Shrewd Serpents

“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among the wolves.  Therefore be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16 CSB)

Jesus is sending out the disciples to proclaim the kingdom of heaven is near to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  They couldn’t take anything with them and were to be totally dependent upon God to provide for them through the kindness of others.  As they are leaving Jesus gives them this warning, how they would suffer.  As we read the book of Acts we know that is exactly what happened.  We know they were arrested, beaten and in the end killed for their faith.  He also told them not to worry about what they said when brought before magistrates and kings.  He told them in those moments “it isn’t you speaking but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you”.   

How then are we to interact with the world that has entirely different set of values? How do we not compromise the gospel and still engage the world around us?  How do we remain sheep among the wolves?  Prayer—devote yourselves to prayer, as if your very life depended upon it.  Be alert to the needs of those around you and act—be thankful.  Act wisely towards those who are outside the faith, don’t waste your time, but live with a sense of urgency knowing the time is short.  Be gracious towards everyone, be wise when speaking to others.  Especially on social media where you have an audience watching and not responding.  Know how to explain and defend your faith—be able to answer people when they ask about the hope that is in you. 

We live among wolves and we have to be wise to that reality.  Because there is more at stake than some political agenda—like the eternal destiny of those we love.  We need to live dependent upon God, praying for those around us and those in ministry.  We need to live thankfully and graciously.  We need to be innocent as doves and as wise as serpents.   

Evil Plans

“You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people” (Genesis 50:20 CSB) 

Jacob is dead and he has been buried.  Joseph’s brothers now fear what may happen to them with their father’s protection gone.  They had sold Joseph into slavery, ripping him from his home.  They had lied about his death to their father.  Joseph was falsely accused by his master’s wife and thrown in jail.  There he was forgotten about by the cupbearer and eventually was rescued by God.  By interrupting a dream of Pharaoh he saved Egypt from disaster and eventually saved his own family.  Years later Joseph sees the bigger picture of God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. 

This isn’t the only time God has used the evil plans of people in order to save them.  Jesus was innocent and without sin.  He did nothing wrong and yet the evil of man plotted and succeeded in killing him.  What they didn’t know was God was working out his predetermined plan to save man, using their evil hearts.  The men who were pounding in the nails into Jesus’ hands were the very ones whom Jesus came to save.  The religious leaders planned evil against Jesus and God planned it for good—to save his people.

What about you? Have you suffered at the hands of others?  Remember what God’s word says in Romans 8:28, “We know all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”  You are not forgotten, you are not alone, God is working all things to the GOOD of those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ.  Trust in Christ, walk with him and know he is with you.  Understand you are part of God’s bigger plan saving his people to bring Glory to his name.  Be encouraged and walk boldly in faith!    

Greatest Need

“Just then some men brought to Him a paralytic lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, "Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2 HCSB)

A group of men who obviously cared for their friend brought him to Jesus.  He was a paralytic and unable to move on his own.  He had to have others care for him and his friends bring him to Jesus.  They were looking for healing and Jesus seeing their faith said, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.”  Now that seems like a strange thing doesn’t it.  Why didn’t Jesus heal him first?  What is the bigger issue here?  Jesus was more concerned with the condition of man’s soul than he was with his physical well-being. “Don't fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). 

Jesus knew the greatest healing we can receive is the forgiveness and freedom from the bondage of sin.  Also he knew the religious leaders were listening.  They accused Jesus of blaspheming God.  They believed only God can forgive sin and Jesus was claiming to be able to do what only God could do!  Jesus wanting to heal the man completely and to challenge the religious leaders told the man to get up and walk.  The man did just that, he got up, picked up his mat and went home.  By doing so Jesus declared he had the authority on earth to forgive sins.  This would have had a profound impact on the leaders and the people, because they associated sin with disease, in that God was punishing the person afflicted.  But here we see Jesus not only forgive the man of sin, but also restore him physically.  He freed him from bondage and set him free physically and spiritually.  The crowd was awestruck (3:8) and they gave glory to God.  Understand your greatest need is the forgiveness of sin and Jesus came to set you free!  

