Saturday, May 16, 2015

Developing Character

Developing Character by Sonny Weathers


The first and foremost Marine Corps leadership principle is to “know
yourself and seek self improvement.” I often wonder why we regularly skip
right past this principle in life and living. Before we master anything
else, we have the task of knowing and accepting who we are as God defines
it. In the Book of Proverbs, Chapter 3 and verse 6 the Bible says, “In all
your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” If we
want to be straight with God and each other—if we really desire authentic
community with God and others—then we need to take time to discover and
accept who we are and all the ways that come with it. Some synonyms of
authentic are genuine, true, reliable, and dependable … so when we talk
about authentic community you can know that we are talking about healthy
relationships with God and others that are genuine, true, reliable, and
dependable!


We are overwhelmingly attracted to people of authentic character. Who
a person is and how they relate with God and others matters more than what
a person does or how well they do it. Even if you stripped away the many
benefits God provides … We are still drawn to Him simply for who He is.
Consider that if this is how we are with God and others … this is how God
and others are with us. Stop being defined by what you have done and where
you have been and start being known for who God designed you to be. By
trying to be someone you are not you will never be loved for who you are!


Read and consider the following Bible verses:


Psalm 119:13-18; John 3:16; Philippians 2:12-16; 2 Peter 1:3-10; Colossians
3:1-4:6; Ephesians 4:20-24; 2 Corinthians 1:12

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

A Challenge for the Pastor by Pastor Steve

A Challenge for the Pastor
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some.  23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

What is Paul saying in these verses? My cloistered view of the world was recently challenged by being co-located for several weeks with a team of individuals from all over the country with different faith backgrounds, different social status, different lifestyles, and different views on God. We were gathered together for common purposes of accomplishing both individual and group responsibilities. In this group my status of a pastor did not change. However, my understanding of how to reach them with the gospel was challenged. Do I break out my Bible and read to them of their sin challenging them to accept Christ? Do I forego the notion of sin so as not to offend and tell them of just the Good News of God’s love? Do I ignore it all together and finish the task before me so I can return to my family and church and leave them to their own issues with God? The above verse rang out in my head.

I am not my own but I was purchased at a price. Therefore, I was placed in the location with this group of people by God’s design. The challenge then became, how do I become all things to all men so that some might be saved, and how do I do so without watering down the truth? The answer became abundantly clear to me after a few days of wrestling with my own desires…I have to die in order to offer others the truth of life. Death of me and of my intention allows for the Holy Spirit to manifest and speak to others. While I may be the tool, it is His understanding of others that will allow Him to speak through me to them.

Easy enough right? I thought so, until the conversations turned to areas that I did not want them to. Conversations of challenges to God’s authority, challenges to my own politics, and challenges of God’s love…this certainly couldn’t be what God would want me…a pastor…to engage in. After all, my primary purpose is to tell people what God says, not to have to relate to them where they are in order to speak to them what they can hear. Certainly they needed to adjust to me in order to receive the message, not the other way around. The task required an almost hourly reminder of my needing to die to self in order that God can reach the lost. Removing whatever status I think I have in order that others have an opportunity to hear the message wherever they are in their relationship with God (oh yes, even those who deny God have a relationship with Him. It may not be a very good one, but they have one).

My lesson in the midst of this was twofold: 1) Was I willing to be all things to all men so that some might be saved. Knowing this would mean that I would have to meet them where they are to deliver the message of Christ in a way they would understand, and not force them to hear what I thought they needed to hear. The task would not be about me, but would be about serving others so that they might be saved. 2) Could I really trust God to deliver the message? That is the sticky point, do I trust God enough to entrust others to Him. How often we as Christians feel a need to cram in as much information to others forcing an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty but not seeing our own challenge to it by pressing beyond necessity. The battle here is the need to be right verses the need for others to be delivered. I know that sexual immorality is a sin, I know that greed, pride, lust, envy…are all sins; the tendency is to get others to acknowledge this by telling them that. I don’t believe our culture allows for this approach any longer. Sin is no longer considered sin and truth is no longer truth (although both are logically fallacious statements they are the statements of the culture).
I experienced the need to build relationships before anyone will hear a word I would say; being a pastor, almost automatically created a credibility issue. A culture that doesn’t trust, a culture that wants what feels good, a culture in which the missteps of others in the pastorate are rung loudly through the media, a culture when leaders are challenged and lies are believed…this is our culture. Telling others what you want them to believe is no longer an effective means of transmitting the Gospel (although I am unclear if it ever was or if this was something that no one challenged). Being able to share in life with others, this is both the necessity for us today as well as what was modeled by Christ. This is a challenge for the cloistered Christian, it is far easier for us to stay in our church buildings, relating to our church friends, having pot-lucks with our church members…but to let the heathens into our lives, to trust that God loves them…c’mon…they might be gay, they might be a drunkard, they might be cheating on their spouses, they might be a thief…I can’t be in a relationship with them. God would never approve. Yet God not only approves, he sought me out in the midst of my debased life. How easy it is to forget where I came from and neglect to take the message back to those in need.

What was miraculous in the midst of my time was that I was asked to deliver a sermon to those in my group. There was a desire based on my relationship with them to hear what God has called to say. I was asked to give words of encouragement in the morning to help with the day, I was asked by folks both inside and outside of my group where I pastor and what denomination I am (questions that stemmed from a challenged view of what a pastor looks like and acts like), one woman going so far as to identify traveling to Spokane to hear me preach was going to be a little too far from Florida (praise God for the internet). Establishing relationships and trusting them to God opened doors and allowed for seeds to be planted that I could never have done by attempting to evangelize them (after all, my list of evangelism opportunities doesn’t tend to include going to a bar as the designated driver and withholding all judgment in order to assure the safety of the team). These opportunities happened by dying for them to allow God to minister to them. I was just fortunate enough to be one of the one’s He used. It was God’s grace that was allowed to shine through in order that God’s message could be heard.  

How about you? How will you reach the lost? Some are at your work, some are in your class, some are in your home. Do you care enough to die for them? Do you care enough to speak the message in a language that they might hear, in order that they might be saved?      
In Christ,

 Pastor Steve