Pray Without Ceasing!

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Monday, August 23, 2010 3:56 PM

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As a church we have much to consider over the next several weeks. We must think soberly over an offer that has been made to us for our present meeting site. Is this the best offer? Can we move out in the time frame proposed to us? Should we try to find a temporary location to meet? Is the timing right?

We must think critically through the building the Phase One Planning Ministry Team is going to present to the church on Sunday night, September 19. Are enough classrooms proposed for the near future? Is the auditorium too big or too small? And two issues every young mother is concerned about: (1) What is the nursery facility like? (2) How nice are the bathroom?

Above all, this is a time of prayer. I beg of you to be earnest in your prayers. This is a time for some to fast while praying. For all it is a time of constant, stretched-to-the-limits praying. We must seek the kind of wisdom that only God can, and will, provide at a time such as this. A verse the Lord keeps reminding me of and directs my prayers is Proverbs 3:5-6,

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

We all have our opinions but the only one that counts is the Lord's opinion. If His will prevails then we cannot fail; if our will prevails then we are destined to fail! We must not just grab the bull by the horns; instead we must enter the throne room of the holy of holies through the blood of the slaughtered Lamb. He will give us the answers for which we are looking if we only seek His face. And let's don't grow weary in our praying, because we have a Father who never tires of hearing from us!

Grace & Peace,
Scott

We Are in This Thing Together

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Wednesday, August 18, 2010 5:23 PM

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Recently while visiting a shut-in she said to me, "I never want to be alone." My response to this sweet follower of Jesus was, "God never intended for us to go through life alone." This is part of what the church must be--a family. God has called us to community. "Community" means "a unified body of individuals" (Merriam-Webster). In other words, we are in this thing together. For me this involves at least the following marks (taken from Philippians 2);

Unity. We are united in Christ therefore we are one in purpose.

Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind (v. 2).

This doesn't mean for us to be mindless robots, but I believe it means for us to be unified in the goal of honoring God through His church. God has put us together not to tear each other apart but to build one another up.

Humility. No single person is more important than the whole. Mavericks like to go about their business without any notion of having to think about how their actions will affect others. Humility kills the spirit of mavericks because we see the value of others through the eyes of God.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (v. 3).

Deference. Deferring to others is not a sign of weakness. When we defer to somebody else's plans or desires it communicates a loving acceptance that should be commonplace in the church. It should never be "My way or the highway"; it must always be "God's way"!

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others (v. 4).

Looking out for number one is a terrible philosophy on two fronts: First, it is selfish. And second, what makes me think I'm number one?

Following Christ's Pattern. I'm so thankful God didn't leave us without instructions on how to live (i.e., the Bible), but I'm equally thankful He sent Jesus as an example of how to live in this world.

Have this mind among yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus (v. 5).

We must actually follow Jesus, not just talk about it!

Grace & Peace,
Scott

Focus

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Monday, August 09, 2010 12:12 PM

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So many "things" distract us and cause us to lose focus. I believe Paul was constantly trying to get churches back on track because they had gotten sidetracked by distractions. He certainly clarified those distractions and put them in their proper place, but I also believe he tried to re-focus the church. We find sound advice on this when he wrote to the disciples in Philippi:

...One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

From this passage we learn that there are things that may seem important to us at the moment, but they really don't deserve the attention we are giving them. These are distractions. It could be sideline issues such as planning a vacation, the weather, wondering if "so-and-so" likes us, past failures and/or successes, job stress, etc. All of these are important but never as important as the main focus (i.e., "the prize of the upward call"). These distracting issues may even have a place in the plan, but they are still not the main thing. We must learn to put things in their proper perspective and focus on the "upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

We also learn from this passage that God has a main focus for our lives that pleases Him. This is what we shoot for. We only have one life to live for God's honor, and I believe we must start where we are and begin today "straining" toward that goal.

At Calvary it is going to be super easy for us to get sidetracked on issues that will take our attention and energies away from straining to reach the goal of pleasing God. I completely understand that part of who we are as a church is being defined by selling our present campus, designing a phase one worship center, and relocating to the corner of Parris Bridge and Flatwood. But if this becomes our main focus and we allow it to completely define us then we will fail. How? We will fail because once we get relocated then we have nothing left for which to strain. We will have reached our goal: relocation; but tragically we will not have reached God's goal: discipleship. Let me explain...

I believe the "upward call of God" for us as a church is to bring Him glory and honor by making disciples as Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28:18-20. I would much rather have us walking the halls talking about what we discussed in Sunday school or what we learned in worship than how "deep and wide" the new building should be. Just remember:

"If our focus is buildings then people get used; if our focus is on people then buildings get used!" (Les Ollila)

Grace & Peace,
Scott

Faithful Wounds

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010 9:52 AM

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Wounding someone is devastating but at times very necessary. Now I'm not writing this to advocate we go out and shoot someone in the leg or run him or her over with our bicycle. No, that's not the kind of wounding I'm talking about. I'm talking about wounding people with honest rebuke or correction. You know, telling them the truth even though the truth may wound them for a time. Too many people are walking around thinking everything is ok simply because we don't want to wound them with honesty. It's like watching somebody make the bed while the house is on fire. We see people making a mess of their lives knowing we could help them with a word of warning, but we are willing to keep our mouth shut because we are afraid of either hurting their feelings or running them off as a friend. But the stakes are too high!

Solomon wrote,

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
Profuse are the kisses of an enemy. (Proverbs 27:5)

This takes risk on our part. We have to be willing to risk a friendship for the sake of helping someone take another step spiritually. It's not only risky but also painful...I've been on both the giving and receiving ends of rebuke and correction. But I've also realized the great joy that can come when I respond correctly or when someone I am trying to help responds correctly.

And always remember the words of Paul,

...Restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

Grace & Peace,
Scott

Ben's First Sermon!

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Tuesday, August 03, 2010 10:01 PM

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"The Overwhelming God!" (Ben Linnerud) from Scott Linnerud on Vimeo.

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