Doing Right

“But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him.  He granted him favor with the prison warden” Genesis 39:21

Wait a minute!  Let’s rewind and take a look at the story of Joseph to understand why I would want to pause.  Joseph was his father’s favorite and he let his 11 brothers know it.  He also shared dreams of his brothers and parents bowing down to him.  This caused his father to even question him and stirred his brothers to hatred.  His brothers wanted to kill him but instead sold him into slavery. Once Joseph is sold into slavery he does very well for God and his new master.  That is until his master’s wife accused him of trying to seduce her. Joseph did everything right and refused to sin against his master and especially against God.  His reward was to be thrown in prison!  Where God extended him favor with the prison warden!  Again Joseph does everything right in prison and is forgotten by a cupbearer for two years after helping him.  Only then God used Joseph to bless Pharaoh and Egypt and his family.  Let me ask you a question, have you ever suffered for doing the right thing?  I want to remind you of Joseph’s story and hope it encourages you to stay the course.  Doing right by God is never the wrong way and in the end, will have a greater impact on the kingdom for God’s glory.  Be encouraged today!

~ps 

Judging and Planks

The one bible verse everyone knows is Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged”.  But what is rarely shared is the rest of the verses that give this verse context. The very next verse is scary and should cause you to pause “For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measured you use”

Did you catch the end? It didn’t say you would be judged by the same standard you LIVE but by the standard, you USED to measure others.  What is so scary?  The standard you use is most likely the standard you would like to live by but can’t and so you project that standard on others.  In other words it’s a standard you can never live up to and yet you expect others to reach it.  That is the standard God is going to use to judge you!  In the same set of verses, Jesus is addressing Hypocrisy, first take the plank of wood out of your own eye before you attempt to take a splinter out of your brother’s eye.  When we read this passage we should be greatly humbled by our own shortcomings and how far God has brought us by his immeasurable grace, before we look to judge others sins.  And when approach a brother or sister struggling you do so with gentleness and respect.  Galatians 6:1 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourself so you won’t be tempted”  God bless and live for God’s greater glory!  

Connections, Connections!

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5 HCSB)

Connections, connections, connections—I’m thinking about connections and I hope by the time you finish reading this sentence you too are thinking about connections.  What kind of connections am I talking about?  The relational kind of connections all human beings have to have.  When I think about being in relationships I immediately think about Jesus’ and how he is the vine and we are the branches.  Jesus was focused on being relational and there is a reason for this.  Jesus is himself a relational being—he is part of the Holy Trinity.  God is a triune being, three in one and does nothing outside of relationship.  I know this is a difficult thought, but think about how we are made in his image we too must be in relationship.  Think about this in prison for punishment we place someone alone in solitary confinement.  We even punish our children by making them stand alone in the corner.  It is known isolating a person for long periods of time is detrimental to their mental condition.  I always think about the movie “Castaway” where Tom Hanks character is desperate for human contact and makes a friend out of a volleyball which he names “Wilson”.  We cannot live without connections.      

    

In our culture today we are connected more than any other culture in history.  We have “social” networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat just to name a few.  We send thousands of text message to one another and yet we are largely disconnect more than ever.  Here is what has happened, we have created “safe places to connect without all the emotional risk.  We pick and choose the time to connect, how we connect, who we connect with.  The truth is connecting with people is messy business.  Entering into a relationship with someone involves risk.  People will let us down, they will hurt our feelings and disappoint over time.  We a broken people making the best out of a broken situation—yet we need relationship—real connections with real people.    

Which makes a relationship with Christ all the more important—it has to start with Christ.  A relationship with Jesus starts by changing of your heart and is initiated by him.  He changes us, he extends grace and forgiveness, and he shows us mercy.  We were powerless and he took pity on us and recused us.  He draws us into a deep relationship with himself and gives us peace.  From our relationship with Jesus we can connect with others in an entirely different way.  We don’t have to connect with others to find our peace and to complete us—we have peace and completeness in Christ.  We are free to love people deeply despite the brokenness.  We love, because we are loved.  We extend forgiveness because Christ forgave us.  We connect with others because Christ connected with us in a deep and personal way. 

I want to challenge you to take the time to connect with Christ.  Spend time in his word, read the gospels and pray to him.  Next take the time to meet with someone you love.  Take your spouse out to dinner, put the phone away.  Do something special with your kids or just get up and make pancakes with them.  Connecting doesn’t have to be complicated—it just requires your time and attention.  Reach out to others face to face, take the risk and truly connect with someone.  Let’s make 2016 a year where we focus on truly loving God and others—fully connected         

Dignity and the Unborn

Recently I stood with about 250 other people on Sunrise Boulevard in Roseville, CA.  We were there to protest Planned Parenthood.  Over the last few months a series of videos have been released by the Center for Medical Progress documenting what the organization has been doing with aborted babies.  The videos are appalling and watching them physically made me sick.  The main reason why I was so appalled was the attitude hidden behind the work.  One leader sipped her wine and ate her salad and was totally unphased by what she was describing (which I will not share here, but would encourage you to watch the videos yourself).  It was frightening to watch and it deeply concerned me.  Have we become so callous and hard hearted in our country that such things no longer bother us?     

