Category: Faith Fix

Study And Be Approved (ATP)

How does one transition from just reading the Bible out of habit to truly studying the Word?

Good question! I would say that simply by asking this question, you have already begun. See, the first and most important thing to growing in faith (which is why one would want to study) is desire. Jesus is called the Desire of nations. He is the longing that is ingrained in every human everywhere. 

One very important thing to understand about the Word is that it is living. Hebrews 4:12 tells us it’s living and powerful! We do a great disservice to it to simply JUST pick it up and read or even JUST memorize this wonderful book. God did not give us His Word for entertainment. His Word is living and transforming and if we embrace it as such, it will do exactly what God has said it will do. 

Early on in my Christian walk I heard one of the greatest pieces of advice on this topic. Someone said to me, “Don’t just read the Word, read it prayerfully.” What did they mean? Prayer in its simplest form is speaking to God. So His Bible, His Word, is a written account of His voice to humanity. When we go to the Bible imagine it as a conversation with God. Even ask Him, “Father, help me to understand, speak to me today as I read your Word. If you’ve been in any of my services you will note in my opening prayer I almost always pray Ephesians 1:17. “Give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation.” I am praying from the Word for all of us to receive it in our hearts.

In the Bible we find His will, His plans, His promises, and most importantly the record of His love. Surely God is so much deeper than written words can express, however they are where that relationship begins. It is the mouth of a very deep well. When you go to a well with the intent of really drawing something out, you bring an empty vessel ready to be filled. You should approach fellowship with God the exact same way. Come empty but ready to fill, expecting to be filled! What I mean is don’t come casually during commercial breaks, come with intent to receive from God. You should go to church the same exact way because serious study starts where God has you planted.

This brings me to my next point. Know where God has called you and then be planted or unmoved. I knew a man who came to church. He came for reasons I don’t really know, maybe his wife was making him. They were believers but he never thought he needed a local church. No man was going to teach him, after all he knew some things. See, that’s a vessel that’s already filled with something but that something only tainted the water. He didn’t last long in church and I wasn’t wholly surprised.

So then, one key to study is in recognizing that you cannot get all the material on your own. The very God given direction to all pastors is to feed His sheep. We are to present the word to His people by the Spirit so that they have something to build on. This was God’s design not mine. In life, I would have been just as happy to have this not be so but it is so. God gave us church and He gave us pastors. Therefore, true study cannot happen without those connections. They are not the whole piece of the puzzle but they are a piece nonetheless. 

Here we come to the next thing. Listen, take notes, and return to them! Note how your pastor breaks the Word down. Pay attention to connections he or she makes between scriptures. The vein your pastor is led in is the same one that will feed you spiritually. Remember, the Bible isn’t simply a textbook but it is the living word of the Lord. Part of study is receiving from our teacher, the Holy Spirit. I have known of people who have memorized the Word but never understood it! How can this be? 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (discerned or understood). If you believe the Bible is just some ancient writing by wise men, you will never access its depths. So to reiterate, put importance on what you are hearing then build from there.

I could go on and on about this subject. Perhaps we will do a question and answer about this in the near future because there is so much we could still explore. The last part I will touch on is to share methods that I use myself. Start reading trusted commentaries about the Bible. Read scholarly books and materials. Watch videos of trusted content. Note that I said trusted! These avenues help and will increase your understanding but I also put out a warning. DO THE FIRST THINGS FIRST! 

Do what I’ve already touched on first and foremost. So many times, baby Christians (usually people who don’t even know they are babies), come to me with questions about scripture. I think to myself, “Why on earth are they studying that?” Not because it’s not good to study the Word, but because some things are for you now and some are for later. This is how well meaning Christians become misled and confused (remember that guy I mentioned earlier?). You don’t give a baby a steak and expect them to not choke. Think soberly of where you are at in your Christian walk and get good at simple things first. If you can’t swim you don’t jump into the deep end of a pool. You know if you can swim or not! Just because you are knowledgeable in one area does not make you knowledgeable in all areas. Just because you can run on land doesn’t mean you can swim in water. However, even if you jump in and find yourself drowning you know you’re in the wrong place so back off for the time being. 

In closing, I want to warn you about being critical. As I write this, I don’t know who asked the question, typically I prefer not to know until after I’ve answered it. I say that so if the asker is reading they understand I am not making any judgement of them. When WE KNOW where God has called us we need to be open to what He wants to say. If we sit in every service trying to find fault with the minister, we get ourselves into a dangerous place. 

