The Desperate Need For Christians to Grow Up (Part 1)

Posted by admin on Apr 16, 2012 in My Past Blogs | 0 comments

There is a new phenomena occurring in American culture. It is the rise of the Kidult. A Kidult is an adult who functions as a kid. Many times, Kidults are in their 20′s or early 30′s, yet function as adolescences. Adolescence is a man-made stage of life; it is not found in the Bible. We, as people, have created the “American Teenager” who is allowed a few years to be irresponsible and goofy, only to dismiss these sinful actions with cliches like “everyone is doing it” and “boys will be boys”. Essentially, an adolescent may have the physical attributes of an adult, but does not have the practical, financial, or emotional abilities to take care of them self. Adulthood is defined by the ability to take care of yourself. In former generations, kids were forced into adulthood by their parents, culture, and necessity, mainly war. By not forcing the 20′s and 30′s to grow up quicker, like the Bible teaches, we have enabled sin and have robbed them of some of their most productive years. I challenge Kidults and those who love them to make them grow up.

This Kidult crisis is gripping the Church too. If physical adolescence can last into a person’s 30′s, then spiritual adolescence can last into a person’s 50′s or 60′s. 1 John 2:12-14 identifies three stages of Christians–little children, young men, and fathers. Little children know they basically have been forgiven and know who the Father is personally. This likened to the new believer in Christ, who has just begun their relationship with Christ. Young men are strong in their faith and have overcome the tactics of Satan. This would represent the disciple who is yielding to the Holy Spirit’s lead in their life–growing in faith and seeing victories over sin in their lives. Finally, Spiritual Fathers know God. They have walked with Father long enough that their desires are His desires; they live for an audience of one.

Churches are struggling because many believers simply have not grown up spiritually. There are many little children or Kidults in the American Church today. The problem with spiritual Kidults in the Church is simple–they mess things up. Kids are selfish, lack commitment, make messes, don’t listen to authority, loud, get mad easy, are unpredictable, pout, won’t forgive and must be constantly entertained.

According to the Bible you are either MATURE or IMMATURE. So, which are you? MATURE or IMMATURE.

(In the posts ahead, we will explore how we fix this problem for individuals and the Church at large. Check back for Part 2- “Growing Up as Fast as You Can”)

Easter is Over, Now What?

Posted by admin on Apr 12, 2012 in My Past Blogs | 0 comments

What an incredible Holy Week it was! One Night to Unite was greatness. The Church, in mass, came out in droves (Nearly 6,000 people) and Dr. Tony Evans was fantastic. Hundreds of decisions for Christ.

The Easter weekend services at FBC Wylie—EPIC. A record number of visitors, Worship Attendance, and Growth Group Attendance. All of this is due to the power of the Holy Spirit and your willingness to invite people.

So now what?
1) Remember, Christ will be out of the tomb this weekend too. Great news!! (Show up this weekend for church!)
2) Encourage your friend to come back with you. (80% of people who return to a church a second time make it their church home.)
3) Help your visitors process what they have experienced. (Translate any “churchanese” words or concepts)
4) Serve your friend in some way this week. (ideas: buy lunch, send a pizza, send a note, meet a need)
5) Pray for your friend regularly. (Ask them what you can pray about. They will not be offended.)

One Invitation Can Change an Eternal Destination

Posted by admin on Apr 1, 2012 in My Past Blogs | 0 comments

Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John–but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

John 1:42

Easter is a great time to bring your friends, family, co-workers and others to Jesus.  Andrew was one of the twelve disciples. His invitations changed eternal destinations starting with his brother Peter. He never made it into the inner circle of Christ. He didn’t give a memorable sermon. He wasn’t particularly gifted. But, he brought people to Jesus. Everyone can bring someone to Jesus. All we, as believers, must do is get people in proximity of Christ and let Him do His work. Here is a plan for extending an invitation to someone this week for Easter.

1. Ask. Most people will accept your invitation to attend one of our 5 Easter services if you simply ask. Who should you ask? Visit in person, call, or use our online invitation. Click Below.

http://www.easterinvite.fbcwylie.org

2. Be Specific. Don’t generically ask someone. Specifically invite them to a service (Saturday, April 7th at 6:00 p.m. or Sunday, April 8th at 8, 8:55, 10:15, 11:35 a.m.)  and even ask them to be apart of your Easter lunch plans.

3. Become an Expert. Know about the age-group ministries that your guest will need information about (i.e. preschool, children, and students).

4. Follow-up. Easter is just the beginning. Help your guest process what they saw and heard later. Set-up a coffee, lunch, or a visit.

God can and will use you in bringing people to Himself. One invitation can change an eternal destination!

