John's Blog

Jesus is the Authority - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for Sunday, January 19, 2012 - John Ketchersid

2012-01-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Jesus is the Authority - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for Sunday, January 19, 2012 - John Ketchersid

Jesus is the Maker - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for Sunday, January 22, 2012 - Text, Mark 1:14-20

2012-01-24T13:10:00.000-08:00

Jesus is the Maker - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for Sunday, January 22, 2012 - Text, Mark 1:14-20

Jesus is the Leader - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for January 15, 2012 - John Ketchersid

2012-01-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Jesus is the Leader - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for January 15, 2012 - John Ketchersid

Jesus is the Voice of God - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for January 8, 2012 - John Ketchersid

2012-01-24T08:40:00.000-08:00

Jesus is the Voice of God - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for January 8, 2012 - John Ketchersid

Holy Name of Jesus - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for January 1, 2012 - by John Ketchersid

2012-01-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

Holy Name of Jesus - Plymouth Park Church of Christ - Sermon for January 1, 2012 - by John Ketchersid

Not For Sale

2011-08-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Acts 8:18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.”

There are some things that cannot be bought or sold at any price. You can’t buy love. You can’t purchase a real friend. And there is no price-tag on the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not for sale.

God is not influenced by money and he doesn’t need it. The Psalmist paints the picture of God’s people bringing their sacrifices and offerings, and the Lord reminds them…

Psalm 50:9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

But Simon the magician is probably not even thinking about trying to influence the Lord with a bribe. Simon is just trying to learn a new technique, a new formula of magic to manipulate people. He wants power and wealth. And this new magic is Simon’s new get rich quick scheme.

The apostle Peter puts his finger right on the problem: Simon, your heart is not right with God! The power of God is not for sale, but the Holy Spirit is the wonderful free gift to those whose heart is open to the Lord.

Open up your heart to God. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Meditation Exercise for this week:

· Read Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34

· What does it mean to love the Lord with your heart? How do you do it?

· What does it mean to love the Lord with your soul? How do you do it?

· What does it mean to love the Lord with your mind? How do you do it?

· What does it mean to love the Lord with your strength? How do you do it?

PRAYER & FASTING

2011-07-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

We are praying to be in tune with the Holy Spirit as we make the decision about the PPCC property. We are setting aside Wednesdays as a Day of Prayer and Fasting for this purpose.

So, instead of having a Wednesday night supper, we will forego the meal and meet for prayer at 6:30 pm in Room 501. Please join us for these prayer times for the next three Wednesdays: July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 10.

Of course, it is up to you to decide how you will fast during this time. Some of us will fast all day on these Wednesdays. Some of us will skip supper on these days. Others will fast at another meal time. However you choose to participate is fine, we simply want to set aside these Days of Prayer and Fasting as time devoted to the Lord and his will for this church.

This is an important decision for us. We do not want to make this decision on our own. We need the Lord’s help! Our deep desire is for this decision to glorify God and serve the mission of Jesus Christ in this world. So, let’s all dedicate ourselves to praying for the Lord’s wisdom and provision.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Schedule:

July 27 Wed. Day of Prayer and Fasting; Prayer Meeting at 6:30 pm

July 31 Sun. Bible Class and Worship

Aug. 3 Wed. Day of Prayer and Fasting; Prayer Meeting at 6:30 pm

Aug. 7 Sun. No Bible Class; Worship Assembly at 10:15; Congregational Mtg. after Worship – Voting Begins

Aug. 10 Wed. Day of Prayer and Fasting; Prayer Meeting at 6:30 pm

Aug. 14 Sun. Bible Class at 9:15; Voting Concluded; Worship Assembly at 10:15 – Announce Vote Results

ORDINARY PEOPLE

2011-07-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Things are not what they seem to be sometimes. I recently saw a Top Ten list that included animals that are not quite what they seem to be:

A koala bear is not a bear, it is a marsupial
A guinea pig is not from Guinea and it is not a pig, it is a rodent from South America
And for those of us in the DFW area… A horned frog is not a frog, it’s a lizard (sorry TCU alums)

I think God loves this kind of stuff. He loves to shock us with things that don’t seem to fit into our system. That’s what happened with the early church. Peter and John shocked the religious/political leaders. These disciples were not afraid. By all accounts they should have been. But they were bold and courageous.

Why were they courageous? Those watching that day noted that these guys had been with Jesus. Evidently they had seen this kind of boldness before. I believe what they were recognizing in Peter and John was the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had told them, “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12:11,12)

The religious leaders were right about them. They were unschooled. But Peter and John and the other followers of Jesus were taught in a different way: by the Holy Spirit. That’s what happens when you spend time with Jesus. After all Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit was his own continual presence with his disciples (John 14:18).

The great thing today is that the Holy Spirit is promised to us, too. Peter spoke about it in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. The people in Jerusalem that day were convicted by the message of Jesus. They wanted to do something about their condition and so they asked Peter what they should do. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38,39)

When we come to Christ, we too receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are the ones who are “far off” receiving the same amazing gift.

So, we too spend time with Jesus and grow in the power of the Spirit. Where is Jesus? How can we be with him? Here are a few of my thoughts on that…

Serve people in need. Jesus told us that when we do that we are really serving him. Jesus is in the middle of humble service. (Matthew 25:40)
Learn the words of Jesus. Jesus told that whoever hears his words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a firm foundation. Jesus is present in the learning of his words. (Matthew 7:24ff; Luke 6:46ff)
Work for peace, unity, and reconciliation. Jesus told us that when we are people of reconciliation and forgiveness that he is there among us. Jesus is present in reconciliation. (Matthew 18:15ff)
Help others follow Jesus. Jesus told us to go into the world for the purpose of making disciples. Jesus is present in his mission. (Matthew 28:18-20)

A horned frog is not really a frog…and a disciple of Jesus Christ is not some super educated, super talented person. It’s a person who has been with Jesus. And we believe that the Lord is transforming ordinary people into extraordinary disciples by the power of his Holy Spirit.

The greatest force for God’s mission in this world is ordinary people living for Jesus Christ.

PPCC CONGREGATIONAL MTG - JULY17

2011-07-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Congregational Meeting

Sunday, July 17

In the PPCC Sanctuary

Updated Schedule for Sunday, July 17:

· 9:15 am Sunday School

· 10:15 am Worship Assembly

· 11:30 am* Catered Lunch following Worship

· 12:30 pm* Congregational Meeting

*These are approximate times and may be adjusted as needed

Catered Lunch:

· The Advisory Board decided to have this lunch catered (instead of a Pot Luck) in the Fellowship Hall

· We wanted to reduce the burden of this day to make the Congregational Meeting work more easily and be more productive.

· So, you do not need to bring food next Sunday.

Agenda for Congregational Meeting:

· Information from ACU concerning the sale of the property, the buy-back amount for PPCC, and other related issues

· Discussion of options and possibilities for PPCC’s future

· Discussion of action items and next steps for PPCC

Prayer:

· Please spend some time this week seeking the Lord’s wisdom, strength, and provision

· This Wednesday we will have a special time of focused prayer about the issues facing PPCC – 7:00 pm

BLESSED? BLESSED!

2011-06-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

We use some words to mean almost the exact opposite of their real definition. Here’s a few that I have seen recently: Fancy, Deluxe, and Classic. A packet of ketchup at the McDonald’s is fancy?! At another fast food restaurant the Deluxe burger is not the big one with all the stuff on it, it’s the small one! And I saw a car advertisement in the newspaper for a Classic Gremlin. If there is any automobile that is not a classic it’s the AMC Gremlin of the ‘70s…what a lemon! I’ve always said, “If life gives you Gremlins, make Gremlinade.”

There is a word in the Bible that sometimes we read like that: Blessed. You probably remember what Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…the meek…the insulted…and the persecuted.” Does that sound blessed to you? We almost get to the point that we think, “If Jesus says you’re blessed, you’re probably suffering.”

The problem is our definition of blessed. We think we are blessed if…wait a second, you fill in the blank. What do you think of as being blessed? I am blessed if _______________________. If you’re like me you want to manipulate the test and think of something real spiritual to put in the blank. But my default way of thinking goes like this, “If only I had enough money to feel secure, I would be happy…if only our cars would cooperate…if only people would recognize my value...if only…” And my working definition of blessed gets exposed. How about yours?

But we know better than that! The Lord has taught us that real blessedness is found in Jesus Christ. He has turned our anxiety into peace. He has turned our sadness into joy. He has turned our bitterness into forgiveness. He has turned our loneliness into community. He has turned our anger into a servant spirit. Would we trade that blessedness for worldly wealth or popularity or power or pleasure? No!

We have committed ourselves to the faithful Creator and we will continue to follow in His way!

Listen to these scripture passages. Really, read them out loud:

Matthew 6:31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

We really are blessed beyond measure in Jesus Christ!

A Mirror Test

2011-05-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Chosen. Priest. Holy. Special. Are these words that you would use to describe yourself? The Apostle Peter was writing to followers of Jesus who did not see themselves this way. But they needed to! And maybe you do, too.

Have you heard of The Mirror Test? It’s an exam that you would pass…because it is usually given to animals. It’s a self-awareness test and the vast majority of animals do not do very well on this quiz. In fact it is very remarkable if one of our four-legged or feathered friends gets it. But if a human being does not recognize themselves in a mirror, there is something tragically wrong.

But when we look in the mirror do we see reality?

We often deceive ourselves about the way we look and sound. Do you like to listen to a recording of your voice or watch a video of yourself? I know what you say, “I don’t sound like that!”… “I don’t look like that!” Of course you do, cameras don’t lie! What’s been happening is that we have been deceiving ourselves about the way we sound and look. But there is good news too: your friends and family love you anyway, and they think you look and sound just fine.

