the city of Philippi and faced a familiar problem? Anyone want to take a stab at what that was? The problem they faced was how they would start to spread the gospel. In most places Paul tried to begin in the most obvious and natural places. Where was that? The synagogue. It was there that religious people always came together.

But Philippi was a pagan city and there weren’t too many male Jews that would allow for a synagogue to be there. I read that there had to be at least 10 men to start a synagogue. Anything less than that would then mean that the people would have to meet by a river and just have prayer meeting. So, that’s why Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke walked along the riverside on their first Sabbath in Philippi. They wanted to see if they could find a prayer meeting. And they did. But it wasn’t a meeting of men but of women. So, what we find here is that the gospel of Christ came into Europe through the first Business and Professional Women’s Club. Paul took advantage of the situation, as he always did, and preached to the people who were most available to hear him. Then Paul follows the next principle which is:

THEY EXPECTED GOD TO DO SOMETHING -- Acts 16:14-15 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.

Now, this is an important point because many churches today just aren’t expecting God to do anything but the people are expecting to do everything. They expect to put a program together that they have to carry through. Someone observed, “It is literally true that many churches today are operating in such a way that, if the Holy Spirit were suddenly removed from their program, nobody would notice that anything had happened.”

But these people preached the Word of God and then they expected God to move. They didn’t know how He would move but they knew that He would. God has a variety of ways to break a community wide open. Philippi was a tough place to preach the gospel. So God used 4 of many different methods to open that town. The first is that God:

PREPARED MEN AND WOMEN THERE – There men and women there whose hearts were open to the gospel. Lydia was one of those people. She was a business woman who sold purple goods. She was doing pretty good and she owned her own home which was big enough to accommodate Paul and his group. Her heart was ready, as it had been prepared by God. So she was led of the Lord to be there at the right time and in the right place to hear the gospel. Another method that God uses is by drawing attention to:

A SPECTACULAR DEMONSTRATION OF THE SUPERNATURAL – Acts 16:16-18 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation." 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.

Sometimes these are in the realm of the physical with a lame man being healed as in the case of the lame from birth in Acts 14:10. At other times, it’s in the realm of the spiritual as in this case.

This young girl was a slave that we would call a witch or a medium who was possessed by a demon. That evil spirit used her as a channel to convey messages that would be interpreting different events of the day or predicting the future for people. And she would follow Paul and the others around and kept saying “These men are servant of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.”

You might say, “Well, what’s wrong with that?” Good question. What would you say? Well, let me say that I’ve learned that the devil uses two different methods in opposing the gospel. The first is:

APPARENT ALLEGIANCE TO THE GOSPEL-- He will pretend to be in line with what’s being preached. That will allow him to gain a position of acceptance among people that would then allow him to wreck the whole program. The other is:

OUTRIGHT ATTACK – I don’t think this one needs any interpretation. Of the two methods, the first, outright allegiance is the most dangerous because it gives the appearance of being helpful to those who are evangelizing.

Jesus never allowed anyone who was demon possessed to give any kind of testimony about him. He would always rebuke them. Why? WAIT Well, if men come to him on the basis of a demon’s testimony, they would be coming with a wrong motive. Anyone who deals with any kind of medium, witch, warlock, astrology, fortune telling, channeling, tea leaves, tarot cards, is someone who is driven by self interests. They want to use the occult to promote their own interests.

Secondly, it won’t be long before the truth begins to be mixed up with error. People are sucked in and wind up not being able to tell the difference between the truth and a lie. That’s the story of every cult that bears the name of Christian. They all begin with a proclamation of truth, but it isn’t long before error is intertwined and people are eventually led down the wrong path.

