“The reason mountain climbers are tied together is to keep the sane ones
from going home.”

I don’t know who said that, or where or when

But with a mountain of mercy behind me and a mountain of mission ahead

I need you my brother, my sister,

I need to be tied to you and you need me too.

We need each other to keep from bolting

Fleeing in panic and returning to the “sanity”
of unbelief.

Wise words, whoever said them.

They are in my Bible under Hezekiah 6:14.

–Gerhard Frost

I’m thinking again about the people of Israel as they watched the Jordan River rushing by….wondering how they were going to get across first and then…what waited for them on the other side. You see, their minds raced too…rumors of giants in the land; walled and fortified cities that no man could scale…no maps to show them the lay of the land. Totally walking by faith, and not by sight. But the other part of this story was watching the priests as they walked toward the flooded banks of the Jordan River…and as they stepped into the water nothing happened as fear washed in with the silt from the river bed. Then they walked a bit further…still frightened…and a bit further as their sandals sank in mud….and then and ONLY then…did the water begin to subside and ultimately stop. You’re going to have to take a few steps forward toward your fear and uncertainty but I promise you one thing…God will honor every step of faith you take and will provide for you and your family in the most unexpected ways. Trust Him for that. But whatever you do, don’t stop moving forward.

The blessing awaits. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God goes before you.”

Two men were assigned to visit a home for a fund raising program in their church.  After presenting the needs of the campaign, the husband looked at the two visitors and said, “ I see you’ve done your research, but are you aware that we have a son in college whose tuition payments have gone through the roof?”  “Well, no,” the men said with some surprise.  “And did you know that I have a sister whose drunken husband left her and her four children with no means of support?”  Again the men, now feeling sheepish, said, “Well, no.”  “And did you know,” the man continued, “that I have a brother who was in an automobile accident who lost his job as a result of the accident and has medical bills through the roof?”  Wishing they could disappear somehow, the men hung their heads and said, “No.”  “Well,” concluded the man triumphantly, “if I won’t do anything to help them, what makes you think I would do anything to help you?”

More often than not, that is the attitude of many people in our culture, and it even invades the church.  Generosity in our “gimme” culture is a rare thing to find.

We occasionally see movie stars lending their faces to fund raising events or visiting some desperate spot in the world accompanied by an entourage of paparazzi.  Behind the scenes, however, we learn that large sums of money were spent to continue their “star treatment” when the cameras weren’t around.

Generosity can’t be staged, and it can’t be faked.  True generosity should make headlines, but most generous people are glad that it doesn’t.

It’s difficult to be generous in a “gimme” culture.  We are hardwired to believe that what we have is ours.  We work hard to make money and we should enjoy spending it, hoarding it, and investing it for ourselves.

Generosity is a heart issue, not a financial one.  We don’t have to learn to be selfish.  Visit any room where more than one preschool-aged child is playing, and you will see very quickly that selfishness is an inborn trait.  We hear the mantra, “mine, mine, mine” repeated in many ways from the media as well as from living examples around us.

Learning to be generous in a “gimme” culture requires an infusion of grace.  It comes when grace makes its way into the inroads of our hearts and we begin to live grace-fully.  True generosity is the overflow of a heart that is filled to overflowing with grace.  We don’t generate it…we just demonstrate it.

The Bible teaches us generosity.  “Remember this:  whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously.” (2 Cor 9:6)  “Teach those who are rich in this world’s goods to be generous.”  (1 Tim 6:17) 

Selfishness makes our world smaller.  Martha Ostenso introduces a character named Edith.  She wrote, “Edith lived in a very small world, bordered on north, south, east, and west by Edith.”  Eugene Peterson paraphrased Jesus’ opinion of selfishness in this way:  “If you live squint-eyed in greed and distrust, your life is a dank cellar.”  (Mt 6:22 Message)

Generosity makes our world larger.  The tentacles of our influence touch more people with genuine concern.  The avenues for the Gospel to spread from our lives to others are opened, and free of obstruction.  The lives that are enriched by our charity are multiplied.

And we become more like God.  “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son….”  Our Father is generous.  We are to emulate that generosity in our lives.  We receive His gifts to release them.  Corrie ten Boom said that the most important lesson she learned through the horrors of the Holocaust was “hold everything loosely.”

As Christians, the genuineness of our faith is shown in generosity.

The evidence of Zacchaeus’  conversion (Luke 19) was his willingness to let go of the things that he thought he owned, but which in reality owned him.  Generosity showed he had been set free.

          “And God is able to make all grace aboud to you, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (2 Cor 9:8)  Generosity is a matter of trust.  To quote Dr Phil, “How’s that workin’ out for you?”  Can we trust God to replace the resources we release?  Can we trust God to “make all grace abound to us” when our generosity to others is not reciprocated?  Can we live against the powerful current of our culture and be different by being generous in a `gimme’ culture?