Strength in Meekness: What to do with the anger that saps strength. by Carolyn Arends

Posted by admin on Feb 2, 2012 in My Past Blogs | 0 comments

My grandmother was great, but she had that special mother-in-law gift of raising my mother’s blood pressure. A well-timed comment about cooking or child-rearing would leave my mom stammering and defensive.

As a teenager, I would walk by and whisper, “Water off a duck’s back, Mom.” She came to understand my code—Let it go; Nana doesn’t mean anything by it, and we know you’re a good wife and mother—and my whispers usually helped. But now I wish I had known to say, “Roll it onto God, Mom.”

Psalm 37:5 tells us to “commit your way to the Lord.” Translated, this verse says something like, “roll onto Jehovah thy way.” At certain family dinners, that means passing the gravy and “rolling” the need to defend ourselves—as well as our more serious needs and concerns—onto God.

Jesus was quoting from Psalm 37 when he said the meek will inherit the earth, and it turns out that the whole psalm is a primer on meekness. I have always been a little over-meek (reticent, shy, too deferential). So when I read the Bible and find the meek congratulated, I’m delighted.

But there’s a catch. It turns out that only two people in Scripture are described as “meek”: Moses and Jesus. So meekness likely has little to do with timidity.

If meekness isn’t weakness, what is it? The word has an association with domesticated animals, specifically beasts of burden. At first blush, this etymology doesn’t thrill me; I don’t particularly aspire to be ox-like. But when I think about it, an ox at the plow is not weak but extraordinarily strong. The key, though, is that his power is harnessed and directed. Perhaps meekness is strength that is submitted to an appropriate authority.

Shortly after I began writing this column, I found myself in rare conflict with a friend. At first I thought my anger was giving me strength, bolstering my courage so I could deal with the issues. But the anger soon betrayed me, sapping my energy and compromising my ability to act according to wisdom and divine direction. It’s only as I have turned my hurt—and the overwhelming urge to prove that I’m right—over to God that I’ve begun to be able to respond (and sometimes resist responding) from a place of holy, rather than human, strength.

Psalm 37 is all about strength in meekness. It deals with trusting God to be God, and with not trying to do his job. The meek, for example, don’t repay evil for evil; they rely on God for justice (vv. 1-3). Several verses mention that the meek don’t fret. And the meek let God provide their hearts’ desires rather than trying to manipulate people and circumstances to get what they want (v. 4).

How much energy do I expend trying to secure provisions, control outcomes, and manage people’s perceptions of me? Psalm 37 tells us that the meek give that labor up. They trust God’s claims that he will provide, protect, and defend, and in so doing free up resources for putting their hands to God’s plow. It’s a good plan.

But here’s the thing: I would be fine with rolling my burdens onto God if I were guaranteed resolution. There’s a joke that describes the effects of playing a country song backwards: Your spouse returns, your dog is resurrected, and your truck starts working again. I wish that surrender to God worked the same way.

But faith isn’t like that. The biblical witness is that circumstances often get more challenging, not less, when one’s way is committed to the Lord. So why roll it onto God if “it” (the need, circumstance, quarrelsome friend, or critical in-law) isn’t necessarily going to get fixed?

There are stories about prisoners in Nazi camps who were made to move heavy boulders from one end of a field to the other, only to carry them back again. Many of the men were eventually driven mad, not by the backbreaking nature of the work, but by its futility.

It isn’t the experience of being misunderstood (or suffering or poverty) itself that will undo us, but rather the sense that we are enduring hardship to no good end. That’s why the apostle Paul emphasized that we do not labor in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). We discover there is no wasted effort or pain, because there is nothing that God cannot redeem.

I have a choice. I can wear myself out pushing the boulders of my life around my prison yard. Or I can be meek, and roll those burdens onto God. I’m not sure exactly what Jesus meant when he said the meek will “inherit the earth,” but I’ve certainly discovered that this world is a better place when I roll it off my shoulders and into his hands.

Originally posted at Christianity Today http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/february/20.56.html

BLESSED: Mourning (Part 2)

Posted by admin on Jan 26, 2012 in My Past Blogs | 0 comments

As we continue in our series Blessed, we discovered the second beatitude last week. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matt. 5:4). What does it mean to mourn? Mourning means grieving and a specific type of  grieving. This verse is not referring to not unnatural grieving. Sometimes people grieve over sinful plans that did not work out. For example, grieving over a relationship that never should have happened. Or, people who grieve in a extreme manner– grieving a loss over an extended period of time.

This verse is not referring to natural grieving. Natural grieving occurs when someone we love or care for dies. There are five traditional stages of grief. It typically takes 12-18 months to work through a grieve process. Also, natural grieving can occur when we encounter some type of difficulty such as divorce, illness, or traumatic life change.

