My Sermon Notes

"So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth- Gilead." 1Kings 22:29

Pastor Rubi preached from this text tonight. It was a good word and true. The story takes in from verse 1 to verse 40. I want to focus on one issue that he preached on tonight.

1. Changing your appearance does not change your destiny. God had appointed Ahab to die in this battle. and die he did. Pretending to be someone else did not fool God.

2. Jehoshaphat was a good man in bad company. Some people go to clubs even though they don't do drugs or drink liquor. Why? You lay down with the dogs, you get up with the fleas. You will not influence anyone by being just like them. The king of Judah almost lost his life that day. 

3. God knows who you are and His will cannot be avoided. An archer took a random shot and it struck between the sheets of Ahab's armor, mortally wounding him.

If you are saved, then live like a Christian and associate with Christian people. Birds of a feather flock together. Try getting closer to God instead of getting as close as you can to sin and you will make heaven your home.

A Different World

 Back in my day it was customary to sign a pledge not to go to movies or to own a TV. If you had a television it was no big deal to turn it off and maybe get rid of it. End of story. 

Now today tech is so much different than having a TV in the house. I use AI every day for various tasks. I email regularly. This blog is dependent on an internet connection. It's not as easy as pulling the plug and tossing the TV.

Someone once said that the best internet filter is the one living in you. You know what is right or wrong, what is good or evil. And the Holy Spirit is there by you to guide you to righteousness and truth.

As long as these tech gadgets remain tools and not open doors to evil we will be fine.

Do No Harm

 One rule of the medical profession is "Do No Harm". This is a guiding precept that ought to govern the diagnosis and the treatment of every patient a doctor treats. So what about emotional harm? Like, when you leave a doctor's office feeling down and depressed and hopeless? If you are dealing with a life threatening illness or are in end of life protocol you expect to get troubling news and no doubt you want them to be honest with you. But in routine care of "normal" illnesses you ought to be given not just attention, but encouragement.

I wonder if the same, or a similar rule would apply in church. Do no harm. Challenge us, exhort us, confront our sins, but in the end do no harm. Preaching does not have to be hard to be effective. It's amazing how much you can do to help people while making them smile or even laugh. If they think that you love them they will accept your hard words with a smile.

Could it be that the gospel, which is good news, also ought to do no harm? Just because Jesus called the Pharisees snakes does not mean that you get to call sinners snakes or worse. Do no harm while telling people the gospel.

A heart filled with love will bend over backwards to do no harm to anyone. Just saying.

Who Can I Trust?

 In January of 2025 I spent six days in the hospital with congestive heart failure. When I left the hospital I had three cardiologists. Now a year and a half later I have none of the doctors who treated me back then anymore. I have a new PCP and a new cardiologist. I am at an age where I need doctors that I can trust. 

I am at an age where I need pastors who I can trust too. I do not need to talk to my pastor every day. I rarely need his counsel. I hope one of our pastors has me on his prayer list.

One more thought. My friends at church prayed for me last night. God touched my mind and my body. I am grateful that the prayer of faith still saves the sick today!

And finally for today. My relationship with doctors or pastors is based on trust. I don't trust my old cadre of doctors any more so I changed them. Pastor, if someone in your church no longer trusts you, they will change churches. They will not fight you or argue with you. They will slip out of the back door and go somewhere new. A word to the wise is sufficient.

Experience Gains Wisdom

 "Then I said, wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard." Eccl. 9:16

We are told that the aged among us are treasure troves of wisdom. That by virtue of their having survived through life they have much to offer us. This is all true. Until that wise man tells you something that calls into question what you think is the better tactic.

When we are young we tend to be more dogmatic and high on ourselves. We think that we know what is best. We think that we can fix anything or anyone. And we dive right in with no thought to whether we are causing more harm than good.

Christian young people can be the worst. We hear sermons and we think that we rule over everything. It is only when you have failed or fallen short that you begin to think that maybe my way wasn't the best way.

It is only by living and surviving that you gain wisdom. God does not allow you to win every time. It is too bad that, as the text states, the poor or unsuccessful man's wisdom is often despised. And even by being despised the poor man gains more wisdom!

The Better Style

 The problem with expository preaching is that you run out of Bible stories and Bible characters very fast. If you want to preach on marriage, you pool of Bible marriages is very small. If you want to preach on church planting, you have almost no Bible examples to use. The Bible is God's self revelation to mankind. It has a lot of important and useful information on how to serve the Lord. But is you preach in the same church for a long time you will begin to repeat some stories.