I think we often have a similar spiritual problem. We do not see ourselves according to the truth the Lord has given us in Christ. We know our faults, failures, and frustrations. And that’s the lingering image we have of ourselves.

But the Lord has a different picture. God is like the new mother in the hospital who finally gets a moment alone with her newborn. And she says, “You are my baby. I love you. I am so happy with you.” Do you remember God saying something like that? He said it to Jesus when he was baptized (except for the baby part) in Mark 1.

I know what you’re thinking: “O sure, God said that to Jesus. Jesus was perfect. But I’m sinner.” That’s not what the Lord calls you. He calls you His son. He calls you His daughter. Let the words of the Apostle Paul wash over you:

Galatians 3:26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I am convinced that at your baptism God said the same thing to you that he said to Jesus, “You are my son/daughter. I love you. I am very pleased with you.”

Look in the mirror. What do you see? No, look again. You see there the image of a child of God. Chosen. Priest. Holy. Special.

PPCC Values and Plans

2011-05-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

In the past three months we here at the Plymouth Park Church of Christ have had some important discussions about our future. In these discussions some things have emerged as key values for us. Other things have surfaced as important for us to develop. I have put these “values for development” into three categories:

1. Egalitarian

2. Ecumenical

3. Evangelistic

I would like to spend the next few weeks blogging about these three things. I want to focus on these values to help us pray and plan.

We need to spend focused time in prayer about these things because we don’t want them to simply be our own ideals. We truly want to have Holy Spirit filled values. We want them to be Christ-centered.

We also need to plan. I see these values as great opportunities to develop ministry strategies for the future of Plymouth Park Church of Christ.

I like what the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 4:2,3 to encourage disciples to pray about their mission and ministry in Jesus Christ—Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

So, we devote ourselves to prayer that the Lord will open a door for our message in Jesus Christ!

Be watching for more on this in future blogs.

Resurrection Sunday Dance, Budapest, Hungary

2011-04-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Check out this great celebration of life in Jesus! It will make you want to get up and dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5dSIL358NM&feature=related

Christ is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!

Wednesday Prayer Note #8 - Perfect Freedom

2011-04-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

Prayers of Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

These prayers are extracts from Augustine’s Confessions.*

Almighty God,

in whom we live and move and have our being,

you have made us for yourself,

so that our hearts are restless till they rest in you;

grant us purity of heart and strength of purpose,

that no passion may hinder us from knowing your will,

no weakness from doing it;

but in your light may we see light clearly,

and in your service find perfect freedom;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Eternal God,

the light of the minds that know you,

the joy of the hearts that love you,

the strength of the wills that serve you;

grant us to to know you that we may truly love you,

so to love you that we may fully serve you,

whom to serve is perfect freedom;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The idea that stands out to me in these prayers is that serving the Lord is perfect freedom. It seems like this is an important thought to Augustine. But is he combining opposite ideas: freedom and service?

What do you think about it? Is it a contradiction of terms to be a Free Servant? In a typical way of thinking those are opposite terms, but not for the child of God. For us, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are learning that real life and perfect freedom are found in serving the Lord and seeking his will above our own.

Jesus taught us, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24,25)

We gain real life by willingly giving up our selfish ambitions for our own life. We find perfect freedom by willingly becoming a servant of the Lord.

This is an important part of our prayer life, too. It is the time we say to the Lord, “My life is yours. I am your servant. And I know that serving you brings real life.” Perfect freedom.

Let’s take this example of prayer from Augustine, which I believe reflects the prayer life of our Lord Jesus, and open up our hearts to experience fullness of life by fully giving over our lives to serving God.

We have set aside Wednesdays as a Day of Prayer for us to seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in the important decisions facing our church family. Many of us will be spending time in prayer at 12:00 noon on Wednesdays. Would you join us?

*2000 Years of Prayer, compiled by Michael Counsell, p. 30.

Wednesday Prayer Note #7 - Big Kingdom

2011-04-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

This prayer is aimed at helping the church see the Lord’s bigger picture.

This past weekend I went with my Dad and my brothers to the NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball games in Houston. It was an awesome experience! And it was big. Everything was big. Big crowds. Big concerts. Big buildings. Big signs. Big prices. Big traffic. Big city. I was really overwhelmed by the bigness of it all.

God’s kingdom is big. The prayer in Ephesians 3 focuses on helping followers of Jesus to step back and get a panoramic view of that Big Kingdom:

· Grasp how wide and long and high and deep is Jesus Christ’s love!

· Filled with fullness of God!

· Doing immeasurably more by the Lord’s power in us!

· Glorifying God for ever and ever!

It’s more than we can imagine, but it’s definitely worth trying. Because when we step back and look, we realize that the Lord is doing something that is eternally impressive…bigger than we ever thought. The Lord is up to a big mission! And it is awesome!

So, this week as we pray, let’s ask the Lord to open up our eyes a little more to see a bigger picture. Big love. Big service. Big faith. Big salvation. Big kingdom. Big hope. Big future. Big mission. The Big Kingdom!

(Did I overuse the exclamation point in this blog? Well, the Big Kingdom is superlative and deserves the super-emphasis.)

Wednesday Prayer Note #6 - I Will Be With You

2011-03-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

You are not on your own. God has said, “I will be with you.”

He said it to Moses at the burning bush.

Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you.”

He said it to Joshua after Moses died.

Joshua 1:5 “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

He said it to His disciples before the crucifixion.

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

He said it his church in the great commission.

Matthew 28:18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God is with us. We have not been left to our own devices. We are not called to make decisions with only our own wisdom. We do not rely on our own resources. We do not take confidence in our ability.

God is with us. We commit ourselves to the Lord’s plan and mission. We open our hearts and minds to our Father’s wisdom. We trust in the Creator’s resources. We find strength in the Almighty God.

In your prayer time today…

· Spend some time recognizing who God is—We call this Praise or Adoration

· Spend some time recognizing what God has done – We call this Thanksgiving

This is important because it reminds us the Lord is present and active in our lives and in this world.

We have set aside Wednesdays (particularly at noon) as a time of focused prayer for our church community. Please join as we seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance for the future of Plymouth Park Church of Christ.

Wednesday Prayer Note #5 - Reconciliation

2011-03-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 5:16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Reconciliation. The Lord is restoring his creation. And he has called us to be a part of that great mission and message.

In Luke 15 Jesus told the Parable of the Prodigal Son. We probably should call it the Parable of the Loving Father because the real hero of the story is the Parent who graciously receives back his wayward child. This story really emphasizes God’s reconciling love for all of humanity.

There was a song written back in the ‘80s about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The chorus of the song focuses on the part of the story where the Father ran to meet his son on the road.

And the only time

The only time I ever saw Him run

Was when He ran to me

Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest

Said "My son's come home again"

Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes

With forgiveness in His voice

He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"

It caught me by surprise

when God ran*

*When God Ran by Benny Hester

This week let’s make the message of reconciliation--hope and salvation in Jesus Christ--a key part of our prayers.

Last Sunday we used prayers from the Mozarabic Sacramentary* (c. 700). Use these prayers this week to focus on the peace and reconciliation that the Lord has given us and called us to share.

O God, by your great love for us you have reconciled earth to heaven through your only-begotten Son; grant that we, who by the darkness of our sins are turned aside from love for each other, may be filled with your Spirit shed abroad in us, and embrace our friends in you and our enemies for your sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, you are peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, and you have taught us that the peace-makers are your children. Pour your peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, and all that make for peace be sweet to us for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*2000 Years of Prayer, compiled by Michael Counsell

(Morehouse Publishing, 1999), p. 85.

We have set aside Wednesdays as a Day of Prayer for us to seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in the decisions before us. Many of us will be spending time in prayer at 12:00 noon on Wednesdays. Would you join us?

Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Grace

2011-03-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the prayer we used in worship last Sunday:

A Prayer of Confession*

We confess that in our lives we do not always choose the way of peace.

We spread gossip which fans the flames of hatred.

We are ready to make any sacrifice when the world demands, but few when God invites.

We worship the false god of security.

We hold out one hand in friendship, but keep a weapon in the other behind our back.

We have divided your body of people into those we trust and those we do not.

Huge problems challenge us in the world, but our greed, fear and selfishness prevent us from uniting to solve them.

Lord, we need your help and forgiveness, your reconciling power. Amen.

*By Reverend Patricia Vowles, in Wendy S. Robins, ed., Let All the World, London: USPG, 1990, p.27.

Assurance of Grace

God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:11)

Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)

Wednesday Prayer Note #4 - Focus

2011-03-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

2 Chronicles 20:12 “…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, was facing an overwhelming enemy. He gathered the people for prayer to seek the Lord and finished his prayer with these words of faith, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

In Psalm 141, David wrote a similar thought when faced with serious struggles: “But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD.”

The writer of Hebrews encourages God’s people, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

This is what we are doing in prayer: turning our eyes to the Lord. We are not trusting in our own understanding; we are focusing on the Lord’s wisdom. We are not formulating our own plans; we are focusing on the way of Jesus. We are not relying on our own strength, ability, and resources; we are seeking the power of the Holy Spirit.

Remember the great song of the church…

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

By Helen H. Lemmel (1922)

Wednesday Prayer Note #3 - God's Timing

2011-03-08T06:01:00.000-08:00

We have set aside Wednesdays as a Day of Prayer for us to seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in our discussions with the South MacArthur Church of Christ. Many of us will be spending time in prayer at 12:00 noon on Wednesdays. Would you join us? We believe that the Lord hears and answers prayer, especially when we are focused on increasing the Lord’s glory and kingdom!

Today I want to focus on the idea of waiting on the Lord. We need to slow down and listen to our Lord.