IF YOU KNOW where God has placed you, not because someone else has told you but because you know, then you can trust He will feed you there. Just in case you’re wondering, if God has placed you somewhere it is likely not to change. Change is the exception not the rule but even if it does change it won’t often. Just because you’re bored doesn’t mean God changed His mind. If you find yourself thinking it’s time to change really dig into why. Maybe He is leading you, but if He is there will be good reasons for this. Make sure it’s not just an attack to get you to stop feeding. Know where you get fed and return to that table!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

I Swallowed A Bug! (ATP)

Could you please discuss the doctrine that we as NT believers have the authority and responsibility to command angels to do our bidding? I see in the scriptures that angels offer assistance, look after children, and minister to the saints; but it appears that it’s under the direction of the Lord (not man). 

Psalms 91:11 (NASB)

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.

Some may not know this but there is teaching out there that says that Christian’s should command their angels to do various things for them. In fact, I have often done this myself. (Like before going on a trip or something of that nature.) The question here is, is it founded in scripture?

One of the commonly used scriptures to back up this teaching is found in Hebrews 1:14. Speaking of angels it says, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” Though I can see how this scripture COULD be utilized I’m not so sure it is very solid for this purpose. It clearly says that they are “sent”. Now, sent could mean that God sends them after we command them but it doesn’t say that. 

Another scripture, I believe that is often used is Psalms 103:20-21 which reads “Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.”  This is one scripture that I do believe one could use in this discussion. If one were using His word, which is His will, couldn’t it be considered the voice of His word? Again, though I can see how it could be used, I cannot say it definitively.

One other place I could see being an argument for this practice would be found in Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” This scripture gives us clear understanding of the authority that God intended for man. If an angel were here on earth, it would seem it must fall under this jurisdiction. That is of course if angels fall under the category of what living is meant to describe here.

As I write this I can think of other scriptures that could allude to man’s authority of angels but I’m not sure they could be used without some explanation, so that makes me think about something I was taught, which was that any “doctrine” that you have to really dig for, although it could be true, can’t and shouldn’t necessarily be used to teach with. God has meant His instructions for us to be simple. For example, we don’t need a scholar to tell us to walk in love.

Let me ask you a question? Is the Bible clear that Jesus is the only way to God? Is it clear that God is love and is merciful? Is it clear that we are to love one another serving Him and each other? Is it clear we are to live by faith? My point is this, there is so much doctrine that is so clear we probably shouldn’t spend a whole lot of time on things that aren’t so clear. 

Let’s do one of the safest tests that we can do to see if this idea holds up. Did Jesus command angels on earth and if so did He instruct the apostles to do so? Did the apostles practice this or command others to do so? Is this a universal church teaching and why or why not? Believe it or not there is safety in commonly held beliefs although that in of itself is not a guarantee. Many people can be wrong too, but when you put all these things together you can come to a pretty safe conclusion. 

Now, with that said, I don’t think this is a doctrine that is dangerous and if someone puts it to practice they are probably not a heretic. I have told people while preaching that you can command angels and I’m pretty sure I’m not a heretic. My heart was not to deceive but I can say I probably wouldn’t do so again. I also would not be ready to stand up in a service and shout the preacher down if they spoke about this either. It is inevitable we will all believe or preach something that just does not have solid footing, that in of itself does not make us bad.

We should endeavor with all our hearts to be accurate. We should also know where we are called to feed. When we do this, if something is said that maybe we don’t quite see, we can simply look past it or seek clarification later on. A minor teaching here or there that I don’t agree with, (depending of course on what it is), wouldn’t make me leave a church, sometimes you have to spit out the sticks. However, if the preacher started making a real big deal over something that can’t really be backed up, I may reconsider.

All in all, I’m not a fan of teaching doctrine that isn’t easily verifiable. In fact, recently I started going through my doctrine closet to look for things that don’t fit. You know what, I found some and at first this frustrated me. I took it before the Lord and asked what I should do and I’m going to share how He encouraged me. First, KNOW where God has placed you. When you know this, it’ll make everything else a lot easier. Second, only preach what I KNOW. For the reader if you are not a preacher, only practice what you know. Romans 14:23 says, “…whatever is not from faith is sin.” If you can’t know it, it’ll be real hard to operate according to faith.

I want to end on an important note. The job of the typical Christian is not to go around looking who they can tear down. Unfortunately our society highly promotes this type of action. The job of the Christian is to know where God wants them, know what He desires of them, and then to act accordingly. When we do this and endeavor to sow love and peace and stay away (far away) from discord then God can do things with us, even if our doctrines are a little bit off. We could be technically right but with the wrong heart and we become completely wrong. Remember the Pharisees? They were technically right!