Topical preaching is much more useful to ministering the whole counsel of God. The preacher is inspired to preach on something. He finds out by study what the Bible says about that topic. He is not expounding on a particular verse. He is exhorting on a specific subject. You can cover a lot more ground with topical preaching.

I have heard both styles many times. I prefer topical over expository for preaching. Adult Sunday School may be a place to expound on the Scriptures verse by verse. But a sermon will connect better to a modern audience if you do not bog down explaining how people in ancient times lived and served.

Pastor Mitchell was a topical preacher. He could, and did, preach on anything. Even if he read a text and then never mentioned it again. Pastor Mitchell was a reader. He studied the Bible.

Testing

Teaching to the test is the modern method of using the classroom as a test prep time, not a time to learn. Testing used to be a tool a teacher could us to asses student comprehension and development. Now, the focus is on material expected to be on a test, and memorizing facts that benefit test taking.

As a Christian, testing is the way that God uses to see how we are doing as followers of Christ. To see what we have learned. To see how we measure up. To see if we, in spite of the test, will remain faithful.

Teaching to the test is focused teaching. It is teaching on a very narrow view of education. Our Fellowship seems sometimes to be teaching to the test. We have developed a standardized one size fits all approach to the Christian life. It's not about learning and knowing and growing. It is about evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. Our focus has narrowed. Our standards have narrowed. 

Evangelism, discipleship, and church planting is what keeps us on track with God. The only danger is that being focused like a laser beam can make us miss what else needs to be done. For example, while we focus on street preaching, our young people are hesitant to get married and to have children. Our way of doing the Christian life is not producing very many weddings. In the early days pastor Mitchell did a lot of weddings. And he often used a wedding to preach on marriage. Just saying.

Life's Lessons Work

I called my friend to tell her some good news. Something that had been on my mind was resolved to my benefit. I expected her to be happy for me. Instead, she criticized my situation and told me that I was doing it all wrong. I listened politely, told her that I would think about what she said, and hung up the phone. She may be right, but I will do it my way.

Sisters, if you have an idea that involves your husband, there is a way to get him to do what you think is best. You never want to criticize him or his ideas. You need to use your womanly skills to get him to think that your way was his idea. Otherwise, he will ignore you and do what he planned to do, even if it is a bad idea.

I cannot tell you what those womanly skills are. You need to ask your mom or your pastor's wife. But I do know that criticizing or complaining are sure fire ways to turn him off to your ideas.

The first rule of human relations is never criticize, condemn, or complain. This is a lesson that, if learned, can help you stay married to the person you chose.

Touch Not My Anointed

"Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm." Psalm 105:15

There are people who, in pride and ignorance, find it easy to abuse and to misuse those whom God has chosen. The find it easy to criticize the church and to accuse the pastor, and think that God does not see or hear or even care. 

Out text is part of the retelling of Israel's journey from a family to a nation. In this story it tells of how God watched over them and helped them no matter how large or small they were. God who watched over them will without a doubt  watch over us.

We apply this text to warn those who criticize our pastor. Those who call into question his motives and his methods. Those who do this fail to understand that leadership is uniquely set in place by God, whether we like it or not. Having never been a pastor or a leader, they think that they know better how our pastor should do his job. We ought to support our pastor, not criticize him.

God's people are unique also. We are the body of Christ. We are an illustration of what God working in a group of people looks like. We are a light that shines in the darkness. We are partakers of the Divine nature. We are a city on a hill for the world to see.

Woe to anyone who harms those whom God chooses. 

A Lesson For Today

"The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." Exod. 14:14 

In our text, the children of Israel were between a rock and a hard place. Before them was the uncrossable Red Sea. Behind them was the pursuing Egyptian army. So what did the people do? They complained.

What do you do when you are facing difficult circumstances? Do you complain? Do you gripe and moan over how badly you think God is treating you? Or have you learned what the people had yet to learn?

The first thing that God told the people to do was to be quiet. "Hold your peace" means be quiet. Quit complaining. Sometimes, the best thing that we can do in a crisis is to be quiet. Stop stating the obvious. You must learn that what is obvious to you is not the whole story.

The second thing to do is to follow God's plan and "go forward" (Exod. 14:15). Once you know the mind of God, it is time to go forward in action. The way to victory is always forward, never backward.

The lesson to learn is that God is still in the plan and it is only through God that a solution becomes obvious. God told pastor Moses what to do and how to do it. Pastor Moses told the people what God told him. They followed the instructions, and afterward they sang about how great God was.

One more thing God told them to do. "Fear not". (Exod. 14:13). By silencing their mouths God silenced their fears. Think about that.