The Bible says we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6), thus all human life is valued and comes with an inherited dignity.  Dignity being “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect”, we have this quality because we are a reflection of God.  No other creature on earth or in heaven is made in the image of God.  We hold a special place in creation and this goes for all human beings—born or unborn.   At the fall we also know sin entered the world and has corrupted what once was perfect and God is working to restore what was lost.  Thus we now live in the already and not yet.  We know God will restore everything to himself through Jesus Christ and we long for the day when we will spend eternity in his presence.   Until that time we are to be share Christ with the world—to build his kingdom and we are do this until Christ returns or we are called home.    

Because of the value of human life and the obligation we have as citizens of the kingdom we have the scared duty to defend and protect, provide for and care for those who are defenseless, broken and in need.  The orphan and the widow are to hold a special place in our hearts, we are commanded to love one another and we are to share that love with the world.  These are not just buzz words for the follower of Christ to banter around on Sunday morning to make us feel better about what we are not doing.  They are descriptive and are to define in essence who we are.  This is because they are the reflective attributes of God himself—who is in us. 

Who will stand up for the one who cannot speak on their own behalf?  Who will be the voice that pushes back the darkness and holds up the light for other to see?  I’m reminded of Paul’s words to the church in Philippi “Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world. Hold firmly to the message of life.” (Php 2:14-16a)  We are to shine like stars in the culture, holding firmly to the message of life that is found in Jesus Christ alone.  We shine so that those who are lost may be guided back to the source of hope and peace, grace and mercy, love and forgiveness.  Let us encourage each other to stand for truth, to expose evil and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray for God to close Planned Parenthood.  Pray for those who work in the clinics.  Pray for the young ladies who visit and pray for the unborn.  May God have mercy upon us all.    

        

Waves

I was sitting on the beach watching the waves come in.  Children and young adults were playing in the surf and enjoying the water.  The older crowd stood further back only dipping their toes in to cool off or were standing on the wet sand.  The waves though never stopped, there was never a moment when the waves took a break, they were relentless.  The only different was the size of the waves some were larger than others, but they don’t stop coming.  I couldn’t help but to look at the waves at the way life plays out in front of us.  Life comes in waves and they never stop.  Overtime you become stronger in the waves but eventually you just get tired of them all together and you’re ready to go home.   Life is like that and one of the reason I love scripture is God is always with us and he reminds us.  The nation of Israel was going through trials and judgement and God speaks through his prophet Isaiah these encouraging words. 

Now this is what the LORD says—the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel—“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. (Isa 43:1-2)

I hope when you read these two inspiring verses you noticed something…God never says he would remove you from what you’re facing, he says, “I will be with you”.  He says they will not overwhelm you, but he never says I will remove them all together.  He says there a reason for this, he says, “I have redeemed you and have called you by my name; you are mine.”  We are not our own, we were bought and paid for. (1 Cor. 6:10; 7:23)  Christ paid the debt of you sin and you were called by name to bring glory to his name. (Phil. 2:9-11)  You belong to God and that is a good thing!  He didn’t look down and see something special in you and thus he choose you on merit. No, you were his from the very beginning of time, before he spoke the worlds into existence, before he placed the stars and gave them their names (Psalm 147:4), you were loved and he has placed his name on you. (Eph. 1: 4-6)  

Knowing who you are makes all the difference, the waves can keep coming and I know God is with me.  I can face tomorrow because I know Jesus has paid the price for my sin, he has redeemed me and I am his.  He died and was buried and on the third day he rose again and because he lives I will live (Romans 6:4-8).  This life has no hold on me!  I belong to the King of kings and to the Lord of lords.  We need to keep this in our minds at all times as we watch the world around us rapidly change.  Jesus tells the disciples of what is to come in John chapter 16 and reminds them of who he is and who they are.  He tells them, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world." (Joh 16:33)  Be encouraged brothers and sisters, we serve a great God who is building his kingdom.  Now is the time to join him and to trust in HIM!

