Contending in the Faith

Not too long ago a reality TV show called "the contender" was on. Per wikipedia, here is a summary of that show: "The Contender is a reality television series that follows a group of boxers as they compete with one another in an elimination-style competition, while their lives and relationships with each other and their families are depicted. Produced by Mark Burnett, the show is hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard, who shared hosting duties in the first season with actor Sylvester Stallone. Leonard also serves as a trainer on the show, along with Tommy Gallagher. During the first season, boxing manager Jackie Kallen also served as counsel to the boxers...The show takes the format of a game show, with the boxers divided into two teams based on their place of residence in the United States: East Coast or West Coast (or simply “East” and “West”). These teams live together in group living quarters, in Pasadena, California in the historic Royal Laundry Building on Raymond Avenue, and compete for the right to choose which of their team members fights that week, and who he fights against. Most of the second half of the hour-long episodes are devoted to that fight: the loser is eliminated."

You may not be on TV, but if you are a believer, you have a "contender" every day f your life. And every day that you follow Christ, the devil will decide to challenge you. Read Acts 19:15, "But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” (NLT)

• Does the Devil even know who you are? I often tell our Apex students that I want to be known in Hell. Usually that statement can raise a few eyebrows! But, simply put, there are two ways you can be known in Hell: 1)You are living like you are going there or 2)You are a threat to Satan's Kingdom. You see, I want to be known in Hell because I am a threat to Satan. As you read this, ask your self, "Am I that threat? Does Satan know who I am?"

• I know that this topic can sometimes be uncomfortable for people to talk about. However, we must NOT water down the Gospel! You have to realize that 2/3 of Jesus' ministry before dying on the cross dealt with Satan or his Kingdom. Jeanne Mayo puts it this way, "The whole topic of spiritual warfare is a really big deal."

 Ephesians 6:11-13 says, "Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm." (NLT)

In reading this passage of Scripture, note that Paul wrote that the  "strategies" of Hell are coming. It is not a question of if, but when. To be able to endure the attack, you MUST put on the armour of God! And what is the armour of God? Ephesians 6:14-17 says, "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (NLT)

It is amazing to me, as a pastor, how many people try and fail all on their own thinking they don't need help. What if the United Sates deployed a unit into an enemy country and did not try and outfit that unit with any weapons, supplies, etc...This would be non-sense! But, how many times do we think, as believers, that we can do it all on our own?


There are two pieces of armour that I would like to highlight.

1. The Breastplate of Righteousness. 

The breastplate was a central part of the Roman soldier's armor—it provided protection for the torso, which contains vital organs like the heart, lungs, etc... Without a breastplate, a soldier would be asking for death, as any attack would instantly prove fatal. With a breastplate, those very same attacks could become ineffective and useless, as attacks bounce off this piece of armour. 

To be righteous simply means to do what is right in God's eyes...to obey His commands. People want to teach that all ministers always teach the "do's and don'ts" of Christianity. But, to be righteous means that you have to follow God's law. It's a shame that some preachers get labeled as "legalists" simply because they preach righteousness. Yet, those same people are teaching their kids to obey the "laws of land." I wonder, sometimes, how Noah must have felt. 2 Peter 2:5 states that Noah was a "preacher of righteousness." If I was a betting man (which is a completely different blog post), my money would be that if the people Noah preached to could do it all over again, they would listen to him. 


Christian, live righteous! Love what God loves. And to love what God loves means obeying His commandments.


    2. The Sword of the Spirit.


The "Sword of the Spirit", as everyone knows, is the Word of God. What kind of an effect would you have on the battlefield if you had the armour but not a weapon. You could defend yourself, but you would not be able to attack! The only weapon that our Lord offers to us is His Word! Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword..." (NLT)


The only way to attack and defeat is through the Word! But, if I may venture, to defeat is more than just quoting the Word, it must be by living the Word. Satan is not impressed with how much Scripture you know, but by how you live out the Scripture is what pushes back the darkness.


Christian, know AND live the Word! Make it a habit to read and apply the Word of God!


For you have a "contender" who is ready for a fight. Are you?

What is your garden?