What this verse is referring to is supernatural grieving. Supernatural grieving is when we understand and feel the weight of our sin. We see sin like God sees it–HE HATES SIN. Sin brings death, killed Christ, and has broken creation. No one ever sins into life. Sin will always take you further than you intended, make you pay more than you expected, have you stay longer than you where planning to stay, and always leave you empty.

How do we get comfort over our sin? I have know many people, even Christians,who feel real bad about their sin, but do not believe they have gotten Christ’s comfort or forgiveness. I want to suggest some exercises to help you receive comfort over your sin once and for all. This technique has helped me many times during my life.

1. Take an inventory- if you feel you have many things to confess, I encourage you to find a comfortable place and grab some paper and pen. Then, ask the Lord to reveal to you any sin you need to confess. Take your time. If there is anything in your past, write it down.

2. Admit to God your sin-go one item at a time and admit your sin to God. Don’t just skip and do a blanket prayer. Grieve over each item. Don’t make excuses, own your mistakes.

3. Ask for Forgiveness-Only God can forgive sins. We can’t do it ourselves. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). It is in forgiveness that we get comforted. Imagine, if God did not forgive our sins, we would carry the weight of our sins personally. Guilt is a heavy weight too great to bear. Praise God, in Christ, we do not have to carry this burden.

4. Show the Fruit of Repentance – Bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8). This is key to experiencing peace. Repentance is a change of mind that brings a change in behavior. Repentance isn’t regret or remorse. A fruit of repentance might be restitution for sin. Perhaps, an apology to an offended party is necessary. Or, some kind of payment might need to be made. Another fruit of repentance is restraint. For example, you might need to “put up a fence”. If your computer causes you to sin get rid of it or have someone else enter passwords that limit access to certain places. Or, you may need to lose that relationship that causes you to sin over and over.

5. Receive Comfort – The surest way to know you have received forgiveness is to experience comfort. Tear up or burn your list. Then, “Go and sin no more.” (John 8:1)

NOTE: Sometimes we don’t forgive ourselves. If you have done the steps above and don’t have comfort, it may be pride. Pride isn’t just the over inflation of ourselves, sometimes it is the deflation of ourselves. Either way, we allow ourselves to become the one who forgives sins, not God. We are not big enough to forgive our sins. I believe that many times people ask for forgiveness of sins that God has already forgiven. Receive His forgiveness.

“Come now and let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:11-12)

BLESSED: Humility

Posted by admin on Jan 15, 2012 in My Past Blogs | 0 comments

As we began a new sermon series entitled BLESSED, we are beginning to understand what it means to be a ‘blessed’ man or woman. Our working definition for blessed is a state of bliss unaffected by external circumstances. God resides in a perpetual state of blessedness. He is always in a state of bliss unaffected by external circumstances. Not everyone who says they are blessed are really blessed. Only Christians can be ‘blessed’ people because only Christians can participate in God’s divine nature through the Holy Spirit 2 Peter 1:4 says, “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Here is a question,”Are you blessed?” If you do not have a relationship with Christ, where he is your Lord and Savior, you are not blessed. You can be happy, or at best lucky, but never blessed. If you are a Christian, you are blessed, regardless of your circumstances.

Next, as we consider the first beatitude which is “blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs’ is the Kingdom of Heaven” what does that mean? Being ‘poor in spirit’ means to be humble. Humility is something God gives us not something we give ourselves. In fact, when is the last time you ever heard someone pray for humility? The best understanding of humility I can offer is of crutches. Jesus  is our crutch; He is how we get through life. We will not make it without Him. We are dependent upon him for all things. Humility recognizes ones dependency.

Samuel Morse, the inventor of Morse Code, was once asked if he ever encountered situations where he didn’t know what to do. Morse responded, “More than once, and whenever I could not see my way clearly, I knelt down and prayed to God for light and understanding.” Morse received many honors from his invention of the telegraph but felt undeserving: “I have made a valuable application of electricity not because I was superior to other men but solely because God, who meant it for mankind, must reveal it to someone and He was pleased to reveal it to me.”

Samuel Morse was great because he was humble. Remember the way up is down. Only the humble will experience life in the Kingdom. Let’s not trade temporal trinkets for eternal treasure.

For Practice:

1. Take some time. Grab a pen and paper. Ask God to reveal the areas of your pride and self-sufficiency?

2. Ask yourself this question, “What am I not willing to do?” Prideful people put limits on their service to Christ.

3. Text the word BLESSED to 63566 to get Blessed updates.

Final Wrapping It Up Video

Posted by admin on Jan 15, 2012 in My Past Blogs | 0 comments