Monthly Archives: October 2010

One Simple Phrase

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Today, I was reading Psalm 25, and one simple phrase jumped out it me. One simple phrase grabbed men and would not let me go.

It’s a phrase I’ve heard over and over, it’s a phrase I’ve said a million times.

It’s a phrase that I know so well, but today, for whatever reason, it was as if I’d heard it for the first time.

Today, slow down, stop and listen to this one phrase from Psalm 25:

10 For your Name’s sake, O LORD, *
forgive my sin, for it is great.

Forgive my sin.  As a pastor, I’ve said many, many, many times that folks sins are forgiven.

Not that I, or any other person, have the power to forgive anyone’s sin. That’s God’s domain and God’s business.

But, what I have had the chance and opportunity to do is to remind folks and let folks know that God has forgiven them their sin.

Today, you are forgiven. Today, if you desire forgiveness, it is there.

Today, if you ask for forgiveness, it is given.

Today, you don’t have to hold onto the mistakes of your past.

God doesn’t. God has forgiven you.  He has let it go.  He has forgiven you.

Let me say it again.  Listen, as if you’ve never heard this. And realize it’s true.

Today, this day, you are forgiven.  You are forgiven.

You can leave the past behind.  God has.  You can too.

If forgives you, you are allowed to forgive yourself.

Today, and each day, live like the forgiven child of God that you are!

Just Do It – Serve Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, October 17 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is one of the sermons my series “Just Do It.,” and it’s about “Serve”  The text is Matthew 25: 31-46.

You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

Grace for us, Judgement for them

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One of the things that we see in the book of Jonah, that Jonah didn’t like, was that he knew God was a merciful and forgiving God.

He knew that God would forgive those that turned from their sin and turned to God.

He knew that was God’s character and God’s desire.

Which, sounds like a good thing. Until Jonah through about it.  We read in chapter 3:

O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.

He knew God would forgive the people of Nineveh.  He knew that.  But here was the problem in that.

Jonah really, really, really, really, really, didn’t like those people.

They were his enemies. They were the enemies of his people. They had harmed Israel time after time.

Jonah didn’t like them. He didn’t want God to save them.  He didn’t want God to forgive them. He didn’t want them saved.

He wanted God to judge them.

He didn’t want God to show them mercy.

He wanted God to show them judgment.

Who, in our lives, do we not want God to forgive?  Who do we want God to judge?

Sometimes in our lives, we want Grace for us and Judgement for them.

We want God to forgive us our sins, but judge them (whoever they are) for their sins.

Grace for us, Judgement for them.

That’s what Jonah wanted. That’s what he wanted God to do.

Is that what we want as well?

God is a God of grace.  He gives us grace, after grace, after grace.

We want that for ourselves. We don’t want judgment for ourselves.

Just like God shows us grace, He will show it to others.  May we understand that.  And, may we show grace to others, just as God has.

And may we see to love, forgive, and give grace.  In the same manner it has been shown us.

God Will Take Care of You

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One of the things that I feel like I have to do is take care of myself and my family.

That’s part of my job in life. That’s part of my responsibility. That’s part of what I’m supposed to do.

As a man, a husband, a father, I’m supposed to do everything I can to take care and provide for those that I love and those that are in my family.

That’s a good thing, I believe.

But, with that said, it a good, good thing for me to read a passage like this today, from Luke’s Gospel:

14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ 15 They did so and made them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

It’s a good thing to remember that the crowd couldn’t feed themselves.  They were following Jesus, listening to His teaching, and they didn’t have the ability to take care of themselves in that place.

What did Jesus do?  He provided for them their needs for that moment.

He will take care of us.  He will provide.  He will not forget.

We see it in this passage, that He took care of those that were following Him.

We pray in the Lord’s Prayer – give us this day our daily bread.

We read in the Old Testament that the Lord sent mana to take care of them in the wilderness.

In life, we are to do our part. Work hard, take care of other people, do our best.

But, even more important than that is to trust.  Trust in the power of God.

Trust in the provision of God.

Trust in the love of God.

God took care of the many in scripture today.

He will take care of you.

Today.

Amazing Love

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One of my favorite works by Charles Wesley is “And Can it Be?”  It has that awesome chorus “Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”

We know God loves us. We’ve heard that from the time we were children. We’ve song the songs, read the verses.

We know God loves us.

But, I think we can forget, or maybe not really know, the depth of God’s love for us.

Listen to what happens in Luke’s Gospel today:

43 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her…. 47 When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.’

She was sick, she had been bleeding for years. This made her unclean, according the Law.

Because of her illness, she couldn’t go to the Temple (church). She couldn’t go to the Market (Wal-Mart). She couldn’t even go to her family. For, simply touching someone that is unclean would make you unclean.

She was separated from all that she loved. She was cut off from everyone and everything.

Desperate, she sees Jesus walking in a crowd and she. . . . . touches him.

Probably the first touch she’d received in many, many years.

And in touching Jesus, she could have made Him unclean.  Not could have, would have.

He could have responded in anger.  The text said she was trembling. Why?

She knew what she had done. She knew the risk she had taken.  It wasn’t even a risk, it was a certainty.  In touching Him, she had risked everything.

She didn’t know what His reaction would be, or the crowd.

How did He respond?  Amazing Love – you are healed.  You are whole.  You are loved.

He responded to in amazing love.  In spite of her condition which had left her cut off for years.  In spite of her doing something, by the Law, she shouldn’t have, in touching Him.  In spite of these.

He healed her.  He loved her.  He made her whole.

Today, no matter who we are.  Jesus loves us.  He wants to make us whole today.

He wants to restore us.  He wants to love us.

Amazing Love, how can it be? That’s the love of Jesus Christ for you.

Today, may we each realize how much we are loved.

While the Nations Rage

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One of the passages of scripture that I’ve always like to come back to when life seems to get a little crazy is Psalm 2.  In this passage, the Psalmist says this:

1 Why are the nations so angry?
Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
the rulers plot together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.
3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,
“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”
4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
The Lord scoffs at them.

My favorite Christian artist, Rich Mullins, had a song based off this passage entitled “While the Nations Rage.”  It, as well as this Psalm remind of us a very important fact.

God is in control.

As humans, as nations, as people, we sometimes get an over-valued view of our world.

You are not Lord of the universe.  Neither am I. We are not in control of the world.  Neither is any person.  God is in control.

And so, today, relax.  Live fully.  Live boldly. God is in control. God is at work. God knows what He is doing.

He has a plan, in all that is going on.  He has a work that is coming.  Even if it’s dark, He is at work.  Trust.

While the nations rage, God is at work.

Put you trust not in the power of other people, put your trust in God.

In spite of circumstances, or failures, or issues, or problems. God is at work.

Trust.  Today, and always!

Just Do It – Connect Podcast

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The sermon podcast for Sunday, October 3 is up on Asbury Church’s website.  This is the first sermon my series “Just Do It.,” and it’s about “Connect.”  The text is 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27.

You can listen to it by clicking here, or you can listen to it here on this blog by clicking below. And, as always, you can subscribe to my sermon podcasts through iTunes.

 

Bragging on Asbury

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I talk a lot about how thankful I am to be serving Asbury Church.

I talk a lot about how proud I am of the church, how excited I am to be serving this church, and about how much God is doing.

I speak vaguely on Facebook and Twitter and other social media sites.  I don’t go into much talk about numbers and things like that, for several reasons.

One is because numbers are not the end all and be all of a church.  A church is more than worship attendance or offerings or any of these things.

These things paint a picture of the overall health of a church, but don’t tell the entire story. So, while these numbers matter, they don’t describe everything.

That said, I want to brag on the people of Asbury Church.

I was appointed pastor of this church in June, 2010.  I don’t know the actual numbers, these are just an approximation. But, we were worshiping close to 180 each Sunday. Roughly 120 adults and 60 children.  Like I said, not 100% positive of those numbers, but that is close.

As of right now, we are worshiping close to 400 on Sunday.  Roughly 280 adults and 120 kids.