I recently watched a video on a guy who pastored at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids Michigan. His name is Ed Dobson. Weekly he would preach before 5,000 people. You could really tell by his story and conversation that he was operating in his calling and was passionate about what he did. Back in 2001, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. They told him he wouldn't last 3 to 5 years. However, he is still alive today. With the reccomendation of his doctors, he resigned his post in 2006. He went through the explanation of how the day before he resigned, he wanted to throw his cell phone in the river because it never quit ringing. However, the day after his resignation, he actually had his wife call him to make sure it wasn't broken because noone even called. He explained that when you aren't needed anymore, it is as if your purpose in life is over.
This is where his story began to really speak to me. He related his story to Adam in the garden. Adam's purpose was to worship God, and one form of worship was to tend to the garden around him. Lou Gehrig's disease had changed Pastor Dobson's circle of influence overnight. He could have let it end his ministry altogether. However, he changed his focus to the garden.
Now let me stop here for a moment and explain what I mean in reference to our own lives. Too many times I hear people tell me that they aren't in ministry, or they don't have a "circle of influence" in their life. They feel that since they aren't preaching or ministering to a room full of people every Sunday, they aren't able to make an impact. I have one response to that which I will use the King James venacular..."hogwash"! Too many times, we are more concerned with numbers than the individual. However, how many instances do we read in the Bible about Christ doing one-on-one ministry to one person at a time. How valuable was that time in His walk!? Did He question his circle of influence because only one person was there at that moment?
Now back to Pastor Dobson, he says that now his ministry is about tending to his garden. He works mostly one-on-one with individuals. Building relationships of discipleship. Let me say that again to make sure that hits home....Building relationships of discipleship. After all isn't that what Christ did?

Have you ever forgotten?

Let me ask you something…have you ever forgotten something? Something that was really important? Now, I’m not talking about wearing white socks when you meant to wear black (shout out to JT) or even the occasional missed appointment. Unless, it was a court date that you had to make which resulted in a warrant being put out for your arrest, therefore, making you a criminal and a menace to society. Well, maybe just irresponsible. Anyways…no I am talking about that one thing that could affect the rest of your life, not just the rest of your day. Have you ever forgotten something important?

Maybe, it is your best friend’s graduation? Maybe, it is the day you were to say “I DO” to the woman or man you supposedly loved, adored and to whom you wanted to spend the rest of your life? Maybe, it is the moment you were to welcome your new born baby into the world? Maybe, it is the moment where you broke a promise that you were confident you would never forget? Maybe, it is the time you forgot to lift the toilet seat? What!? Importance is relative…maybe? Maybe…

I recently heard a story about a mother who left her three year old daughter at Chuck E Cheese. It is said that the family was there for a birthday party and when it got close to closing time, the mother was nowhere to be found. Harmony, the three year old, was left in a state of confusion, fear and chaos. In fact, the mother did not even recognize that she had forgotten her daughter until the 9’oclock news reported the sequence of events that had taken place. Important? Definitely!

When I heard this story, I thought to myself how could someone forget something so important? How could someone forget something that he or she claimed to love so much? Would not that person or thing that was so valuable always be in one’s heart and mind? Would you not speak the entire ride home? Then it occurred to me… I probably do it more than I would like to admit. Unfortunately, I would imagine all of us do it way too often.

How often do we forget about Jesus? How often do we forget about the One who died for us so many years ago? How often do we forget to softly whisper “I love you” while driving to work in the morning? How often do we only sing his praises in the good times and not the bad? How often do we make time for all the temporary things in life and not enough for the One who holds the eternal? How often do we fail to remember that we live in a world that needs something real? I could go on but again I ask how often?

Someone once asked Martin Luther, “Why do you preach the Gospel every Sunday? “ He said, “Because we forget it every day!”

Have you ever forgotten something important? Not Today! Today, I remember!

Deut. 6:12 “be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

What if?

Recently, the Holy Spirit has really led me to challenge my team to make sure that we come to our services expecting and prepared for what God is going to do. Psalms 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” (NIV) Too many times we enter his gates with distraction and his courts with complacency. I can remember when Gracey was just a newborn and we were lucky just to get in our pew before the first song was over. It took us both another few minutes to get settled and to smile and nod at those around us and then by the time we actually said the first word of praise to God, we were already almost through with the praise and worship part of the service. We live high paced lives no doubt. It is our culture now in America. The pockets of time for God and family continue to be squeezed by little league practices that don’t respect Sunday and Wednesday church, and corporate vision that push us to our limit every week.

So why do we show up unprepared and unfocused for Sunday services yet we spend hours studying for tests or preparing for presentations for a job that won’t get us to Heaven?

