Sunday, December 31, 2006

Leaving the Old to Walk in the New in 2007

The coming of a New Year stirs up so many thoughts and emotions inside of me. First, I am always amazed at how another year has gone by so quickly. Next, I think about the fact that I am getting older and closer to forty (I wander if I will have all my teeth when I turn forty). Then, I get a little sad because I really don’t want to grow up. Being young was just too much fun.

After I stare in the bathroom mirror for a while and grieve over the extra weight around my mid-section and the extra nose hairs protruding from my nostrils, I begin to get motivated at the thought of a new year.

It is in this moment that the thought of a new year brings great expectation. The 2007 slate is clean and it is a great time to dream. There is a tremendous hope in my soul that some long petitioned prayers will be answered in the New Year. The old has gone and the new is coming. I have not made any mistakes, I have not offended anybody, no one has offended me, I have not gained any weight and my nose hairs have not increased. So far, in regards to 2007, everything has gone right.

Being an idealist and an eternal optimist, there is always the thought that everything will go just as I plan and dream for 2007. However, history and experience has taught me that this is a very deceptive thought. Thank God I married a realist who keeps my head out of the clouds.

I have learned that there are three things you should do as you enter into a new year; evaluate, adjust and goal set. First, you should evaluate and examine the previous year. This is important because you want to learn from your experiences while they are still fresh on your mind. What did you do well? What could you have done better? Did you accomplish your goals? Next, you should make the necessary adjustments so you don’t repeat the same mistakes. Lastly, you should set attainable goals for the New Year and celebrate as you accomplish them.

As I am preparing for 2007 there is an extra sense of excitement in my soul. I have not been this inspired about a new year since Cindy and I first took over the pastoral duties of Every Nation Tallahassee.

I am so determined to walk in the new things that God has for me in 2007 that I did something radical. What I am about to tell you is a momentous incident in my life. I actually performed a miracle by throwing away my old work out clothes. Some of my shirts I have worn for the last thirteen years.

Cindy got me some new work out shirts and shorts and was appealing/demanding I throw the old ones away. I asked her if I could conduct a “work out clothes retirement ceremony” by inviting my closest friends and getting my old clothes framed and mounted on the wall for all to smell and appreciate. I did not get an answer so I took that gesture as a firm no.

Throwing away my old clothes and putting on my new ones is an external sign of three things in my life. First, I am leaving the old things of 2006 behind. Second, I am committing to receive the new things that God has for me in 2007. Third, I am dressed and ready for battle.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” One of the wonderful benefits of being in Christ is the fact that we get to experience the new things God has for us.

My prayer for you is that you would leave the old of 2006 behind and receive God’s best for you in 2007.

Happy New Year!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Hark the Herald Angels Sing—Glory to the Newborn King!

With the commercialization of Christmas and the busyness of travel and shopping during the Holiday Season, it can be easy to forget what Christmas is all about. Christmas should not be a holiday reduced down to the activities of hanging lights on our houses and in our yards, buying and receiving gifts, visiting family, and enjoying a few extra days off from work. Christmas is about remembering and celebrating the ultimate gift given to us by God. It is all about Jesus—He is the Reason for the Season.

Stuart Briscoe in Meet Him at the Manger sums it up best as he writes, “The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world.”

In Matthew 1:22-23 it says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: (23) “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” –which means, “God with us.”

What an amazing thought that the Almighty God is with us. 1 Timothy 3:16 says, “16Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Jesus, as a baby in manger, for the first time since all of creation was seen by angels. Angels are beings who minister to the Lord and for the Lord. The Bible reveals to us some of their physical features. One of them is that they have six wings. This is significant because as they minister before the Lord they use two wings to fly, two wings to cover their feet and two wings to cover their eyes. Throughout the Old Testament no one in creation was allowed to look at the Holy God face to face and live.

Can you imagine how the angels must have longed to behold the beauty of God? Since the beginning of time, I bet the temptation to take a peak at God must have been inconceivable. With the birth of Jesus, now for the first time ever they could look into the face of God.

Cindy and I, as proud parents of three young boys, and pastors of a church that is birthing a ton of new babies, have personally experienced the excitement of gazing upon many new born babies. With the birth of each of our sons, there was a renewed excited to discover what they looked like. They got their gender from me and their good looks from Cindy—praise God! We also get excited to see the babies of all of our friends in the church for the first time. As we receive the news about the new births, we always ask, “Who does he/she look like?” Everybody gets excited to see a new born baby for the first time.

The Apostle John was also amazed at the thought of how he had the privilege of beholding this Jesus, the Son of God and the Word of Life. In 1 John 1:1-2 he writes, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched.—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. (2) The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” It was so astounding; he would spend the rest of his life proclaiming his experience with Jesus to the world.

Have you seen Jesus? If so, I trust you are celebrating and worshipping Him with all of creation this Christmas. If not, my prayer for you is that you would receive the greatest gift ever given to mankind--Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Embracing Your Season of Change: The Process of Change (Part 4)

The fourth and final component in the process of change is obedience. Obedience is the proof that we really love God and trust him. Since times of transition bring us into a place where we have never been before and reveals our own limitations and motives, obedience is essential if we are going to follow God’s will in our season of change.

Remember, Abraham obeyed and went to the place God was leading him, even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). Moses, though reluctant at first, obeyed God and became a great leader who God would use to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt.

In times of change, as apprehension or uncertainty begins to well up in our hearts, obedience to God’s commands is what should determine our decision making and direction. It is when we obey God that we discover the delight of doing his will. Psalm 119:34-35 says, “Give me understanding, and I will keep you law and obey it with all my heart. (35) Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.”

Obedience brings us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. It takes us from the place of service to the place of friendship. In John 15:14-16 Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command. (15) I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made know to you. (16) You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (17) This is my command: Love each other.”

I have met many people who are servants of Christ and do good works for him. This is very nice and a crucial part of the Christian faith. Sometimes our good works are a disguise for the fact that we don’t really know God intimately. The good works become activity that keeps us busy, but not fruitful.

However, friendship with God is the key to bearing fruit—fruit that will last. Abraham, as a friend of God, combined his faith and actions and offered his son Isaac on the altar when God tested him during his season of change (James 2:21-22). It was in this moment that God provided another sacrifice, a ram caught by its horns in a thicket.

Abraham’s friendship with God that manifested in obedience was a key factor to his discovery that God is our provider. Abraham’s offspring, his son Isaac, would be the instrument that God would use to bless all nations, because of his obedience (Genesis 22:15-18).

Because of Moses’ obedience, we are told in Exodus that he had a special relationship with God. Exodus 33:11 says, “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.” Moses’ friendship with God allowed him to enter into unique conversations with God, and gave him tremendous favor with him.

In Exodus 33, God is ready to take Moses into the promised land, but he wants to destroy the Israelites because they were disobedient. God tells Moses that he would bring him to the land he promised, but his presence would not go with him. Moses appeals to God and asks him to change his mind by allowing his presence to go with them. The Lord says, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” (Exodus 33:17)

It was his close relationship with God that sustained Moses in difficult times during his season of change.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Emracing Your Season of Change: The Process of Change (Part 3)

The third component in the process of change is the obstacles we face. My favorite example in the Bible of a man who had to face obstacles in his season of change in order to receive the promise of God is Abraham.

There are three main obstacles Abraham had to face during his season of change. The first obstacle was leaving everything that was comfortable and familiar to him. The Lord commanded Abraham to leave his country, his family and his people and go the land that he would show him. The difficult part of this journey is that Abraham did not know where he was going. Few things are more frustrating than traveling to a destination without proper directions.

Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Abraham made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country (Hebrews 11:9).

Quite often, when we begin our journey into our new season, we don’t really know where we are going. This makes sense, because we are going to a place where we have never been before. We have no frame of reference or experience to guide us into this part of our destiny. It is an awkward and uncomfortable time. We feel like strangers in a foreign land. Nothing stirs up our insecurities like the feeling of being a stranger in a new place.