It was a good thing that pastor Moses was there to help them and not busy somewhere else. You do not need your pastor every time. But there are times when you really need him. These people really needed Moses. Just saying.

Liberal Theology

Liberal theology. Ring any bells with you? Liberal theology was an attempt to join the bible to Darwinian evolution. It was an attempt to make the biblical record match our current understanding of the natural world through science. It regards traditional faith as old fashioned and archaic and out of date. Liberal theology feels that faith is ever evolving and it must adapt to the current world view.

Liberal theology puts the emphasis on reason and personal experiences. It is changing the accepted doctrines into ones that the world will find acceptable. In liberal theology there are no absolutes. 

One thing liberal theology uses is higher criticism of the scriptures. They dissect the text and then when they put it back together it means something different. They spend a lot of time on the who and where and when of the biblical narrative and dismiss the essence of truth.

Show me a Christian who believes in evolution and I will show you a follower of liberal theology. Show me a Christian who does not believe in miracles and I will show you someone who follows liberal theology. Show me someone who wants to Christianize the world and I will show you someone who follows liberal theology.

Christianity is not a set of ethics and good ideas. It is God with us, the hope of glory. We will never impress this present evil world or get it  to accept our theology.

Let God be true, and every man a liar.

Thanks

 I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who stops by to look at or to read what I write here. I am just a man who has been saved a very long time and who has been through many trials of life. While I may not be in any official capacity in church, I have been paying attention and listening for many years and along the way I have learned a few things.

I figured out how to get comments to show finally. Feel free to comment anytime. As long as you follow my blog you can comment.

So God bless y'all and God bless His words. From my heart to yours, I bid you, adieu.

Judgement Has Begun

 "For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God. And if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" 1Peter 4:17

As time goes on, it becomes clear that those who have remained still have needs to be dealt with by the Bible. We have not arrived at a state of sinless perfection yet. Just because you have been saved a long time does not mean you are perfect.

Judgement here is applying the word of God to our lives on a regular basis. It doesn't necessarily mean hard or harsh preaching, though that might be needed from time to time. It does require a steady dose of the whole council of God. We need the washing of water by the word often. We need the sprinkling of His precious blood regularly

The Bible warns that if God judges us who are saved, let not the unsaved think that they will escape. The world and all who are in it will be judged by the same standards as us, yet without the covering God provides to us in Christ. The nations will be judged. Backsliders and rebels will be judged. No one gets a free pass. God is the righteous judge.

"And as it is appointed unto men to die once, but after this the judgement." Heb.9:27

So if you hear a sermon that cuts to the bone, thank God. He has not left you alone. He has not cut you off to wallow in your sin.

Unity Is Important

 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Psalm 133:1

Unity is a simple word that is easily misunderstood. And yet in a church it is a vital quality that makes what we do as a church work. Being of one mind about doctrine. Being of one mind in vision. All working toward the same goal and aiming at a common target.

Psalm 133 says that unity is like ointment. For us that means the oil of the Spirit. Unity is what allows the Holy Spirit to move and to work in our midst. Without the moving of the Holy Spirit we are just a religious club.

Psalm 133 also says that unity is like the dew. This speaks of blessing. The blessing of God comes upon a church that is unified in heart, mind, and spirit.

Our text says that unity is good and pleasant. It is a desirable quality to have.

Where does unity come from? First, it comes from our pastor. He has a plan. He has a vision. He has a revelation. When we buy into his plan and vision we are in unity. Second, it becomes real when the church stands behind it's pastor and supports him and gives to support their church. Money is a sure sign of unity.

I know that not everyone who sits in a seat at our church is in agreement with what we do. They think that they are right and that we are wrong. They think that they have a better idea. But, as long as unity outweighs stupidity we will see God's favor and blessing upon our church. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it's wrong.

Pray for your pastor that he will have the mind of God in every decision.

Music Or Ministry?

 Remember the worship wars? Back when Christian music stopped being a ministry and became big business? Back when worship music was being played on the radio? The struggle was between the traditionalists who loved God, and the CCM world who loved the worldly business of making music.

It was no surprise that once ministry music crossed over in the secular music business that the message would be diluted and the ministry would be replaced with making money. Using secular recording studios and using worldly musicians and following a worldly program for promoting their music to CHINO radio stations and religious book stores guaranteed that music and ministry would be replaced by profits and promotion.

Pastor Mitchell did not allow his musicians to follow the dream of success as a musician. He insisted that it was discipleship and evangelism and preaching that was God's plan for a local church. He allowed bands to do outreaches, but he did not allow bands to make records. Pastor Mitchell was dogmatic in making sure that bands were Christian not only in name but in lifestyle and in character.