Our time is very important to us. We are hurried and harried…we even have a national monument called Rushmore!*

But in Christ we are called to be patient and understand that the Lord’s timing is different from our timing. And His timing is right and good. This is a matter of trusting in the faithfulness and goodness of our Father.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

The following is a prayer about time from The Iona Community.

You keep us waiting.

You, the God of all time,

Want us to wait

For the right time in which to discover

Who we are, where we must go,

Who will be with us, and what we must do.

So, thank you…for the waiting time.

You keep us looking.

You, the God of all space,

Want us to look in the right and wrong places

For signs of hope,

For people who are hopeless,

For visions of a better world that will appear

among the disappointments of the world we know.

So, thank you…for the looking time.

You keep us loving.

You, the God whose name is love,

Want us to be like you –

To love the loveless and the unlovely and the unlovable;

To love without jealousy or design or threat,

And most difficult of all,

To love ourselves.

So, thank you…for the loving time.

And in all this

You keep us,

Through hard questions with no easy answers;

Through failing where we hoped to succeed

and making an impact when we felt useless;

Through the patience and the dreams and the love of others;

And through Jesus Christ and his Spirit,

You keep us.

So, thank you…for the keeping time,

and for now, and forever. Amen.

*I read this “Rushmore” joke in a Max Lucado book. I cannot remember which book it’s in, just read all the Lucado books, you’ll find it.

Wednesday Prayer Note #2 - God's Will

2011-03-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

We are setting aside our own agendas in order to follow God’s will.

Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is a model for our prayer life: My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. (Matthew 26:39)

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) teaches us the same thing: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…

Jesus makes it clear for us that there is a greater goal than our own desires and ambitions. God’s will. The Lord is building his kingdom in this world. The Lord has a grand mission to reconcile humanity and all creation to himself. And it is the good news of Jesus Christ that is bringing it all about.

It’s not about me…it’s about Jesus!

I love the Covenant Prayer of John Wesley. I think it’s a fabulous example of setting aside our own agendas in order to follow God’s will. Here’s the prayer:

I am no longer my own, but yours.

Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by you or laid aside by you,

enabled for you or brought low by you.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things

to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

you are mine, and I am yours. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

Wednesday Prayer Note #1

2011-02-23T07:31:00.000-08:00

See the blog below: Announcement about South MacArthur Church of Christ. I made that announcement on Sunday, February 20.

We have set aside Wednesdays as a Day of Prayer for us to seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance in these discussions with the South MacArthur Church of Christ. Many of will be spending time in prayer at 12:00 noon on Wednesdays. Would you join us? We believe that the Lord hears and answers prayer, especially when we are focused on increasing the Lord’s glory and kingdom!

I think the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is a great outline for prayer.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Authority: Lord, we worship and praise you. You alone are holy and righteous. You alone are full of grace and wisdom. We submit ourselves to your authority and your mission in this world for the salvation of humanity and redemption of your creation.

Discipleship: Lord, we are your followers. You are our Teacher. You are our Example. You are our Source. And we know that you, Lord, long for the salvation and reconciliation of all people. You are not willing for any to be lost, but for everyone to come to you and receive the eternal, living water.

Baptism: Lord, yours is a kingdom of washed people; people who have removed the old self and have been clothed with a new spirit. Yours is a kingdom of people who have been buried with Christ and raised to walk in a renewed life. Father, help us to walk as your children and welcome others to be immersed in your love.

With You: Lord, thank you for your wonderful promise that you will never leave us or forsake us. You are living and active and your kingdom is growing in this world. Help us to perceive what you are doing in the world around us, especially right here in Irving, Texas. Open the eyes of our hearts to be in tune with your mission. And strengthen us to courageously and joyfully join with you.

Announcement about South MacArthur Church of Christ

2011-02-23T06:57:00.001-08:00

The following announcement was made at church yesterday, February 20:

Some of you may know that the South MacArthur Church of Christ is in the process of selling their building.

A few weeks ago a couple of the Elders of the South Mac church had a visit with us and asked if would be willing to meet with them and talk about some possibilities for the future of the two churches. They had two specific things to discuss:

Would we be willing to talk about the possibility of the two churches joining together?
If so, would this (ACU/PPCC) property be adequate for the unified churches?

The Advisory Board agreed to talk to the leaders of the South MacArthur Church and that meeting happened last Wednesday evening, February 16.

At this meeting it was agreed to have further discussions between Plymouth Park Church and South MacArthur Church in smaller group discussions. And then we would have a follow up meeting of the whole leadership on March 23, 2011.

At this point the discussions of joining together or merger or any discussions about the ACU/PPCC building are only discussions and do not represent a proposal.

The leadership of the South MacArthur Church of Christ approached us about these issues and it is not something that we initiated. We felt like this was something we should respond to and join in a discussion as the Lord leads us.

We do not know where this will lead and so we do not have any specific agendas in place. But we want you to be aware of these discussions. As always, your comments, concerns and suggestions are solicited and appreciated.

Please be in prayer for our church (and the South MacArthur Church) that we will be open to the leading of the Spirit in all we do. We have set aside Wednesdays at noon as a specific prayer time to lift of up this issue. Please join us in praying for wisdom and direction in these discussions.

God's Wisdom

2011-02-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

“Do not interpretations belong to God?” Genesis 40:8

This is a pretty basic wisdom statement. If God is the source of all wisdom doesn’t it logically follow that He is the one who can give the right interpretation to all mysteries? Here in Genesis 40 Joseph uses this rhetorical question to get to the interpretation of a couple of dreams. God knows what the dreams mean. They are not mysteries to Him.

But there’s a truth here that applies to much more than just dreams. Think of all the mysteries that people face. We might think of mysteries and controversies of Scripture interpretation. God knows the true and right way to understand it.

We could think about the complexities of human culture and why things happen like they do. Downturns and upturns. Scandals and persecutions. Successes and failures. Victories and defeats. Wealth and poverty. Illness and health. Honor and marginalization (I guess this list could go on for a while). Why do these things happen and what should we do about it? People have come up with a huge variety of answers to these perplexities.

I think the wisdom that Joseph speaks of is valid: “Interpretations belong to God.” That does not mean they are hidden away and inaccessible. No. It means that we, as God’s creation and His children, need to turn to Him for wisdom and answers and interpretations of mysteries.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Acts 17: 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

Mercy, Not Sacrifice

2011-02-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

Matthew 12:1-21

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Jesus wanted the Pharisees to take a second look at this ancient prophetic message and consider its meaning. Maybe we need to as well.

The Pharisees were serious religious folks. There were three things that were particularly sacred to them in their relationship with God: Temple (the Holy Place), Law (the Holy Book), and Sabbath (the Holy Day).

So when they saw Jesus’ disciples picking grain to eat on the Sabbath day, their religious antennas went up—“Jesus, your followers are doing unbiblical work on the holy day!” Later in the synagogue the Pharisees tested Jesus to see if he would heal a man’s diseased hand on the Sabbath. Jesus took the bait and healed the man while it was still the Sabbath.

Was Jesus opposed to these religious practices? What was Jesus trying to do by purposefully setting aside these rituals and institutions?

I want to emphasize three things that Jesus said in this context of religious controversies with the Pharisees.

Matt. 12:6 “I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.”
Matt. 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Matt. 12:12 “How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Jesus Christ set himself up as the One who is greater than the holy place, the One who is Lord of the holy day, and the One who interpreter of the holy book. He is over it all. So, the most important thing is not to just do the religious stuff, but to know the Holy One! We need to learn to love what the Lord loves, to desire what the Lord desires.

So, what does the Lord desire? “I desire mercy.”

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 9:12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 18:32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

James 2:12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

Take My Yoke

2011-02-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

This is a great invitation. We’ve all been physically, emotionally, and spiritually weary. Maybe you are experiencing that kind of fatigue right now. Jesus invites us to come to him for relief, refreshing, and rebuilding.

There is an ancient legend that says that, in the region of Galilee two thousand years ago, all the farmers knew where to get the finest yokes for their oxen. There was a certain carpenter in Nazareth famed for shaping and smoothing the wood so that the burden on their oxen would be as light as possible. Jesus Christ is still in the business of fashioning yokes to ease the burdens of his weary children. He still says to people today, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

But this statement of Jesus is more than an invitation. It is great instruction. Jesus knows the old adage that life is a marathon, not a sprint. And in that kind of race we have to be hooked up to the right Lord and Master. Any other yoke is going to wear us down. In His great wisdom Jesus instructs us, “Of all the possible yokes in this world, please take mine. It fits and I will be connected to you. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Are you weary and burdened…lying awake at night worrying about your future, worrying about your past, wondering whether you measure up, wondering whether you are loved, accepted, forgiven? Let it go. Listen to the words of Jesus, “Come to me.” Let it go...at the foot of the cross. There is one who loves you, one who died for you.

