Month: June 2019

Growth & Grace

This week’s question addresses something that the world sees a lot of. “How do you deal with strife in the church in the aspect of jealousy? How do you deal with someone who seems to always be trying to one up you? I think I should know how to deal with/handle this, but I don’t. I am really struggling to find a solution.”

This is a very good question, one that I have at many times dealt with myself. The interesting thing is, as I sit to answer, there is literally a flood of scriptures that pour into my heart. This tells me that this isn’t just a nowadays problem, but a human problem. What I want to start with is something the Lord showed me a while ago.

It’s summed up in this: It’s not what happens to us that matters, only how we react to it. Everything in walking out a pure Christian life, acceptable to the Lord, is how we keep our heart. We cannot change another’s heart and we will waste time trying. God Himself could not change the heart of man. That said, I want to refer first to Proverbs 6:16 & 19 which say, “These … things the Lord hates,

yes, … are an abomination to Him… one who sows discord among brethren.” Discord is as evil as murder to God. Strife is nothing more than plain discord. That said, we will all have plenty of opportunity to either get jealous of someone or loath how they act, but the truth is, we are not permitted to act back with anything but love.

The church is made up humans with human personalities and I am convinced that God mixes it up for us on purpose. We need the opportunity that others provide us to learn to walk in love. Love is what describes God’s nature and since we are His children, should describe ours. People need to see the love of Christ in us which by definition always yields ones own personal desire to that of others. This is what Jesus meant when He said to love one another. It’s one thing to love someone that’s easy to love and another to love someone who makes it difficult to love.

I love the words of Paul as he wrote to the Church of Philippi. He said, (Philippians 2:2-3) “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” When someone starts competing with others, this is selfish ambition. However, when those who are at the receiving end of their selfishness act out of offense, this too is selfish ambition. Our first reaction should always be to pray for them. Often people do not realize what they are doing to others. We have to remember what was said in 1 Corinthians 13:5, that love does not seek its own, is not provoked, and always thinks the best of others. When someone is acting foolishly, that can seem hard to do. This is another area we get to crucify our flesh in. I know, doesn’t that sound fun?

The key here is, no matter what, to keep our own minds thinking right. I do it like this: we are all called together to promote the work of the Lord. Period. If someone is acting wrong, God will correct them in due time. If I act right, He will bless me regardless. We must… think… right!

I’m now going in a direction that may seem surprising, but this is the life of a pastor. I love all the people God has given me to shepherd. I’ve dedicated my very life to them. If I’m honest though, there are tons of things that I could correct in even the most faithful of my people. There have been enough times when I’ve gotten frustrated, I’ve sought the counsel of my mentors. “What would you do when someone in your congregation does this or that?” I would ask to which is often replied, “Growth and grace Pastor Jeff, growth and grace.” In other words, in time, faithful people will make the right decisions and God will correct their stupid thinking if we give them space to grow. I once asked Pastor Michael, “Are there things in me I need to change?” He just smiled when he looked at me and said, “Growth and grace!”

Let me end with Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Your job is to do the best you can and follow the Lord’s direction for your life. Don’t look at what others are or are not doing, only make sure you do what you are supposed to. Think the best of them and walk in love. God will always make it up to you if you choose right. Besides, you may not know it yet, but you are probably in need of a little grace while you grow too.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Who’s On The Line? ATP

Have you ever had this question? “I’ve always been a little confused on when should we pray to Jesus and when to pray to God, are there specific times we pray to one or the other or do we just always pray to our Father in heaven in the name of the Lord?”

This same thing used to confuse me! Aren’t you glad (I know I am) that we have answers in the Word? It seems as though God knew what we would need ahead of time! In John 16:23-24, Jesus made it plain, “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” We have to understand a few things, then this will make sense.

Jesus died to gain us entrance to Heaven. This entrance was not only for when we die, though praise God it is included. Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came to give us abundant life. Prayer is our doorway to all Heaven has to offer us.

In Heaven there is no need for abundant life to be given because Heaven is in the presence of God and in His presence there is no lack. Sin drove us from God’s presence thus separating us from that supply. Jesus bridged the gap between us and God. If you remember, when we look to the first chapter of Genesis, God blessed man with everything they would ever need. It wasn’t until sin entered the human race that flow was cut off.

