Picking Teams

James 2:1
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

Can you think back to those childhood days? You are standing on the playground during recess and everyone is lining up for red-rover. Team captains are being chosen and now the anticipation is building. "Billy!" is shouted out first. "Carl" is the second one chosen. "Sally is on my team!" Wait a minute. Why in the world would they pick Sally over you and the others? She is the most frail and petite beauty queen of the whole class. There is no way that they could win with her. Why would they pick her? (May I say Billy-Bob is a lot smarter than he looks? He wasn't interested in winning the game. Just gathering a few points with Sally)

The next name is called, then the next, and the next. One after one the best fit for the team is chosen. Some who were in the 3rd grade who were the size of 5th graders and some who looked as puny as 1st graders. Over and over people were picked out because of their ability or talent until the final one was picked. Didn't it seem like the game wasn't the struggle but the pressure of picking and being picked?

God tells us this morning that it is not so with Him. Yes there are many scriptures that point to Him choosing us but it was not because of our talent or skills. It wasn't because of our beauty or riches. It was, and is, because He loves us. He loves the world and is not willing that any should perish. He didn't choose Peter because he was a strong fisherman. Nope it was because he loves him. The same love he chose and offered to Peter is also that same love that he chose and offered to Judas Iscariot. "Have I not chosen twelve of you and one of you is a devil..." said Jesus.

Why would you think you can choose who comes to Christ? Have not faith with respect of persons. A good friend of mine once said, "Character is how you treat people that you don't need." - Junior Hill

Makes Me Smile

1 Thessalonians 2:13

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Do we miss the truth sometimes because we give people our advice? Because we give people our opinions?  I believe that could be answered with a yes. I know God loves to use us and uses our advice and opinions at times, but when it matters to what truth really is, we need to give the words from our God. 

So often we want to report ON the word of God instead of reporting THE word of God. With our commentary lifestyles and our shelves full of CliffNotes, we tend to try and sum things up for people. We should do as the old preacher man used to say... "Give them what Thus Says The Word Of God". (my dad is that old preacher man)

What if Paul would have given his opinion or thoughts on what God wanted to do with the people of Thessalonica? They would have received PAUL's word, or the words of men, and not God's. But Paul said they received it not as the word of men, "but as it is in truth, the WORD OF GOD". 

When we share what God's Word says and people receive it.... It causes us to be thankful without ceasing. All because we know it was nothing that we said, but the very words that God spoke concerning the truth to our hearts, He has just spoken to theirs. Makes you smile doesn't it?

Not One!

John 7:13

Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.

Not one? Not one person spoke in favor of Jesus because of one thing...fear. They were afraid of their lives being taken away from them by the Jews. How sad of a shape are we in when will no longer stand for the truth? Are we today in that same mind frame? People are afraid to call unrighteousness by its name of evil because they are afraid. They will no longer preach the bloody truth of the death of Christ because they are afraid it may offend. What is wrong with us?

I can't believe that we would not share who Jesus is and what He has done because of fear. Let me ask you this question today. What are you actually afraid of? In the last few months we have had many, many people whose lives were taken from them because of their direct connection with Christ Jesus and the other peoples direct connection with Satan. Gunmen entered into schools asking people of their Christian faith and shot them on the spot. Coptic/Egyptian Christians have been taken to the shores of the sea, lined up as herds, decapitated in the name of Christ and in honor of Satan. 

What will you do? Will you be afraid and not speak of Jesus to your family because you don't want to ruffle feathers while they draw closer and closer to the flames of Hell? Will you keep quiet while the aborted babies are slaughtered to the god of convience? Will you rejoice in the proposition of worldly love, while trampling on the foundation of marriage that God instituted all because you are afraid? 

Listen to those words again... "Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews." No man! Well through His grace, I will stand for Jesus and let the world go by. 

Very Impressive

Isaiah 55:11

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:

it shall not return unto me void,

but it shall accomplish that which I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

How many highlight reels have you seen of football, baseball, basketball, softball, etc...?  It's always some kind of miraculous breakaway from a defender to make a touchdown pass. It could be a last minute buzzer-beater shot to win the championship. Or a down by three grand slam to walk away with the trophy. It could also be some amazing throw from third base behind your back to second to make that out. We have become accustomed to desire these kind of plays in our sports. We feel if we don't do it this way then the impact of the game will not mean anything. They will become forgettable. 

This kind of thought process is bleeding into our churches and pulpits. Some feel if there is not a joke to break the ice then something will be missing (I'm all for laughter by the way). We feel if our preacher isn't entertaining then he can't relate to us. We feel if our music program isn't modern and fresh that we aren't powerful. But this isn't true. 

How many times have you seen an out from third to first? Were they effective? Did the player make an impact on the game?  Did the player always throw it behind their back?  You see, it doesn't matter if the player is talented. God has always used people that weren't talented. At times they have made spectacular plays or we've had great services but the main thing God wants us to do is get the ball there. 

We spend too much time on preparing our delivery than praying for His power. We spend much practice on our "behind the back" moves than just being behind the cross. Preachers used to pray, "Lord let them see You and hear Your Word". Too often the players want to be seen or heard. 