This Little Child

2010-12-27T08:26:00.000-08:00

I like Scott Wesley Brown's song This Little Child. It shows the world-changing nature of the coming of Jesus. At Christmas we are tempted to focus only on Jesus the sweet little baby. But Jesus Christ came as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This Little Child

by Scott Wesley Brown

Who would of tho't that long ago

So very far away

A little child would be born
And in a manger laid
And who would have tho't this little child
Was born the King of kings
The Son of just a carpenter
For whom the angels sing

And who would have tho't that as He grew
And with other children played
This child with whom they laughed and sang
Would die for them some day
And who would have tho't this little child
Could make a blind man see
Feed the hungry make rich the poor
And set the sinner free
Oh who would have tho't this little child
Was who the prophets said
Would take away the sins of man
And rise up from the dead

O I believe and I will always sing
This little child is the King
O I believe and I will always sing
This little child
He is the King of kings

Many years have come and gone
Yet this world remains the same
Empires have been built and fallen
Only time has made a change
Nation against nation
Brother against brother
Men so filled with hatred
Killing one another

And over half the world is starving

While our banner of decency is torn
Debating over disarmament
Killing children before they're born
And fools who march to win the right
To justify their sin
Oh ev'ry nation that has fallen
Has fallen from within
Yet in the midst of this darkness
There is a hope a light that burns
This little child the King of kings
Some day will return

And I believe and I will always sing

This little child is the King
And I believe and I will always sing
This little child
He is the King of kings

Who would have tho't this little child
Is who the prophets said
Will return to judge this world
The living and the dead
Oh can't you see that long ago
So very far away
This little child our only hope
Was born a King that day

Hospitality

2010-12-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

This is day 20 of our 30 Day Spiritual Adventure. Of course you know what that means…10 days until Christmas! I hope this has been a good season of spiritual preparation and anticipation for you. My prayer is that our Lord will use this time to open up our hearts to His growing mission and glory in the world.

The Action Item for this week is…Show hospitality to someone who would be blessed by it. This reminds me of Jesus teaching to his disciples about hospitality:

Luke 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

What reward do we expect for our actions? Jesus taught his disciples to seek the reward that only our Father in heaven can give. And so we give to those who cannot repay. We offer hospitality to the ones who cannot return the favor. And we do this intentionally because we know that our reward is not bound up in our wallets and bank accounts, nor is our reward in powerful allies and positions of honor. Our reward is that our Father in heaven counts us as righteous, that His mission of grace is being accomplished in this world, and that His name is joyously glorified.

PLYMOUTH PARK CHURCH OF CHRIST

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Sat. Dec. 18 - Cowboy Christmas Breakfast at 9:30 am

Sun. Dec. 19 - Christmas Musical THIS IS OUR GOD - 10:15 am

Wed. Dec. 22 - Christmas Candle Light Service - 7:00 pm

Sun. Dec. 26 - Christmas Worship Gathering - 10:15 am

Dwarf Star

2010-12-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

PLYMOUTH PARK CHURCH OF CHRIST

Day 12 of the 30 Day Spiritual Adventure

I hope your daily time of reading, meditation, and prayer is going well. Today the devotional focuses on the simple man who was chosen to be the earthly father of Jesus Christ: Joseph. He was a common man called to lead an uncommon life.

I think that is one of the great messages of Christmas: the Lord uses the ordinary to accomplish His extraordinary mission.

1 Corinthians 1:27 God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

Our Sun is called a Yellow Dwarf Star. Let that sink in for a minute: a dwarf star. Not exactly a description that engenders pride and confidence. But it’s the center of our universe…well, our solar system…which is a tiny part of the Milky Way Galaxy…which is one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the whole universe. Small. Insignificant. Common.

Joseph is kind of a dwarf star. He’s one in a long line of ordinary people that the Lord has used in His mission of extraordinary salvation. And you know what? We are next in line! In our world that focuses on the big, powerful, and amazing, God chooses to use the insignificant folks like you and me!

30 Day Spiritual Adventure – This Week’s Action Item:

Bless someone by providing something that they need. (Who knows? Maybe the Lord will use our dwarf star actions this week to bring eternal salvation to someone!)

WEEK ONE - 30 DAY SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE

2010-11-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

PLYMOUTH PARK CHURCH OF CHRIST: Today is Day 4 or our 30 Day Spiritual Adventure using the booklet Messiah: Come and Behold Him.

This week’s Action Item: Give a devotional book to someone as the Lord leads.

Ask the Lord to lead you to someone who would be blessed by receiving a copy of the devotional booklet that we are using for the 30 Day Spiritual Adventure—Messiah: Come and Behold Him. We have several copies of the devotional booklet available in the church office and lobby.

As you pray ask the Lord to open your eyes to really see the people around you. You never know what your act of kindness might spark in the spirit of a friend, neighbor, or coworker.

Christ May Be Closer Than You Know

Do you remember the story about Martin, the Cobbler? It’s Leo Tolstoy’s story* about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rose early, got his shop ready, prepared a meal, and waited. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him the room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asked for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for the Christ. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, “Where were You? I waited all day for You.”

The Lord said to Martin:

“Three times I came to your friendly door,
Three times my shadow was on your floor.
I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat.
I was the homeless child on the street.”

The story ends with these words, “And Martin understood that his dream did not deceive him; that the Savior really called upon him that day, and that he really received him.”

Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.

(*Where Love Is, There God Is Also, by Leo Tolstoy, 1885)

Thanksgiving Sunday - Nov. 21

2010-11-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

Charles Schulz created a Thanksgiving Peanuts comic strip that came out several years ago. Lucy’s feeling sorry for herself and she cries, “My life is a drag. I’m completely fed up. I’ve never felt so low in my life.”

Her little brother Linus tries to console her and he says, “Lucy, when you’re in a mood like this, you should try to think of things you have to be thankful for; in other words, count your blessings.”

To that, Lucy says, “Ha! That’s a good one! I could count my blessings on one finger! I’ve never had anything and I never will have anything. I don’t get half the breaks that other people do. Nothing ever goes right for me! And you talk about counting blessings! You talk about being thankful! What do I have to be thankful for?”

Linus says, “Well, for one thing, you have a little brother who loves you.”

With that, Lucy runs and hugs her little brother Linus as she cries tears of joy. And while she’s hugging him tightly, Linus says, “Every now and then, I say the right thing.”

Be sure to join us for worship on Thanksgiving Sunday at Plymouth Park Church of Christ…and invite your family and friends! This is a season when we count our blessings. For many of us, the focus might be on our material blessings. Our warm house. The comfortable car. The stylish clothes. A table bountifully spread. And yet, in the long run, these are the least important of all our blessings.

Our lesson this Sunday will be from Psalm 18. King David rejoices in The LORD who is the Rock: Refuge, Resource, and Righteousness. From this Psalm we too learn to focus on the LORD as the One who delivers us from distress and strengthens us for the days ahead.

After the worship service this Sunday, we will enjoy our annual Thanksgiving Feast together. The turkey and dressing and ham will be provided, please bring side dishes and deserts. It’s going to be a wonderful time of celebrating God’s goodness and the fellowship He gives us.

A Gospel-Shaped Hole

2010-10-25T10:04:00.001-07:00

I’m sure most Christians have heard about the God-shaped Hole. The quote goes something like this, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.” The statement has been attributed to Augustine, Blaise Pascal, C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, and probably Mother Theresa and Bono. None of them actually wrote it or said it in a sermon, but they all probably said something like it. Only our Creator can bring fulfillment to our lives. Jesus Christ is God’s plan to fill that void.

I think there is another side to this coin. Not only is there a God-shaped hole in humanity, there is a Gospel-shaped hole in the church. There is often an empty place where the mission and message of Jesus Christ should be. The Gospel is not just the message of Jesus, it is also the way of Jesus. Maybe you have seen the message of Jesus presented in the way of the world. I think I have…and I guess I need to plead guilty to doing it myself. We get the idea that it’s about power, or resources, or politics, or structures. But it’s not about those things. The Gospel is truly about the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

John 15:9-17 gives us some powerful teaching about filling that Gospel-shaped void with the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

1) John 15:9 Remain in my love. It is so easy for us to forget that everyone needs the grace of Jesus for salvation…me included (and you, too)! We see all the evil in the world and put on our self-righteous suit and start attacking. We simply need to remain in the love of Jesus. Grace: It’s not just our message, it’s also our method!

2) John 15:12 Love each other as I have loved you. Sometimes the missing piece is sacrificial love. Jesus taught us that the greatest love is to lay down your life for your friends (John 15:13). That’s what Jesus did! His sacrifice is our example. I think the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:5-11 really emphasizes this point.

3) John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command. Obedience to Jesus calls for humility. Are we willing to really submit to Jesus? What I have described as a Gospel-shaped Hole is really about humbly submitting to the authority of Jesus and setting aside our own ambitions and agendas. I believe that we need to go to the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in your New Testament), listen to Jesus and submit to his mission, message, and method.

4) John 15:16 I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit. Do you ever feel disqualified to bear fruit for Jesus? I think a lot of us do. But remember this: Jesus chose you. If you can receive his grace then you can be a channel for that same grace! Your past does not disqualify you. Your weakness does not disqualify you. In fact, it’s not really about you. The mission, message, and method is about Jesus. The only fruit that will last, is produced through Jesus Christ.

Please don’t think I am saying these things because I have it all down. I don’t. I am struggling to be a follower of Jesus Christ. But I believe in his power and his grace to accomplish his mission in his way. He is the only one who can fill the Gospel-shaped hole in the mission of the church…and me.

Walls

2010-10-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 2:13,14 Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ… For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.

Robert Frost wrote a poem about a rock wall between two neighbors (Mending Wall 1914). One man believes that “good fences make good neighbors.” The other man is not so sure. He has this nagging feeling: “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down.”

I think the something that Frost wrote about is a seed that was planted deep in the heart of humanity at creation. We long for unity. Unity with God and unity with each other. And a wall of separation shows that we are not there yet…and we want it down!

Jesus Christ came to restore the unity that we lost. He came to bring the peace that we cannot achieve on our own. We are pretty good at building dividing walls, but unity and peace require the work of God! Jesus did it on the cross. We are brought near to God by his blood. And by his blood we are brought near to each other.

Check out Frost's poem, Mending Wall, it's pretty cool.

A Covenant Prayer

2010-09-20T20:30:00.001-07:00

I’m at Abilene Christian University’s Summit this week. I went to a class this morning taught by Dr. Randy Harris. He shared John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer (this version of the prayer is in updated English without the “Thees and Thous” of the original).