"And the world passes away, and the lust thereof, but he that does the will of God abides forever." 1John 2:17

While CCM went after the lust of the world, we went after winning souls for Jesus Christ.

Those Who Leave

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." 1John 2:19

We work hard to get people in through the front door. We outreach, we advertise, we witness, we invite, trying to get people into our church. And it works. People from all walks of life and from various backgrounds all gathered under one roof to worship and to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

From time to time we get people who find it impossible to stay with us and they leave. Some leave quietly, some leave in a riot of accusations. And we fret over those who leave. We want people to have what we have and to live how we live. And sometimes this just doesn't work.

Pastors sometimes do not work out. Some get moved, some are brought home, and some just quit and walk away from all they know and understand. Some go back to sin, others just waste away in the wilderness of despair.

The Bible says that those who leave become antichrist when they leave in a huff. Antichrist is a unique person in Bible prophecy. But the spirit of antichrist is active in the world today. Leaving is often one way to identify and to recognize these people.

Not everyone who attends our church is like us. Not everyone has been born again and filled with the Spirit. Not everyone is a disciple of Christ. They have put Jesus in their bag just in case. But they know nothing of the life of God in Christ.

Nothing takes God by surprise. The Lord knows those who are His. And He knows those who are Christian in name only.

One Thing To Do

 "...this one thing I do..." Phil.3:13

God is so big, so vast in scope, so enormous in power and wisdom. We cannot in our finite minds comprehend God at all. He holds the universe in the palm of His hand. He calls all of the stars by name. When God helped Job overcome his pride God reminded Job of who He is. He is God, you are not.

God has given us as the local church one job to do. He did not give us hundreds of tasks or thousands of opportunities. He gave us one job. To preach the Gospel is why we are here. Not to worship, not to serve, not to minister, but to preach. Everything else that we do must tie in to our reason for being. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted or turned aside to other things.

What do churches do when the main thing is no longer the main thing? They open schools and hospitals. They run food banks. They get into partisan politics. And often they fall into false doctrine and idolatry.

Having guardrails or constraints keeps us on track and keeps us from falling off the cliff. This is why we have conferences. Not just to plant churches. But to help pastors and evangelists stay on course. 

Every church service does not need to be a conference service. We need the whole council of God and all of the gospel preached and taught to us on a regular basis. But we also need a regular and sustained outreach ministry to get the gospel out where it can work. For years in Prescott the Door was the concert venue where we preached the gospel every weekend. Pastor Mitchell did not have to preach on evangelism very often. We were too busy evangelizing to need it!

As the years roll on, it can be hard to stay focused. Especially if the results are not as exciting as they once were. This is not a time to change direction. This is a time to be obedient to our heavenly calling. We plant, we water, and we trust that God will give the increase. 

The Wonder Of It All

I remember a time when you would see a performance and be moved by that performance. A singer, an actor, a ball player, etc. I have heard a song that brought me to my feet in amazement. I have been moved by the emotions of a great actor. I have been amazed by the play of pro ball players. And, I have been held spellbound by sermons in church. People used to be amazed by a performance and wonder how they could do that.

Now, we see a performance and we think, hey, I could do that. We record it on our phone and don't even listen to the performance. And in pride we think that I could do the same. We have lost the wonder of great performances. We think that it is no big deal.

One thing in church is we think that we have seen it all and we know how it is done. God may be involved, but there is no wonder in it at all.

First, you cannot do what your pastor does. It is arrogant to think that you can. You cannot do what a musician does. It is arrogant to think that you can.

Second, there is an awe and wonder to God. There is a glory and majesty to God. You are not God. You ought to give God praise when the time comes in the service. 

There is more to God than salvation. There is still an awe and wonder to it all as far as God is concerned. Ask God to restore the sense of wonder to you.

Focus, Or Tunnel Vision?

 We measure to make it better. This is what we tell ourselves about everything. We measure our money, our time, our performance, our looks, and a host of other things. We call this metrics. Taking complex systems and making them countable. We do this in sports, in politics, and in church.

Why do we count attendance? Do we get anything if we hit certain targets for attendance? Does knowing how many people were there on Sunday morning makes us any better? Why do we count converts? Does knowing how many were saved makes us any better in evangelism?

The problem that I see with focusing on measurable metrics is we run the risk of developing tunnel vision. We become so focused on the measurable that we ignore or completely miss the intangible. How do you measure spiritual growth or spiritual maturity? What metric do we apply to the fruit of the Spirit? Do we count the number of times you prophecy or interpret tongues? Do we measure how many of your prophecies come true?