Paul was deeply troubled by this woman because he knew where her speech was going to lead if he allowed her to keep on going. So, in the power of the Holy Spirit, she was delivered and set free. That blessed her but got her employers angry. Which brings us to another method that God will use to open a community. He will allow the devil to:

AROUSE VIOLENT OPPOSITION -- Acts 16:19-24 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice." 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

God’s purpose is to use whatever means He chooses to allow a city to be opened for the gospel. And when there is violent opposition, it’s a sign that the enemy is deeply entrenched. Paul called it a stronghold in 2 Corinthians 10:4 where he wrote, the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

In Philippi there was just such a stronghold that was over the entire community and it resulted in violent opposition. It’s evident today still. People who are intent on creating a violent uprising are seizing on people’s emotions and using those emotions to get other stirred up. That’s what happened here. The crowd responded illegally and the city officials were caught totally off guard and the end result was that Paul and Silas were beaten.

Father, thank You once again for showing to us the principles that you established for church the growth of the first century church so that we may learn from them and apply to our lives individually and corporately. Help us, Father, to be aware that Your desire is to save this entire community of Prineville and that, as we hear and apply Your Word to our daily living, we could and should expect to see You move. Give us that eager expectation and anticipation to see You move in our community. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.

The First Star Search

This is the 2nd of 3 messages on the Christmas season. All verses are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise stated. If you wish a CD copy of this message, contact First Assembly of God at 541-447-7254. Cost is $3.00 per CD with $1.50 for shipping and handling.

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"THE FIRST STAR SEARCH"
Matthew 2:1-12
December 13, 2009

There was the story about a guy bought his wife a 2 carat diamond ring for Christmas. After hearing about this extravagant gift, a friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty Jeep four-wheel-drive vehicles." "She did," he replied. "But I couldn’t find a fake Jeep?"

Christmas is just 12 days away from today. This morning, I want to bring you message #2 of 3 Christmas messages. I want to take a few moments and look at the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem through the eyes of the wise men. So, let’s go to our test verses in Matthew 2:1-12

It’s long been held that these wise men didn’t get to the manger on the night of Jesus’ birth but came about 1 to 2 years later. There are 3 reasons for that position. First, Matthew’s use of the word “child” instead of “new born” would indicate that these wise men didn’t arrive on the night of Jesus’ birth. Secondly, Matthew 2:16 would infer that that Jesus was anywhere from 1 to 2 years old when they showed up because of Matthew’s use of the word “house” instead of the word “stable.” The word “house” in the Greek refers to a home or residence of a concrete or some other solid building material. Thirdly, Herod set out to kill all male children 2 years of age and younger. Of the 4 gospels, only Matthew talks about the 3 wise men.

One woman said to her husband, “Do you know what would have happened if it had been Three Wise Women instead of Three Wise Men? They would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and, brought practical gifts.” So, let’s see what lessons we can get from these men.

LESSON #1 –LOOK FOR GOD AND YOU’LL ALWAYS FIND JESUS – Matthew 2:1-3 (ESV) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

These men were philosophers, learned men devoted to religion and they came primarily from an area located near modern day Iraq and Iran. They were held in high esteem, and were admitted as counselors in the Persian courts and follow armies into war to give advice. John MacArthur said that “Historians have said that no Persian was ever able to become king without mastering the scientific and religious disciplines of the magi and then being approved and crowned by them.” So, were greatly respected. But God was going to break through their misguided system of thinking to make the event of the birth of Jesus known to them.

Most folks assume that there were 3 of them, but we really don’t know how many there were. Could’ve been 3 or 33 or 63. But the point is that they were following this moving star which was a supernatural light that finally stopped over the house where Jesus was living at that time.
These men would’ve known that Daniel had prophesied some 500 years before, while in Babylonian captivity that a decree was going to be issued to authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem that was then in ruins. (Daniel 9:25-26) Daniel wrote that 483 years following the date of that decree, the “anointed one” would be in Jerusalem. These men knew exactly when Cyrus gave the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. And they just added 483 years to that date and that’s why they were looking for a king at that particular time. They knew WHEN, they just didn’t know WHERE. So, they stopped by Jerusalem and asked “Where?” The prophet Micah would answer that question in Micah 5:2 (ESV):

But you, O Bethlehem Eph-ra`-tah,(a district where Bethlehem was located) who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

It’s interesting to note that the first words spoken by a human in the New Test come from these wise men when they basically asked in Matthew 2:2 “Where is God?” And for 2000 years, people are still searching for God asking, “Where are you, God?” They ask, “Where was God on9/11?” Or “Where was God when my child died – or my husband – or my wife?” Everyone has to ask and answer the question, “Where or who is the Messiah?”