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put met to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by you or laid aside by you,
enabled for you or brought low by you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
you are mine, and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

That’s a challenging prayer! I want to encourage you to spend some time this week meditating on this prayer. I think this prayer is really in tune with Jesus’ example of prayer. You might want to think about Wesley’s Covenant Prayer in light of The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9ff) and Jesus prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39,42).

May our Lord bless you in following Jesus this week.

Huge Rain

2010-09-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

We are having a huge rain today…courtesy of tropical storm Hermine. As I was watching the rain from my office window, I thought of the passage from Isaiah 55.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10,11)

Today’s rain is certainly watering the earth. In fact, I can hardly see the earth! Outside my window it looks like a huge lake with trees popping up above the surface.

We know what’s going to happen next, right? The sun’s going to come out tomorrow and everything is going to grow like gangbusters. We will all get to fire up the lawnmowers because the rain has done its work.

God’s word is that way. It will do its work.

Have you been through a drought? Is the soil of your heart dry and packed down? Maybe you need to experience some life-giving rain. Let the word of God into your heart. It will do the work God intends. It will soften up that heart. It will stimulate new life and growth. How do I know? Because God has promised that his word will accomplish his purposes.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… (Colossians 3:16)

Lectio Divina

2010-09-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

In my recent sermons about living a Word-Centered life I wanted to say something about Lectio Divina, but I didn’t find a good place. Maybe this is a better way to talk about it anyway. Lectio Divina is a Latin phrase that means holy reading. It’s a method of Bible reading that goes way back…like centuries. There are four steps designed to help you get into scripture and get scripture into you. It’s not focused on information as much as it is about spiritual formation.

Lectio – In this step you simply read the text slowly with an open heart to receive what the Lord has for you. So, the Bible text you read should not be too long, but long enough to speak to your heart. Last Sunday I mentioned that Isaiah 55 is one of my favorite Bible chapters. Why not test out Lectio Divina on that passage? Read it slowly and open your heart to the Lord to hear that “still, small voice.”

Meditatio – This is simply considering what the text you are reading means for your life. Personal application. There may be particular phrases or words that stand out to you. Repeat these phrases in your heart and mind to allow time for the thoughts from the text to take root—“What is God saying to me?”

Oratio – Speak to God. Prayer. Turn these thoughts and concepts back to the Lord. As a result of your reading and meditation you may feel the need to repent, or seek strength, or simply communicate to God that thoughts and emotions stirred up in you. In this step you answer the question, “What do I need to say to God.”

Contemplatio—The scriptures encourage us to “be still and know”. That’s kind of what this step of Lectio Divina is about. This a good way to conclude devotional Bible reading—resting in God’s presence. Knowing that his message is good news for our lives. But most of all knowing that He is with you.

There you have it. Lectio Divina. Well at least my summary version of Lectio Divina: Read, Think, Pray, Be. Why not try it? It’s a great way to get the word of God into your heart and life.

A great resource about the Bible and Spiritual Formation is the book Life With God by Richard Foster and Kathryn Helmers. This book has a good little section on Lectio Divina.

Moving

2010-08-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Moving is not fun. We just moved to a different house. We like the house but moving all of our old stuff is for the birds…especially in 100+ temperatures. That’s why I am logging in to say a huge “THANK YOU” to our family and friends for stepping in to help us. That is true love.

The Bible speaks of this kind of love—agape. I like Oscar Thompson’s definition of agape love in his book Concentric Circles of Concern: “Love is meeting needs.” It’s doing the things that really help people out even when it’s hard work and costs you something.

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34,35)

I think Jesus was teaching us that agape love moves the world. I know it moved us to a new house…and I am very thankful!

you, too, are holy

2010-08-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Ezra had a great calling from God: to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. As he put his team together to begin this great project, he told them something. It was more than just words, it was a spiritual commission:

Then I said to them, “You are holy to the LORD, and the utensils are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers.” Ezra 8:28

You are holy to the Lord. Those are important words for every servant of God to hear. We might get it in our heads that only certain people are called to do great ministry and are therefore holy to the Lord. But the rest of us, ordinary people, are…well…ordinary. But the Lord wants us all to know something—You, too, are holy!

You are holy to the Lord. You are called to carry the gifts of the Holy Spirit into this world to build the Kingdom of God! You are called to carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are lost and lonely and hopeless and in bondage! These are great and powerful and holy treasures of the kingdom that you carry. But it’s not just the treasures that are holy. You, too, are holy!

You are holy to the Lord. You are holy because he has made you holy through Jesus Christ. You are a holy child of God! You are a holy priest of God! You are a holy servant of God! Don’t believe the deception of the Devil when he tempts you to believe less.

You are holy to the Lord!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

The Good Father

2010-07-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

Jesus taught us to think of God as a good father who provides for his children. Here is what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount...

Matthew 7:9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

A good parent gives the children good things. But we also know that sometimes the good things they need are not what the children want. One word, two syllables--SPINACH. It's not what a kid wants but it is what a kid needs. And a good parent gives it to the unwilling child.

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is encouraging his disciples to ask their Father in heaven for what they need. Don't be afraid; ask and seek and knock! God is a good father and he loves you and he wants to give you the very best. But we need to understand that the very best includes spinach. It's not what we asked for but it's what we need. And it will help us to grow and be healthy.

This is why we are taught in the Bible, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you like his own children" (Hebrews 12:7). As followers of Jesus we are taught to believe that God is at work in everything that happens to make us better and stronger and mature. Does that mean he's sending the bad stuff? I don't think so, I think the bad things in this world are a result of sin and rebellion against God. But, God is our Father and he is pulling us through it all and it is working to develop us more and more into the people we need to be. So, as you face the trouble that life throws at you, see it as an opportunity for the Lord to make you better (not bitter!).

God is our Good Father working in everything that happens to produce faith and maturity in his children.

Fresh Water

2010-06-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

James 3:9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Fresh water comes from a good well. Real worship to our Lord comes from a pure heart. That’s the kind of heart that lifts up praise to God in the church building and overflows with grace at home, at school, at work, and among people in need.

That’s holiness—a consistent life of responding with love and grace in all situations.

Holiness means the ability to do what needs to be done when it need to be done. It means being “response-able,” able to respond appropriately to the demands of life. (R. Foster, Streams of Living Water, p. 82)

So we pray along with David in Psalm 139:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

And we seek the Lord to renew our hearts, as only He can (Psalm 51):

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Jesus is the living water. May our lives overflow with that living water to refresh the world around us.

24 HOUR PRAYER ROOM

2010-05-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Plymouth Park Church of Christ

24 HOUR PRAYER ROOM

Saturday, May 22 to Sunday, May 23

Acts 1:14 “They all joined together constantly in prayer.”

· 24 Hour Prayer Room – Rm #501 (Across from Gym)

· Sign Up Sheet in the PPCC Lobby – You can sign up or email me and I will put you down for a prayer time.

· We will start at 10:00 am on Saturday and pray all night until worship time on Sunday morning.

Why are we having the 24 Hour Prayer Room?

We want to follow the example of the early church when Jesus told them to wait to receive the power of the Holy Spirit from on high to be His witnesses in the world (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). As they were waiting for this Power From On High, they prayed together constantly (Acts 1:14; Acts 2:1). So, we want to use this 24 Hour Prayer Room to join together as a body of believers to pray for hope and salvation for those we know who need Jesus and to pray that we will be faithful witnesses for Jesus.

What will be in the 24 Hour Prayer Room?

There will be several prayer and meditation areas in the 24 Hour Prayer Room. It will be creative and interesting and helpful for your hour of prayer. There will be places to express your prayers artistically, or in a prayer journal, or in a physical experience. Our hope is that the prayer activities will help you focus on the Lord and specific needs as well as give you some guidance in developing a stronger prayer life. There will be a printed prayer guide to assist you at each of the prayer stations.

What do you want me to do?

We are asking for Plymouth Park Church of Christ members and friends to sign up for an hour-long prayer slot for the 24 Hour Prayer Room. We want to have continuous prayer for the church, the community, and our loved ones for this time period. You can pick whatever time of day works for you—some people really like that 2:00 am prayer slot!

I don’t think I can pray for a whole hour!

You will be surprised at how much of a blessing it is to spend an hour in the 24 Hour Prayer Room. The consistent response that we get from people is, “Wow, it felt like I was only in the prayer room for a few minutes, the time went so fast!” You can do it…and you will love it! We will have a printed prayer guide to help make you in your hour of prayer.

Why are we having the 24 Hour Prayer Room on this date?

Sunday, May 23 is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is the time when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples of Jesus—we often call it the Birthday of the Church (Acts 2). So, we felt like this was a great time for us to be praying to be in tune with Holy Spirit.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THINGS GO WRONG?

2010-05-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

PRAYER: What Do You Do When Things Go Wrong?

2 Chronicles 7:13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

When Solomon built the Temple the Lord said, “I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (2 Chronicles 7:16) The Temple was a great assurance of God’s presence that was to draw the people to him. It was not a magic charm for the people. Nor was it a license that insured God’s presence and blessing when the people regressed into a self-centered and idolatrous life. In fact the Lord predicted that there would be times of moral, economic, and agricultural depression. But the Lord did not leave them without guidance.

What do the people of God do when things go wrong?

First of all we need to understand that bad things will happen in this fallen world. Just as the Temple was not insurance for Israel, our faith in Jesus Christ is not disaster insurance either. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33)

The second thing we need to understand is that the Lord uses the troubles of this fallen world to help us grow and mature in our faith and fruitfulness. James gives us great instruction here… “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

These things are important and true, but what do we do? Listen again to what the Lord said to Solomon… “…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” When we are facing a depressed economy, broken relationships, or personal failure we need to seek the Lord. Remember, we are God’s people, and we have access to him. We come before him in humility saying, “You are the Lord of my life and I trust in you alone.”