Why do we go to bed early during the week so we can be fresh the next day yet we stay up late on Saturday and sleep thru half of the service?

Why do we allow our Sunday worship to sometimes be our only worship all week….and on top of that, we don’t even fully engage then?

Keep in mind this isn’t just our church but it is the church of America.

What could God do with a church that showed up early before service to get in the altar and touch the throne room before worship began?

What could God do with a church that spends time each day praying for their church, their Pastor, while seeking an understanding of how God wants to use them?

What could God do with a church that is so focused on Him that the world becomes the peripheral, placing God at center stage in their life?

Come prepared and expecting on Sunday and let’s find out!

...And They Rejected Him

A few weeks ago I preached a message in our youth group entitled, "And They Rejected Him" based off Matthew 21:42. I told our students that it's possible to be in church and not be the church- that going to a church service can help make you good person (just by the standards we teach), but will not necessarily make you godly person (because that is a personal lifestyle choice). Isn't that something? That we can attend a church, give in the offering, maybe even be involved in a ministry, and still not know who Jesus is! Unfortunately, this has been going on since the days of Jesus. The Word of God says in John 1:11, "He came to his own people, and even they rejected him." (NLT)


How could anyone reject Jesus?

• His message to people was love.  In Matthew 22, Jesus summed up the ten commandments to just two...LOVE God and LOVE people.  He says in vs. 40, "The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (NLT)
• His lifestyle in front of people was life. Many churches have mission statements, and they are all good. I will never knock a specific word that the Lord gave to the head of a church. However, I choose to adopt Jesus' mission statement found in John 10:10, "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (NIV) 
• He brought freedom to the people. An Old Testament prophecy given about the coming Messiah, found in Isaiah 61:1, reads, "The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me. He sent me to preach good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, announce freedom to all captives, pardon all prisoners." (MSG) This prophecy was later fulfilled with Jesus in Luke 4:18.

 Jesus came to this earth, His Father's creation (which made it His since he said in John 14:9, "when you've seen me you've seen the Father"), to promote love, life and liberty and yet they rejected Him!


Here is the key verse to back all this up: Matthew 21:42, "Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see'." The "stone" that Jesus refers to is himself (more on that in a few more sentences). The "builders" that Jesus refers to is the chief priests and rulers of the Temple. They were over the church yet did not allow Jesus to come in. They treated Jesus like a stepping stone. One they could walk all over. But, he says that even though they rejected Him, he will become THE cornerstone. A cornerstone was literally the first stone laid before building. He will become the foundation set for salvation! And it was all God's doing!




But, you have to ask yourself, why would they reject Him?


1. He was not the Messiah they were looking for


They were looking for a conquering King who would establish his reign over the earth. Yet, Jesus prided Himself in becoming the lowest. Reinhard Bonke, a great man of God who preaches in Africa and literally sees millions come to know Jesus, says this, "Christ judged greatness, not by how many people man could boast served him, but how many people he served--the higher the rank the more service to more people. Look at Jesus, the King of Kings stood among men and women and carried their burdens, even the awful load of their sin. He washed the disciples feet with water and also washed their hearts by his own precious blood. That is Jesus...our blessed Lord Jesus."


Isn't it amazing that Jesus could make Himself available to all men, and yet still His own reject Him?


2. His Message was too hard


I know what you are thinking. How could His message be too hard if it all could be summed up as "love, life, and liberty." The religious leaders of the day were all about themselves. And Jesus called them out for it. Look at Matthew 23:1-5a, "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. Everything they do is for show..." (NLT)


Jesus' Sermon the Mount goes into detail about this. In Matthew 6 He calls religious leaders "hypocrites". Why? Because they played church. Everything they did was for show.

• Jesus says do good privately. Don't go air out to everyone what you're doing for Him! Instead, do good privately. If you do this, you will be rewarded. 

 Isn't it amazing that we can share the love of God and not know the God of love?


3. Pride


I think ultimately, people reject Him b/c of their own pride. "Who are you to tell me how to live?" "I'm fine just the way I am." Unless we crucify our pride, our pride will one day crucify us.


Lastly, I told our teenagers that since the world rejected Him, the world would reject us. Jesus told His disciples in John 15:8, "“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first." (NLT)


I tell teenagers all the time, "If the world cannot tell a difference between you and them, you're probably not doing this whole Christianity thing correctly." 


It is my biggest goal in life to become rejected. I know that if I become rejected by the world, I'm living for Jesus! Are you?