A COMMON QUESTION
I don’t generally blog in mid-week, but this morning’s Bible passage really spoke to my heart.
A common question is “Why does God appear to bless evil people?” I’ve asked that question myself.
What does the Bible say? “He causes the sun to rise on good people and on evil people, and he sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong." Matthew 5:45 (NCV)
In Matthew 5, Jesus says God causes His blessing to be given to both the evil person and the good person – and that both those who are evil and those who are good go through difficulties.
Whether someone is a believer or unbeliever, evil or good, we all face sickness in our families, natural disasters, and all sorts of other problems.
God doesn’t always protect believers from having to face the same difficulties that unbelievers must face; and He allows unbelievers to experience some of the same benefits that we, as believers, enjoy because we are a part of His creation.
One reason for this: it allows those who don’t know Jesus to see what it really means to know Him. When someone sees a believer finding even a bit of light in the middle of a struggle, it helps those who do believe in Jesus to see who he really is and that He is the light in the darkness.
If an unbeliever sees me going through a struggle in a godly way, and it points that person to faith in Christ, then it makes the struggle all worth while.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
COMFORT
I read the following this morning, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer” (2 Corinthians 1:4-7 NLT).
At first blush, that doesn’t seem fair. It seems that when we are in need, when we are facing crisis, the world should just stop what it is doing and think about us. But the reality is that when you are hurting, if you will reach out to someone else who is in pain, you will be replenished and helped.
Jesus said, “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving–large or small–it will be used to measure what is given back to you” (Luke 6:38 NLT).
I’m sure you know of someone who is in pain right now. Perhaps they have cancer, or have recently lost a loved one, or their marriage has unraveled, or they have lost their job. Go to them and seek to be a friend and encourage them today.
God is in control of your life, and He allows trials to come our way in order to strengthen us spiritually and make us more like Jesus.
Whatever you are facing, know that someone else is facing it too. Perhaps you could share with them some of the things the Lord has shared with you, and “be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
Sunday at Gatetree
This Sunday I will share a message iWorship from my message series "iTruths for an iPod Generation." If you're in the Danville area, I encourage you to drop by for our 10:45 morning service. Need a map? Try clicking onto our webpage for helpful directions.
I read the following this morning, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer” (2 Corinthians 1:4-7 NLT).
At first blush, that doesn’t seem fair. It seems that when we are in need, when we are facing crisis, the world should just stop what it is doing and think about us. But the reality is that when you are hurting, if you will reach out to someone else who is in pain, you will be replenished and helped.
Jesus said, “If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving–large or small–it will be used to measure what is given back to you” (Luke 6:38 NLT).
I’m sure you know of someone who is in pain right now. Perhaps they have cancer, or have recently lost a loved one, or their marriage has unraveled, or they have lost their job. Go to them and seek to be a friend and encourage them today.
God is in control of your life, and He allows trials to come our way in order to strengthen us spiritually and make us more like Jesus.
Whatever you are facing, know that someone else is facing it too. Perhaps you could share with them some of the things the Lord has shared with you, and “be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
Sunday at Gatetree
This Sunday I will share a message iWorship from my message series "iTruths for an iPod Generation." If you're in the Danville area, I encourage you to drop by for our 10:45 morning service. Need a map? Try clicking onto our webpage for helpful directions.
Monday, January 19, 2009
THE GOSPEL TRUTH
Years ago, C.S.Lewis gave this warning: “Listening to incorrect theology will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones.”
If this has ever been a problem in the church, it is certainly now. Paul warned such a day would eventually come, telling Timothy: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT).
Friends, the “time” that Scripture spoke of is here. I am shocked to see how people who describe themselves as evangelicals can be so ignorant of what the Bible clearly teaches.
People who believe in Jesus wouldn’t say such outlandish things if they studied their Bibles. That is why we need preaching and teaching from the Scripture.
Right before that verse are these words: “Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with Good teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2 NLT).
That is what we are committed to each day at Gatetree Church. This is what I have committed my very life to, preaching and teaching the truth of the Bible.
Jesus once said, “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32.)
Our latest Sunday message series is “iTruths for an iPod Generation.” Feel free to click on a give a listen—you can begin enjoying the freedom Jesus has just for you.
Years ago, C.S.Lewis gave this warning: “Listening to incorrect theology will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones.”
If this has ever been a problem in the church, it is certainly now. Paul warned such a day would eventually come, telling Timothy: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT).
Friends, the “time” that Scripture spoke of is here. I am shocked to see how people who describe themselves as evangelicals can be so ignorant of what the Bible clearly teaches.
People who believe in Jesus wouldn’t say such outlandish things if they studied their Bibles. That is why we need preaching and teaching from the Scripture.
Right before that verse are these words: “Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with Good teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2 NLT).
That is what we are committed to each day at Gatetree Church. This is what I have committed my very life to, preaching and teaching the truth of the Bible.
Jesus once said, “And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32.)
Our latest Sunday message series is “iTruths for an iPod Generation.” Feel free to click on a give a listen—you can begin enjoying the freedom Jesus has just for you.
Monday, January 12, 2009
K.I.S.S.
The above acronym is very practical—Keep It Simple Stupid! Never was this thought more appropriate than with preaching or sharing the Gospel. Now hold on to that thought.
This morning I read Acts 20:25, “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.”
The word preaching means, “To declare a message as the herald of the king.” The witness tells what has happened to him, but the herald tells what the King tells him to declare. He is a person commissioned and sent with a message, and the preacher must not change that message in any way.
I think we tend to way overcomplicate the message of the gospel. There is a profound power in its utter simplicity.
Often people will comment, “Pastor, you make the Gospel message so simple to understand.”
Exactly. That was my very objective. Not be to be simplistic but simple.
The gospel is so deep that the greatest philosophers pore over its meaning. Yet it is so simple, that even a child can understand it.
Billy Graham was once interviewed by David Frost, the interview who is famous now for the movie Frost/Nixon. In the interview, Billy told Frost that in his presentation of the gospel, he “studied to be simple.”
Generally, we think we ought to study to be complex. Not at all. The gospel is an understandable message, and when that fails to happen, it’s not the fault of the message, but the messenger.
Sometimes, we may be reluctant to share the gospel with others. Or we may feel we need to “soften” certain parts that might offend people. I’m not buying that!
The job of the herald is to proclaim what the King tells him to proclaim. In the same way, the job of the Christian is to preach the gospel.
So today, look for opportunities to “herald” the gospel message. In such a dark world, it really is still “good news!”
And remember to K.I.S.S.
The above acronym is very practical—Keep It Simple Stupid! Never was this thought more appropriate than with preaching or sharing the Gospel. Now hold on to that thought.
This morning I read Acts 20:25, “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.”
The word preaching means, “To declare a message as the herald of the king.” The witness tells what has happened to him, but the herald tells what the King tells him to declare. He is a person commissioned and sent with a message, and the preacher must not change that message in any way.
I think we tend to way overcomplicate the message of the gospel. There is a profound power in its utter simplicity.
Often people will comment, “Pastor, you make the Gospel message so simple to understand.”
Exactly. That was my very objective. Not be to be simplistic but simple.
The gospel is so deep that the greatest philosophers pore over its meaning. Yet it is so simple, that even a child can understand it.
Billy Graham was once interviewed by David Frost, the interview who is famous now for the movie Frost/Nixon. In the interview, Billy told Frost that in his presentation of the gospel, he “studied to be simple.”
Generally, we think we ought to study to be complex. Not at all. The gospel is an understandable message, and when that fails to happen, it’s not the fault of the message, but the messenger.
Sometimes, we may be reluctant to share the gospel with others. Or we may feel we need to “soften” certain parts that might offend people. I’m not buying that!
The job of the herald is to proclaim what the King tells him to proclaim. In the same way, the job of the Christian is to preach the gospel.
So today, look for opportunities to “herald” the gospel message. In such a dark world, it really is still “good news!”
And remember to K.I.S.S.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
WHERE'S MY JET-PACK?
Well, here it is officially, 2009. I have one question I have been thinking about lately:
Where is my jet-pack?
Let me explain . . .
As a young boy growing up on cartoons, whenever they showed “the future” — and understand that back in the late ’50s, the future was only 30 years away — everyone flew around in jet-packs. You know, George Jetson-style. But here we are, still lumbering about in our cars. Not much has changed.
For a time, especially in the ’50’s and ’60s, there was this utopian dream of a better world. We were told that everything would be better in the future. Now we have lived long enough to know that despite our advances in technology, mankind will always mess things up.
Ah, but one day the future we all long for will come. With new bodies, on a new earth, ruled over by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, I guarantee you we will fly! Boy, I am looking forward to that day.
That is what Jesus taught us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, when he instructed us to say, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Until then, I have a few suggestions for what we need to do—
Live your life well
We want our lives to count during our short time here on planet Earth, especially as we are now officially in 2009. At Gatetree, we are currently in a message series titled “iTruths for an iPod Generation,” which will focus on the basic things all Christians need to know in order to live well in 2009. If you can’t hear the series in person, you can go to our homepage and find it there.
Read through the Bible this year
Having just completed reading the entire Bible in 2008, I’m going to do it again and I suggest you join me.
And finally…don’t look back
Philippians 3:14-16 reads, “Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.”
Well, here it is officially, 2009. I have one question I have been thinking about lately:
Where is my jet-pack?
Let me explain . . .
As a young boy growing up on cartoons, whenever they showed “the future” — and understand that back in the late ’50s, the future was only 30 years away — everyone flew around in jet-packs. You know, George Jetson-style. But here we are, still lumbering about in our cars. Not much has changed.
For a time, especially in the ’50’s and ’60s, there was this utopian dream of a better world. We were told that everything would be better in the future. Now we have lived long enough to know that despite our advances in technology, mankind will always mess things up.
Ah, but one day the future we all long for will come. With new bodies, on a new earth, ruled over by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, I guarantee you we will fly! Boy, I am looking forward to that day.
That is what Jesus taught us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, when he instructed us to say, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Until then, I have a few suggestions for what we need to do—
Live your life well
We want our lives to count during our short time here on planet Earth, especially as we are now officially in 2009. At Gatetree, we are currently in a message series titled “iTruths for an iPod Generation,” which will focus on the basic things all Christians need to know in order to live well in 2009. If you can’t hear the series in person, you can go to our homepage and find it there.
Read through the Bible this year
Having just completed reading the entire Bible in 2008, I’m going to do it again and I suggest you join me.
And finally…don’t look back
Philippians 3:14-16 reads, “Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.”
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