It is in the difficult and painful times that we seek his face. Notice that we do not first seek his hand of blessing. We seek first the face of the Lord. Take a look at your own prayers in this regard. Are you spending all of your prayer time asking for the Lord’s blessing without seeking to really know and love the Lord? Spend some time meditating on God’s goodness. Notice the words of praise that are reiterated throughout the Bible, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.” Take some time to seek the Lord’s face in worship, praise, and meditation.

When we really seek the Lord, the Spirit renews our hearts to turn from our wicked ways. In the presence of God we see how a pure life glorifies God and is a blessing to other people. And we repent of the self-centeredness that causes separation from the Lord and from other people. In seeking the Lord we find strength and healing that we never thought possible.

Does this mean that all of our struggles and pain will be removed? The answer is both “Yes” and “No”. We believe in a God of deliverance and salvation. If there is no hope for healing and deliverance then what’s the use? We put our hope in the Lord to put things right and bring great blessing. Those blessings may happen immediately, next year, ten years from now, or in eternity when we experience the ultimate answer to all of our prayers. But right now, there is a peace of God that transcends all understanding that we receive when we whole-heartedly seek the Lord. I love what it says in Philippians 4… “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6,7) This peace guards our hearts and our minds in Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord we have more than a good luck charm to ward off physical problems!

Prayer for This Week:

· Seek His Face! Pray to be in tune with the Holy Spirit

· Pray for your friends and family who do not know Jesus.

· Pray that you will be a faithful witness for Jesus.

DOES THE LORD HEAR MY PRAYERS?

2010-05-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

One thing that Scripture is overwhelmingly clear about is that the Lord hears and answers the honest prayers of people. It is easy for our thinking to get overwhelmed by the fog of this world. We see a sinful world and we see our own sinful nature and our vision gets clouded—Will the Lord listen to me? As the battle of the sinful nature wages on we wonder if there is really any way out.

We can get to be like those embedded reporters on the battle fields. While reporting about the heavy fighting in one location they cannot see the calm in another place. To one reporter it might look like a complete defeat, while a few miles away it looks a lot like victory. The reporter’s vision is fogged by the immediate, and very real, environment.

As we pray and seek the Lord, our vision, too, can be clouded by the current struggles of our lives. We need to understand the incredible ability of our Lord to supply and support us in these times. Our physical vision is fogged. But we need to develop spiritual eyes to understand that the Lord is a loving Father who does not leave us alone in our difficult times. He knows the pain and he is helping with his Holy Spirit. By faith we know that the Lord is working for our good. By faith we know that he will not leave us alone. By faith we know that he hears our prayers.

I would like to share a few passages of scripture to help us see the Lord’s promise to be with us in our pains and struggles…

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17

Psalm 51 is King David’s song of repentance after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and after he had murdered her husband. He came to the Lord with a broken and penitent heart for the sins he had committed. And his understanding of God as one who listened to the contrite heart and responded to it with great love was the only thing that kept him going. Can you imagine the despair of an unforgiving God? There would be no hope for any of us in our sins and conflicts. But the good news is that the Lord listens and responds to a broken and contrite heart.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:8

Jesus taught us all to be people of prayer. He taught us to believe that the Lord will open doors to those who are asking and seeking. He assures us that if we honestly seek the Lord that he will respond like a loving father. It is a lie of Satan that the Lord does not hear your prayers. The devil wants us to think that our sins have created such a barrier that God cannot overcome them. He wants us to think that God is angry with us and that he is punishing us for all those things we did wrong. But Jesus taught us to view ourselves as children of the Father God. He is loving and forgiving. When we constantly seek to grow close to him, he receives us with open arms and fills us with his Holy Spirit. And the more we pray and seek him the more we experience this love and strength.

Don’t give up! Keep on praying!

· Keep praying for your family and friends who do not know Jesus. Sometimes it might look hopeless to us, but that’s only because of our clouded vision. Ask the Lord to break through the fog!

· Ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit, power from on high (Luke 24:49), so that you can be a strong witness for Jesus in all you say and do.

· Pray to be in tune with the Holy Spirit!

WAIT ON OPEN DOORS

2010-04-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

WHY WAIT ON THE LORD TO OPEN THE DOOR?

Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). Jesus did not want them to go out and do his mission in their own strength and wisdom. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to work through them and around them to accomplish the Gospel mission.

And I believe the Lord still calls his followers to approach his mission the same way. Wait for the Holy Spirit to open the door! “Why?” you might ask. Well, have you ever tried to walk through a closed door? I have tried it and I cannot recommend it.

When I was a kid (full disclosure—I was never part of a gifted and talented program.), I about knocked myself unconscious on a glass door. The back yard at my friend’s house was beckoning. I took off and that invisible barrier laid me out. You would think that I learned my lesson, but I have to admit that I have banged my head on many closed doors since.

The example of the Jesus’ disciples in Acts 1 is important for us. While they waited for the Holy Spirit to open up the door of Jesus’ mission, they prayed continually (Acts 1:14). We need to follow that example. Pray for the Lord to open up doors for the message of Jesus Christ. Pray to be in tune with the Holy Spirit to recognize open doors. Pray for wisdom and grace to walk through those open doors.

Are there people in your circle of relationships that do not know Jesus? Pray for the Lord to open a door for the message of Jesus in their heart. And pray that the Lord will lead you to be a loving witness for Jesus to them. Pray for the Lord to lead them to people and places of grace and hope in Jesus Christ.

Lord, please open a door in our hearts and in our friends’ hearts for grace and hope and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

POWER FROM ON HIGH

2010-04-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I gave the church “Power From On High” Prayer Cards. I asked everyone to write names of people who need the Lord on the cards. Over 50 cards were turned in! Let’s begin praying for the Lord to open a door in each of these hearts for the message of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Someone might ask, “Why should we wait for the Lord to ‘open a door’? Shouldn’t we just go and share the Gospel?” Let me take just a moment to share what I have been thinking based on Luke 24. (And stay tuned for my next message – it will include one of my favorite Far Side cartoons about Open Doors).

· Jesus told his followers that they would be his witnesses of forgiveness and hope to all the world (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8).

· Before they became his witnesses, Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem for power from on high: the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4).

· While they were waiting they prayed together constantly (Acts 1:14; Acts 2:1). They were a community seeking to be in tune with the Holy Spirit while they were waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit.

I believe this is a good progression for us to follow as well. We know that the Lord wants us to be his witnesses to grace and forgiveness. But should we move forward in our own wisdom and strength? No, we too should wait for power from on high—for the Holy Spirit to open a door for the message of Jesus Christ.

So we pray. We pray for our family and friends who do not know the Lord, that their hearts will be open to Jesus. We pray for ourselves to be in tune with the Holy Spirit while we watch and wait for open hearts around us. We pray for an atmosphere of grace and hope in our church family that many people will be drawn to Jesus by the love among us. And we pray these things for the church everywhere that grace and mercy and love and forgiveness will flourish in the name of Jesus Christ.

What do we expect to happen when we pray like this? I’m not sure what the early church expected to happen when Jesus told them to wait, but they did wait and pray. And the promised Holy Spirit came in power and many people were received in the Kingdom of God. The Lord is still at work today! He is still receiving people into his family! So, let’s pray and see how the Holy Spirit moves among us.

PRAY FOR THE ONE WHO NEEDS THE LORD

First, spend time in personal prayer for the one that you put on a prayer card. Remember that God loves them deeply and wants them to come to salvation in Jesus Christ. And I know that you love them, too! You think about them often enough that their name came to mind as soon as we started talking about family and friends who need Jesus.

· Ask the Lord to soften their heart to the message of Jesus Christ

· Ask the Lord to lead them to people who can help them

· Ask the Lord to help you be a loving witness to them

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PRAYER TIME

Second, we are going to have specific prayer times on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 to pray through the 50 cards we received. I believe the Lord is mobilizing his people to pray for those who do not know the grace and hope that is in Jesus Christ. Is the Lord urging you to join in this time of prayer? If so, then please come to the church building on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Here is the prayer schedule:

· Wed., April 28

· Wed., May 5

· Wed., May 12

· Wed., May 19

HUNGRY?

2010-03-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 55:1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

Have you ever noticed that food tastes really good when you’re camping? Later you get home and cook the same thing, but it’s just so-so. Why? Probably because when you go camping you’re hungry when you eat!

This passage is reminding hungry people that the Lord is the source of real food for life. It’s reminding thirsty people that the Lord is living water.

Sometimes our hunger and thirst manifests itself in anger…heartache…doubt… depression…guilt…overwhelmed... When you find yourself in that valley, remember the invitation of the Lord, “Come to Me!” Draw near to God! Don’t let those experiences and feelings drive you away. Spend some time with God. Open up your heart to the Lord and ask for help. Let the scriptures speak into your life for guidance and encouragement. And seek out people that encourage you in the Lord.

Food tastes really good when you’re hungry.

And don’t forget those who are physically hungry and thirsty. There are many needs locally and around the world. You can bring food to our church Food Pantry (Macaroni & Cheese and Canned Vegetables this month). And you can contribute to global needs like earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile at orginazations like Christian Relief Fund (christianrelieffund.org).

FOCUS

2010-02-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

These are five focuses for followers of Jesus Christ. This is what I have been teaching at church on Sundays. I followed the outline of Rick Warren’s book Purpose Driven Life. I hope the series has been helpful for you and all of our church to grow in having a clear focus for why the Lord put us here and what He wants us to do.