What Jesus did when He died and rose again was gain the authority man lost to satan and then in turn, transferred this authority to us as a gift of grace. His name IS the authority. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:9, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.” So then we do what we’ve always done, ask the Father, but now we use the name of Jesus because the name is our place of connection to Him.

That said, we know also that there are many different types of prayers and we would do well to utilize them. For example, when praying in the Holy Ghost or in tongues, we don’t necessarily use the name of Jesus because it is a different type of prayer. However, when we are praying in the Spirit it is right and good to speak to the Holy Spirit as a person because He IS. For example we could say, “Holy Spirit you are my Teacher and my Helper. I ask you to show me this or that or help me pray this or that out.”

The Bible promises us that if we pray God’s will, we will always receive. The problem is, we don’t always know. Romans 8:26 tells us, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” We need to remember that the Holy Ghost is the part of God who is here with us today. Jesus is not here, He is seated in Heaven next to the Father. If we neglect The Holy Ghost and His prayer, then we limit the effectiveness and ability of our prayer. Also, we limit our ability to hear God’s response.

Many Christians pray to God in Jesus name and never receive their answer. This does not happen because God didn’t answer, it happens because they never learned to hear. The Holy Ghost is the one who speaks to us today. Remember what John 16:13 says? “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” God wants us to hear. We need to hear because many times the answer is found in His instruction. So pray to God in Jesus name and pray in the Spirit to receive your answer. Knowing God by His methods makes every prayer effective every time!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

How do you deal with strife in the church in the aspect of jealousy?  How do you deal with someone who seems to try to one up you?  I think I should know how to deal with/handle this, but I don’t.  I am really struggling to find a solution.

This week’s question is crucial in walking in the perfect will of God for our lives. “As we all know Jeremiah 29:11 states that God has a good plan for us. Are we supposed to know His plan for us? Furthermore, God’s will be done and we all have a purpose here, but how do we know what our individual purpose is or is everyone’s purpose the same, to glorify Him?”

A great way to answer this is with Jeremiah 29:13 which says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

I would say the most important thing we can do is discover what His plan is for us. The fact is, many Christians live this life and never figure out what God’s plan is for them and the reason is generally because they are not interested. The scripture here tells us we will find Him when we seek Him with our WHOLE heart. I’ll get back to that in a minute.

God’s plan for us is bigger than just one thing. He has a plan for us first and foremost in the Body of Christ, but then also individually. Our individual plan is always connected to the plan for the whole Body. When I say the Body of course I mean both all believers that are here, were here, and will be here, but also the Body as the local church. So then we can say we need to know God’s plan for humanity as a whole, His plan for the area or region we live, His plan for the time we live, His plan for our local church, and also where we fit into all of that. Sounds like a lot but it isn’t as hard as it seems.

I will show you this by returning to Jeremiah 29:13. The key here is seeking God with your whole heart. What does this mean? It is when you seek something in such a way that you are unsatisfied without it. If you were truly hungry, you would completely focus on finding food. You would not be casual about it. You may not know exactly where to find it, but you would set yourself on a course to ensure you find it. It would become a matter of life or death. Finding God is really much the same. The thing is with God, once you have decided you are unwilling to go without Him and His plan, He ensures (as promised in Jeremiah) that you will find it.

I love what Paul said in Philippians 3:14. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The word press means literally to pursue in a hostile manner. That’s a person who WILL NOT go without. As we do what God has commanded, pray, read the Word, do what the Word says, and submit to a local church, God will reveal His plan to us step by step.

When I first started coming to church, I never thought I would pastor a church, let alone two. As I went and became more and more faithful, growing in the Lord, I discovered this plan. More is revealed to me all the time and what I know now far exceeds what I knew even just a few years ago. This is because my desire is to do His will. I am not perfect by any stretch but I am hungry!

So to sum this up, desire, truly desire from God to know what He has for you. Ask Him and He will tell you. Remember that He has said, “keep asking and keep knocking” and you will find. His promise is sure to all, but only if we are truly hungry!

Be a Blessed,

Pastor Jeff