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year! Hard to believe that 2012 is already off and running whether you and I are on the train or not!! Some of us are already one week in to an annual effort to: (choose one from the list below)

1)Read the Bible through

‘2)Lose weight / start exercising

3)Stop an unhealthy habit

4)Be a better (husband, wife, parent)

5)_____________ (fill in the blank)

These efforts are sincere and usually by the second or third week of the year we have given up and fallen back into the old rut, sitting at home eating Doritos on the couch. Our efforts usually fail. Do you know why? It’s because we’re TRYING! That’s right. I want to convince you that to bring genuine change into your life, you’ve got to stop TRYING. All that will do is result in failure. TRYING never accomplished anything. I can TRY to become an NBA basketball player or an NFL linebacker or an opera singer. But TRYING won’t get it. How do people become great at basketball, football, or opera singing? They get there by TRAINING, not by TRYING. The Bible is clear on this one. We don’t become mature in our faith or grow in Christ-likeness by TRYING.

We are to TRAIN ourselves in godliness:

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.   (1 Timothy 4:7-10 ESV)

So this year, if you really want to see life change happen, determine to TRAIN yourself for the life you want to obtain. TRAIN yourself for godliness; TRAIN yourself for obedience; TRAIN yourself to excel in living for Christ.

Stop TRYING, and start TRAINING! And let’s start  TODAY!  

 

 

This is the list that I shared at the end of today’s service.  I am unaware of who originally put this together or I would gladly give credit.  I have taken some liberties with several of the phrases that I felt fit better.  I have heard this done by a little guy in a Lutheran church on Godtube, and by David Hughes, pastor of Church by the Glades in Coral  Springs.  Hope it blesses you to have it….Jesus throughout the Bible:  God’s Final Word!!

In Genesis, He is the seed of the woman

In Exodus, He is the Passover lamb

In Leviticus, He is our High Priest

In Numbers, He is a pillar of fire by night, and a pillar of cloud by day

In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet like unto Moses

In Joshua, He is the captain of our salvation

In Judges, He is our Judge and Lawgiver

In 1 and 2 Samuel, He is One like David

In Kings and Chronicles, He is our reigning King

In Ezra and Nehemiah, He is the rebuilder of the broken down walls of human life

In Ruth, He is our Kinsman Redeemer

In Esther, He is our Mordecai

IN Job, He is our ever-living redeemer

IN Psalms, He is our shepherd

IN Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He is our Wisdom

IN Song of Solomon, He is our loving bridegroom

IN Isaiah, He is our Prince of Peace

IN Jeremiah, He is our righteous branch

In Lamentations, He is our weeping prophet

In Ezekiel, He is the Wonderful four-faced man

IN Daniel, He is the fourth man in life’s fiery furnace

IN Hosea, He is the faithful husband ever married to the backslider

IN Joel, He is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit and fire

In Amos, He is our burden bearer

In Obadiah, He is mighty to save

In Jonah, He is our great foreign missionary

IN Micah, He is the messenger with beautiful feet

In Nahum, He is the avenger of God’s elect

IN Habakkuk, He is the answer to life’s hard questions

In Zephaniah, He’s our Savior

In Haggai, He’s the restorer of God’s lost heritage

IN Zechariah, He’s the fountain opened up for our sin and uncleanliness

IN Malachi, He’s the Sun of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

In Matthew, He’s the King of the Jews

In Mark, He’s the suffering servant

In Luke, He’s the Son of Man, able to identify with our struggles

In John, He’s the Son of God

In Acts, He’s the Savior of the whole world

In Romans, He’s the righteousness of God

IN  1 Corinthians, He’s the Rock who followed Israel

In 2 Corinthians, He is the comfort of God

In Galatians, He is your liberty, able to set you free

In Ephesians, He is the head of the church

In Philippians, He is your joy

IN Colossians, He is your completeness

In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, He is your hope

In 1 Timothy, He is your faith

In 2 Timothy, He is your stability

IN Titus, He is truth

In Philemon, He is your  benefactor

IN Hebrews, He is your perfection

In James, He is the power behind your faith

IN 1 Peter, He is your example

In 2 Peter, He is your purity

In 1 John, He is your life

IN 2 John, He is your pattern

In 3 John, He is your motivation

In Jude, He is the bedrock of your faith

In Revelation, He is our soon coming King

 

 

 

 

 

Its impossible to read or listen to news reports on this beautiful fall morning and miss the looming apocalyptic imagery around us.  Earthquakes have rattled Oklahoma over the past six days, and Puerto Rico over the weekend.  Iran continues its sword rattling and reports that upward of 150,000 are aimed at Israel in the event that they are invaded and their nuclear ambitions are interrupted.  The world’s economies are teetering and unstable, and gross sin continues to shock our sensibilities as revered coaches and leaders in our culture are implicated in the worst of activities.  For the believer, all of these things should make us “lift up our heads, for our redemption is drawing near.”  It should make us double-check our lives as the Master’s return grows nearer every day.  We should be certain that we will be found faithful when He returns.  While we cannot know the day or the hour, we can certainly discern the season.  For the unbeliever, we should pray that the events of a world spiraling toward the apocalypse will cause them to look beyond answers this world offers to the only Hope, Jesus Christ.  Let’s live ready to rejoice in the Lord at His coming, and share our faith in Him with as many as we can.  And with the saints of old, may we pray, “Maranantha!  Come Lord Jesus!”

