What if we treated our Bibles the way we treat our cell phones?

Worth consideration:

We gather for prayer this evening - a relevant prayer

Tonight we gather for prayer at 6:30 in the Fireside Room of North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene. I invite you to make every effort to join us as you make prayer a spiritual priority in your life for this coming year. 

This prayer from Billy Graham, written for The Saturday Evening Post in 2008, is just as relevant this year.

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.

We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.

In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.

In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.

In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.

And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end” (Psalm 119:33).

We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.

Bring our divided nation together, and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).

As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us—far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.

And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Savior, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come.

Amen

© 2008 Saturday Evening Post Society. Reprinted with permission

Faith produces resilience - don't give up!

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”

(2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT, second edition)

Faith unlocks the promises of God and it shows us the power of God and it turns dreams into reality and it gives us the power to hold on in tough times.

But faith doesn't always take you out of the problem. Faith often takes you through the problem. Faith doesn't always take away the pain. Faith gives you the ability to handle the pain. Faith doesn't take you out of the storm. Faith calms you in the midst of the storm.

I remember reading the stories of Corrie ten Boom, a young Dutch Christian who helped many Jews escape the Holocaust before being sent to the Nazi death camps. She said that the people who lasted in those camps were those who had the deepest faith. Why? Because faith gives you the power to hold on in tough times. It produces persistence.

Study after study has shown that probably the most important characteristic you could teach a child (and that you need in your own life) is resilience. It’s the ability to bounce back. It’s the ability to keep going. Nobody goes through life with an unbroken chain of successes. Everybody has failures and mistakes. We all embarrass ourselves. We all have pain. We all have problems. We all have pressures. The people who make it in life have resilience.

Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to resign as pastor at Saddleback Church? Just every Monday morning. I go, “God, it’s too big. It’s too many people, too much responsibility. I’m not smart enough. What am I supposed to say to that many people? Get somebody else who can do a better job than this.”

Yet God says, “Keep going.”

Where do you get the resilience to keep going? Faith. It’s believing God could do something any moment that could change the direction of your life, and you don’t want to miss it, so you keep moving forward. It’s believing that God will give you exactly what you need when you need it as you learn to rely on him to accomplish his purpose in you.

This is the testimony of Paul, a great man of faith: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT, second edition).

By Rick Warren

Spiritual Disciplines - Developing a closer walk with God

Dallas Willard, in The Spirit of the Disciplines, and Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline,have compiled a list of spiritual disciplines and practices they believe were modeled in the life of Christ. 

These disciplines are typically organized into two categories: the disciplines of abstinence (or “letting go”) and the disciplines of activity.

Disciplines of Letting Go

These practices allow us to relinquish something in order to gain something new. We abstain from “busy-ness” in ministry, family life, and work. We stop talking for a while to hear from God. We give up buying another material possession to experience God more fully. 

First Peter 2:11 warns us to “abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”

Identify what is keeping you from experiencing greater strength and perspective. Do you talk too much? Are possessions controlling you? Are you too worried about what others think? Choose disciplines that will help you become more dependent on God.

Solitude—Spending time alone to be with God. Find a quiet place to be alone with God for a period of time. Use the Bible as a source of companionship with God. Listen to Him. Remain alone and still.

Silence—Removing noisy distractions to hear from God. Find a quiet place away from noise to hear from God. Write your thoughts and impressions as God directs your heart. Silence can occur even in the midst of noise and distraction. But you must focus your attention on your soul. This could mean talking less or talking only when necessary. And it could mean turning off the radio and the TV.

Fasting—Skipping a meal(s) to find greater nourishment from God. Choose a period of time to go without food. Drink water and, if necessary, take vitamin supplements. Feel the pain of having an empty stomach and depend on God to fill you with His grace.

Frugality—Learning to live with less money and still meet your basic needs. Before buying something new, choose to go without or pick a less expensive alternative that will serve your basic needs. Live a simple, focused life.

Chastity—Voluntarily choosing to abstain from sexual pleasures for a time (those pleasures that are deemed morally right in the bond of marriage) to find higher fulfillment in God. Decide together as a couple to set aside time to go without sexual pleasures in order to experience a deeper relationship with God in prayer.

Secrecy—Avoiding self-promotion, practice serving God without others knowing. Give in secret. Serve “behind the scenes” in a ministry that you are assured few will know about.

Sacrifice—Giving of our resources beyond what seems reasonable to remind us of our dependence on Christ. Choose to give your time or finances to the Lord beyond what you normally would.

Disciplines of Activity

Dallas Willard writes, “The disciplines of abstinence must be counter-balanced and supplemented by disciplines of engagement (activity).” It’s choosing to participate in activities that nurture our souls and strengthen us for the race ahead.