I want to leave you with a scripture that I think might help. Jesus said in Matthew 23:24, “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” In general, let’s not choke on little things when we have so many camels to deal with in our lives! Be accurate, live for Jesus and follow Him. If you make that your aim, you’ll never be too far off!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

What If…? (ATP)

What if the trial never ends?

This is a question I sympathize with and as someone who loves people, my heart truly goes out to anyone struggling through trial. When things are hurting it seems the only thought we often have is how long is it going to last. Living in a world where there is so much unexpected and so much out of our control, even if we are expecting, there can be great frustration in not knowing. I get it, and I know where you’re at.

That said, I have found that all my desire to take the pain away from someone else is most often fruitless. When you’re in trial, I can’t stop it. When I’m in trial, I can’t stop it. For years this very knowledge was so frustrating to me, until I learned some secrets that I’m going to share today.

Jesus knows. He not only knows but He knew. John 16:33 records Him as saying, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” Jesus foresaw the trial and He was moved with compassion for our trial before you and I even existed. Back when we were only a very distant possibility, Jesus taught us the way, fully taking in account that what He left us would completely cover all we could possibly go through.

Before I continue, I want to ask you a question about the above scripture. Is there a difference between one ongoing trial or many different ones? From either stand point you may answer that one is definitely worse than the other but your perspective is going to be from the struggle you face. Trial is relative. What I faced when I was a teenager was at times unbearable. Today those struggles are nothing to me. But today’s struggles, today’s are the worst. Tomorrow’s, they are worse yet. See trials will always present themselves in a fallen world, perspective changes their effect.

So on to the great secret you’ve been waiting to hear. 1 John 5:4 gives us the answer, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Faith is what overcomes. If you’ve been in the Mayville church of recent I’ve been teaching on simple faith. We have learned a fundamental truth, “Have faith in God,” based in Mark 11:22. To have faith in God is literally to have complete trust in and rely solely on God.

One reason trial bothers us so greatly is because of our inability to  change the situation. Think about it like this. I have a Jeep and it is a 4wd. I don’t usually drive around with all four tires driving the vehicle, but when I get myself in a bit of mud or snow I pull the lever and boom, I drive right out. No troubles at all. I’ve even pulled others out using this extra power. One time however my son borrowed it and in a certain storm found himself in a ditch that the Jeep could not get out of. He was scared and frustrated and I understand that but I was not. See I have been stuck really bad before and I know who to call on. So we arrange for a tow truck to come to where he was and it pulled him out. In this world you will have tribulation that you cannot get out of but be of good cheer, Jesus has overcome your trials for you already!

See, the reason you’re so bothered is because you are trying to do Jesus’s part. He’s the unstucker, you are not! You are trying to figure out how to get this thing unstuck but that is not your job, yours is to be of good cheer. Being of good cheer does not mean you are happy about the situation, being of good cheer is resting in the fact that the answer is on its way. What would happen if I had called that tow truck driver every 30 seconds while we waited for Him to arrive and asked him, “Are you sure your coming?” Or what if my son kept calling me saying, “Dad, I know you love me but I’m stuck and I don’t think you will actually come!” It would be an extreme annoyance, wouldn’t it?

Now I am not saying that we are annoying God but the Bible does tell us that faith pleases Him. He loves that we would want to talk to Him every 30 seconds but not to tell Him how much we don’t trust Him. See, when a person is in faith it is settled in them that no matter what is going on, God will come through. The person of faith settles this in their heart and rests upon it. The person of faith reminds themselves of it. They use it in the trial. They keep telling themselves and refuse any mention or thought otherwise.

Now you may be thinking, “I guess I’m just not a person of faith.” That’s a lie. Do you want to be a person of great faith? Then decide you will be! If I asked you to come with me for a walk, you’d only go by going and faith is exactly the same! Look at the woman with issue of blood in Mark 5. Verse 28 tells us her thoughts, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Jesus later declared in Mark 5:34, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” Faith overcame and the faith she had was the faith she took! That same faith was, is, and will be to all who will take it!

So what do we do with this? Remember what I said earlier, overcoming a trial is really about perspective. If you know God will come through for you then you rest in Him. If you don’t know this, go back to the Bible and read all the times God came through for the people that trusted in Him and tell yourself He will do it for you. If the thought comes that He won’t, simply refuse it place in your life, in your mind, or anywhere else anywhere near you.