If you are genuinely and diligently seeking God, you will always be led to Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (ESV) says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”

Just as the wise men searched earnestly for God and found Him in Jesus Christ, so too will anyone today who is searching for God find him in Jesus Christ.

LESSON #2 – IF YOU ARE WISE, GIVE HIM YOUR TREASURE -- Matthew (ESV) 2:11-12 Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

One of the nice things about Christmas is the giving of gifts to. But it’s been pointed out that sometimes gifts you give at Christmas aren’t really gifts at all. Instead they are exchanges. You get a gift, so you feel you have to give a gift. And sometimes the value of your gift is determined by the value of the gift you get. Or if they don’t give you a gift, you don’t give them a gift.

But real gifts are motivated by love. Love always gives. In John 3:16 (ESV) we see real love in action. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,” Someone said, “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.”

The gifts that the wise men brought were perfect. One commentator wrote of their gifts, “Gold is the gift fit for a King. Frankincense was in constant use by the priests in the Temple. Myrrh was used to embalm the dead. In those 3 gifts we see who Jesus is, what He came to do, and what it would cost him.” If you are truly wise, you’ll open your treasure and give Jesus some valuable gifts as well. Gifts like:

GOLD REPRESENTING YOUR FIRST AND BEST -- When Jesus becomes the Lord of your life, it means that He is the King of your life. And I’m not just talking about financial giving, although the amount of gold you give reveals whether Jesus is your King. Every month folks want to give to God, but they first pay all of their bills and then if there’s anything left, they give some to God. Proverbs 3:9 (ESV) says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce…” Jesus deserves your first, not your leftovers. “Well, pastor, tithing is Old Testament teaching.” OK, then let’s do it the New Testament way – that is you give it ALL. Works for me. Give a gift like:

INCENSE REPRESENTING YOUR JOYFUL WORSHIP -- Matthew 2:10-11(ESV) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.

Incense was used by the priests in worship as an offering to honor God. It speaks of the joy of worship. Psalm 95:6 (ESV) Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! So many go to church and never really truly worship. They just sit and listen to the songs or maybe sing them without caring what the words mean. They aren’t singing to God. Worship is about giving to God our praises. We should attend church, not “to get” but “to give” –give praise to God, give a hug to someone who needs one, give some encouragement to someone who’s going through a hard time. It’s all about giving. Give a gift like:

MYRRH REPRESENTING YOUR LIFE AND LOYALTY -- Myrrh was used on dead bodies to slow down the decaying process. This gift reveals that the magi understood that the death of the Messiah would be significant. The myrrh represents the need for us to offer Jesus our lives because that’s what He did for us. He was willing to die for us. When we die to ourselves and surrender our life and our will to follow Jesus, we demonstrate to all that Jesus Christ is the King of our life. The final lesson is:

LESSON #3 –WHEN YOU MEET JESUS, YOU’LL ALWAYS CHANGE -- Not only did they go home a different way, they were different men as they left.

Once you meet Jesus, your whole life takes on a whole new direction. You have a different way of living, a new way of thinking, a whole new set of values. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

C. S. Lewis had been raised as a Christian by his parents. However, in his teen years, Lewis abandoned Christianity. He became increasingly interested in Germanic mythology, which led him to see religion in general as a "kind of . . . nonsense into which humanity tended to blunder." Later as he entered his early 30s and settled into both his professional and domestic life, Lewis came to a real turning point in his spiritual life. While riding on a double-decker bus in the early summer of 1929, Lewis suddenly felt he had no choice but to acknowledge a belief in God. Shortly afterward, alone in his room at the university, he knelt and prayed. His conversion to Christianity was not quite that simple, because he had many doubts, inward debates, and discussions with friends. As Lewis explained in a letter to his brother, he became a Christian because for him there was nothing else to do. Lewis, I believe, was saying in his conversion, I searched a long time for the truth about God. But when I finally discovered Jesus, I found the truth that changed my life.”

