Plodding Through His Word

If there is one thing as a church that I would encourage you to consider doing this next year it would be to invest time into reading God’s Word each day.  Some of you may have never read the Word of God from cover to cover.  I believe you would find it to be one of life’s rewarding achievements!  He longs to speak to us and challenge us through His Word and yet many of us never hear from Him personally. 

David says in Psalm 86:11, “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your

truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”  This is one of my favorite verses in the book of Psalms that convicts me of the need to be in the Word of God.  I walk best and understand His truth when I am spending time in His Word.  I am so much more resolved to stay focused on what really matters when I am consulting Him each day.  God’s principles serve to keep my heart from entertaining ungodly thoughts and actions.  I want the undivided heart for God alone that David speaks about!  This happens when we are strengthened by God; there is no supplement that can replace what He gives us to function each day.

We have posted five different reading plans on our web site in order to help you spend time in God’s Word.  Perhaps reading through the New Testament alone would be a great accomplishment for you.  Ask a friend to walk this journey with you and ask them to help keep you accountable.  If you forget a day then just pick up the next day. 

Imagine what Maywood could look like if the entire membership was spending time reading God’s Word and praying to Him each day.  Satan would be defeated in so many areas of our life.  Many of us would not look the same at the end of the year and some folks may never recognize us.  Let’s give God the liberty to chisel away at us this next year in order that we could begin to look more like Jesus Christ.

Word of God Speak to us!

What's In a Name

A name says a great deal about a product, a place, and even a person.  Names are typically chosen carefully to reflect the character and quality of things and individuals.  This was especially true in the days gone by, and significant names were given to the Christ Child to demonstrate His character.

In my reading today one name that stands out is found Luke 1:32.  The angel continues his summary of the person and work of Christ: he says, “He will be called the Son of the Highest.” “Highest” was simply a title for God, clearly indicating that no one is higher than He is.  Mary and other righteous Jews were familiar with that title because it is used throughout the Old Testament.  In fact, the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek term used by Luke is one many of us know: El Elyon, which means “God Most High.”  That title refers to God’s sovereignty and the fact that no one is higher, more exalted, or more powerful than He is.

To identify Jesus as the Son of the Highest is to declare that He has the same essence as the Most High God. Hebrews 1:3-4 says this about Jesus:  ^"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."  Jesus told His disciples, “‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’” (John 14:9). And He boldly asserted to His Jewish opponents, “‘I and My Father are one’” (John 10:30).  Gabriel announced, and the New Testament confirms, that Jesus unquestionably was and is worthy of His divine title, because He truly is the Son of God.   

Take time to study the various names of Christ and God in Scripture to learn more about their character and attributes.

 

The Mystery of Immanuel

I appreciate reading David Jeremiah in how he reflected on the beauty of the name Immanuel.  He says, “of all the names of the Lord Jesus that were given to Him for His time on this earth, this one is my favorite.” The name Immanuel, which being translated, is “God with us.”

As Christians, we sometimes feel that in order to really appreciate our faith, we need to understand everything about it. But the more I study the Gospel, the more I become aware of the vastness of truth that I do not comprehend. The one thing I will never comprehend is God becoming a man. But I must not put myself in a corner and say that in order for me to appreciate and believe it, I must completely comprehend it. Paul seemed almost overcome by the thought of it when writing to his young friend Timothy. In 1 Timothy 3:16 he wrote, “And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh.” Paul was saying to young Timothy, “I can’t explain this. But let me just tell you this. There is no controversy at all about it. Without controversy, great is the mystery.”  How do we explain godliness?

Isn’t it wonderful to be able to pause for a moment and reflect on the mystery and the wonder of our God? Wondering at the Christ Child. Wondering at Immanuel. Wondering at God manifested in the flesh. God became a man—like our own children, you, and I.

Writer after writer has tried to help us understand the majestic mystery of God manifested in the flesh. For instance, C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, wrote these words: “The second person in God, the Son, became human Himself: was born into the world as an actual man—a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular color, speaking a particular language, weighing so many pounds. The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a fetus inside a woman’s body.”

