God Bless America

   As many of you know, several from our church have recently returned from international mission trips.  Collectively, we were in India and Peru.  If you have never had an opportunity to travel internationally, I would highly suggest it.  Particulary if you are going on a mission trip.  Mission trips are different than tourist trips.  On mission trips you get the opportunity to spend time with God’s people in settings that are generally off the beaten path.  You truly get to see how brothers and sisters in Christ live out their commitments to Jesus.  It is often much more difficult to follow Christ in other cultures than it is in the United States. 

    That being said, my heart aches for America.  It seems like we are moving further away from the qualities that made us who we are.  We embrace immorality and ungodly behaviors.  Much of what was considered scandalous and sinful barely a generation ago is now widely accepted and applauded.  Psalm 33 reminds us that “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”  There is no blessing apart from devotion to the Lordship of Almighty God over our lives.  I pray that my heart and your heart would turn completely to the Lord.  I pray that God would move afresh to draw us as individuals and as a nation to Himself.  I pray that God would indeed bless America.  We do not deserve it, but oh how we need it.

Still here…

     Saturday, May 21, has come and gone.  Self-described prophet, Harold Camping, inspired a recent rapture-mania.  Many people emptied life savings and maxed out credit cards in hope of a weekend evacuation.  After careful, biblical (?) exposition, Camping concluded that the rapture of the Church would occur by 6pm Saturday.  Well, it’s Monday and we are still here.  I have to say I am a little disappointed.  How great would it be to be in the presence of Christ right now! 

     Hopefully this recent failed prophesy reminds us that no one knows the day or hour and that it is really not our concern to figure out the timing of Christ’s coming.  What is our concern is to lead as many people to follow Christ as we can while we still can.  The truth is one day Christ will return.  One day will be the last day that anyone has the opportunity to accept Christ.  Yes, we are still here.  Still here with a purpose.  God delays the return of Christ so that people will turn to Christ.  He does not desire for any to perish but that all would come to repentance.  God is on mission to draw the nations to Himself.  May we join Him, while we are still here.

We wrestle not…

     Late Sunday night we learned of the death of Osama Bin Laden.  Like me, many of you, remember the horror of September 11, 2001.  We recall the grief and anger we felt on that day.  We still hurt particularly for those who lost people they loved that day.  It is with somber relief that we find justice in the death of Bin Laden. 

     But we must remind ourselves  that Bin Laden is not our ultimate enemy.  Al Qaeda is not our ultimate enemy.  Terrorists are not our ultimate enemy.  The Word of God informs us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Our ultimate enemy is the Devil (Eph. 6: 11-13).  He is the enemy of God and His people.  He will do everything that he can to eradicate the work of God through the people of God.  The weapons of our warfare are not weapons of human design but weapons of divine design.  To win the war against evil is to equip ourselves with the very armor of God.  We are to take up truth, righteousness, assurance of salvation, the gospel of peace, the Word of God, and persistence in prayer as our weapons.  We witness daily the effects of the work of the Devil.  We see those effects in our homes, in our schools, in our jobs, and in the national and international affairs of humanity.  We thank God for the bravery and skill of our military.  They are indeed a necessary global force for good.  However,  the ultimate battle is not physical, it is spiritual.  It will be won through spiritual means:  God’s people living out God’s will in God’s power to God’s glory.  Dear child of God, take up God’s armor.  Live for His glory wherever you are.  All around us are people who need spiritual deliverance.  May God use us to set people free.

Looking forward to Easter

    Can you imagine what it was like for those who lived prior to the resurrection of Jesus Christ?  They had little or no hope of eternal life.  They had little or no hope of any future different than anything they had ever witnessed.  In so many ways the resurrection of Christ changes everything.  If Christ is raised from the dead then He is who He said He was:  the One Son of God given as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.  If Christ is not raised Christians are of all people the most to be pitied.  If Christ is not raised Christians are not only wasting their lives but are guilty of misrepresenting God (1 Cor. 15).  But because Christ is raised from the dead, we have the wonderful assurance of heaven. We have God with us each and every day of our lives.  Thank God for the Resurrection!

