THOUGHTS FROM SUNDAY

A wise preacher of yesterday once said that "Mondays can either be used for observation, celebration or resignation."  I will seek to use this post to serve as the prior two of the three (although I have succumbed to the latter more Mondays than I care to admit). 

Yesterday was an "interesting" day in the Lord's house, to say the least.  I use the word "interesting" because that seems to be the only appropriate word to draw from the well.  Even now, I'm grasping for a word, but I just can't get away from "interesting," so I will leave it at that.  Just an "interesting" atmosphere for worship.

I am grateful for God's grace in enabling me to preach yesterday.  Yesterday morning I preached, "Don't Wait Too Late" from Isaiah 55: 6.  It was a word about Meeting God, Missing God and Minding God.  The word "while" is the word that arrested my attention.  "Seek ye the Lord WHILE he may be found; call ye upon him WHILE he is near."  The word suggests a specific season of opportunity.  WHILE Jesus makes Himself known, and WHILE He passes by is the time to reach out and touch the hem of his garment.  I pray many did just that, both inwardly and outwardly.

Last night I preached a message I had been looking forward to preach for some time, "Analyzing the Handwriting of God."  There are 3 different occasions in scripture where the "finger" of God wrote something.  It is said that our handwriting says a great deal about us, so I attempted to show what God's handwriting says about Him.  I can't speak for anyone else, but I thoroughly enjoyed preaching the message.  If God spoke to no one else, He resonated truth to my own heart.  I am grateful.

I closed the message last night by looking at a fourth appearance of God's handwriting.  There isn't a specific reference to the "finger" of God writing, but a word is used in Ephesians 2: 10 to suggest that God is still actively honing His writing skills.  It is the word "workmanship." 

 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, that God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

The Greek word for "workmanship" is 'poiema,' from which we derive the word 'poem.'  What a graphic reality!  I am God's poem.  He is writing His story on my life everyday.  One day the final punctuation mark will be placed at the end of my life's sentence, and what He has assessed from my life will be recorded in the annuls of history.  I pray that the poem He writes on my life is one that will reflect the beauty, skill and glory of the author.

All in all, we had a good day at NBBC.  Although it was "interesting" I pray that, in some way, God will use it to have an impact of eternal value.  As I told a group of preachers last night, "I did all I can do, so I'm trusting Him to do what I didn't do, couldn't do, and can't do." 

I am thankful for Debra Fitzwater and her 3 children who became a part of our church family yesterday.  Since I have a hard enough time with multiplication and division, I will let the Lord take care of the addition to His church.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Steve

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE MADE SIMPLE

I am grateful for the ministry of Major Ian Thomas.  A highly decorated British soldier in World War II, Major Thomas went on to become a mighty soldier in God's army, declaring the truth of the "Christ Life."  I shall never forget the day my pastor placed his classic work, "The Saving Life of Christ" into my hands.  Immediately, I was confronted with truth that was completely new to me.  It was truth that I had never be exposed to before.  Being raised in a rather "legalistic" environment, I was taught that we are saved by grace, and then the Christian life is evidenced by a list of "do's" and "don'ts."  Little did I know that what had been implanted in me was the belief of a "third work of grace." (Although my Baptist brethren/teachers would never admit it)

Then came the day when the Spirit of God shined the light of Bible truth upon my heart.  I came to see, know, understand and finally (after much resistance) appropriate the life of Christ in me, for me, and through me.  So often before I would live in disgust, defeat and discouragement seeing how miserably I was doing in attempting to live the Christian life.  What a glad day when the realization came that I wasn't responsible for living the Christian life, because I COULDN'T LIVE IT!  The Christian life was nothing more, nothing less than Jesus Christ Himself living through me.  It is called the "exchanged life," and thanks be to God for the day that an exchange took place in my life.

Below is an except from this classic work from Major Ian Thomas' "The Saving Life of Christ."  I will let the Holy Spirit speak through him to you, as He did to me.

"Christian living is not a method or technique; it is an entirely different, revolutionary principle of life. It is the principle of an exchanged life" not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20).  I would like to explore with you what is the true spiritual content of our Gospel ­ not just heaven one day, but Christ right now! Christ in you, on the grounds of redemption ­ this is the Gospel! To preach anything less than this must inevitably produce "Evan-jellyfish" ­ folk with no spiritual vertebrae, whose faith does not "behave!"