The second obstacle Abraham had to face was the reality of his own physical limitations. The Lord appears to Abraham late in his life, around seventy-five, and promises him that he and his wife Sarah are going to conceive their first child. Abraham and his wife Sarah were well past the age of childbearing. In fact, Hebrews 11:12 says, “And from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.” Like Abraham, we must face the facts that we are limited in our own ability to accomplish the purpose of God in our own lives.

The third obstacle Abraham had to face was the sacrifice of his son Isaac, the very promise of God. God used this obstacle to test Abraham to see if he really trusted in God. God will use the process of change to test our heart motives. Abraham believed God and obeyed, and got new revelation into the power and purpose of God.

Hebrews 11:17-19 says, “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, (18) even though God had said to him, “It is through your Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. (19) Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from the dead.”

Why do we face obstacles in our seasons of change? Because God wants to use them to build our faith. Abraham was the first person on the planet to realize that God could raise the dead. As the patriarch of God’s purpose and the father of our faith, Abraham became a pattern for all who would trust in the Lord. His pattern taught us that the righteous shall live by faith in God. I often wonder if God gave Abraham, his friend, a sneak preview of his redemptive plan for mankind…the death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Embracing Your Season of Change: The Process of Change (Part 2)

The second component in the process of change is dealing with opposition. Since the purpose of change is to cause us to idolize God, form us into his image, bring us into his inheritance and to increase his ministry through our lives, Satan tries to stop this from happening.

Now let me clarify my theological beliefs before I continue. I believe in Christ’s total victory over Satan through his death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead. The devil is defeated…no if, ands, or buts. I do not believe at all that there is a power struggle between God and the devil. The only power the devil has is that which we give him through our disobedience and sin.

Having clarified this issue, I do believe the devil knows his time on earth is short and he tries to bring as much destruction to the human race as possible. He exists to kill, steal and destroy our lives (John 10:10). Being a strategic adversary, one of the main ways he tries to destroy us is by opposing our seasons of change. Some of the ways he does this is through deception, temptation, accusation and opposition.

Apostle Paul faced opposition from the adversary as he labored to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 Paul says, “But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. (18) For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan stopped us.” Also, in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9 he writes, “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, (9) because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”

Apostle Paul understood the victory a believer possesses in Christ probably better than any Christian who has ever lived. However, this did not prevent the fact that he still had to fight the good fight of faith.

Moses is another leader in the Bible who faced evil opposition in his season of change. God gave Moses the command to go deliver his people, the Israelites, out of slavery and suffering from Egypt. Moses goes with a promise from God that he will be with him during his mission.

At first, all seems to be going well for Moses. Moses and Aaron bring together the elders of the Israelites, Aaron tells them everything the Lord said to Moses, and Moses performs the signs before the people. And when the elders heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped (Exodus 4:29-31).

After this, Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and tell him what the Lord commanded concerning the exodus of the Israelites and this is how Pharaoh responds. Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 4:2)

Upset at this request, Pharaoh orders his slave drivers and foremen in charge to require the same amount of bricks from the Israelites while taking away their supply of straw. Pharaoh’s plan was to keep the Israelites busy through harder work so they would pay no attention to the will of the Lord. Not only were they forced to work harder with impossible demands, but they were beaten for their lack of production.

As the Israelite foreman appealed to Pharaoh about his impossible work demands, they realized they were in trouble because Pharaoh would not change his mind. After their meeting, they run into Moses and Aaron and say, “May the Lord judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Moses returns to the Lord and asks him, “Why have you brought this trouble on your people? Ever since I went to speak in your name, trouble has come upon this people, and you have not rescued them at all (Exodus 5:22-23).”

The Lord tells Moses to go back to the Israelites and tell them that he will bring them out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. Moses reports this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.

What a first day on the job. Moses faces opposition from his enemy and discouragement from his people in his new season as God’s chosen leader. Why does the Lord allow us to face opposition in our seasons of change? It is because he is developing his character, perspective and nature inside of us through this process.