  Easter is about new life, isn’t it?  It is about fresh starts and new hopes.  Just a question: is there anyone that you need to make a fresh start with?  Maybe there is someone you need to forgive or someone you need to ask to forgive you.  Christ died and was raised so that we could walk in newness of life.  Let us turn from the old and follow the new.  Start fresh this Easter.

News Along the Journey

  I am so thankful that God has called Mark Harden and his family to HAFBC.  Mark, Lisa, and the girls are devoted followers of Christ.  Mark has a passion for worship and leading people to experience God through praise and worship.  Pray for him and his family as they relocate to the Humble Area.

  Remember the events of the next couple of weeks.  This Sunday, April 17, the message will be a little different.  A few years ago God helped me see the Luke account of the crucifixion in a new light.  A Tale of Three Crosses is the result.  Pray that God will use this true Tale to awaken people to faith in Christ.  Pray for Easter Sunday!  In all churches everywhere may Christ be exalted.  I am burdened that we sometimes hide Christ behind Easter eggs and new clothes.  May He be lifted high!

News Along the Journey

     Great time in worship yesterday!  God spoke to us out of Habakkuk.  It is wonderful to have a God who listens to us and communicates with us.  I am thankful that our God is a big God.  He knows our hurts and anxieties and He allows us to bring them in complete honesty to Him.  Yesterday was also a historic day at HAFBC.  We called Mark Harden as our new Associate Pastor of Worship.  Mark is a gifted musician but more importantly he has a passion for God and His people.  I am excited about what God is going to do through Mark at our church. 

     Our prayers go out to our Peru Missions Team.  They are proclaiming the glorious good news of Christ to the Amazon tribes in Peru.  We anticipate great news from them upon their return.

     Our prayers go out as well on behalf of the people of Japan.  What devastation has rocked their country.  We pray for relief to their misery.  We pray that our Father would prevent those nuclear reactors from melting down.  We pray that those without Christ in Japan would come to Christ. 

    It’s Spring Break in Texas.  Many of the school systems are out.  Students (and Teachers) are getting a much deserved break.  I pray that all are refreshed this week.  May God grant the desire and the discipline for all of us to take some extra time to enjoy Him through His Word this week. 

A Word about The Word

          How important is the Word of God in your life?  It is critical.  It is daily bread that God gives us to feed us and nourish us to enable us to grow toward Christlikeness.  A steady diet of the Word of God is essential to our spiritual development.  Most everyone of you will agree with those statements.  The Bible is the most important book in our lives.  Because, it is such, must we not give it the place of primacy in our lives? It can affect great change in our lives but only if we approach God’s Word the way God intended.  For example, we hear many sermons and teachings that are Bible-based but not Bible-driven.  There is a drastic difference.  Simply because a message is Bible-based does not make it Bible-driven.  A Bible-driven and God-honoring message is one that discovers and explains what the author intended for the text and applies it to contemporary hearers.  You see, God inspired the authors of His Word to write down His revelation.  We are not at liberty to interpret or twist Scripture.  A text means what it means.  Contextual reading and study of God’s Word will ensure the blessing of God and will allow the Word of God to do its God-intended work in the human heart.  Become a lover of God’s Word.  Do not settle for a tip-of-the-hat to the Word of God.  The work will be hard but the reward will be great.

The Difficulties of Discipleship John 16: 1-4

Jesus did not sugar-coat the difficulties associated with discipleship.  He knew that His followers would experience great trials as a result of their relationship with Him.  They will experience that same kind of opposition from others that Christ experienced.  Disciples of Christ will be opposed because many do not know Christ or His Father (16: 3) and many actually think they are serving God by opposing Christians (16: 2).  We should not be surprised by opposition when we live for Christ and share salvation in Christ with others.  Instead we should count it great joy to be associated with Christ.  Discipleship can be difficult.  Is it worth it?  Absolutely!  Be faithful in following Christ.  When it is difficult, and there are times it will be, know that you are following in the footsteps of your Master.