My Thoughts For Today

 Some pastors preach on the same thing over and over. The same subject, the same topic, the same message. The problem for some of us is that it becomes like the warning labels on consumer products. We do not hear any message that is over emphasized. It becomes a dreaded encounter when you go to church and you no longer wait with anticipation to hear what God has to say and instead you dread hearing the same thing again.

It is a revelation to understand that pastors are people too. They have hopes and dreams and emotions. They have wives and families that need their support. They get happy, and they get disappointed. But a good, mature pastor will hide his feeling and his emotions just like a parent does with their children. We tell young pastors not to have fried church members for Sunday dinner. Does anyone tell successful pastors how to preach and how not to spoil what God has done?

He who endures to the end shall be saved.  I used to think that this applied to end time tribulation. Some Sundays it seems like enduring to the end of pastor's sermon instead.

It's hard to tell your audience that a quarterback is stupid, and then sit down with him to interview him. It's hard to be the focus of adulation and then have to be just our pastor. The shepherd's rod and staff are not weapons with which to punish the sheep, but tools to help him guide the sheep.

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." 1Cor.3:6

Pray for your pastor.

News or Good News?

 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 5:1

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

"He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved." Psalm 62:6

God has given us His word that no matter what is happening around us, we can have peace. And if the world is falling apart, we shall not be moved. 

The news can be troubling. The Good News gives us peace.

Shaken and Perplexed

 The prophet Haggai used the word shake twice in chapter two. This is an interesting word in Hebrew. It is translated as shake, or tremble. But it also has the idea of making afraid. The word for earthquake is similar, but different. The shaking Haggai talked about is not an earthquake that destroys cities. It is a fear that unsettles men's hearts and disrupts human activity.

Here is an interesting connecting from the prophecy of Christ.

"And there will be signs in in sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, and the sea and the waves roaring.; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken." Luke 21:25-26

Jesus talked about natural disasters, but also about the fear and dread of the possibility of those disasters happening. The expectation of those things happening. This is a fear, not from the devil, but from God, that touches the heart of a Christ rejecting world. Only in Christ do we find the strength to endure and not be moved by the terrors that men think might happen.

Can you say climate change? Can you say an asteroid is aimed at us? Can you say political chaos? Does the evening news make you afraid? 

The shaking that Haggai talked about is more likely a fearful trembling that paralyzes men's hearts with inaction or dumb decisions. You can't win the fight if you are fighting the wrong thing.

"For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." Luke 21:22

It's time to repent.

My Daily Devotions

 In my daily devotions today I read from the prophet Haggai these words.

"I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the gentile kingdoms." Hag.2:21-22

These words were fulfilled in ancient days. Of all of the nations that were world powers in Haggai's time, none remain. God shook them and overthrew them all.

Today, I believe God will once again shake heaven and earth and overthrow the kingdoms of worldly rulers.

"For thus says the Lord of hosts: once more(it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they will come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts." Hag. 2:6-9

I see a great shaking. I see the return of Christ. I see miracle provision. and I see peace.

God always has more to come, and He always saves the best until last. God says here "a little while" and this will happen.

Come quickly Lord Jesus!

All Things To All People

 "Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them." Mark 9:2

Jesus knew how to work with people. He could minister to a crowd. He chose out of the crowd men to be disciples. Out of the disciples He chose the 12 disciples who would become apostles. Then he chose three to be with him on special occasions. Jesus did not take the multitude up on the mount of transfiguration. He did not even take all of the disciples. He only took Peter, James, and John. We are never told why these three. 

A wise pastor does not try to disciple the whole church. He is able to minister to the whole church in a way that helps them where they are. He recognizes gifting and calling and works with those who feel called. And He sets apart those destined for greater things.

Not every person in a seat on Sunday morning can handle the soup as hot as it has been cooked. Some may need milk and not meat. Some have no appetite for spicy food. But everyone needs something. Something appropriate for where they are in their walk with Jesus.

"Then Esau said, let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you. But Jacob said to him, my lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die."

Jacob and Esau understood that not everyone can travel at the same pace. A wise pastor should know this also. There are things that you tell everyone. There are things you only say at a men's discipleship class. There are things that only men or only women should hear. And there are very few things that the men you are grooming for ministry need to hear.

Pray for your pastor. He needs to see beyond the obvious.

Selling a Dream?

There is a fine line between selling a dream and selling a lie. In our church our pastor is selling a dream. Young men can get married, become a disciple, and get sent out to be a pastor. Unfortunately, we have gotten the cart before the horse. We put priority on discipleship and not enough emphasis on getting married.

Marriage is so important. That is why historically we do not send out single men. Marriage is important on it's own, it is not a ticket to destiny. It needs to be valued and supported on it's own merits.

Trying to think about discipleship as a game or as a program is missing the point. Discipleship is training a young man on how to be a pastor.  You do not get this from a book.  This is perhaps why the third generation sells the farm. They never get to spend time with the pastor who started it all. If discipleship depends on natural gifting and ability that disqualifies most young men who aspire one day to be a pastor. You not only need  a spiritual connection, you also need a personal connection to someone who is a pastor.

Discipleship is a natural outflow of revival. Getting people saved produces a pool of potential young men some of whom may one day become pastors themselves. 

This still is a work of God and not of men. We know how to do this. God knows how to get this done.

My final thought for today. You do not disciple the whole church. You run with the runners. 

What's Important

I do not do this blog to make money. I do not do this blog for views, or likes, or any other kind of responses. I do not do this blog to entertain anybody. I write on this blog to share my thoughts on my church, on my faith, on my ideas and things that I think are important. No politics', no porn.

If what I write seems important to you, so be it. I assure you that before I write anything here it has to rise to the level of being important to me!