A local church of any size is a complex system. There are many intangible metrics and unmeasurable qualities. Everything and every person is interconnected. We are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Goodheart's Law tells us that when what we measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good way to measure. The moment we focus on something and count it, it stops being important enough to count. David got into trouble with God over numbering the people. We lose our ability to judge the life of God in our church when we focus too much on one thing. We need the whole counsel of God, not just one particular thing.

Good Enough

 We spend most of our time on our least important decisions. We spend mental and emotional capital trying to make the best possible decisions. Between the desire to be and have the best, and the fear of missing out, we have become unable to make a decision with long range consequences.

Fredkin's Paradox says: "the more equally attractive two alternatives seem, the harder it can be to choose between them-no matter that, to the same degree, the choice can only matter less."

Let me say that God is perfect and everything He does is perfect. We are not perfect. We always work with incomplete information. God knows the end from the beginning. We hardly know how to take the next step. It is pride that says that we can be God-like in everything.

Knowing that we are not God, we can make life easier and more satisfying by learning that good enough is good enough. More choices paralyzes us into inaction. Making a decision and sticking to it is the way to peace and satisfaction.

Life maxing is just a fad. We don't follow fads, we follow Christ. We still listen for the still, small voice of the Spirit to guide us through life. Stop comparing yourself to the artificial images from AI.

All Means All

 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

The word for today is simply that God is at work in our lives even if we cannot see or feel or sense His presence. And we are assured that His plans for us are plans to give us peace and to prosper us in all that we do.

So be encouraged. Your labors are not in vain. The verse says all things. All means all.

"What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

A Message To The Bots

 I discovered that AI bots have been scouring my blog looking for free content. My blog are my thoughts and nothing is copywritten. So steal my words. God's word does not return void. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Unless you are a machine. Machines do not have souls.

The Love Based Error

 I never heard about the church being loved based before. That love is to be the motivating factor in everything we say or do. Evidently, this is what motivates churches to feed the hungry or to house the homeless or to ordain women or to accept sodomites. According to this doctrine, God loves people unconditionally and without prejudice.

People who believe this are missing the point of agape love. Yes, love motivated the Father to send His son to the cross. But not romantic love or emotional love. And the love that God has for humanity is ancient. He loves people because they belong to Him as His workmanship. 

Love does not excuse sin. Love does not excuse immoral behavior. Love does not excuse rebellion. Love does not excuse error and false doctrine. Love may motivate God's desire to help people, but He expects to see some gratitude from those He helps and He expects to see obedience to truth from those He helps.

God loved Adam and Eve, but He threw them out of the Garden. God loves His people Israel, but He hated the way that they rejected Christ, His son. God may love sinners, but He hates their sin.

When love becomes the reason for excusing the inexcusable, you do not understand love. You think that you are more loving than God because you accept GLBT people. You think that you are more loving than God because you run a food bank. You are wrong.

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men..." 2Cor. 5:10-11

This is why the first word of the Gospel is not love. It is repent! Obey the Gospel whether you feel anything or not.

Speaking In Tongues

 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:4

There are a few important things to see in this verse. Every Pentecostal believer needs to understand and practice what this verse teaches us.

First, they all were filled. No exceptions. No exclusions. Every believer that was present was filled. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for everyone.

Second, the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirt is speaking in tongues. It's not a warm fuzzy feeling or an inner glow. It is the unmistakable sound of speaking in an unknown tongue. The tongues of men and angels. Speaking directly to God.

Finally, it is a work of the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit gave them utterance. Every time you speak in tongues, it is a work of the Spirit of God.

The big question is, why do you not speak in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance? I'm glad that I was Spirit filled before I found out that God doesn't do anything anymore like He did back then.

"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off.." Acts 2:39

The Truth Shall Make You Free

"Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not." Jer. 5:21

"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; they have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not; they have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is everyone that trusts in them." Psalm 115:4-8

When we read these verses we automatically think of idols; images and likenesses of other gods. Idolatry is a counterfeit faith that worships a phoney god.

I know something else that resembles a lifeless god. AI is mostly artificial and has no natural senses to navigate through life. It cannot think, it cannot feel emotions, it cannot move on it's own. It has no intellect or conscience. It is a machine that is counterfeit human. And those who build it and those who love it are just like it. Phoney. Artificial, and immobile.

You become like the gods that you help create.  Or you become like God if you serve Him. Do not be fooled into a false religion of machine centered worship. Call on Jesus Christ and He will help you.

"If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32

Why Is There Light?

 I saw a video by a physicist asking the question Why is there light? I am not a college graduate and I certainly do not have a PhD like this presenter. But I know why there is light. So do you. It was the first thing that God created out of nothing.

"And God said, let there be light: and there was light." Genesis 1:3

Light did not travel to get here. It just appeared. Light came before the sun, moon, and stars. Light was there while the earth was still without form and void. Light is, whether you understand it or not.

Note that there were day and night before the sun was created.  The sun was on day 4. Light was on day 1. Try to figure that out Mr. or Mrs. scientist.

Let God be true, and every man a liar.

Never think that the first chapters of Genesis are a child's story. 

God Is God.

 My friend shed some light on the question of whether Jesus will be there to greet each new arrival to heaven or not. I admit that this is hard for our finite minds to comprehend. But here goes.

First, Christ died for people. He cares about people. He is invested in people. So He has an interest in who stayed faithful and made it to Heaven.

Second, God knows the hairs on our heads and He sees each sparrow that falls. He can know each person that has ever lived all at once. He is God, not just a really smart man.

Third, blessed in His eyes is the death of His saints. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So it seems that God not only know the length of life, He knows the time of our death. He anticipates each person who dies in the faith.

Fourth, there is no waiting room or an angel with an appointment book to see who is next to enter in. It is a personal place and a personal greeting.

Finally, God is God. He can run the universe and greet each arrival all at the same time. We cannot do that, but He can.

Iron sharpens iron, My friend gave me something to think about.

Old Wells Redug

 "And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father;" Genesis 26:18

If you are a Bible student you no doubt are familiar with the story of how after the death of Abraham, Isaac his son redug the wells that his father had dug. Wells were not only for water, but they implied ownership and control of that area. There are spiritual lessons to learn for us who get our water from a faucet in the kitchen.

I know that we cannot live in the past. We cannot live reminiscing about past accomplishment or past victories. But, there is great value in remembering the past and studying the lives of those who have gone before us. Abraham did not write a diary, but he did dig some wells.

Some things in the past are just old. Old methods, old ideas, old issues. Even old victories. But doctrine never gets old. God never grows old. The Bible is always fresh and current. Wisdom is knowing what in the past is important today, and what needs to be filed away and forgotten. 

One lesson to learn is this; When the way ahead is not clear, you can review the past looking for answers. Those older than you may have some good ideas that you never thought of.

Note in our text how it was the Philistines who plugged up Abraham's wells.

"for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham." Gen. 26:18

Evidently the devil knows how valuable the old wells were. Thankfully, God watches over His word to perform it. No matter how much the devil tries to plug it up.

God, give our leaders wisdom to know what is valuable and to know what is important.

Two Out Of Three Are Mentioned

Evangelism is in the Great Commission.

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved;" Mark 16:15-16

Discipleship is also in the Great Commission. 

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:" Mat. 28:19-20

Some translations say make disciples  of all the nations.

Church planting is not mentioned in the Great Commission. But one text that is commonly used as the Biblical basis for planting churches is found in Acts chapter thirteen.

"And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed..." Acts 13:3-4

One translation says sent out for sent forth.

So the basic tenants of our Fellowship are firmly rooted in scripture. God has blessed us for doing His will. Obedience is faith in action.

Notice that water baptism is mentioned in both Great Commission texts. Water baptism is important.

God Focused or Me Focused?

 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Modern worship has exposed an error that seems to permeate modern Christianity. This is the personal, emotional, love relationship that we tell people that they can have with God. We tell people that when He was on the cross, you were on His mind. I doubt it.

God loves the world. That takes in a lot of people over long eras of time.  God opens the door to salvation to "whosoever". Anyone, at any time, can believe and be saved. God hears us when we pray. But it's not all about you or I as individuals. We become a part of the body of Christ, and we are members in particular, but it's not about us. It's about God.

Back when worship songs, AKA hymns, were written, the people who wrote them were really saved, and Spirit filled. They described in song the glory and majesty and wonder of God. Those songs were God focused, not feelings focused.

Christ paid the price for all of humanity. Anyone can repent and believe. We believe in a God who is bigger than us, and in Christ who is head over us. We worship Him. We do not fall in love with Him.

One more thought. Is Jesus really personally greeting every saved person who enters Heaven? He would spend all of His time just greeting new arrivals. I doubt it. He is too busy to hug every person who makes it in.

The seeker sensitive Evangelicals have gotten it all wrong.

Do We Have Signs Following?

 "And He said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

"And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." Mark 16:20

It seems to me, that the church groups who focus on the go ye and preach verse, do not also have the signs following in their program. They are great at evangelism, but poor at divine healing. We know how to outreach, we know how to plant churches, but we don't know how to heal the sick. We pray for them to be strengthened and encouraged, but not immediately healed.

"Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart..." Mark 16:14

It seems to me that pastor Mitchell realized that something was missing when he began to move into the divine healing arena. Maybe our Fellowship need to spend more time healing the sick too.

"...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Mark 16:18

It doesn't take truckloads of faith to heal the sick. It takes whatever faith you have. It takes obedience, which is faith in action. And it takes compassion.

Do you have what it takes?

A Different Standard of Success

 "And as you go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give." Mat. 10:7-8

Our Fellowship is focused like a laser beam on winning souls, making disciples, and planting churches. We measure success on the size of your church and on the number of people who you prayed with for salvation.

What about the things that Jesus told his disciples to do? Heal the sick. Raise the dead. cast out devils. Jesus told them that the evidence of the kingdom of God is divine healing and deliverance. Not new converts. Converts will happen as a result of demonstration.

The doctrine of converts as the most important things is directly connected to a lack of divine healing and deliverance. We don't need divine healing or deliverance. We have doctors and psychologists to help people. We do not raise the dead, we have memorial services for them.

Some pastors travel around the world to preach at conferences. What if they traveled around the world to heal the sick?

We cannot get a lot of practical advice on how to run a local church from the Bible. But we can get direction on what we are to be doing as followers of Jesus Christ.

Paul did not just preach the Gospel. 

"And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux; to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands of him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island came, and were healed." Acts 28:8-9

One final thought. The disciples were not told to pray for the sick, They were told to heal the sick.

New Every Morning

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lam. 3:22-23

Almost every morning, when I first wake up, and before I roll out of bed, this verse comes to my mind. I say it out loud as the first words out of my mouth for a new day. I start my days with the Lord, and I end it the same way. That's why I have survived for 53 years as a follower of Jesus Christ.

The only way to lose with God is to quit. I have come to far to turn back now. 

Naaman And God

"Then he went down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." 2Kings 5:14

The story of the healing of Naaman is a wonderful tale of how God will help people who come to him no matter their previous standing or status in the faith. Thanks to the simple testimony of the Jewish girl, Naaman was given an open door to seek help from God. And God helped him by healing his body and saving his soul.

There are many layers to this story. You can do your own study. Today all I want to point out is that God can and will heal today if we will just ask Him to. No bargaining, no deals. Just faith and obedience. Naaman obeyed God and look what God did for him. What God did for Naaman He will do for you.

 

Back To School

 We are having our back to school weekend this weekend. We have ministry focused on our school age children. We will call them all forward and pray for them on Sunday night. We do not do school supplies for the kids like some of our churches do. No backpacks or anything else they will need to ease the burden on the teachers. I am sure that we will pray for the teachers and for the parents on Sunday night.

One thing you will not see in our Fellowship or in many other churches is a weekend of ministry for senior citizens. No special services for us. That's okay. We are too tired to go anyway.

We are and no doubt will continue to be a youth focused Fellowship. Evangelism, discipleship, and church planting is a young person's game. Grandma and grandpa will support them and pray for them and pay for them to go. But our strength and our power lies in our youth.

My prayer is that our young people and teens will catch our vision and will sell out to Jesus and go into all the world to preach the Gospel to every creature.

The Blessing

 "And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you..." Genesis 12:3

Today I had some help mowing my yard. I didn't have tons of money. But I paid them what I could afford. And later, I remembered this verse. And I prayed a blessing on those who helped me today.

The blessing of God can be conferred on people through prayer. Whether you lay hands on them or not.

God will bless those who blessed me in like manner as they blessed me. Amen!

Changing My Name

 I want to change my name. I want to be called Micah or Obadiah or some other minor prophet's name. I want to wear rustic clothing and I want to eat strange food. I want to behave in bizarre ways. Laying on my side for a year, marrying a prostitute, etc.

But the most important reason for being a minor prophet is so that I can be mean to everyone and talk trash to everyone and blame it on God. I don't want to be courteous and kind. I want to be critical and harsh. I don't want to speak the truth in love. I want to pronounce doom and gloom and destruction on people in need.

Being a minor prophet is a great job for men who do not like people. For men who think that everyone is a loser. Say thus saith the Lord and anything you say is validated.

God help us.

Learning To Be Content.

"...I have learned , in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Phil. 4:11

First of all, contentment has to be learned. It is not a gift of God. It is not something that just happens. 

Contentment takes personal effort. You learn to be content by the experiences of life.  Going through hard times can teach you how to live on less. Learning how to prosper can teach you how to handle wealth. Either way, it is something that life will teach you. You have to put in the effort and the work to learn to be content no matter your state.