 

Why I Am a Baptist

In a world where standing alongside a denomination is slowly becoming unfashionable, I chose to retain my label as a “Baptist”.  When I tell other pastors I’m a Baptist there always seems to be a pause.  Maybe I’m self-conscience and have heard all the “when I was a Baptist” jokes.  I even had one person tell me how they grew up Baptist and how his pastor now always asks him where a verse is located in the bible--because he knows he was raised a Baptist.  The sad part of that story is he was laughing about it, I on the other hand was saddened.  Baptist have from the very beginning been about “The Book”.  They were called “people of The Book”.  Baptist have always taken the Word of God seriously and it was Scripture that moved them away from “paedobaptism” (baptizing infants) towards believers baptism.  They were convinced from scriptures that one had to have a personal belief in Christ that was visible and life changing before being baptized. 

Why am I a Baptist?  I’m a Baptist by choice first and foremost.  Three common threads bind Baptist together.  The first is the Word of God, all of it, God breathed without error.  The Baptist believe the Bible is the primary source for everything we need for living a holy life.  If we don’t believe the Bible is true in its entirety--then we can also pick and choose what we want from the Bible.  Baptist believe you must accept all of Scripture or none of it.

Secondly I’m a Baptist because of missions.  Because we believe in the Bible we believe the Great Commission is a command from Jesus Christ to go and baptize and to teach all that Christ command.  Jesus didn’t give the church the “Great Suggestion” but commissioned us to go.  Baptist have grasped this from the very beginning.  It was the drive to spread the gospel that Southern Baptist formed a convention in 1845, of like-minded churches to stand together.  It was the growth of missions that drove the Southern Baptist Convention in 1924 to pool their resources together in the “Co-Operative” program.  Today the cooperative program of the SBC raises money for the purpose of sending missionaries all over the world. We at FBC Rocklin contribute 8% of all monies we receive to this effort. 

Thirdly I’m a Baptist because each Baptist church is its own entity.  We do not answer to higher governing authority, we answer to Christ alone.  Each Baptist church ordains its own ministers, established its own form of government and is led by the congregation of baptized believers.  There isn’t such thing as a second Baptist church, or a third, there is only one Baptist church, each church stands on its own. We choose who we will work with according to the Scriptures and to Christ’s leading, there are absolutely no strings on a Baptist church. 

I am a Baptist for many other reasons as well, but when it’s all said in done I’m a Baptist by choice.  I also recognize Baptist have earned some of the negativity they rightly receive. But I stand with many others who through the years have suffered and stood by the Scriptures when others would not.  Baptist have historically stood firm in the face of intense persecution because of what they believed and have been uncompromising in the pursuit of liberty to follow those beliefs.  As our culture continues to shift we will find ourselves at the battle front and we will have to make a choice.  I’m convinced the world needs more Baptist!  Come join me!                       

Today I visited Alice

Today I visited Alice, she is in a convalescent home recovering from a broken leg. She was out feeding the birds in front of her home when she stepped off the sidewalk and tumbled over breaking her leg. She is use to moving and so being stuck in recovery away from home is really tough on her. She was telling how it felt like she was serving a jail sentence and she has served two month's time. She has been battling depression and has felt abandoned by God. She looked at me and said, “Pastor why doesn't God answer my prayers and let me out of this place, I feel like he has abandoned me here.” As she was talking I started to look around the room. On the bathroom door hung a reef, covered with colorful spring flowers. A table in the corner had three empty vases on it. Her desk was covered in cards and several church bulletins were visible. As we were talking another couple came to visit and we all sat around her bed.

I asked her about the reef she told me how a friend Joyce from the church had made it for her, it was beautiful and she explained her love for spring and the flowers. She was getting visibly excited as she looked towards the vases and told about how different people had brought her roses and other flowers. She looked at the cards and told me about the cards and how different people had brought her bulletins from church. She told us how her daughter has made sure she had clean cloths and how Charlotte who leads the hymns in our church came by and they sang together. She named all the people who had come to visit her and how great it was to see them.

After she was done I looked around and asked her if she still felt abandoned by God? She looked around and said, “No, he is with me”. I also handed her a card signed by the men in our prayer group and told her we had prayed for her this morning. She was overjoyed and asked me to thank each person on the card. I share this story to remind you to pray for those who are older and struggling to heal in homes, facilities and feel alone. Alice is bless to have so many care for her, many seniors have nobody. Secondly, when you feel abandoned by God, pause for a moment and take an inventory, I bet he is closer than you thought.