He came through every single time! I am not making light of your trial, I know it’s hard without knowing what it even is. I am telling you there is a way to overcome and that is trusting wholly in the fact that He already overcame. The trial might not end today, but neither will you! Trust in God and see the other side! It will make your time here much more enjoyable!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

It’s Time You Listen To Me! (ATP)

How can you convince someone that they have to be planted and not travel all the time?

This question is a good pastoral question. What I mean is, this is the type of question a pastor receives on a regular basis. That said, I believe I am quite prepared to answer this. There are two scriptures that immediately come to mind.

The first scripture is speaking directly to pastors concerning their dealings with the sheep and is one I refer to repeatedly. I do believe that the principle in it applies to all Christian’s. 1 Peter 5:3 says, “nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” God has not given me or anyone else control over anyone. Though this statement is so absolutely true, we also shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bath water. We need human help and the Bible clearly tells us to seek wise counsel. If you’re idea is good, others generally will be able to get in agreement with you.

Note that I said, generally. There are rare times when God will lead someone against what most others would choose. These times are usually rare and He will often give the person being led special faith in the circumstance that empowers them in ways they would not normally be able to operate in. (Special faith 🤔: that would be a good Faith Fix question should someone ask.) Psalm 1 instructs us not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly but the reverse is also true, it’s wisdom to walk in the counsel of the godly. People who refuse to submit to counsel are generally operating in extreme pride but they will rarely even be able to recognize that.

So what do we do in such cases? This is where the second scripture that comes to mind comes into play. We encourage them with the Word. Psalms 92:13 says, “Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.” This verse is in every pastor’s Bat Utility Belt! People get bored easy, even when they go to a church as exciting and fun as ours! (I hope you all know that’s a joke, though it’s not.) Sometimes they equate boredom with leading but through counsel, if a person will receive it, it’s not hard to point to the truth here.

Now that I’ve said that, and believe me have counseled people in that direction many times I want add something I think would help anyone who is trying to help keep another on track. Don’t be so quick to just negate what someone wants to do, especially if it’s something strong in them. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying jump all on board especially if you know it’s not right. But you should consider, if this is big to this person, why is it so? Desire to help them work through it even if you know what they desire is fruitless. I often tell people who are seeking a spouse, “If they truly love you, what matters to you will matter to them.” The reverse is true too! What matters to them should matter to you even if it is not right, even if you wouldn’t choose it.

Again, I am not saying to embrace what is wrong. I am saying that the very fact that it stirs them means it should be something that matters to you. You can seek God on their behalf. “Father, I believe this isn’t right. But it matters to (the one you love) and because of this it does to me. I don’t want them to be unhappy. I want to be an encouragement. Help them and help me help them.” I guarantee you that this is a prayer that will please God. He Himself is an intercessor, it is dear to His heart. An intercessor is not one who crushes desires, but one who helps get to the perfect place.

So back to that second verse (you thought I forgot). The only way for true growth is to be planted in the right place. The idea of being planted means that being uprooted continually will impede growth. Encouraging one another to stay put will help us all to grow. Remember that encouragement is not forceful. No one was ever encouraged at the receiving end of a gun barrel! Work with each other with the kind of encouragement that the Heavenly Father would bring. This is the love of God in manifestation!

James 3:17

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

What Is Worship (ATP)

“I’ve always thought when I heard the word worship that it was talking about songs we sing at church. Recently while studying the Bible I read that worship is any expression of reverence and adoration for God. Can you please explain worship?”

As modern day Christians we have put a spin on the meaning of scripture based on our current understanding of certain words and phrases. We do this with so many topics in scripture and worship is one of them. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word worship? If you’re like the person who asked this question, you probably thought of singing songs together before the minister gets up to give the sermon.

The first mention of the word worship in scripture is back in Genesis when Abraham was bringing Isaac to the altar to sacrifice him as the Lord had directed him. He called that process “worship”. When we look up the meaning of that word it is to bow down, to humble yourself in reverence, to lower yourself in order to raise Him up in honor. There’s nothing in this about singing songs. When Abraham was blessed with his child of promise, Isaac, the Lord tested his heart of willingness, obedience and honor. If you don’t know the whole story, go back to read Genesis chapter 22.

When we look at Moses, we see he was instructed to worship God on the mountain. What was that all about? It was symbolic of finding God in a high place. We see this symbolism throughout scripture. In Leviticus we see the command not to worship false idols nor bow down to them.  In the book of Numbers we see that Israelites joined in in the worship of Baal and God was angry with them. In Deuteronomy we see a continued theme of worshiping God instead of bowing down in worship to false idols and gods. In fact look how bold scripture gets here, Deuteronomy 8:19, “It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.” God is really angered by His people worshipping other gods.