 

As you may know, I have been serving with the Florida Baptist Convention as President of the State Board of Missions for the past two years.  This past week, I was asked to serve a third term, and after prayer and counsel agreed to do so.  I anticipate this role enhancing what I do as pastor of Fruit Cove, and of expanding our influence in the state of Florida.  Southern Baptists play a tremendous role in advancing the Gospel in the Sunshine State, which is one of the most diverse states in the nation.  As a church, we have historically stood as a strong partner with the work of our state convention and this past year were one of the leading churches in the state in our giving to cooperative missions (aka The Cooperative Program).  My role with the State Board of Missions will allow us to move in strategic ways to further impact the State of Florida with the Gospel, and to push back the darkness in a state with over 11 million lost people residing.  Our partnerships as a state convention move beyond our geographic boundaries and link us in ministries with Haiti, Cuba, Nevada, and West Virginia.  We lead Southern Baptists in disaster relief efforts, both in our state and wherever disaster strikes,  in the United States or abroad.  We lead the Southern Baptist Convention in evangelism and outreach efforts.  It is a tremendous privilege to serve alongside the other churches throughout the state that make up the  Florida Baptist Convention.  I covet your prayers as I continue to serve in leadership and remind you to pray fervently for the lostness in our state as together we work to fulfill the Great Commission to “make disciples” in Jacksonville, in Florida, in the US, and into the uttermost parts of the earth.

Early this morning a friend notified me of a prayer concern for his sister who was scheduled for a serious surgery on a suspected malignant mass. A few hours later, he notified us of a second concern: the mass that had shown clearly on an MRI yesterday cannot be found today. My question: Why are we amazed when God does amazing things? We pray for a miracle to occur, and when it does….we’re surprised. We shouldn’t be. We serve an amazing God, Who may sovereignly choose to remove a tumor through the skilled hands of a surgeon or the use of chemotherapy….or He may just choose to let us show up for surgery and prove that He has made the growth just disappear. Either way, we serve an amazing God. In fact, even if He chooses NOT to remove the growth through medical means or Divine intervention, He is still amazing. But let’s not be surprised when God decides to remind us of just how amazing He is. The God we serve is a God Who is intimately concerned with our problems and pains, our illness and successes, our failures and our flaws. He amazes us all the time. Sometimes, we just don’t stop to brag on Him for it. But He’s still amazing. And He always will be!

One of the hot button issues that has become a part of our national conversation is the question, “Is Mormonism a cult?”  Several prominent pastors and religious leaders have spoken, both pro and con, in an effort to answer that  question.  Joel Osteen has gone on record with an interview with the Washington Post in which he expressed his belief that Mormons were Christians, and certainly not a cult.  Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, created a firestorm with his opinion that without equivocation Mormonism is a cult.  Several have landed in various points across the spectrum, but the best answer is “yes” and “no.”  Sociologically, Mormonism and Mormons tend not to behave in many of the characteristic ways that cults behave.  There is no effort at brainwashing, no human living leader that is followed without question, no effort to alienate followers from family and culture.  So in that sense, the answer is no, they are not.  However, from a purely theological perspective, Mormonism historically is a religion that has presented a distortion of the true message of salvation “delivered once for all to the saints.”  The Book of Mormon is not accepted by Christians as a truly God-inspired document.  Any religious system, no matter how nice their adherents may seem, that seeks to lead people away from the true Gospel of salvation “by grace through faith” or that teaches a false view of the person of the Lord Jesus  Christ is, theologically, a cult.  By that definition, Mormonism qualifies.  That’s hard for some to hear, and certainly difficult if you have friends or family who are involved in the Mormon system.  But that does not move us away from the responsibility to “speak the truth in love” to those who are in error and to pray that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ will shine in their hearts.

 

A few years ago, Neil Postman wrote a book entitled Amusing Ourselves to Death.  We are a culture obsessed with being entertained.  We want to be, we NEED to be entertained to feel alive.  There is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying the good gifts that God gives.  But our need for entertainment borders on an addiction, not a simple enjoyment.  We seek it out, we spend billions of dollars annually as a culture…for the purpose of entertainment.  WE have forgotten how to take a quiet walk, or how to spend an evening at home with the TV off.  When we have no plans for the weekend, we PANIC thinking that something entertaining may escape our attention.  And not only are we addicted to being entertained, but we now laugh at the wrong things!  Jeremiah lamented a culture of people who had forgotten how to blush.  How true is that of us!  Our entertainment addiction has torn down walls of decency that now allow profanity and crude imagery to flood into our homes like backed up sewage.  And still we laugh.  It makes me wonder at which point something will be said or done or portrayed in a movie, TV sitcom, or come from the lips of a standup comic and we will no longer laugh.  I believe that what we laugh at…or refuse to laugh at…defines us as a people.  How unlike the Nazarene Jesus Who said from Divine lips, “Blessed are the mourners….for they shall be comforted.”  May the emptiness we are seeking to fill with the vanity of the world’s offerings of entertainment find fullness in the Presence of our Lord and King.  Only then shall we know what true laughter is!