CALL---------Are you on a star search this morning? You can say that you’re searching for purpose, or for truth, or the meaning of life, or happiness, or peace or maybe you don’t know WHAT you’re looking for. But if you will seek God with all of your heart, you WILL find that search will always lead to Jesus. Maybe God put you here this morning in this church that will be your star that’ll bring you to Jesus. The wise men weren’t wise because they were seeking Jesus, but they were wise because they found Jesus. Will you come to Jesus this Christmas and open your life to Him?

If you’re already a Christian, you might be thinking “I sure hope that someone hearing this will come to Jesus. But what truth can I take away with me in this story? I’ve already met Christ, I’ve given Him my life, I do worship Him.” The application for you my friend, is that God wants to use you as a star. Who do you know that needs to be guided to Jesus. Daniel 12:3 (ESV)says, And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Go out into this world, your city, your family, and be a guiding and leading star to Jesus Christ. A good place to start that journey is right here in this service. Let’s take a few minutes this morning to come to these altars to worship the Lord. If you’re coming to Christ for the first time, we’ll meet you here and pray with you privately. But if you’re already a Christian, then come with a prayer that asks the Lord to make you like a star that will guide others to Christ.

Lord, thank You for this wonderful Christmas season and the lessons we’re are learning from our time together. There’s a lot of darkness in our world, but Lord we want to be wise and shine like the stars in the sky by turning others to Jesus. Give us the grace, anointing and opportunity to be that star for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Well, Christmas is getting a lot closer -- 12 more days from today. Time is going by so fast these days and as I reflect on past Christmas holidays, I'm reminded of just how fast it's going. It just seems like we celebrated our son's first Christmas just last year and now he's 30 years old with 3 sons of his own. WOW! I was thinking about those past holidays with our 3 kids and all of the joy we had. Just as the rear view mirror on our car shows only a portion of what we've just passed, so to, much of the joy of the past celebrations is forgotten. That's just life.

So often, when I'm driving at 55 or 65 mph, there's always someone who wants to go a lot faster. That's life, too. I was looking at the rear view mirror on the passenger side of the car and I took note of the wording on it. It's something like "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear." It's a distorted view to be sure. As I thought about that, I came to the conclusion that a lot the time and events of this life, are distorted. We go on living as though we'll celebrate another Christmas next year when in fact, we might see the return of the Lord by then. "Objects are closer than they appear." I love Christmas and the joy and spirit of the holiday. But, things are moving so fast from a Biblical perspective, that the coming of the Lord "is closer than it appears."

Don't let the turmoil of our world today, both here in the U.S. and around the world, diminish the joy of this Christmas season. To be sure, there's a mess out there but remember, "things are closer than they appear." There's a very bright future coming for the believer in Jesus Christ. But, in the meantime, we're to occupy until He comes. So, with that thought in mind, prepare to have a wonderful Christmas.

The Book of Acts

The following is the teaching on the Book of Acts from Wednesday evening, Dec. 9, 2009. This is a verse by verse study on the model for church life that God set up for the first century church that is applicable to the current church age. We have been in this teaching for over one year. Should you desire the manuscripts from previous teachings, contact First Assembly in Prineville. All Scripture verses are from the English Standard Version unless stated otherwise.
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THE BOOK OF ACTS
“Faithfulness To The Church”
Acts 16:1-5
November 18, 2009

There’s a little story about a church choir director who was really frustrated with the sporadic attendance of all of the choir members for rehearsals for the Christmas Choral Concert. At the last rehearsal he announced, “I want to personally thank the pianist for being the only person in this entire church choir to attend each and every rehearsal during the past two months as we’ve tried to get ready for tonight’s Christmas Choral Concert.” At this, the pianist rose, bowed and then said, “It was the least I could do considering that I won’t be able to be at the Christmas Choral Concert tonight.” Faithfulness.

In this area of Acts, we see a striking picture of the faithfulness of the apostle Paul to the New Testament church. Tonight I want to take a look at 3 aspects of Paul’s faithfulness that, again, serve as a model for the 21st century today. The first aspect is that Paul was:

FAITHFUL IN MAKING DISCIPLES -- Acts 16:1-3 (ESV) "Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. "

This is a significant passage here as it shows Paul’s taking Timothy under his wing to help Timothy grow and develop in his spiritual life. Timothy was a young disciple who was destined to become one of the great servants of the early church. Timothy was the one to whom Paul had written two great letters of the New Testament – 1 and 2 Timothy.

Timothy was just a child when Paul had visited Lystra on his first missionary journey about 5 or 6 years earlier, he was probably about 10 to 12 years old. He was still a young man when Paul wrote his first letter to him. So, many think that at the time of Paul’s 2nd visit to Lystra Timothy was about 18 years old.

For Paul, Timothy was like a breath of fresh air. He was an unexpected surprise with his great love and maturity for the Lord. He really made an immediate impression on Paul.

Timothy had a godly mother, Eunice and a godly grandmother, Lois who were both Jews. But they were also strong Christian believers. They were both so godly and strong in the Christian faith that Paul make mention of it years later in 2 Timothy 1:5-6 "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well." ESV

Timothy’s father was an unbelieving Greek. He was not a follower of the Jewish God because if he had been, he would have had Timothy circumcised. V 3 shows us that he wasn’t. " Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him."

The point here is that Timothy came from a family that was spiritually divided. Yet he followed God despite his father’s unbelief. Even if his father were dead at this point in time, Timothy still made the choice to follow Jesus as he was taught by his mother and grandmother.

From what we read here, it appears that Timothy had a good reputation throughout the whole region. He was still in his youth, maybe in his 20’s or 30’s, when Paul wrote his first letter to him as seen in 1 Timothy 4:12 where Paul writes, Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ESV

We should take note in this verse of the character of Timothy who was a young man of purity and maturity with unblemished character.

Now, there was a large population of Jews throughout the district where Paul wanted to go and preach. Paul never abandoned his Jewish heritage, but if Timothy was to accompany him it was necessary to have Timothy circumcised.

He did not want to fight on non-essentials as we read in 1 Cor. 9;19-2 19 "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."

Paul always began in the synagogues, and to have an uncircumcised Jew with him would have made any witness to Jews much more difficult. Since Timothy had grown up in this region, the Jews would have known of his mixed family background. So, he had Timothy go through circumcision. Paul was:

FAITHFUL TO THE WORD OF GOD: Acts 16:4 reads "As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. "

Paul was faithful in delivering the church’s Spirit-led decision on salvation and behavior. There are 3 points to remember: first, the Holy Spirit had led the church in formulating and writing the message. Second, The message was the declaration of truth emphasizing both salvation and behavior. Third, Paul was faithful in going from town to town bring this declaration on salvation through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s interesting to note that the church still today has the written Word of God regarding salvation and behavior. Yet how many believers and churches honestly read and teach and live by the truth of God’s Word as it is written? The 3rd aspect of Paul is that he was:

FAITHFUL IN STRENGTHENING THE CHURCH -- Acts 16:5 "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily."

There was a faithfulness in bearing fruit. The churches were established and grew in number daily. They were established in the truth of salvation and behavior, they were established in standing against making ritual necessary for salvation, they were strengthened in being steadfast in their labor the Lord and they continue to reach more and more people for the kingdom of God.

I think it’s interesting to note that the words “strengthened” and “grew daily in the Lord” are continuous actions. It was going on all of the time – each day. For the 1st century church, this was a daily event. As is frequent in Acts, the section ends with reference to the growth of the church.

