The Testing of Faith

The testing of our faith is evident by James 1:2-12. We will be tested with the goal being that we pass the test. Not only should we pass the test but we should persevere through the trial by relying on our faith. Our faith should be strong enough to be confident in what God can do and then expect Him to deliver us through each and every situation. God allows for us to be tested in "many ways" because He needs to see that our faith is not merely spoken but acted out when the time comes. James tells us to "consider it pure joy" when we face trials because it will develop the persistence of our faith. The reason behond the trials is to be able to present the believer as "mature and complete". We will need wisdom from God to encounter trials and defeat them successfully. Verse 12 says, "blessed are those who persevere under trial." We will be rewarded for persevering through trials from within (tempatation of sin) and without (persecution). You can only receive the prize if you have entered the competition of a life with Jesus Christ. We will all struggle but only those who have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are able to persevere to the end will receive the "crown of life".

Fear of Commitment

Last night in FUEL we discussed the "Fear of Commitment". We all struggle with committing to things, either too many commitments or too few. The question we must ask ourselves, is are we committed to the right things? What do your commitments involve? Are you committed to things you don't really care about or want to put your time and effort into? Are you committed to the things that you value and are most passionate about? You must first realize what you value so that you may make the appropriate commitments towards it. My passions and values are in who God is and what He has done so I make commitments that allow me to work towards God and put my energy and efforts towards Him. So ask yourself, am I committed to the God who created me, the one who sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for me? OR am I committed to the meaningless things of this earth that are insignificant in the grand scheme of eternity? I pray that you will commit yourself to God and to Him alone becuase He provides the greatest benefits and none of the costs. After all, what do you have to lose?

Fear of Rejection

I spoke at FUEL on October 21 about "The Fear of Rejection" and how it can run our daily lives. This fear is perhaps the greatest fear facing today's youth. They are constantly under-attack to be more like another person, dress like them, speak like them, act like them, listen to the same music as them, do the same foolish things as them, etc. I pray that youth of today will be able to hear the Gospel message about a God who loves them for who they are, faults included. I hope they can learn that being rejected by people has no consequences for for the after-life but being rejected by God can affect you for all eternity. We need to live life for an audience of one and only try to gain God's approval because man's opinions are just that, opinions of people who will die just like us.

(See Matthew 10:28)

Preaching at My Alma-Mater Hannibal LaGrange College

I had the great opportunity to preach at my alma-mater Hannibal LaGrange College yesterday, October 14, 2009. It was truly a great honor and I enjoyed every minute of my time there. Dr. Tom Hufty gave me this opportunity and I am truly thankful him doing so. I got to see many old faces and bring back some great memories. Alyssa Askew, a current HLG student and a member of Bethel Baptist Church (my home church) led worship before I spoke. I spoke for about 30 minutes on Mark 10:17-22, the story of "The Rich Young Ruler". You can check out my sermon at http://www.hlg.edu/life/chapel.php

The NEW FUEL Starts Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, September 23rd, begins a new format for our Wednesday evening youth event called FUEL. We have been mostly Bible study oriented but now taking it to more of a worship service type event. I had acquired a guy to lead worship for us beginning tomorrow but he just agreed to go to Germany for a couple weeks with his son's band. So, I have been pumping up this NEW FUEL and now my worship leader has gone AWOL. So I tried to recruit a teenage guy from the homeschool group that meets here at the church. He offered up a whole band for us to have play tomorrow night! But then he went on to say let me check and make sure we can do it. he is supposed to let me know today if they will be here or not. I am hoping and praying that God will provide this need for our ministry. If all goes well we may try and continue this partnership with these guys so that we may have an even more effective service. I am not too worried because I know God is in control of the situation... as always!

God as our "Ultimate Creator"

Before "time" God was there. I often forget that before creation God was there and I now wonder what He did before He created earth. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." The beginning spoken of here is our beginning as a created species on a created planet with created heavens and earth. God was and is the supreme being and authority in our lives, in humanity, on earth, and in the heavens and space around our planet. As the "ultimate creator" God creatively made all that we know including us. Each of us is different in some way... physically, mentally, spiritually, etc. We, like God, are also creative but in our own way. We cannot create something out of nothing (ex nihilo) like God did. What we can do is show God's love to others in creative ways. We have the ability to create ways to reach others and share the gospel with them. I pray that we can actively seek out creative ways to reach people and minister to them in a variety of ways.

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

I am 1 hour away from FUEL where I will be speaking out of Psalm 24:1-6. The topic is Give Us Clean Hands and a Pure Heart. We must strive to present ourselves sanctified, pure, and clean before God each day. We let too many things in our life run how we live our life. Possessions are what push us, not the passion for a relationship with our Father in heaven. I pray that my students will learn something tonight that will speak to them in a way that will push them to flee from the things of this world and pursue God. I hope they will set aside the idols, emotions, and physical "needs" they think mean everything to life. We will be writing things that come between us and God onto a large canvas that already has a clean hand identical to the on in this picture. The words of... anger, sadness, friends, pain, status, beauty, etc. will fill up the space that surrounds the hand to leave only a "clean hand" which is purified by setting aside all the things in our life that lead us astray. When you meet God and He stretches out His hand to you... will you be able to grab His hand or will you end up handing Him your cell phone, your computer, list of people you hate, a list of people who are "more beautiful than you", etc. You need to have clean hands to be able to grab thhe hand of your creator when it comes to that day and each day when you spend your time with Him - you should pursue purity as if He is right next to you... because HE IS!