This Christmas It's All About Jesus

It's All About Jesus

    It's All About His Humanity

It's All About His Nativity
It's All About His Vulnerability
It's All About His Adversity
It's All About His Identity
It's All About His Humility
It's All About His Authenticity
It's All About His Simplicity
It's All About His Access ability
It's All About His Dignity
It's All About His Solidarity
It's All About His Community
It's All About His Equality
It's All About His Validity
It's All About His Necessity
It's All About His Capacity
It's All About His Responsibility
It's All About His Credibility
It's All About His Intensity
It's All About His Capability
It's All About His Integrity

   It's All About His Deity

It's All About His Glory
It's All About His Purity
It's All About His Fidelity
It's All About His Charity
It's All About His Reality
It's All About His Quality
It's All About His Longevity
It's All About His Stability
It's All About His Eventuality
It's All About His Complexity
It's All About His Superiority
It's All About His Authority
It's All About His Ability
It's All About His Priority
It's All About His Eternality
It's All About His Sovereignty

Because He came to rescue us from our Carnality!

Standing With Our Brothers And Sisters In The Middle East

The danger of following Christ if you live in the Middle East is a very real and present danger.  There are radical elements plotting against our brothers and sisters even as I write this blog post. This Christmas our Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, and other ethnic brothers and sisters are in real danger of being attacked during worship services.

How should we in the Western Churches respond?  First, we need to prayer for them (regularly). Also during our Christmas services we need to stand with them corporately in prayer. They need to know we care about them. They need to know we love them and hold their Faith in Christ as precious.

Having been to Egypt visiting both Coptic and Evangelical churches, my heart longs to see their safety and freedom of worship. I desire for God's intervention to undo the work of these hate mongers who kill innocent people.  I desire God to lift the blinders off those who attack Christians and think they are serving God.

Jesus, please protect your Church in the Middle East. Please use their sacrifice to bring light to their persecutors. Please bring the schemes of Satan through binded Moslems to nothing. Please open the eyes of those who are spiritually blinded and full of hateful resolve. Please save our spiritual family in the Middle East!

Training In Titus

The Book of Titus was written by The Apostle to his young pastor/protégé that he left on the Island of Crete to get The Church back on the tracks of sound doctrine that reflects lives that demonstrate what we believe.

First Leaders who are qualified by their godly conduct.
Then Older men who are influential by their self - control.
And Older women who are influential by their investment in to lives of the next generation.
Also Young men who are influential by the Gospel demonstrated in their daily lives.
Finally Employees who are influential by being honest, hardworking, and loyal.

Spurgeon On Our Attitude Towards Sin

O sirs, if I had a dear brother who had been murdered, what would you think of me if I valued the knife which had been crimsoned with his blood? —if I made a friend of the murderer, and daily consorted with the assassin, who drove the dagger into my brother’s heart? Surely I, too, must be an accomplice in the crime! Sin murdered Christ; will you be a friend to it? Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God; can you love it? Oh, that there was an abyss as deep as Christ’s misery, that I might at once hurl this dagger of sin into its depths, whence it might never be brought to light again!   

The Call To Christian Maturity

I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.  I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.  1st John 2:12-14 

Imagine with me spending a full day observing a preschool and the children during their daily activities there. And one of the students is a 30 year old man enrolled as one of the preschoolers? And each time the teacher asked a question the man gave the correct answer. And each time the teacher asked for cleanup time the man was the first to have his area cleaned. And at the end of the day you observe the 30 year old man is one of the best preschoolers.  But you know in your heart there is a problem. A 30 year old man does not belong in preschool! 

What an incredible experience it was for me when I became a disciple of Jesus almost 29 years ago.  As a brand new baby Christian, to know I had been forgiven and given the privilege of becoming one of God's family. To learn of the wonderful love that God has for me as a child of God.

But if my relationship with Jesus was formed only from my understanding of my forgiveness and acceptance and never moved from that starting point to other important truths like stewardship, obedience, and service any keen observer would say there is a problem. He is still in Christian preschool after almost 29 years of discipleship.

In 1st John 2:12-14 John illustrates three stages of Christian maturity with little children, young men, and fathers.  And it appears the path from little children to fathers is the way of young men and having the Word Of God to strengthen us to overcome temptation. In other words, learning and applying God's Word for daily living. Jesus wants us to graduate from Christian Preschool to normal life long discipleship.  See also Hebrews 5:12-6:3

Our New Generation Has Forgotten The Respect For The Great Generation

Thank You Delbert Belton (Shorty).

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/01/funeral-held-for-beaten-wwii-veteran/

"Such Things As Ye Have" By F.B. Meyer

"Moses had only a rod, but a rod with God can open the Red Sea.

David had only five pebbles, but these with God brought down Goliath.

The woman had only a little pot of oil, but that pot of oil with God paid all her debts.

The poor widow was scraping the bottom of the barrel, but with God the handful of meal kept her child, herself, and the prophet until the rain came.

The boy had only five tiny loaves and two small fish, but with Jesus they were enough for five thousand men, beside women and children.

Estimate what you have got, and then count God into the bargain!

He never lets go you hand. He will never leave nor forsake those that trust in Him!"

My Rant Against Cyberhaters

I remember a day gone by when you wanted to say something to someone you had to call, send a letter or the direct approach and visit them face to face. While I love technology and all that can be done with it, I believe our culture has lost something when anonymous people can say such hurtful things towards others they don't even know online.  Recently Rick Warren's son took his life after years mental and emotional difficulty. Any normal American (and human being for that matter) should have compassion and sympathy for the entire Warren family. But instead we have this cultural war of Cyberhaters who do not understand a culture of respect and understanding that this country had years ago...It is shocking to me that at a time when a man has lost his son that political and cultural factions use this situation to chime in the same old rhetorical hate. Grow up America!  We have our differences, but we need to remember we are all human and there is a standard for the human race....and Cyberhate is cowardly!
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2286776617001/pastor-warren-attacked-on-social-media-after-sons-suicide/

His Mercy Endures Forever

 (Old School But Worth A Listen)

Mind Surfing

When ever I see a good wave I visualise in my mind how I would surf it. While this can be helpful when in the water it can become a replacement when viewing waves from the shore or even on my computer screen. I begin to evaluate how others surf as I am standing on the shore or the comfort of my desk chair.
This practice takes place in other sports as well. For example football fans who know how to run a football team from their couch instead of the turf. While all this Monday morning quarterbacking or mind surfing seems harmless, the same can take place in our walk with Jesus. Often I talk about sharing Christ with others but find the comfort of our culture an easy hiding place from actually doing it. Or I will encourage others to spend time in devotions but neglect my own time with Jesus.
The turf may be difficult but I need to get off the couch and down onto the field. The water may be cold and the waves a bit big but I need to paddle out if I am going to do more than just mind surf. If I am going to participate in following Jesus I need to put my faith into action. In Philippians 2:12-13 we learn we are to WORK OUT WHAT GOD HAS WORKED IN US.
Following Jesus is an exciting adventure if we are participating instead of spectating.