Which Is It? (ATP) 

If we are forgiven of our sins and washed cleaned then why will we still have to be judged on judgement day for them? ”For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.“  ‭‭(2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ ‭NASB‬‬) We’re not to feel condemned and we are forgiven but also God will bring them back up on judgment day? 

Romans 8:1 (NASB)

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Judgement, condemnation and words that are similar are concepts people often get confused. As in the scripture in Romans above, this is one people often mix up. They will say, “See, there’s no reason to feel bad for what you’ve done. Don’t live in condemnation.” They are talking about being self-condemning. Now, while living in a self-condemning mind is generally not healthy, that is not what this is talking about. In context (there’s that word again!) this is referring to eternal condemnation, meaning eternal life in hell. The deeds before salvation and after salvation are very different.

The recompense that is talked about in 2 Corinthians is not punishment for wrong deeds. The Bible promises us that we will be rewarded for our good deeds done in Christ or lose reward for bad deeds. Ephesians 2:10 (NASB) says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Although the context of Matthew 6:6 (NASB) is prayer, “…and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you,” it applies to more than that. James 1:12 is another of many examples.

Christians being saved and Christians being rewarded for what they did with that salvation are two different things. Salvation is a gift, it is free and unearned. There’s nothing you can do to make it better or more. After salvation, however, we are given works to do. These works or tasks are what God saved us for. He didn’t just save us so we could vacation on an island somewhere and live stress free all of our days. Salvation points to the rest we will receive with Him in His presence, strengthening us while we do what He destined us to do while we await it. These are His works and we will get rewarded based on how we were faithful to them. 

Judging our works is not the same as judgement for sins. However, if after we are saved we insist on continuing in our sin, there is judgement in that. 1 John 1:9 (NASB) says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We still need to confess our sins and He absolutely will forgive them. What if we insist on living in them? Those are called “dead works”. You can be judged and rewarded for good works, or judged and lose reward for dead works. It doesn’t always equate to hell, but it can mean we lose out on blessing. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21 (NASB), “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What we do in this life matters. Not just for here, but for eternity. This is why we are repeatedly told in scripture to keep our focus there when deciding how we live. That Jesus saved us does not take away the responsibility for living right. He saved us so we COULD and WOULD live right. He promises reward for doing so. To live now for the promise of reward later is what faith is all about. When His promise of our future drives us to live different, these actions show our trust in Him. This is what really pleases God and what Hebrews 11 is all about.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

Are All Welcome? (ATP) 

John 6:65 says “And He (Jesus) said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” Verse 37 says, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me…” Does this mean that people can’t come to God on their own? 

One of the amazing things about this question, is that I was literally just studying these scriptures. It seems like God might want us to understand it! 

Romans 3:10-12 (NASB) says, as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” Well that’s a pretty heavy statement but it shows the condition of the human heart after sin. Nobody really wants God. We may think we do because we don’t want hell, or because we want help, but the truth is, everyone resists God Himself. I can verify this by telling you quickly about sin. Sin is the opposite of good which is God so to embrace sin, even a little, is rejection of God.

With that said, let’s look at the context of these scriptures of John 6, backing up to verses 44-45 (NASB) which says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” This is a scripture that Calvinist (or those who believe only those God chooses get to go to Heaven) use to back up their theology. But is this what these scriptures are telling us? I don’t believe so.

The greater context here is dealing with the heart of man. In verse 26 Jesus talked about how they were seeking Him for the feeding (naturally) not because He was God. In other words, they weren’t as interested in what was being taught as they were in what they got for showing up. He was talking about the difference between those who come and have a heart to learn and those who are just trying to get what they want.

God does in fact draw people. I believe He is drawing all people. How would we know this? 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us. It’s what people do with it that matters. Do people answer the call? When God draws, how do they respond? Humans are so lost that they don’t even know they need God. I see this time and time again. We cannot even come to God unless He draws us in. However, that does not say that there are some He won’t draw. He draws mankind through various methods so we also have to be careful about thinking of that in our box. 

When trying to understand scripture, we have to look at it from the standpoint of God‘s love. God‘s love is pure and real. Although the Bible tells us that His love is greater than our love, that does not mean that we cannot understand His love at all. After all, human love only exists because of God.  Would love drive you to pick some and not others simply on a whim? Not the sacrificial love that the scriptures speak of. Would love send some to hell, simply because you didn’t choose them? Of course not, not the love that came for the entire world (John 3:16). 1 John 4:18 (NASB) says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” Wouldn’t the thought that God has destined some people to hell with no way to choose otherwise be a major cause of fear? See, this idea doesn’t have to be taken very far to see it doesn’t hold up scripturally. 