1) Focus on Loving and Knowing God

a) We call this WORSHIP

b) Matthew 22:37,38 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

2) Focus on Loving God’s Family

a) We call this FELLOWSHIP

b) Romans 12:5 In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

3) Focus on Growing to be Like Jesus

a) We call this DISCIPLESHIP

b) 2 Peter 3:18 Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

4) Focus on Serving God by Serving Others

a) We call this MINISTRY

b) Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

5) Focus on Sharing the Good News

a) We call this MISSION

b) 2 Corinthians 5:14 Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all!

God is Active

2010-01-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

God is at work in our world. If the scriptures teach us anything it is this truth: God is here and He is active. We need to make this a personal focus: The Lord is at work in my life. The writers of the Psalms give us several short, personal prayers that seek God’s work in the heart. Here’s a couple that I really like…

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

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.

I am not saying that you should pray, “God, take over my personal will and make me good.” God will not do that. He gave us free will and wants us to make right choices. What I am encouraging you to do is to pray in submission to God, to open your heart up to the Lord. When we open our heart up to the Lord every day, we go about our lives with Him present in everything we do. And God is not silent! He encourages us to act in love, speak in truth, and move in the good news of Jesus Christ. This is the Holy Spirit in our lives. And we respond in obedience to God’s encouragement in our hearts.

These prayers from the Psalms are a great tool to keep us in tune with the Holy Spirit every day. I want encourage you to spend time with the Lord daily. Open your Bible and let the Holy Spirit use the scriptures to speak into your life. Pray that that the Lord will open your heart and mind to opportunities to express love, truth, and salvation. Act on the situations the Lord opens up before you.

Remember: God is at work in your life. Sure, He’s active all around the world, but don’t forget that He’s local, too!

J.O.Y.

2010-01-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

At Christmastime we like to use the word Joy. When I was a kid we learned a song to the tune of Jingle Bells (no, it’s not the one about Batman) that taught us about real joy. Here’s how it goes:

J.O.Y., J.O.Y.
Surely this must mean
Jesus first
Yourself last
and
Others in between

I think this little song shows us a great deal about real joy and meaning in life. It’s the way Jesus taught us.

Luke 22:26,27 …the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

And the apostles picked up this same message to teach the church about what it means to live in the Spirit of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 2:3-5 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…

Joy. Our tendency is to think that we are happy when we get all the stuff we want. But that never brings real satisfaction. It’s one of the great ironies of the Faith. We experience our deepest joy when we humble ourselves and direct all of our energies to the glory to God. We experience our greatest meaning in life when we set aside our own appetites and ambitions to serve other people.

J = Jesus first
O = Others in between
Y = Yourself last

May our Lord guide you into lasting JOY this Christmas season!

Dawn of Hope

2010-01-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

I guess we all have our favorite symbols of Jesus. One that I have not considered much is the sun. That great light that everything revolves around. The coming of Jesus is like a new day dawning! Here’s a few passages of scripture that talk about that rising sun:

Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
Isaiah 60:19The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Malachi 4:2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

There is hope on the horizon! When John the Baptist was born it was a sign that this new day was dawning. And so John’s father, Zechariah, declares his praise to God and prophesies: “…because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness…” (Luke 1:78,79). Jesus Christ is that rising Sun! And John the Baptist was called to prepare the way for His coming.

This is the first week of Advent. Advent means coming. It is a time for us to prepare our hearts for the mission of God before us. A new day is dawning and the Lord is at work in our world today. The Sun is rising! Let’s turn away from the values and ambitions of this world. Let’s focus on trusting the Lord and living in the way of Jesus Christ!

Tower of Babel

2010-01-27T15:32:00.000-08:00

The ancient people who built the Tower of Babel wanted to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:1-9). So they planned and began building a tower that would reach up into the heavens. This may have been the first in a long history of towers, pyramids, and ziggurats constructed as monuments of pride.

God’s plan was for the people to “be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:1) But the people had a different plan:

“Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the
heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the
face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

I guess it has always been a challenge for people set aside their own ambitions and focus on the mission of God.

You might remember how the story goes. The Lord came down and saw what the people were building. He confused their language and scattered them all over the earth. The ambition of the people failed and God’s purpose was achieved.

It is important for us to line up our goals and desires with the Lord’s mission. Not because God cannot succeed without us. The reality is quite the opposite. Our ambitions are sure to fail when they are not in tune with God’s purposes.

Let’s turn our hearts and minds to the Lord and set our eyes on the path He has laid out.

Cain & Abel

2010-01-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4)? They were the first two sons on Adam and Eve. When they grew up Cain became a farmer and Abel raised animals. When it came time to bring sacrifices to God Cain brought some of his produce from the land as a sacrifice. Abel brought the best animals from his flock to give to the Lord. The scriptures tell us that Abel’s offering was acceptable but Cain’s was not.

Why do you think Cain’s gift was rejected? Was it because it was the fruit of the ground and not a blood sacrifice? Some people think so, but I think there is a different reason that Abel was accepted and Cain was rejected. I think Abel’s sacrifice was so pleasing to the Lord because it was his best. Notice what the scripture says:
But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering… (Genesis 4:4)

Abel brought the first and the best to God! No such wording is used to describe Cain’s offering. And notice what the Lord said to Cain:
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:6,7)

What happened next shows us exactly what Cain had at the center of his heart. He was so jealous of Abel that Cain took his brother out into the fields and there attacked and killed Abel. Sin really had taken control of Cain’s heart to the point where he was completely self-centered. He did not honor God with his first and best. And he could not stand for his brother to experience success and joy.

Sin is crouching at our door too. I believe that one of the best ways for us to master that beast at the door is to commit ourselves to honoring God with our first and best. Let’s bring our offering of our time, talents, and treasure to the Lord with a joyful heart!

Bridge of Prayer

2010-01-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

Some bridges are really beautiful. Others are simply built to perform a function and don’t look all that attractive. In Oakland, California they have been trying to get a new bridge built across the bay since the earthquake of 1989. Guess what the snag is. The plans have been delayed for 20 years because they can’t agree on making it beautiful or simply functional. So, they are at a bit of an impasse.

I would like for us to think about the church as a community of prayer that builds bridges to healing and wholeness in Jesus Christ.

Last Sunday we talked about Powerful Prayer from James 5:13-20. This passage is strong on the church being a community of prayer. It teaches us the great value and power of praying with each other.

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16)

Can you imagine a community of Jesus with this kind of openness? A place where people are able to share their needs and failings knowing that the ones who hear will be gracious and supportive. A place where people are willing to humble themselves and share their struggles and fears. A place where real bridges are being built. I think we need to make it our goal to be more and more like that. This sounds like a powerful community of healing and revival to me.

This kind of praying community reminds me of the verse where the apostle Peter described the church as a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). We are all priests to each other and to the world. What a great description of our calling in Jesus Christ: Priests! A priest is one who stands between God and another person. A bridge. Sometimes a person can stand in the way like a roadblock and obstacle. We are not called to stand in the way, but to stand as a praying Sister or Brother in Christ. To be a bridge to wholeness in the Lord!

A Bridge. That’s a powerful image. Can you imagine your prayers as a bridge to healing and revival? Can you imagine your prayers as a bridge to forgiveness and salvation? That’s the way James views the prayers of God’s people because of the needs he saw in the church and the world around him. What people and needs do you see around you that could use a bridge of prayer? Let’s build that bridge!

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

No Gravy

2010-01-27T14:53:00.002-08:00

We had a little birthday celebration at Cracker Barrel with the in-laws yesterday. We were all having a great time until the food came out. The chicken fried steak was naked—no gravy. The fried chicken strips were dry—no gravy. And the mashed potatoes were completely exposed—no gravy. NO GRAVY!!! The conversations stopped. Jaws dropped. We all just stared at the incomplete entrées. The waitress knew immediately what was wrong. She apologized, “I’m sorry but we are out of cream gravy. It will take about 15 minutes before we have some prepared. Would you like brown gravy?” Brown gravy? She might as well have asked us if we would like to be slapped in the face.

You might think gravy is not important to a meal. But if you think that, you would be wrong. It is important…at least to some of us.

It took us a moment but we were able to get back to the joy of being together as a family—regardless of what was happening with the food.

Is there something stealing your joy today? Take a minute to see what it is.

Some people are facing real trials and difficulties like the loss of a loved one or serious illness or broken relationships. These are not “gravy” issues at all. They really are serious.

Others of us are experiencing a loss of joy because we have allowed small things to cloud our vision.

But whatever it is, let’s take a moment today to re-focus on the main thing.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter
of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Prayer

2010-01-27T14:53:00.001-08:00

Ephesians 6:19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

This little request from the Apostle Paul is so interesting to me. He believed that the prayers of the believers would make a significant difference in the effectiveness of the message of Jesus Christ. Paul had some great expectations for the prayers of the people.

First, Paul had great expectations of God. I think that this is something we often forget in contemporary church life. All of this is God’s mission. It’s not our mission. All of this is empowered by God. It’s not our ability and resources that accomplish the mission. God is the One who has made the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. If we are centered on that mission of God in this world, then we can trust in Him to accomplish it.

So, we pray for the Lord to work!

Second, Paul had great expectations of Believers. He knew that there was power in unified and continuous prayer. If the church will pray in a unified way and continue in it, great obstacles will be overcome by the power of God. We need to be praying as a unified body of believers. And we need to continue in prayer.

So, we, as believers in Jesus Christ, pray for the Lord to work!

Third, Paul had great expectations for the World. If the true message of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, people will be saved by the grace of God. We are often fearful or concerned about our ability to speak the message of Jesus. But those things are just schemes of the enemy to discourage the messengers of the gospel. Pray for courage. Pray for the right words and actions. Because when the message of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, people experience hope, healing, forgiveness, fulfillment, and new life!