Stability and growth were the marks of a healthy church that flourished here and elsewhere throughout the book of Acts. Rapid growth was important to this first part of the Gentile thrust of the gospel in spite of Paul’s critics who were trying to diminish his impact. Yet, in this first real penetration of the gospel into the Gentile world, the church thrived and grew in exactly the same way the mostly Jewish church had in its early days at Pentecost. What a great statement from that early church model to the church of today.

Father, thank You once again for showing us these important elements of the 1st century church that You want to see in this 21st century church. Help us to carry on the faithfulness of Paul in the making of disciples, in being faithful to Your Word and to do all that we can to strengthen the church so that we might experience that continued, ongoing, daily growth. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN.

"The Christmas Swap"

The following is the first of 3 messages that was given on December 6, 2009 at First Assembly of God in Prineville, OR. All Scripture verses are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

"The Christmas Swap" (Luke 10:38-42)

A young man, who was not noted for being particularly smart, decided to try out for the football team. The coach said, “I don’t think that you’re smart enough to play football.” But the young man pleaded with the him and finally the coach said, “OK. But first, I want to give you a test. There’s just 3 questions on it and if you get all 3 right, you can play.” The young man was just thrilled and said, “OK. What are the 3 questions?” The coach said, “The first question is how many seconds are there in a year?” The young man though about it and finally said, “There are 12.” The coach, “What? How did you get that?” The boy said, “There’s January 2nd, February, 2nd, March 2nd, and so on.” Well, that’s not what the coach thought would be the answer, but he accepted it. He said, “Ok. The 2nd question is what 2 days of the week begin with the letter “T?” The young man fired back, “Today and tomorrow.” The coach was impressed with the answer even though that’s not what he was looking for. So he said, “Ok. The 3rd question is how many “D’s” are there in Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.” The young man said, “Oh, that’s easy. There’s 138.” The coach said, “How did you get that?” The young man held up his hand and started counting his fingers while he sang the familiar song, “De de de de de de de de de de de de de de …….”

The Christmas season is upon us and will be for the next 3 weeks or so. This morning I want to talk about how to capture the moment of this Christmas. I read that when it comes to Christmas, researchers tell us that people go through Christmas in one of three ways. Four out of ten think about the past—about lost time and events that they could have taken advantage of.

Five out of ten are futurists. Always one step ahead of Christmas. "I’ve got to go to the store --I’ve got to get the wrapping paper –I've to go the mall or that party." They’re not really in the moment but they're thinking of the next thing that they need to do.

Only one in ten of us will actually be able to hit the pause button and plug into the moment, the meaning and the message of Christmas. This Christmas, like every Christmas, each of us will be given some opportunities that, if we miss them, we’ll wind up saying, “I really wish I had payed more attention to that moment, that message, that memory of this Christmas.” With that background, let’s go to our text verses in Luke 10:38-42.

What I’d like you to see in these verses are some principles to capture the meaning, the moment, and the memory of Christmas. So, how can we do that this Christmas. First of all you have to:

SWAP THE URGENT FOR THE SIGNIFICANT -- Luke 10:39 (English Standard Version) "And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching."

I think that every follower of Jesus Christ would say that they have a personal relationship with Him – that they know Him. Yet the Christmas season shows us that we often favor the work of Christmas over our relationships with God and with people.

When Martha got the news that Jesus was coming, you can almost imagine her saying, “Oh wow! We’ve got to get ready for Jesus! Gotta dust the furniture, put away the dirty clothes, get a meal ready.” Mary’s like, “Great! I’ll help you get ready.” But when Jesus showed up, Mary swapped the urgent tasks at hand for the significant visit of Jesus. She was able to sit with and listened to Jesus and didn’t miss that moment. But Martha couldn't make that swap.