Study—Spending time reading the Scriptures and meditating on its meaning and importance to our lives. We are nourished by the Word because it is our source of spiritual strength. Choose a time and a place to feed from the Word of God regularly.

Worship—Offering praise and adoration to God. His praise should continually be on our lips and in our thoughts. Read psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs, or sing to the Lord daily using a praise tape. Keep praise ever before you as you think of God’s mighty deeds in your life.

Prayer—Talking to and listening to God about your relationship with Him and about the concerns of others. Find time to pray to God without the distraction of people or things. Combine your prayer time with meditation on the Scriptures in order to focus on Christ. Consider joining with others for prayer on Wednesday evening at 6:30 at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene. 

Fellowship—Mutual caring and ministry in the body of Christ. Meet regularly with other Christians to find ways to minister to others. Encourage one another.

Confession—Regularly confess your sins to the Lord and other trusted individuals. As often as you are aware of sin in your life, confess it to the Lord and to those you may have offended.

Submission—Humbling yourself before God and others while seeking accountability in relationships. Find faithful brothers or sisters in Christ who can lovingly hold you accountable for your actions and growth in Christ.

Source:  Bill Donahue, Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996), pp. 51-52

The message today - How to Eat an Elephant: One bite at a time.

Part 1: One bite at a time!   

Opening: When we think about the pursuit of holiness it can feel pretty overwhelming. Most of us have lots of areas in our life that we need to work on: Relationships; Habits; Attitudes; Behaviors. Where to start? In our desire to deal with everything, sometimes we turn the pursuit of holiness into nothing more than a general commitment to do better. But holiness is not just a general commitment to “be more like Christ” or to “keep growing.” It is tangible and specific. And it has to be pursued that way. 

Over the next 5 weeks I will encourage you to identify one area of your life where you would like to be noticeably different: marriage, habits, spiritual disciplines, sexuality, finances or emotional stability. And we will also encourage you to identify one thing in that area and develop an actionable plan that is both challenging and attainable.

So be watchful, and control yourselves completely. In this way, put your hope in the grace that lies ahead. This grace will be brought to you when Jesus Christ returns. You should obey your Father. You shouldn’t give in to evil desires. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better.  The God who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do.  It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.”                                                                              1 Peter 1:13-16

1. God is HOLY

There isn’t anyone holy like the Lord.
    There isn’t anyone except him. 1 Samuel 2:2a

Lord, who among the gods is like you?  Who is like you? You are majestic and holy. Your glory fills me with wonder. You do amazing things.                                       Exodus 15:11

2. We must be HOLY

HABITS  The term “habit” refers to a settled or regular tendency or practice

       This has become mine, that I observe Your precepts.         Psalm 119:56

Habits of holiness are sometimes called spiritual disciplines and are not the mere product of human strength and desire. Godly habits are initiated, carried on, and matured through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

The God who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do.  It is written,        “Be holy, because I am holy.”                                                                   1 Peter 1:16

  SPIRITUAL  DISCIPLINES

      Train yourself to be godly. 1 Timothy 4:7

Ill: Jonathan Edwards (1703 — 1758) is best remembered for his masterful sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He was one of America’s premier theologians and greatest preachers. Many believe Jonathan Edwards was the greatest mind in American history. Edwards lived by a list of resolutions.

For example: “Resolved, never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.” This statement shows how serious he was about pursuing holiness. It reveals a man who understood the fear of the Lord and sought to live it.

Yet look at another of Edwards’ resolutions: “Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.”    What marvelous balance! Edwards resolved to fight the sin in his life but recognized that it would be a slow and painful process, one that would often feel unsuccessful. Defeat didn’t weaken his resolve.

    SEXUALITY

Keep far away from sexual sins. All the other sins a person commits are outside the body. But sexual sins are sins against their own body.                            1 Cor. 6:18

From the Covenant of Christian Conduct in the current Manual of the Church of the Nazarene: The Church of the Nazarene views human sexuality as one expression of the holiness and beauty that God the Creator intended for His creation. It is one of the ways by which the covenant between a husband and a wife is sealed and expressed.              Christians are to understand that in marriage human sexuality can and ought to be sanctified by God. Human sexuality achieves fulfillment only as a sign of comprehensive love and loyalty. Christian husbands and wives should view sexuality as a part of their much larger commitment to one another and to Christ from whom the meaning of life is drawn.

The Christian home should serve as a setting for teaching children the sacred character of human sexuality and for showing them how its meaning is fulfilled in the context of love, fidelity, and patience.

Our ministers and Christian educators should state clearly the Christian understanding of human sexuality, urging Christians to celebrate its rightful excellence, and rigorously to guard against its betrayal and distortion. Sexuality misses its purpose when treated as an end in itself or when cheapened by using another person to satisfy pornographic and perverted sexual interests. We view all forms of sexual intimacy that occur outside the covenant of heterosexual marriage as sinful distortions of the holiness and beauty God intended for it.