Gods word is what we need.  Not pumped up or pimped up preachers. Don't misunderstand me, if you've ever heard me preach you would know that I get very, very excited but let me tell you why!  It's because He can use someone like me to throw the ball from third to first. Someone that has no skill, but has the Spirit of God to deliver it. Someone who understands that it should always be about Him and His Word!  Someone who would rather make an IMPACT than to be impressive! Well, I've gotta go now I'm about to shout!  

Thank you Jesus for using FALLIBLE men to preach your INFALLIBLE Word! God's Word is enough!

Are You Pointing in the Right Direction

John 4:39

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

Have you ever read the story of the "woman at the well"?  If not, take time this morning. It's found in John Chapter 4, it won't take you long to read this great salvation story. I want to focus on the scripture above this morning. 

What I think is so interesting about this story is how she was treated. She came out to draw water during the noon hour because she was probably not accepted by the other women of the town. Normally they would draw in the morning and evening, but this woman was alone at noon. The reason for her unacceptance was her sins. Jesus told her in this scripture to go bring her husband back to the well and she said, "I don't have a husband". Jesus told her she was surely telling the truth, because she had already had five husbands and the one she was shacking up with now wasn't her husband. But at the well this day, Jesus gave her living water. She found true worship and salvation at the well. She ran back to the city and told them to come see a man that she believes is the Christ. 

What if she told those people in the city, "I've met a man... that told me every thing I've ever done... isn't this the Christ?" And they replied with, "Yea, we know you and your meeting of men. We hear you meet a lot of men". You know, that's what many in the church do today. Someone has a well experience and begins to share with others the change that Jesus Christ has done in their lives only to have the world (and sometimes sadly the church) question and bring doubt upon them. The people of the city didn't treat her in this manner. They believed her word and came to see. I have a theory on this... It's just what I see from this scripture. This woman didn't want them to look at her, she wanted them to come meet Jesus. If she would have said, "I've met a man and I'm forever changed" it would have been a failure. She wanted them to see Jesus. She pointed them to Jesus and they came to Him. 

Do you want people to look at you? Our testimonies should point to Jesus.  Our preaching should point to Jesus.  Our lives should point to Jesus. This woman brought many people to salvation because she said, "I've met a man, come see Him for yourselves"! 

A 59

Proverbs 30:6
Add thou not unto his words,
lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

When I was in the eleventh grade I did the unthinkable in English class. I wasn't much for school work, or for anything back in the eleventh grade. So when the time came for term papers I took my topic of Edgar Allan Poe and devised a plan. I remembered that there was a chapter in our literature book about him. I took that article and wrote it down word for word. I had zero note cards. Zero bibliography cards. But I really thought I had this paper whipped. Then I received my graded paper. It was a gut wrenching fifty-nine. I remember the note that my teacher tagged on it very clearly. "If you are going to plagiarize someone's work, you should have chosen one different from the writer of our literature book, it's been tried before."

One of the saddest truths of today is that we have this same mentality among people. Instead of speaking the Word of God, there is an attempt to change it up a bit. There is an attempt to quote the Word of God but make it as if it was their very own word. The Bible is God's Word to man and never man's word to God. It is not something that should be changed or needs to be changed to adapt. It's not new, it's the same! The same yesterday, today and forevermore.

May I make a suggestion for all of us? Let's read what God has given us in His Word and not read INTO it. Do not ADD UNTO it! Just read it and when you share it declare that it is God's Word and not yours. While commentaries are good, and Christian books are great, they are not the pure Word of  God. Don't be guilty of plagiarism or changing God's Word... You could be reproved and be found a liar.

By the way, a fifty-nine is a failing grade and adding or changing God's Word is on the same grading curve.

He Sounds Familiar...

Isaiah 1:3-4
The ox knoweth his owner,
and the ass his master's crib:
but Israel doth not know,
my people doth not consider.
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity,
a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters:
they have forsaken the Lord,
they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger,
they are gone away backward.

Have you ever talked with someone and tried to refresh their memory about a person they have met before? I am the worst at this! I can remember people and their faces but the name is always a problem for me. When people are trying to describe the person to me or tell me about when I had met them I always say, "Yeah, that sounds familiar..."

Well looking at our scripture this morning it seems that Israel has forgotten the Lord. God says that the ox knows its owner and the donkey knows where the barn is, but the people of God don't know who or what they are. They don't know their owner or place. He says they have gone backward. The people of God have backslidden from the Lord. The ones who should know the owner who brought them out and gave them a place have somehow forgotten it all and Him. Why? Because of their sins. If we were to ask them about the Lord they would answer with, "Hmmm, He sounds familiar..."

What about you? Have your sins gotten you into a place where your familiarity of the Lord is shady? Does He sound familiar to you? The owner who bought you with His blood? The Lamb of God who has gone to prepare a place for you? Does any of this ring a bell? Then don't forget Him! Confess to Him today and become more aquainted with Him.

Many of you would want to say that the world has forgotten Him but you would be wrong. The world knoweth Him not. It is the believers who have forgotten Him. Sound familiar? It's what Jesus said to the disciples, remember Him?