So, we pray for the Lord to draw the world to salvation in Jesus Christ!

The Apostle Paul had great expectations for the prayer life of the church. I want to grow in faith like that! Let’s be praying for the mission and message of Jesus Christ as we are ambassadors for Christ right here in our area!

The Pearl

2010-01-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

In John Steinbeck’s little book The Pearl Kino is a young family man, a pearl diver. While Kino dealt with these precious gems, he lived in poverty with his wife and infant son. Until one day, in desperation, he found the Pearl of the World. Huge and beautiful. Wealth beyond his imagination.

But Kino also discovered that this is a dog-eat-dog world. Others wanted his new-found treasure and would do anything to take it from him. He became suspicious and bitter.

Kino found himself alienated from his life-long relationships in the village. Kino became very angry when the mob-like local pearl buyers tried to cheat him. His wife recognized the change in Kino and she believed the pearl to be evil. She asked Kino to get rid of it. She even tried to destroy it herself. But Kino physically restrained and beat her. Now his closest love was alienated.

Finally, after killing a man to protect his treasure, Kino took the pearl and his family and ran away. While on the run a stray gun-shot hit and killed his infant son. He was shaken to the very core of his being. All that he loved had been taken away. No treasure could give it back.

In despair, Kino and his wife walked back to their home village. They made their way through gawking crowd of people to the edge of the water. As they stood in the shallows holding their dead baby, Kino grasped the giant pearl in his hand. And with all his might he hurled the pearl as far as he could back into the murky depths from which it came.

Mark 8:36 What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet
forfeit your soul?

2010-01-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 3:20,21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

One Sunday several years ago I overheard a young mother with her toddler in the lobby after church. She was trying to teach the little guy to be thankful. When the Candyman (You know, the kindly Grandfather type that loves kids) gave the kid a piece of candy, the kid didn’t say anything he just started unwrapping and eating. Mom said, “What do you say?!” The toddler looked up with sugary slobber on his chin and said, “More!”

The Candyman and I thought it was hilarious. The mother was not so amused.

It is important to learn to be thankful. It is also important for us to remember that God is capable of “immeasurably more” than what we are currently experiencing! And this little hymn of praise from Ephesians 3 reminds us of that.

Do you ever notice that we use words in worship songs and prayers that we don’t use anywhere else? Big words. Extreme words. Glorious words. We hear them in older songs like How Great Thou Art and newer songs like Shout to the Lord. I think it is important for us to praise the Lord with these extreme and glorious words. First, it honors God. Second, it reminds us that God is able to do immeasurably more than we can imagine!

So, while we need to learn how to say “Thank You, Lord”, we also need to learn how to pray “More, Lord!” More glorifying God. More serving people. More in Jesus Christ!

Roots & Reach

2010-01-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Did you get the picture in these verses? Rooted and established. The Apostle Paul sounds like a gardener that is trying to get a young tree to grow.

He prays for the roots to dig deep in love. Love is the starting place. When the Lord breaks through the shell of our hearts with his love, life begins to sprout in us. And the roots dig down into the life-giving soil. We must always remember that the roots of our faith are in the overwhelming grace and mercy and compassion of God.

Paul also prays for the branches to reach high into the atmosphere of Jesus’ love. Love is the goal. There is always room to grow in the love of Jesus. It is wider and longer and higher and deeper than we could ever grasp—His love surpasses our knowledge! But we are still able to reach up into it and experience the refreshing life that comes from following Jesus Christ. We must always remember that the goal of discipleship is to stretch into the kingdom of Christ’s endless love.

Roots and Reach. These are the two basic needs of a growing tree—and a growing follower of Jesus. This is Paul’s prayer for the people in the church of Ephesus. Roots established in the nutritious soil. Reach into a rich atmosphere of light and life.

Roots and Reach. Let’s join in this prayer and seek the power of the Lord in our lives. We need the strength of the Holy Spirit to stay firmly established in God’s love and to reach high into the measureless love of Jesus!

Heritage

2010-01-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Psalm 61:5

This coming Sunday, July 26, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Plymouth Park Church of Christ. It’s also a celebration of the history of the two churches that came together ten years ago: Rochelle Road Church of Christ and Central Church of Christ. And of course there is a legacy of many other individuals and churches in the founding of these congregations. Some of them we know and some of them have long been forgotten.

It is important for us to understand the idea of heritage. We did not get where we are on our own. We stand on the shoulders of those who served before us. And what a great blessing it is that we follow people who sincerely loved the Lord and feared his name.

I love the passage from Paul’s sermon in Athens where he says, “…God determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” (Acts 17:26). The history of this church is not an accident! The Lord had his hand in it.

That is our heritage here. And that heritage sends us an important message about our future. It tells us that the current makeup of the church is not an accident either. The Lord has brought us to this place at this time for his purposes!

So, as we rejoice together this Sunday it is a full celebration. We remember the wonderful blessings of our heritage at Plymouth Park Church of Christ. We also recognize that our Lord is working right now to accomplish his purposes. And in faith we look forward to the Kingdom growth of the future in Christ.

Plymouth Park Church of Christ
10th Anniversary Celebration – Please join us!
9:15 am Coffee and Donuts
10:15 am Celebration Worship with Paul Magee speaking
Lunch BBQ catered by Dickey’s

Strength

2010-01-27T14:37:00.000-08:00

For the next few weeks I would like to share some thoughts about the prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. Brother Monroe used this passage at our staff meeting this week and it really inspired me. So, I wanted to share some thoughts with the whole church from this great prayer.

Here’s the first section of the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 3:14-17a “…I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Do you need strength today? I do. We need strength to face our responsibilities and struggles. Paul’s prayer focuses on something that our Lord does in our hearts. He gives us power through the Holy Spirit! And Paul calls this “glorious riches.” This is wealth we need to be praying for!

I know we have other needs, too. And God is concerned about those things. But humanity has proven over and over that having all the money and things you need does not bring fulfillment. In fact, we all know that if you focus only on those things your life will be pretty empty. That kind of wealth has been tried and found wanting.

Let’s join in the prayer for the Lord to strengthen our hearts by the power of His Holy Spirit. This is great wealth. And it comes from our Father who loves to give good gifts to his children.

Luke 11:11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish,
will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

PRAY: You need strength in your inner being. You need Christ to live in your heart through faith. Ask the Father for the Holy Spirit!

Oh, and here’s an old joke to remind us what God is not like: A man was talking to God. The man asked, “God, what is a million years like to you?” “Oh, it’s just like a second,” responded God. “Well, what is million dollars like to you?” God said, “It’s just a penny.” So, the man asked, “Can I have one of your pennies?” And God said, “In a second.”

Relax

2010-01-27T14:36:00.001-08:00

Relax. What a great word! Do you need to relax? I don’t mean reclining in the shade by the pool (although that sounds pretty good!). I’m talking about anxiety. Often we try to control everything and make it all work out just like we envision it. Of course the trouble is that things rarely work out according to our plans. My real question is, “Do you need to relax and take a break from your anxiety?”

I wonder if that is some of what Jesus had in mind when he said,
Don’t worry about your life…You can’t add a single hour to your life by worrying…Your father in heaven knows what you need…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these other things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:25-34)
Jesus knows us! We are uptight and we worry because we are self-centered.

The Lord’s remedy for anxiety and worry is to focus on His kingdom and His righteousness. It might not sound like much of a vacation from anxiety, but the Jesus’ instruction here can transform your life!

Try this:
1. Start by spending about 5 minutes a day praying. The purpose of these few minutes in prayer is seeking the Lord. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” (Matthew 6). Pray like that. We want His kingdom and His righteousness to be the focus of our lives. Also, in this prayer time, ask the Lord to help you relax and let go of your personal worry and anxiety.
2. Then, as you read your Bible and meditate focus on what you are learning about God’s kingdom and His righteousness. If we are going to seek that first, we need to have some kind of vision or picture of what we are seeking. The Lord has a great mission for His creation! What does that mission look like to you? This is a work of the Holy Spirit in your life. You might want to think of this kingdom vision as your calling in life.
3. As you develop a picture of the kingdom and righteousness of God, look for opportunities to live that out. It might be sharing the message of Jesus Christ through church ministries, or in your family, or at your job, or in your neighborhood, or to the poor in Haiti. Who knows where the Lord will lead you! And as we take the focus off of self, I think we will experience real renewal in Jesus…and a relaxed spirit.

Let’s trust Jesus with our worries. Let’s seek his kingdom and his righteousness first. And let’s see what happens to our anxieties. My hope and prayer is that we come to the place where our spirits can relax and enjoy living in the presence of God!

God Bless!

The Sound of Silence

2010-01-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

I love to listen to Simon and Garfunkel music. I guess their signature song is The Sound of Silence. Do you remember the line of that song that says, “…silence like a cancer grows”? What a powerful thought! It’s a terrible problem when we are isolated from one another and from the Lord. We need to communicate both our struggles and our successes.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Philippians 2:1,2)

Share with others what the Lord has done for you! I think this is an important way that we share the Gospel. And it is a huge encouragement to the church family. So, let’s share good news with each other, pray with each other, send a note, make a phone call. Don’t let silence grow!

There is a second side to this that is just as important. In James 5:16 we are taught “…confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” In this passage physical healing and spiritual healing are lumped together. Sometimes it’s easier for us to ask for prayers for physical healing, but don’t be silent about your need for spiritual support. We all need each other! And when we pray for each other there is great blessing and power. The following sentence of James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Our prayers are powerful!

So, let’s share with each other and pray with each other. We don’t want silence and isolation to grow. We want encouragement, healing, forgiveness, and glory to the Lord to grow as a result of our words and actions!