Homosexuality is one means by which human sexuality is perverted. We recognize the depth of the perversion that leads to homosexual acts but affirm the biblical position that such acts are sinful and subject to the wrath of God. We believe the grace of God sufficient to overcome the practice of homosexuality (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We deplore any action or statement that would seem to imply compatibility between Christian morality and the practice of homosexuality. We urge clear preaching and teaching concerning Bible standards of sexual morality.  I know this may offend some steeped in our culture but I am completed to preach this message with compassion and grace.

     FINANCES

Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you.                                                                                  Luke 6:38

If you’re serious about becoming financially free, take these action steps:

Transfer ownership to God. Recognize that God really owns what you have and that includes your family as well as your time and things. Recognize this biblical principle or it will be impossible to free yourself financially. "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it."          Psalm 24:1 NASB

Get out of debt. Break the habits that keep you in debt – like spending more than you earn and borrowing. Save so you don’t have to borrow. "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it."                Proverbs 15:16 NASB

Accept God’s provision for you. God is wiser than you are and He will provide for your needs just as He promised. "Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’.”                            Matthew 6:31 NASB

  EMOTIONAL   STABILITY

I believe that God is more interested in changing us than He is in changing our circumstances. He wants us to get to the point where we are content and not dissatisfied or disturbed, no matter what state we are in. When we’re content, we can still desire change, but our circumstances won’t bother us and distract us from living like Christ.

Psalm 91:1 says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].”

So we know that we really can be stable, and the way for us to get there is through God.

3. We can only be holy when we are in a RELATIONSHIP with the Holy God!

Besides, we have all had human fathers who trained us. We respected them for it. How much more should we be trained by the Father of spirits and live!  Our parents trained us for a little while. They did what they thought was best. But God trains us for our good. He does this so we may share in his holiness.                              Hebrews 12:9-10

 “God wants you to be holy . . .” 1 Thessalonians 4:4 GNT

Sanctification is God’s stated purpose for the believer

Preparing for worship on January 3 2016

As we prepare for worship on the first Sunday of a New Year it is the perfect time to invite a friend to join you for church. Tomorrow we will bring a new element to our worship - you will not want to miss this!  I also begin a new teaching series.  We make our plans - but God has the last word in our preparation for worship.  Here is the prepared order of worship for tomorrow - January 3, 2016:

We begin with a warm welcome by Pastor Jordan and begin to sing of the greatness of our Holy God!

When we think about the pursuit of holiness it can feel pretty overwhelming. Most of us have lots of areas in our life that we need to work on: Relationships; Habits; Attitudes; Behaviors. Where to start? In our desire to deal with everything, sometimes we turn the pursuit of holiness into nothing more than a general commitment to do better. But holiness is not just a general commitment to “be more like Christ” or to “keep growing.” 

It is tangible and specific. And it has to be pursued that way. Over the next 5 weeks I will encourage you to identify one area of your life where you would like to be noticeably different: marriage, habits, spiritual disciplines, sexuality, finances or emotional stability. And we will also encourage you to identify one thing in that area and develop an actionable plan that is both challenging and attainable. 

At the close of the message today we come the altar of the Lord to make our confess on faith and place our desires on the altar in faith. With a pure heart, we then partake of communion. 

Happy New Year 2016

Here we stand at the threshold of the New Year. 2015 has passed and packed away, living only in the attic of memories.  Looking ahead to 2016, I can guarantee one thing: a lot of living will go into it.

How will it turn out? Only God knows. This chapter may be drama. Perhaps it will be romance. Action adventure. Comedy. Tragedy. Mystery.

Next December, upon reflection, you will be able to describe the events of 2016 – but not now. The best you can do is throw your shoulders back, trust God, and march right in.

You see, although you don’t know anything about the upcoming months, God does – and He will be with you as you travel from mountain top to valley.  Nobody knows what tomorrow holds, but we do know WHO holds tomorrow.

Sometimes, in lonely moments, it feels as if we are alone, but God has promised never to leave you or forsake you – even in the darkest hours.

An anonymous writer captured this idea with these inspiring words:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,  “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”   And he replied, “Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God.  That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

Transition from one year to the next calls us to:

1. Sober Reflection. 
2. Sane Calculation. 
3. Serious Resolution. 

So, don’t let yourself. . .

Fret – when you’re doing the best you can.
Rush – when success depends on accuracy.
Assume – evil of someone unless you have the facts.
Judge – another person’s motives.
Belittle – others with your actions and words.
Quit – in the face of difficulty
Allow -- bitterness and resentment to remain in your heart.
Make -- excuses for not doing what should be done.
Waste – time and energy on things that don’t matter.

- Thanks to my pastoral friend Mark Wilson for this idea for this post.