Contentment also takes instruction. This is where the local church can help. Through preaching and teaching we can be instructed on how to be content. A sermon can address covetousness. A sermon can address giving. A sermon can address fear of not having enough. A Sunday school lesson can teach you how to handle money. There is a top-down component in learning to be content.

The word content is interesting. It is not used often in the new testament. It literally means self sufficient. It means someone who needs no assistance. It describes someone who can adjust their life to live on what they have. It describes someone who has their desires under control. It describes someone who lives by their budget, not by advertising or credit cards. Contentment is a mark of maturity.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19

Jesus will help you if you will just try. He will strengthen you in your effort to be content.

God Speaks, Or Not

 Some days the Bible comes alive. Some days it's just words. Some services are exciting and uplifting. Some services are just an hour of time that passes with no impact. And that is alright with me. I do not need every day to be a holiday full of excitement. I don't need every service to be the Friday night of Prescott conference. I enjoy the times when I get something useful or interesting. And I ignore the blah days and times when nothing is happening.

You will know when you have grown up and matured as a believer when you can have a mediocre time and not be discouraged by it. When you can hear a sermon and know that you are not the only one in the building that needs help. Character is formed when you do the right thing because it is right, not because it feels good.

I enjoy the times when God speaks to me and I hear the still, small voice. I do not lose heart when I hear nothing at all. Neither should you. 

Final Word On Teaching

 Teaching adult Sunday school is a unique experience. It is not preaching. It is teaching. But it is a special kind of teaching that is usually only found in churches. The rules that apply to teaching adult Sunday School are not the same rules for giving a TED talk or giving a business lecture. We are not talking about a product, we are dealing with God's word.

One big problem I have noticed in big churches is how most people are reluctant to read or to participate. Most people are afraid of microphones. Most people are afraid of public speaking. So only a small group usually participates in the lesson. Add to that the pastor is up on stage behind the pulpit and it becomes just another sermon. Smaller churches do not have these problems. Small group studies do not have microphones.

Some lessons from secular teaching are: the idea that people in the pews need to believe that studying God's word is important to them, and that it will help them in their day to day lives. A well taught class generates a sense of curiosity about what is next. And a few will even dare to share their experiences.

It's not just dispensing Bible information that makes adult Sunday School work. It is finding out what your pastor knows and what he thinks.

One more thought. Preaching and teaching are performance art. You set yourself on fire and people will come to watch you burn. So said John Wesley.  And, don't worry if you do not cover all of your material. We don't care if you leave some notes untaught. If you don't tell us, we won't know if you finished or not.

Teaching 1.0

 I just spent 30 minutes looking up how to be a better teacher of adults. I found some very useful information. For example, I discovered a new word. Andragogy, which is the word for teaching adults. I also learned something about preaching and teaching. It is part performance.  One other thing that I learned is that adults learn differently than children, and that they need to be taught differently.

One thing that really jumped out at me is the idea of need to know learners. These are students who must have a reason to learn or to study. They need to know why learn in general. They need to know why is this necessary for me to know. They need to know if this subject is important to me today.

Newly planted seeds take a different method and regimen of care than a mature trees. A tree needs things that a seed does not yet understand or need. We have children's Sunday School for seeds. Adult Bible study is for more mature saints who have experienced some things in life.

One thing a teacher needs to do is to create some level of curiosity in his students. They need to not only make it true, but make it interesting as well.

So in thirty minutes of study online, I learned more about teaching adult Bible study than some pastors who have been teaching and preaching for years know now.

You can be a better preacher. You can be a better teacher. Put some work in on it.

Thoughts On Teaching

Most Fellowship pastors think that teaching adult Sunday School is just another sermon except you get others to read your scripture references for you. This is not teaching, this is still just preaching. For example, why not get off the stage and stand down on floor level with a podium. Ask questions and take answers. Teach doctrine since the bible is full of doctrine and lists. If you teach and no one learns anything upon review, go back to school and learn how to teach effectively.

Pastors must teach. If you do not know how or if your teaching isn't working  get help. Watch You Tube to learn how to teach. Teaching is valuable to get sinners saved by grace into Heaven. It is profitable.

"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." Eph. 4:11

We have pastors in our Fellowship. Our evangelists we call missionaries (I guess). We have no apostles or prophets at all. In discipleship we have gone from creating pastors out of converts to making sure the couple follows our pattern of outreach and evangelism. A good Bible teacher would teach on these ministry gifts and explain them to us. And they would know why we have pastors but no apostles. They would know why pastors teach as well as preach.

Take the word office off of the door, and replace it with Study. Study to show yourself approved.