Do you remember what James says in his epistle? "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (chapter 2:26). The "spirit" there means breath, and a body without breath is dead. Stop breathing ­ and folk will bury you! In other words, a living body breathes, and a living faith breathes, and a living faith breaths with divine action. A living faith breathes with the activity of Jesus Christ. That is why the Lord Jesus, in John 6:29, said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."  That is the work of God. It is your living faith in the adequacy of the One who is in you, which releases His divine action through you. It is the kind of activity that the Bible calls "good works," as opposed to "dead works."

"Good works" are those works that have their origin in Jesus Christ - - whose activity is released through your body, presented to Him as a living sacrifice by a faith that expresses total dependence, as opposed to the Adamic independence (Romans 12: 1,2).  It is only the life of the Lord Jesus -- His activity, clothed with you and displayed through you, that ultimately will find the approval of God."

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Steve

DIVINE INTERRUPTION

Yesterday was an interesting day.  Let me rephrase that.  Yesterday was an interruption day...Divine Interruption.  If you were to look at my planner, you would have seen that yesterday was a day of meetings.  I arrived at the church for the first meeting, (a few minutes late as usual) only to discover that my first appointment was running late as well.  I waited....and waited....and waited...and waited a few more minutes.  Finally, after 40 minutes I concluded that this meeting would not take place.  Normally, I would not wait on an appointment for 40 minutes, especially when other things were on the docket.  I can't tell you why I waited this time either, or maybe I can.

I know now what I did not know then.  God interrupted my plans for His own.  About the time I was walking out to get into my car, a car that I quickly recognized pulled in the parking lot.  I hadn't seen this car, or the person driving the car, in a good while, but I quickly recognized them both nonetheless.  At first thought, I was a little apprehensive.  For one thing, though they were a member of our church, they had not attended in some time.  For another thing, the last time I saw them, let me suffice it to say that it was a strange encounter.  Thus, my apprehension was due to the fact that I had no clue what they wanted, or what God was doing.

However, for the next 2 hours, God unveiled why I waited on a no-show appointment, and why He had kept me from leaving.  Fences were mended.  Apologies were accepted.  Tears were shed.  Misunderstandings were clarified.  The air was cleared.  And, God was glorified.  Had I left 5 minutes sooner, the divine interruption would not have taken place.  But, the God who is not controlled by time or circumstance had other plans.  I'm glad He did.  I was quickly reminded that:


"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." (Prov. 16: 9)

My schedule had been interrupted by a divine arrangement, appointment and assignment. It was not anticipated; but it is certainly appreciated.

To God be the Glory!

Grace and Peace,


Pastor Steve

TIMES OF REFRESHING

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."  (Acts 3: 19)


By the time Sunday night rolls around, I am making progress if I can even remember who I am, and what I had for lunch.  Preaching 3 times on Sunday drains me, even more so the older I get.  I'm not complaining, because there's nothing else I would rather do.  When a preacher is who you are, preaching is what you do.  It's a "fire shut up in my bones."  Last night was no exception.  I remember driving home from church, with Noah navigating for me, and he was chatting a mile a minute.  I remember hearing his voice, and I remember him talking about everything from girls to BCS rankings to the Colts' game we were rushing home to see, but don't ask me for details, because I just can't remember.  I was a zombie.

I made it in, showered, changed, relaxed, plopped down on the sofa and started watching the Colts game.  I was still a zombie, that is until the Colts fumbled 4 times and almost gave the Redskins a victory.  Finally, everyone started winding down.  Noah got quiet, which means he is either pouting is sleepy.  Kim had finished making her egg salad and was on the computer.  My mother-in-law had already retired for the night.  So, there in my zombie state, I began reflecting on the day the Lord had given me the privilege to be a part of at NBBC.

I will not attempt to describe or explain it lest I put unholy hands on holy things.  I will simply suffice it to say that "Jesus Passed By."  When the evening service came to a close, we had been privileged to witness 13 souls saved, 5 rededications, and 2 surrender to preach the gospel.  It was a God thing!  The Big Preacher grabbed the microphone, and the little preacher just tried to get out of His way.  I was in the presence of the Holy One of Israel, and I stood amazed at watching Him work right before my eyes.

When all the lights were out, the game was over, the television turned off, and the cell phone put on the charger, I laid in the dark, still a zombie, but with these words running from my heart to my head, "^"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

My weary body was still being refreshed by His wonderful presence.  Thanks be to God!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Steve