We have literally seen our worship attendance double.

We have gone from approximately 5 Small Group Connections to 11 with over 70 additional people plugged into our small group ministry.

We’ve seen our Wednesday night Family Meal grow from roughly 50 in over 120.

We’ve seen our finances stabilize and grow to being the healthiest they’ve been in years.

We literally have every chair we own in the sanctuary so that people will have places to sit. We are having to park on the grass because we are out of parking spots on Sunday.

We are seeing more and more people join the church or express and interest in joining the church.

But, most of all, there is a spirit of life in this place. There is spirit of joy and hope and of grace. There is the expectation that God is doing great things and God is going to do great things here.

There is an excitement about what God is doing. There is a desire to be a part of what God is doing and to invite others to be a part of what God is doing.

I’ve never seen folks so on fire to invite their friends and neighbors to church.

And it’s awesome!

And, it’s all about God.  As I’ve told folks, I’ve been in ministry for several years. And I’ve never seen happen what’s happening here.  God deserves all the praise and all the glory. Those of us that serve, we are trying to be useful do what He wants.

But, He deserves ALL the praise for what is happening at Asbury Church.

It’s about Him.  And His grace.  And His life.

I couldn’t be more excited to serve and lead this awesome part fo the Body of Christ. And I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in the coming weeks, months, and years!

Greater things are yet to come!

Why Should We Be Nice?

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Why should we forgive?

Why should we be graceful?

Why should we be nice?

After all, there are some mean folks out there. There are some folks that don’t deserve our love and forgiveness. There are some folks out there that we shouldn’t have to be nice to.

Why should we be nice?

Today, in Luke 7, I feel like we get an answer to that:

47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’

To whom much has been forgiven, that person should show great love.

We don’t love because other people deserve to be loved. We don’t forgive because other people deserve to be forgiven.  We aren’t nice because people deserve that we should be nice.

We do these things because we have been forgiven.

We forgive because we have been forgiven. We love because we have been forgiven. We are nice, because we have been forgiven.

When we understand just have much we have been forgiven, we can’t help but love others. We can’t help but forgive others. We can’t help but show grace.

Even if they don’t deserve it. Because we don’t deserve God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.

We haven’t earned it. We aren’t always nice people. And God gives it anyway.

So we should give to others.

To those who have been forgiven much, much love has been shown.

Why should we be nice?

Because God has shown us amazing love. And we should show that love to all that we meet.

Whether they “deserve” it or not. Because we have never “deserved” anything God has given us.

He freely gives. So should we.

Restoration

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One of things we see in the prophets in judgement.

God stands before the people and says – you have worshiped idols.  You have done wrong. You have departed from my ways.

It is because of that, you have been punished. And it is because of that punishment is coming.

Your idolatry has caused terrible judgement to come.

We see that a lot in the prophets.

And it always gets me.

As I told my Small Group Connection here at Asbury Church last night, I understand how sinful I am, I understand the things that I do wrong, I understand how much I miss the mark.

And that keeps me from being too judgmental of others. I know right from wrong and I still choose wrong. So, how can I want grace for me and judgement for you?

That is why I love reading the prophets.  The notion of deserved judgement is there.  But, so is something else. We read this today in Micah 2:

12 “Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again
be filled with noisy crowds!

God is a God of Hope. God is a God of restoration. God is a God of forgiveness and grace.

Do we deserve the grace, mercy, and hope He gives?  No.

Do we deserve the forgiveness He offers?  No.

Do we deserve any of this?  No.

The only thing we’ve earned is judgement.

Yet, time after time after time, He gives grace. He gives love.  He gives forgiveness.  He gives hope.

Today, hear the words of Micah. God longs to gather you up. God longs to love you.  God longs to restore you.

No matter what the past was.  No matter what has happened.  No matter what you’ve done.

You.  Are.  Loved.  Today.

No matter what.

God is a God of restoration.  God is a God of Hope.

God is a God of love.

Let Him restore you today.  Let Him bring you life today. Let Him bring you back home today.

You are His.  He won’t let go.  He loves you.  No matter what.