Now, I could keep going all the way through the Old Testament and into the New Testament all the way through the book of Revelation, and see this continued theme, but I think we can already see where it’s going. The devil took Jesus unto the high mountain, remember this is a place God Himself used to position His people in a place of worship, and we see here the devil trying to do the same thing for himself. The devil showed Jesus all the earth as his kingdom and tempted Him with it. Luke 4:6-7, “And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” The devil was giving Jesus a chance to worship, or bow down, to him in place of the Father. He gave him a picture of what He could have if He placed His worship on a false god. Remember we see that theme all through scripture and guess what?  We still deal with this temptation today! The enemy is still giving Christians temptations and presenting false gods to get their worship off of God and unto anything else. Look at how Jesus responded, Luke 4:8, “Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” There’s more to the story, but this is the key. Our whole reverence, all our worship, the only throne we bow down before should be that of the Lord.

Look what Jesus said to the woman at the well, in John 4:22-23, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers..” We worship God for what we know of Him. He first loved us. While we were yet sinners, Christ died to save us! God has prepared a place for us in His own family and has seated us in high places with Christ! God is our Abba, Father, our Creator, our Provider, our Victory, our Healer, our Peace!!

God said true worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth. What does that mean?  Well, firstly, that true worship is that of the heart. We cannot fake true worship. We can sing songs, we can go through the motions, but if our hearts are not in it, it’s not worship at all. We must worship God as a spirit within our very spirits. That means to our core, to the real us on the inside, God must be held as holy. We must also worship Him in truth, or as a fact. Many scholars translate this word to reality. That means we need to actually live our reality in Him, in keeping with the truth as taught in the Word, reverencing God in our lifestyles and respecting the duties of man as seen in God’s truth. Let me put this plainly, we must have our whole hearts in it, and our actions need to be in line with what’s in our hearts.

Why do we sing songs in church and call it worship? Well, we’re thinking the best of people. We’re assuming as people sing songs of thankfulness and love for the Lord that they mean it! Some do. Some don’t. When you come to the Lord in all things whether singing songs in church, sitting in service hearing the scriptures preached, working your daily jobs or fulfilling your daily responsibilities, and even during your recreation time, with a true heart after Him, refusing to live opposite of what He both intended and paid for, then and only then are you living out true worship.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée

What’s The Plan Man (ATP)

“We are all familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, but instead of God having an individual plan for you, can His plan for you actually be a 2 person plan, meaning the 2 people are suppose to walk out the 1 plan together?!”

I am convinced that God’s plans are infinite. Actually, I think it would be better to look at it like this. God’s plans are not as specific as His purpose. God has plans, sure, but He has chosen to implement His plans in part through humans, humans in which He also decided should have free will.

The fact that He gave us the ability to choose our own will over His, and that at any given moment or opportunity, if His plans were written in stone they would never come to pass. To understand this really we have to understand a few things. We need to understand why we are here, how He designed us, and how this all works in connection to His purpose.

How could we possibly know all this, right? Easy, Hebrews 1:3 tells us about Jesus, that He was “the exact representation of His nature.” Jesus came as we know to live a life that showed us perfectly what God desires, He died taking the punishment for our sin, and was raised again to life to be the first born among many brethren. Jesus came to make more of Himself to fulfill God’s purpose. However, we still must choose.

Now, I can speak to the question at hand. Though the Lord has a purpose in which He will employ believers to bring to pass, they can choose not to. In this case, to accomplish His “plan” He must utilize someone else. What God will do with people is exactly what Romans 8:28 says. “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.” See, many people like this because they see it in relation to their trials but in truth this is an example of God’s plans coming to pass. Maybe one person will choose right but the next will not. In that, He has to make another way but rest assured His will will be accomplished!

We are called into God’s work upon salvation. We are also called to come together in a local church to fulfill yet another level of the plan. If you are married there won’t be different directions although their could be different usages. One may be taking care of children and one may be in traveling ministry but both work together to bring something to pass. One parent may go somewhere to work all day and the other stay home but they are together accomplishing a bigger work.

God has plans for all of us individually, as pairs, as churches, as nations and there are different levels of participations and abilities but the most important part is the cooperation of each of us in each place. When we come to Him we must first discover what God wants from us. Then we see how that connects to the places He puts us, our towns, our churches and so on. When we realize that what God calls us into has a greater purpose we break out of the ruts that so many, that too many Christian’s never get out of.

Following God is the greatest blessing of living this life. The sooner we see this, in all of its components, the greater joy we will discover.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff