REVERENCE FOR RELEVANCE

It seems to me that for some we have lost the “fear of the Lord,” even in the Church.

Perhaps there was a time when the atmosphere in most churches was wound a little tight… and one spoke in whispers…and laughter was rarely heard. But today, many churches, in their attempt to be thought of as “cool” have lost their focus. My question is “Have we traded reverence for relevance?”

For instance, you have the Florida pastor talking in great detail about sexual issues, ranging from programs to have “sex every day for seven days” to more extreme versions in which a Houston pastor speaks very graphically about specific sexual acts from the pulpit.

Look, I have been a pastor for nearly four decades, and I have never had a problem reaching our culture and seeing people come to Christ. I am all for being real and authentic, but I also stand up on the platform to speak God’s Word. Peter wrote, “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11 NIV).

Consider the first-century believers who were filled with both joy and the fear of the Lord. “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:46-47 NKJV).

This phrase “gladness and sincerity of heart” literally means “with unaffected joy!” I love it that they were not afraid to express joy in their faith. But there was also a sense or reverence and awe among these believers.

What is the fear of the Lord? It does not mean you should be afraid of God. To fear God means that you have a healthy respect or reverence for Him.

Look, I am all for relevance. We need to make sense to the people we are reaching. But let’s not lower our standard in order to extend our reach.

Let’s not trade reverence for relevance.

I think for us to seek to live godly lives is very relevant, and very different than what this world has to offer. That’s how we will turn our world upside down, instead of the world turning us upside down.

Sunday at Gatetree

I hope you can attend our worship service this coming Sunday (May 3) at 10:45 AM. I will be sharing a message entitled, "How to Transform Your Family--the right way!" If you'd like to hear the other messages in this series, just click onto our website and give it a listen.

I hope to see you Sunday.

THE REAL DEAL

Do you spend a lot of time handling counterfeit money to know what it looks like?" asked Ruth Bell Graham to a man who was in charge of identifying counterfeit money for Scotland Yard.

"No," he replied. "We never touch the stuff. All day long, we just handle the real thing: genuine currency. And when a counterfeit bill comes our way—we can quickly detect it."

As a Christian, you could go nuts trying to keep up with the latest heresies and counterfeit teachings people spread in this world. But if you familiarize yourself with the Word of God and become conversant with it, you will immediately know counterfeit teachings. You will hear someone say something and think, This isn't right. You will know what God's Word truly says and what it doesn't say, because God will give you spiritual discernment.

Spend time today studying the real thing. If ever there was a time we need spiritual discernment, the time is now. In the words of the apostle Paul, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

SUNDAY AT GATETREE

Last Sunday we began a new message series entitled "THE ULTIMATE RIDE" and the first message was "Leaving a Lasting Legacy." This is available to you on the Gatetree website. Give it a listen!

This Sunday, I will continue the series with "Transforming Your Family--the wrong way!" If you're in the Danville area at 10:45 AM on Sunday, drop in and you'll ge the best welcome you've ever received at a church. I promise.

Easter 2013

EASTER 2013

Some thoughts on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Easter is for everyone, but it is not about bunnies or brightly colored eggs. It is about Jesus, and it is specifically about Jesus crucified and risen again from the dead. And, it was...

A hard day for the disciples

There was no question about it. Christ had died. If the crucifixion hadn’t killed him, certainly the spear of the Roman soldier would have. The disciples thought it was over. They thought death had finished it.

If they would have thought back, they would have remembered this was the same Lord who had raised people from the dead. He raised the daughter of Jairus. He raised Lazarus after he already was in the process of decomposition.

And, if they would have thought back, they would have remembered that on the day that Lazarus was raised, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25 NKJV).

But it is hard to see through eyes that have been blinded by tears. So the disciples were shocked to find an angel waiting for them with the good news: “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him” (Mark 16:6 NKJV).

They thought He was dead. But He was alive again

Hope for us

Because Jesus has died and has risen again, it means that we as believers do not have to be afraid of death. As 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us, “But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again” (NLT). Jesus has gone to the other side, He has returned, and He has the keys to death and hell (see Revelation 1:18).

It’s hard for us to accept that our bodies are wearing out. Yet the Bible says we will have new bodies one day: “We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us” (Romans 8:23 NLT).

You see, my body is not the real me. The real me is my soul, my spirit. This body will die. But my soul will live on.

One day, you may open up the newspaper and read that Tom Holland has died. But don’t you believe a word of it, because at the moment you read that I have died, I will be more alive than I have ever been before–in the presence of God. And the same can be said for every believer.

He is the resurrection and the life, and if we believe in Him, though we were dead, yet shall we live.

IT'LL BE ALRIGHT!

We’re less than four months into a troubling year. The stock market is down. The housing market is down. Unemployment is up. As you approach Easter ’09, you may also have seen your 401K take a nosedive. Your home may not be worth as much as it was last year. You may even be out of work…and you’re scared. You’re afraid of an uncertain future. Well my friend, you’re in good company. The Bible tells the story of a time when Jesus' disciples were afraid for their very lives.

Jesus had told them to get into a boat and go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, and they obeyed. But when they were a considerable distance from land, a fierce storm arose that terrified them. Jesus, who had been on a mountain praying, went to meet the disciples, walking on the water. Thinking He was a ghost, the disciples cried out in fear. So Jesus immediately told them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid" (Matthew 14:27).

There are two simple reasons the disciples didn't have to be afraid: First, Jesus would help them weather the storm. And second, He had told them to go to the other side, which meant that they would reach the other side.

Jesus knows where you are at this very moment. He knows what you are experiencing. He is telling you to be courageous, because He is with you and there is a brighter tomorrow for you. Even if you have failed, even if you have made a mistake, it isn't over. It’s all going to be alright.

God has a future for each of us. Jeremiah 29:11, one of my all-time favorite verses, says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." God will complete the work He has begun in your life.