I’m not so sure anybody would have ever crafted such an amazing plan for the incarnation of Christ? Would we have made that plan to rescue lost mankind? Would we have sent the Redeemer in a manger, wrapped in strips of swaddling cloth? Would we have had Him born in a stable built for animals? Would we have had His first visitors be the despised shepherds of the hillside? It is a mystery beyond mysteries, a story written by the finger of God, and one that we will never comprehend. But it is also one that we should always appreciate.  

Have a Christ-Filled Christmas with Immanuel! ~~Pastor Gary

Gospel Centered Life

I’m not sure about you, but each day when I wake up my feet hit the floor running with so many things that I need to accomplish.  Of course, the most important things that I should do are a challenge to complete due to unexpected phone calls, emails, or incidents throughout the day.  Life never seems to unfold the way that I anticipate.  I’m sure that if we sat down together we would all identify only a handful of things that really matter each day to truly accomplish.  All of the other things could probably be tossed out and deemed insignificant.

Let’s name those things that are TOP priority together.  Time with God in His Word just seems like the right and best thing to do each day.  The question is “how do I plan on it happening each day”.  Perhaps we could catch a verse on the Christian radio station as we travel to work or we could wake up fifteen minutes earlier to spend time alone with Him because we can’t make it without Him.

We would probably agree that praying is the lifeline that keeps us going all day long.  However, our praying may seem like tiny little fragments of time that we talk to God behind the steering wheel, in the rest room, or when a tense moment arises throughout the day.  I believe we would agree that God desires and deserves meditative prayer in order to seek His heart and praise His name.  If the quality of our relationship with Him is revealed by the time we spent with Him it could be embarrassing to us all.

I believe that it goes without saying that God has placed us all on a mission, which is to share the Gospel message (Acts 2:32-37).  Each day is a new opportunity to carry the Gospel a little further than we did yesterday.  Each day has new faces and ways to share the Gospel.  The question is, “is it a priority for me to share”?  If so, who and when was the last time we shared it with another person?  When our feet hit the floor in the mornings, might we ask, “who can I share the Gospel with today”?

These three spiritual disciplines:  time in the Word, time in prayer, and sharing the Gospel should be on the to do list each day.  In fact, they should occupy the top three lines of that list.  In essence, since we have been touched by the grace of God in our own lives, some other things just really don’t seem as significant.  When we focus on these top priorities it is amazing how God manages the other things for us.

The Power of a Thank You

Probably one of the best things my parents instilled in me was to have a thankful heart for anything that someone did for me or gave me.  I was encouraged to always say "thank you" for the smallest of things and if I wasn't sure if I said it then I should say it again to be safe.  Please know that I'm not saying I'm the best at being thankful but I always strive to let people know how much their kindness means to me.   Every time someone gives me the smallest gift I try to make a note on my list as a reminder to send them a thank you.  In fact, I carry thank you cards in my backpack so if I have a few moments somewhere I can send one off.

Over the years, working with the youth at the church I would always try to tell a young person how much it meant to me that they would tell me thank you.  In essence I was thanking them for thanking me.  Sounds goofy I know but I believe it is that important as it honors others.  When we would have a youth event at someone's house I would always tell the kids to make sure they said thank you to our host three times--my thinking was they might say it at least once.  We were always welcomed back and it helped that we really cleaned up after ourselves.

God esteems a thankful heart and desires that we express gratitude towards others (Ephesians 4); however, consider how much HE wants to be thanked in the following verses. 

• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
• Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"
• Psalm 136:26 "Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever."
• Psalm 106:1-2 "Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?"
• Psalm 100:4 "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
• Psalm 136:1 "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever."

This Thanksgiving, may I challenge you in two ways:

1. Share around the table how you are thankful for one another.
2. Spend time this week just thanking God for being your God.

A thankful heart is spiritually healthy!  It pleases the heart of God and encourages the hearts of one another.  With so much bitterness and negativity around you, don't underestimate the Power of a Thank You.  Thank you for taking the time to read this blog today ; )

The IMPACT of the Gospel

The Gospel is not just a message we share with those who do not know Christ.  And, it is so much more than a get out of Hell free card!  The Gospel is what should give believers purpose each and every day.  The Gospel is the ongoing message that God loves us and desires us to walk in ways that please Him alone.  The decisions Christians make each day should speak loudly about the life-changing Gospel that has touched their lives.  Christ made it possible, by the giving of Himself as the only acceptable sacrifice, for all mankind to be brought into communion with God.  In fact, the Gospel not only brings a sinner into relationship with God, it is the work of the Gospel that collapses walls between enemies and allows them to enjoy one another’s fellowship—not just tolerate them!  This indeed is the mystery of the Gospel that the apostle Paul described.  I hope we all believe in the power of the Gospel since there is NOBODY we can’t forgive because of how the Gospel has changed our lives.

As Christians, our hearts should long for the words of Christ to dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:15-17).  However, in order for that to happen we must be spending time in the Word.  The early church was marked by its desire to know God’s Words and His Words served as the FOUNDATION of this first church. The Gospel not only creates a desire to know God through His Word more, but it prompts an uncommon love and concern for others (Acts 2:42-47).

The very first church not only set a pattern for future churches, but it established high priorities for God and others.  The church celebrated the Lord’s Supper together, prayed together, praised together, and they were very in tune with one another’s needs.   This type of love for one another demanded a loose grip on their personal schedules, priorities, and possessions.  The community that was observing this Christian behavior was “favorably” impressed and many of them were coming to know Christ, being added to the church regularly (day by day, Acts 2:47).

We can be guilty of building a church on the wrong foundation and preaching Gospel-light messages that don’t bring salvation or lasting change.  Programs and fanciful methods do not necessarily equate God’s glory being radiated from His church.  However, churches built on the authority of God’s Word, praising and proclaiming the saving Gospel, caring for one another, and all in prayerful dependence upon God are prepared to grow for His glory.  Healthy organisms always experience growth and so it is with spiritually healthy churches!!!

The Gospel of the Church

Over the years there has been much talk by pastors about the poor spiritual state of their local churches.  Questions are asked, “How can folks behave or live in this manner?” and “Why do folks show no urgency to personally share the Gospel?”.  These are indeed fair questions and many more could be asked.  We could suggest that there is no accountability, they have never been taught Biblically, leadership has done a poor job, or that sin has just entered into the church—these could all be true.

Almost all churches require that an individual desiring to be a church member be a professing Christian—after all that is the Biblical pattern found in Scripture (believers were added unto the church—Acts 2:41).  The Bride of Christ (the church) is comprised of those who have placed their faith and trust in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins and those believers should be living in obedience to the Word of God which gives proof of that conversion (Eph. 5:1-19; Matt. 7:15-23).  This is why it is so important to understand that Biblical repentance reveals itself in a new way of life and a putting to death of the “old man” (Romans 6:1-7; Gal. 2:20).

One of the challenges is that the church has allowed non-believers into membership and I believe it occurs for lack of knowledge of what the Gospel of Christ is truly about.  PLEASE know that I welcome non-believers to church and we are talking membership.  The church leadership, in most churches, is responsible to hear the testimonies of those desiring membership and to make sure there has been a salvation decision.  It is difficult to argue when somebody says that they’re a Christian or that they have asked Jesus into their hearts.  Might there be value in defining the Gospel to that individual?  Some people live very upright lives and don’t know the first thing about the Gospel, which makes it difficult.

The Gospel is the engine of the church that drives all the church does.  Scripture is also clear that nothing happens without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).  The church needs a clear understanding of the Gospel:  that all men (and women) are sinners, condemned to an eternity in Hell, separated from a Holy God, unable to save themselves, but Jesus Christ (the Son of God, the sinless, perfect sacrifice) died for all sinfulness and that those who repent and put their belief in Him can have forgiveness—this is how we are drawn into a relationship with God.  God can finally accept us because we are now dressed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Without a Biblical basis for what the Gospel really is it becomes a matter of personal morality and any behavior can be justified.  A life of obedience, beginning with baptism, gives proof of the Gospel change that has occurred (Acts 2:36-41). 

As Christians, we cannot afford to disguise or sugar coat the Gospel to get others to accept it—getting others to accept it is God’s job.  We are to live as empowered witnesses of the Gospel—after all, we have first-hand experience (Acts 1:8).