Finally, the full understanding of the last part (vs 37) is found a few scriptures later. John 6:40 (NASB) says, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds (comes to) the Son AND BELIEVES in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” This is the key part, they come because they are called, they stay because they believe. Many come, not all stay. To those who believe continually, will also stay continually. 

I love what one theologian said when answering the question are people “once saved always saved?” He said, “This I can guarantee this, there will be no unbelievers in Heaven.” I don’t think it’s our job to sit around deciding who gets to go and who doesn’t, we are not equipped to decide that. Our job is to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and let the Holy Spirit work on the hearts of people to either come to believe, or let them continue in their unbelief by their rejection.

The whole counsel of God is important to understanding His word. In other words, if something seems different, yet doesn’t fit the character clearly spelled out, we have to seek a different interpretation. I may not know everything about scripture, or every language it’s written in, but I know the gist by seeing God’s heart throughout. If nothing else, by the fact that at our worst, He proved His love most. That’s a special love that is going to every length to see us get where God has us to be. That indeed is a very special love.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

Looking For A Pay-out! (ATP) 

How do you keep prayer from being simply transactional… how do you press in to know Him? There can be so much focus on being “skillful” in prayer, formulas, being “effective”. I want to know how to ditch that all and have a relationship that’s alive with my Father.

The easiest answer is by not making it transactional. One way is to stop looking for steps to do it effectively and that by seeing prayer for what it is, loving communication.

This is not just our own fault. We are or were people who don’t know and somehow we have to find out. When we listen to well meaning teachers on the subject they often offer us a lot of prayer secrets or rules. The truth is, relationship is not something you can really teach by another person. I have seen many relationships that are good over the years, but I have never seen two that are the same. Each relationship is built based on the personalities of the two involved, never just one. Sure you can give principles, but ultimately it comes down to figuring each other out.

We are given a lot about God’s character in the Bible. So much that even if you have never seen an example of good character, you can at least read about what healthy looks like. We see a lot in the New Testament about freedom. This is not accidental. Although there is a lot in scripture about prayer, there isn’t a lot of instruction on how exactly to do it. So think about it like this: if you met someone you want to get to know more, what would you do? You might try everything and anything!

When I met my wife, I knew I had to connect with her. The bummer to me was, I knew nothing about her. No likes or dislikes to manipulate, I didn’t even know if we would be compatible. Yet, twenty years later here we are. We had each had relationships in the past but you know what I quickly realized? None of them would help me here because this was totally new, uncharted territory. My wife and I, if we were to build a life together, needed to figure it out by ourselves. In fact, I didn’t even ask the opinions of others because I knew they couldn’t understand what I was feeling. 

God doesn’t want repeat relationships with His people. He wants them as individual as those whom He has them with. Yes, the Bible gives us guidelines to right and wrong and yes it tells us about His character to help guide us rightly. However, the only way to know the Father is to spend time with Him. One way we are going to have to do this is by thinking and acting outside of the box.

I want you to look at Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) which says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Notice it says all kinds of prayer but never defines what kinds of prayer are prayer. We have to start seeing prayer outside of the box. When we see the phrase “in the Spirit” I think we sometimes fail to understand what that means. Another way of saying this would be, by means of the Spirit.

God gave us His Holy Spirit at our new birth and He is called teacher. Part of what He does is guide us. To pray in the Spirit, or by the Spirit, is to pray in such a way that you seek Him to help you and endeavor to follow. Praying can look like all kinds of things. It can be saying things you know and it can be in saying things you don’t. Sometimes it can be groaning, weeping, or singing. Sometimes prayer can be your laughter and sometimes it can be absolutely silent, unable to speak anything at all. Sometimes prayer can just be your thoughts (you don’t think God can hear what you think?). The emphasis was never about what it always is, but who it is always directed to. Prayer, in its simplest form is communication between you and God. How that looks, well, you will have to be led.

But what if you have no leading per se? Did you know desire can be a leading? Do you really think we have anything good at all without Him? If you’re contemplating you might want to, that is desire! Think back to my story about my wife and I. If I want the conversation bad enough, I’ll find a way. To keep it from being transactional don’t look at God as a vending machine and your prayer being your quarter. Go to Him because you want to know Him. Tell Him that. Sure, if you need something ask Him, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you want to know Him, you will have to do more than ask. Maybe you will serenade Him. Maybe you will laugh with Him or maybe you will cry. Whatever it is, seek Him to help you.

One last thing. God wants this more than you do, He will not hold back. Trust Him, yes even in prayer and He will help you and draw you in. Do not rely on others for what only He can show you.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

Wait, Who Were You Asking? (ATP)  

Is there such a thing as praying to the devil? Can a person do this without realizing that’s what they’re doing?

I almost wish we could delete this word called prayer and use something else. The reason being, as with many words, we can taint them through viewing them wrongly. Prayer needs a reset!