Matt 6:34 (ESV) talks about being in the moment. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Christmas is a time to hit the pause button on the DVD of our life and take some time to think about our relationships. The husbands, the wives, the kids, the grand-kids. It’s time to connect with them. Set aside and swap the "urgency" of the work of Christmas and get involved in the "significance" of relationships. That’s just what Mary did with Jesus.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) reminds us that we are to “…. seek first the kingdom of God ….” Christmas is all about knowing and remembering that the kingdom of God has come to each one of us. Second we need to:

SWAP “PHYSICAL” PREPARATIONS FOR “SPIRITUAL” PREPARATIONS Colossians 3:2 (ESV)"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

I think that this verse really presents us two choices-- you can be focused on Christ this season, or you can have your eyes and mind focused on the things of earth.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t PREPARE for Christmas. Things need to get done – put up the tree, get the gifts, prepare meals etc. But there’s going to be times to stop and pause. That’s really the essence of the story here with Mary and Martha. Mary chose what is better. But Martha kept going and missed out on an opportunity to improve her relationship with God and her sister. She was concerned about a lot of things that Jesus was not concerned about.

How does this apply to me? Well, let me ask a question. Do we have any Christmas managers of mess here this morning? I mean that as soon as the presents are open, you take out the Hefty trash bag and start stuffing the ribbons and the wrapping paper in the trash bag. You’re the Christmas trash manager or the mess managers. Anyone like that?

The “managers of mess” might be missing some really good stuff – like the expressions on the kids’ faces. Managers of mess are futurists and are always one step ahead of the opening of the presents. Martha was kind of like that.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (ESV) says that we should “…. look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Where do your decorations go after Christmas? Back in the box. We all know where the food goes. The tree? That goes too. But do you know what doesn’t go away? Your relationship with Jesus. Your relationships with family and friends. I want to encourage you to make a choice this Christmas to hit the pause button so that you could grow in your relationship with Jesus and with your family and friends. That is what will last forever. The third principle to catching the moment of this Christmas is: PP

SWAP SELF-IMPORTANCE WITH PERSONAL REFLECTION – Luke 10:40 (ESV) "But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.'"

Martha was focused on what was pressing. But Jesus focused on what is needed. Jesus said to her, in Luke 10:41-42 (ESV) "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

More than anything, Jesus wants us to hear His truths so that we will grow in our relationship with Him and with others. He wants to talk to us, but too often we're just too busy to stop and listen to Him, especially in this holiday season.

I don’t think that people need a new toy, or a new husband or wife, or kids that listen and obey all the time. What people need is a new heart. We can’t become the man or woman we need to be by remaining who we are. What does that involve? It involves personal reflection.

Lamentations 3:40 (ESV) "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!
Personal reflection is an honest look at yourself. It’s to surrender your life to Christ and willingly put yourself under His loving counsel and coaching. Personal reflection is just taking a good look at the way you’re living."

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV) says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

What David is asking God to do for him, and what I want to encourage you to do this Christmas, is to ask God to give you a spiritual MRI. And just say to God, "Lord, if there's any blockage there then deal with that.” Why? So there could be health in your life. Finally, if we’re going to capture the moment this Christmas we
have to:

SWAP THE SUPERFICIAL WITH THE SUPERNATURAL: Luke 10:42 (ESV)Jesus says, "...but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

Life is full of choices. Those choices flow out of your convictions and values and they form a lifestyle. Mary made a choice and as a result, her encounter with Jesus was without any regret.

I pray that you won't come through this Christmas with regret, wishing you had done it differently or connected with God or people differently. Jesus is concerned about your relationship with Him and your expression of that relationship with others.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV) "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and PP knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,' declares the Lord."

God wants you to love what He loves. What does He love? He loves kindness, compassion, righteousness, and choosing the right thing to do. He says He delights in those things.

How do you avoid missing God’s presence and purpose this Christmas? There’s three things that you need to do: First:

YOU NEED TO SIT -- It means slow down. Not just physically but emotionally. Second:

YOU NEED TO LISTEN -- Mary listened to Jesus. When you’re listening to Jesus then you’re open to hearing what He has to say. Thirdly, we need to:

YOU NEED TO CHOOSE -- Jesus said “Mary has chosen what is better.” Don’t miss anything that will improve your relationship with God and with others.

Humor me for a minute and repeat after me. Say “This Christmas I will slow. I will open up. I will not miss the moment.” If you do these 4 things, then I believe that God will invade this Christmas and you will experience His best for you and your family.

CALL---------- Jesus says "I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and you open the door I will come in to be with you and fellowship with you." If that’s where you are this Christmas season, then just say “Jesus, I’m ready choose what is better. I choose You today. I want You to come into my life and make me the person You created me to be. Thank You for coming to earth at Christmas time. Thank You for dying on a cross so that my sins forgiven. Make me the person that You want me to be this Christmas and for the rest of my life.”

Then maybe some of you here this morning need to renew your commitment to the Jesus. You need to say to Jesus, “Jesus, I want to know You in a deeper way this Christmas. I want to deeply connect with You so would You speak to me this Christmas. Would You give me the courage to pause and connect with You more and connect with people I love more.

Father, in a few minutes, we're going to come to Your table and we're going to celebrate the wonderful gift that You have given to us – the forgiveness of sins and eternal life in and through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, as we partake of the elements of communion, I would ask that the Holy Spirit spark a hunger in our hearts to have this Christmas be unlike any that we have ever experienced. Let it be a time that we would contemplate the need to slow down, to sit and to listen to what You would say to us. We want a deeper relationship with You and we want to connect more with other people. Help us to do that and see others come to You. In Jesus name.

In All Things Be Thankful

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays -- next to Christmas. It's always great fun to get together with our kids and their kids, eat some great food, watch America's team, the Dallas Cowboys win -- AGAIN!

This past Thanksgiving was no exception. All 6 of our grandsons were with us and their parents and we sat down to a huge meal -- repentance for gluttony came later as the moaning from being stuffed died down. Anyhow, the weather was just great and we sat and watched America's team, the Dallas Cowboys win -- AGAIN (oops! Sorry. I just repeated myself -- AGAIN. I hear that sort of thing has to do with the aging process.)

As we sat around the table, we took some time to give thanks to our Lord. And in the prayer, we sought the Lord to help us maintain an attitude of gratitude all year long and not just on this particular holiday. Unfortunately, being openly thankful for what our Lord Jesus has done for us is not done all that often. That's not to say that this is true for everyone. But, as one preacher said, intense moments of being thankful don't come when things are going good -- the kids are healthy, the car is running good, there's money in the bank, etc. Those intense moments of thankfulness usually happen when there's tough times. Take note of that word "intense" thankfulness.

When the Pilgrims had their first Thanksgiving, half of their men were dead, they were people without a country, but they still had something to be thankful for. Their gratitude wasn't FOR something but IN something. It occurs to me that thanks that is given on Thanksgiving is usually done by one person in a brief prayer before the meal. That's unfortunate because the whole point of Thanksgiving is to give thanks to God for what He's done in our lives.

The truth is that thankfulness is something that should be reflected in our lives every day. Why? Because, as 1 Chronicles 29:14 (ESV) says, "....all things come from ..." God. If someone were to ask, "What should I be thankful for?" the answer would be or should be, EVERYTHING.

We should be thankful for the grace that God has shown to us. We should be thankful for the plan that God has for our lives. We should be thankful for the heavenly home that God has prepared for us. We should be thankful for the changes that God is making in us that is conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ.

In my message this past Thanksgiving I mentioned to the church that there are 4 ways that I've learned that we can show thankfulness -- and these aren't original with me. We can show thankfulness by singing which can bring us into the presence of the Lord. We can show thankfulness by serving -- by doing something totally unselfish without expecting anything in return. We can show thankfulness by giving -- our level of giving shows our level of gratitude. Finally, we can show thankfulness by telling -- telling others about Jesus Christ. We have the best news in the world which keeps getting better and better while the news in the world keeps getting worse and worse.

Well, those are my thoughts on the matter of Thanksgiving. May the Lord help us to take "thanksgiving" and make it "thanks-living.)

Something to think about. Have an amazing week.