The word pray originally comes from a Latin word which means to ask earnestly, beg, or entreat. That’s not me being smart, that’s a simple google search for the etymology of the word “pray”. In old English times if you asked someone a question you might say, “I pray you, answer me this…” Can you pray to the devil? Yep! You can pray to anyone you want to! It’s more of a question of, would you want to?

With that said, I think the heart of the question is, can you accidentally do it? I am not making fun of the prayer of this questioner (see what I did there?) when I say what I’m about to say. That question is simply fear. Sure, it’s probably been perpetuated by well meaning preachers or uber spiritual Christians. 

I want you to consider a scripture, which has to do with prayer. Luke 11:11-13 (NIV) says, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!” Do you really think a loving Father, who wants to commune with us, hears us “praying wrong” and says, “too bad they screwed that up!” No, again I say no!

If your heart is to talk with God, then it is God you are praying to! He is not so nit-picky that He refuses someone who is trying to communicate the best they know how. Further more, God isn’t so fickle that if you get it wrong He just steps aside and lets a devil come in. 

Now that I’ve said all that, what if one is praying to Buddha or Allah or some other non-God, god? That is a different case. These are people who are not seeking God as in the Bible God, they are seeking some other god altogether. In this case, they may get a devil, mostly because those other gods are not actually gods. 

There is of course a chance that in His mercy, because of His ability to know what is in their hearts, He may lead them right out of that, but only He truly knows. For the believer on the other hand, we can know who we pray to if we know who God is. Look what Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4:22 (NIV). “You Samaritans worship (which is a form of prayer) what you do not know; we worship (still a form of prayer) what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.” Here is an example of someone who thought they knew, and God met them because He knew their heart. He led her right, even in the midst of her wrong thinking. We also see Paul deal with this with the people of Athens as recorded in Acts 17:23. If someone is lost but truly has a heart for God, He will send somebody to them to help them get on the right path. 

As believers we cannot fear such things. If we are seeking God then we must have faith that we will find Him. Why? Because this is exactly what His word tells us. Seek and you will find, ask and you will receive. Bible truths will always set us free! Man’s burdens on the other hand, well they burden us!

James 1:5-7 (NIV) If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

Scary Scars (ATP) 

In the women’s Bible study on Psalm 23 in a certain passage, it talks about scars, and where Thomas would not believe that Jesus was back resurrected until he put his fingers in the scars on His hands, and then His side. In the lesson we were taught that our scars have purpose. My question is how can our scars that we hide? How can that help me to help someone?

Here’s the truth, our lives are testimonies. We are also called to be witnesses. On Sunday my husband mentioned the sound mind the Lord gave to the mad man of Gadara. This is a huge testimony considering how far off he was before that. After he was delivered he was so grateful to the Lord that he wanted to go with him but the Lord told him to go back and testify (Luke 8:26-39). This man was living naked in the tombs possessed by demons. Consider how hard that would be to share with others after you’d been delivered. Most of us might actually struggle with a sense of embarrassment if we were in his shoes. 

Look at Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Although God doesn’t ever do things to scar us, as we purpose to follow Him, He’ll even work those scars out for the good. 

Scars are interesting. When I was a small child just about preschool age (maybe 3) my mom had taken me on a long walk in Jamestown where I grew up and she let me out of my stroller for a bit so I could walk myself. At some point I tripped over an uneven sidewalk and cut the whole palm of my little hand on a piece of broken glass. My mom put me in the stroller and rushed me home (about 2 miles) and she was crying all the way because the cut was so bad. When we got to my neighbor’s house they wondered what had happened to me and my mom tried to show them, but my hand was completely healed. To this day I can see the scar, though it takes up a lot less space on my hand. God could have healed even that scar (and sometimes cuts and traumas don’t even cause scars) but He didn’t remove the scar. Now, if I hadn’t had that scar I couldn’t prove what I had experienced. And that, even coming from an atheist family no one ever really could explain how it happened. (I know now.)

Some things we go through will change us for the better, or for the worse if we let them, and some things are meant to change others along the way. Some scars don’t need talked about but should be put on the shelf in case the Lord has you share them. Some scars are too awesome not to share. Some things we’ll testify of in detail and others will be less specific and that’s ok. Look at Acts 1:8, “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” I think it’s more important to let the Lord know you’re willing to be a witness to His glory as He sees fit. When it’s God and we go humbly to Him, He’ll let us know what and when to speak. He has given us the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us. 

My husband has a huge scar, I mean basically his whole arm is a scar now. This came from an event that would change the course of his life and one that spiraled him into the darkest years of his life, but those dark years are now part of the testimony of what the Lord has helped him to overcome. Sometimes when our sin is so noticeable or when our brokenness was so evident, it proves the power and glory of God all the more. This is why my husband and I have decided to Pastor as more open books, not being ashamed of the things we’ve gone through and the areas we’ve failed, or still fail at. If people thought we were made from spare angel parts they wouldn’t take our words as seriously or really they might not be able to see what was possible with God. It helps to know that others have gone through things and failed and gotten up and that you’re not alone. Sharing our scars from a place of overcoming victory is what the lost or hurting need to see. Hebrews 4:15-16, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Even Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses (and scars) and that should give us and others reassurance. 

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée  

Why Is No One Listening? (ATP)

When sharing scripture or things related to God’s Word on social media, do you think seeds can be planted that way?

I probably have some slightly different thoughts on this than many people do. That being said, my answer will be a point of view. Perhaps it would be best to consider what I say along with what others may say, and then of course check your own conscience and motives. 

Firstly let me say, I fully believe we should not hide our faith. I’m going to share a scripture in a moment which I believe warns us about that. That said, how we share our faith is crucial! I have met so many zealous believers that never consider how they share their faith and I’ve witnessed it be destructive. They justify their poor actions by claiming that it’s just boldness. I learned this early on in my walk, boldness can easily become brashness when not controlled. We are to first be in control. 

Luke 9:26 (NASB) says, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” In context, this is talking about taking up our cross daily and following Him. This isn’t as much about how we say something, but that we do what He wants us to do when He wants us to do it. Remember those email forwards? If you love the Lord, share this with at least ten people? Often times the ones that felt they had to share those were the ones that weren’t actually living for God daily. I purposely chose not to forward those!

Let me tell you a story from my walk when I first came back to the Lord as an adult. Immature Christian Jeff was a very zealous young man. I carried a Bible with me everywhere, and looked to strike up Jesus conversations with everybody and anybody. I never cared what they thought and further more, was not moved when they outright rejected me, of course just believing that’s the way things are. The truth is, they are that way, but what I didn’t consider was the damaged I caused in my wake. I just assumed that everyone needed to hear what I had to say about the Lord, regardless of if they were ready to hear all I had to say or not. I never considered my tone, my intensity, or my (often brief) listeners. I was a surgeon who brought a chainsaw to the operating room. Do you get what I’m saying?

I remember a service I preached early on in my church. We labeled it an outreach service and we urged people to get as many of their non-believing family members and friends there as they could and I did as well. To this day, I believe it was one of the largest attended regular Sunday services we had. I was nervous, and I came out “bold”! Oh and I preached! Fire and brimstone, pouncing on every bad thought of the world that I could think of. I can still see some members of my family cringe as I preached at them. I didn’t preach the love of Christ but bashed idiotic ideas of society. To this day, some of those family members refuse to come back. The sad truth is my boldness was really out of place brashness (regardless of its truth) and what I gave was my condemnation not Holy Ghost conviction. It is His job to convict hearts, not ours!

You may even sit there and think, “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Listen, I had to repent from my wrong actions and I learned the lesson of anyone who is in ministry for a while that truly loves the Lord. If we aren’t careful, our zeal will push people away from God, not to Him. I am not advocating supporting the world’s sin. I am not agreeing with bad theology or compromise. What I am saying is if we don’t consider the people we minister to, we will cause more damage than doing anything good. Jesus said in Matthew 10:16 (NASB), “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent (harmless) as doves.”

The world doesn’t know what you know. At one point, you didn’t either. This is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22 (NASB), “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” He did not compromise but rather considered where the people were and how best to serve them. If you were sitting at a table tasked to feed a bunch of people, you would consider each person there. If a baby was present you might spoon feed them. An adult, you may just present the food. Someone without teeth, maybe just give them soup. You would consider their position and feed them accordingly.

I say all that to say this, social media can be good for outreach. However, I would really seek the Lord about if and what you should share. I used to preach on my Facebook account. After some time I realized it was more about my pride than it was me “witnessing”. I thought I had something to say and really did nothing more than stir up arguments. In this way, when social media becomes an outlet for vice rather than a tool for life, I think it has the reverse effect. It actually drives people away.

Jesus didn’t hold back when it was time to speak, but Jesus didn’t always speak. He was palatable to the lost and bold in the face of the true opposition. He knew the difference and we should too! I’m going to close with one of the most important scriptures on this point, but before I do, let me say something. I have met mouthy Christians, that as a Christian make me cringe. Not because what they say is not truth, but because they are so puffed up that they can’t see the people shutting down around them. It’s true that not everyone will receive what we say. That is not a license to just throw all our pearls in the face of everyone we come across. Be a witness of the Lord, but be gentle and lowly in heart, just like your Savior!

Colossians 4:6 (NASB), “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff