Shively Christian Church

So, looking at 2010, let's be blunt. are you planning on making any real improvements or changes in your spiritual walk? are you planning on spending more time in prayer, Bible study, service to others? 

 

I hope and pray that you are. I really do. But the reality is that most of us, left to our own devices and plans, will gradually if not rapidly, fall away from those plans.

 

I stopped making new year's resolutions about 10 years ago, because the follow through on personal resolutions is usually pretty slim. Instead, I now have an accountability partner (A.P.) that I meet with every other week. If i just make a promise to myself, it just takes me facing myself to break it. But if I share with my A.P. he can hold my feet to the fire when I slack off. And I 'm glad for it...

 

Being an active part of a church is also a big factor in making sure you are living up to the standard that Jesus set up for us. We shouldn't be so arrogant to assume that we can get through life on our own, or that we have the ability to handle everything that comes our way. We each know just how weak we are or can be, and so that should be a pretty big motivator for us to get a hand from someone else. There is no shame in admitting that we cannot do everything, or that we have a flaw hiding somewhere inside of us...if we are honest with ourselves, we'll quickly see that we have many flaws, not just one or two.

 

So, commitment to Church to Jesus and to having some source of outside accountability will help us to grow this year. You'll be surprised just how much change can take place when you make a determined effort with people who love you, and are dealing with their own problems. Church isn't full of a whole bunch of righteous people....and you. Church is full of people who need help & direction just like you, and I, do. We are all flawed, but being perfected daily through the work of Jesus in our lives.

 

If you are serious about making a change this year, then come join us as we take steps together, hand in hand, to a greater commitment to Jesus and God's kingdom in 2010.

I’ve read dozens of evangelism strategies through the years. But, I’ve never seen an anti-evangelism strategy until I came across this. When I found it, I knew I had to share it with you. According to the author, this strategy is guaranteed to keep an entire planet of people from experiencing God’s love through Christians in small groups.

1) When interacting with friends, neighbors and co-workers, talk about your family, your job, the weather, your favorite sports team, the new restaurant you found or your increasing drive time to the office. Never mention that Jesus is your best friend and what He’s doing in and through you today, or that you have friends who are closer than a brother. Unbelievers would be jealous if they knew about this exclusive arrangement.

2) Whatever you do, don’t invite unbelievers to your group meetings, to Sunday services or over to your house when your Christian friends are present. Revision: Whatever you do, don’t spend time with unbelievers or believers who are pro-great commission. Create new plans to insulate yourself from the world by investing your free time with religious friends who feel nothing for the lost. An old Chinese proverb states “Choose your cohorts well, for they will be your destiny!”

3) If you feel obligated to serve someone in a way that could be considered an act of kindness, don’t tell them God prompted you to do it. Just perform the act with the attitude that they will owe you a big favor in the future and tell them you’ll be calling in that favor soon. Revision: If you feel obligated to serve someone, take a moment to think about all the really important stuff you have to do at work, around the house or for your family. This should help you see how really foolish you’d look ignoring your own needs over the needs of others. The only rule in this world is too look out for number one … no one else loves you as much as yourself.

4) Never tell a friend, neighbor and co-worker you will be praying for them (or pray with them) when they come to you with a problem. The favored response should be “My thoughts are with you.” If you do slip and say the word prayer, walk it off. Chances are you’ll forget to actually pray for the person within five minutes anyway … hard statistics aren’t available, but five minutes is the average time to forget a prayer request!

5) If you pray and talk to God, only ask Him for really cool stuff and personal needs. Just remember that praying for healing or miracles for your lost friends is absolutely not a part of this strategy. If you catch yourself naturally doing it, just take a deep breath and think about winning the lottery.

6) Set a good example for your children. If they don’t see you sacrificing time to be with lost people or let them hang around your house when you’re having “quality family time” you’re on the right track. This is solid modeling for a whole new generation of anti-evangelists who won’t need a strategy … it will be a normal lifestyle.

7) Talking about evangelism in your small group won’t hurt this strategy. It’s when you make plans and hold each other accountable for follow-through that makes it harmful. Praying for the lost when you gather is also very damaging to the cause, so avoid it and fill the evening with prayer for your own needs. Or, why not use your time together in your small group to plan picnics and parties just for yourselves? Go ahead, call them outreach events, but don’t actually invite any lost people or bring them along when you come. Better yet, don’t make any plans at all. Run from temptation!

8) Keep to yourself. Spending time with fellow group members during the week only leads to a heightened sense of community and you might run into lost people when you’re hanging out with them. If you’re not wearing out a set of batteries in your remote once a month, you are not investing enough time with your television.

8a) The “world wide waste of face-to-face” interaction (the Internet) is also a wonderful way to keep to yourself. Remember, you’re just three mouse clicks away from millions of great anti-God web sites!

9) Put a couple of bucks in the plate the next time a mission offering is taken. Feels counter productive, doesn’t it? Not so! Although it’s not “a widow’s mite” in your tax bracket, you can get a lot of mileage out of that small token. Missionaries don’t need much money to live in third world countries. And, with exchange rates being so high, they could probably take the whole family out to a movie for the price of your donation.

10) Ignore the call to small group leadership. You will be challenged to share your faith in this position and be a role model for others. No anti-evangelist could remain in this environment!

Yours truly,

The Prince of Darkness
...thoughts, comments, angry rants about the author? Bring 'em on.

What is the difference between loving something/someone and being devoted?

As Christians, we are called to devotion, but love is a natural response. Devotion can be more easily swayed than love, while love can sometimes be less visible than devotion.

 

The good thing is, both work hand in hand. My love for Christ came before my devotion. I came to love Him, simply because He loved me first, and the devotion followed. My love for Him has not ceased or faltered since, but my devotion does from time to time.

 

And that is something we all struggle with. While our love for Jesus hopefully never changes, except to grow and improve, our devotion to Him is where we get hung up. Each one of us has something different that we struggle with on a day to day or week to week basis. There is some basic flaw in our character that we hit on from time to time that distracts us form living the life in Christ that we know we should. That is our devotion hitting a snag.

 

And even though those times can be discouraging, as long as we still have concern for reconciling those mistakes, we need not worry about how much we love Him.

 

One of our deacons said "Never love your devotion to Jesus more than you love Jesus Himself." and that is something that we definitely need to be conscious of each day.

 

Why are we serving Jesus, is it for serving's sake, or for Christ's sake? Do we serve to be seen, or out of love and appreciation? Is our love for Him our primary motivator, or a secondary thought?

 

Devotion on it's own does not bring piety. Devotion on it's own quickly leads to empty religion. Love inspired acts result in a greater understanding of that love and relationship.

Love Jesus first and foremost, serve Him as a result of that love, and your devotion will grow alongside that love each day.

Okay, so we've been in this series on service "Making Waves" for the month of June. Some people seem like they were born to serve, don't they? They walk into a room, see a need and start working. They don't let any moss grow on their backs, it's go, go, go for them. And while some may look at their example and be encouraged, there are others who see them and are glad that someone else is doing all the work.

 

Service to God is born out of our love for Him. There aren't supposed to be any ulterior motives, no behind the scenes scheming, no "serve so i can earn" type motivations. Our service ot God is supposed to be purely from our love for Him. And that alone lets us know if what we are doing is service for Him, or simply self serving.

 

If what we do passes the test of selflessness, if it is focused on someone else benefiting, if it points other people toward God, then what we are doing is right and proper. If we serve and look out of the corner of our eyes to make sure someone notices, to see if we will get some sort of verbal or physical reward, if we serve to place ourselves in front of others, then what we are doing is purely selfish and therefore not any form of service at all.

 

Romans 8 talks about what our life in Christ is supposed to be like, and what it means to persevere in our service in the Spirit. There's not a whole lot of leeway when it comes to our reasons and motivations to serve. God s our insipration, the Spirit moves us to do the work, and Christ is given the glory in the process. It is never to be about us. It isn't about gaining fame for ourselves, but rather giving ourselves completely over to Him for His purpose.

 

Service comes from love. Service produces maturity. Service comes from obedience.  Service produces a stronger faith. Service comes from a greatful heart. Service produces a desire to do more of the same because we are emulating the One who loves us most.

 

God is always going to be the prime example of service for His people. But don't let His service keep you away from doing your own. And don't let your neighbor's service keep you from living your life wholly for God.

 

Go make waves!

Galatians 6:2 says to, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."(NIV) This isn't a statement that comes as a surprise to most of us. We know all about Jesus' decree to go the second mile for others, and what it means to help one another out. 

 

This is a great encouragement to us, that when we are having a hard time, there will be other people near-by that will be a help to us in our struggles. It's always nice to know that you are not alone. 

 

That is one of the main benefits of being a part of a church. Besides the othe obvious components of what it means to follow Christ, and the impact that has on our life, it it nice to know that He made provision for us through the ministry of support that we can find with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

We must be mindful of what is going on in the lives of our fellows, so that we can also help them out when they are going through a rough patch. Luke 6:31 contains the also well known "Golden Rule" which essentially says that we are to treat others the same way we want to be treated.

 

When we help take care of others in their distress, we can be assured that they will recognize our need if the time comes.

 

None of us are here on our own. We were not intended to be alone. Just as God verbalized what He already knew about Adam's need for a mate, a helper, for our sake today knowing that the same statement applies to us as well. It isn't good for us to be alone, and so if you have nowhere else to turn, you can always rely on your church family to extend a hand to help you up, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen and arms for a hug of encouragement.

 

1 Corinthians 12 talks about those different parts of the body (of the church) that we make up. Just as an arm cannot function, or even survive, without the rest of the body, so we must be attached to a group of people that complement our gifts and talents that we use to serve Jesus every day.

 

So, if you are not a part of a church family, please take the time to find one that you can be a part of...and if Shively Christian can be that for you, we would love to join our family here.

One of the areas that the Christian Church, as a whole, seems to fall short in is our time taken for personal preparation. About 10 years ago, I was working part time in a warehouse for a now defunct electronics company. There was an interesting assortment of guys working there. Guys with shaved heads and tattoos, guys with drug problems, and another guy who didn't seem to fit the stereotypical "warehouse guy" mold. He was one of the computer salesmen who pulled some extra hours in the warehouse on Saturday mornings with the rest of us. 

 

He told me that he had a hard time talking with Christians most of the time because they didn't seem to know what they were talking about or why they believed what they did. They could spout out trite answers, shallow stuff with no meaning, but they couldn't really defend themselves. He was not a Christian himself, but he enjoyed talking about spiritual things, and leaned more toward asian religions.

 

That being said, I'm afraid he was right, and still seems to be. Christians seem to be really good at spitting out bumper sticker phrases, or something they saw on a t-shirt, but they couldn't go any deeper than that. Their recall of Scripture was minimal, so all they had to defend themselves with was their emotions and some vague Sunday School references.

 

There is no reason that we should be that lax in our study. If you can read this right now, and understand what I'm saying, then you can read the Bible and know what going on there, too. If your version at home is hard to understand, there are plenty more out there that say the exact same thing, but use a more modern language. There really is a translation out there for everyone. None of us are excused from reading the Bible. King David wrote in the psalms that he meditated on the Law of the Lord day and night. Just thinking about how to apply what the Bible teaches on a day-to-day basis helps us to gain understanding of what God is saying to us through His Word.

 

Continued study may not sound like fun, but the study we do with Scripture isn't like the study we did in school. We aren't just looking for the bold words, or cramming for a test on Friday. Scripture is our daily guide, along with the Spirit, that helps us navigate those situations where we may be tempted, or need some sort of guidance deeper than our own experience.

 

Don't let that Bible get dusty, find some books at your local Christian bookstore that will challenge you in your daily walk. Do not be content to just "know what you know" but rather dig deep into the wealth of wisdom that can be found in God's Word today. If you need some help beefing up in why you believe what you do, we'd love to help you out with that any way we can...just let us know.

Rob has mentioned the CEO crowd  (Christmas and Easter Only) and I was talking with someone Sunday morning about a friend of theirs who thinks their mother is a solid church goer. "Sure she goes," he said "every Easter." As if attending once a year was a sure marker for being faithful. So, i wonder if other areas and influences in our life would feel the same.

 

Sure, I pay my water bills. Once a year, same day every year.

Result :: No water.

 

Sure, I love eating. I do it every Thanksgiving.

Result :: Death by starvation.

Sure, I tell my wife I love her. Every year on our anniversary.

Result :: Strained and unstable relationship.

 

You get the point, right? We cannot expect to have an actual relationship with God by attending church once a year, thinking that wll cover us.We cannot expect to grow. We cannot think for a moment that our spiritual life is any sort of life at all.

 

I saw a family leave third service Sunday morning during the invitation. I have never seen them before, and I may never see them again. But their response to the invitation was telling.  Every week we make a concious decision at invitation time.

 

Either we respond in a way that confirms our relationship with God, or we shove Him aside yet again. I do not presume to make judgment on that family. There may have been a family emergency, or a roast that was burning if they didn't get there in time. But their actions made me think.

 

We cannot expect God to think that we are honoring Him by bowing to a strange cultural obligation rather than to Him out of love.

 

Now, don't get me wrong. I am happy about every single soul that walks through the doors. My concern though is in their sincerity. I don't think it's venturing into legalism to expect more than an annual nod to God. Jesus said, not everyone who says "Lord, Lord." will enter the kingdom. Merely acknowledging God doesn't cut it. Jesus also said that even the demons say there is a God, but they shudder. There is an acknowledgment of authority and power.

 

It's not about getting bigger numbers, it's about the people and their relationship with God. If you know a CEO, please try to encourage them to take  their walk with God a little more seriously. Their life today, and in eternity depends on that realtionship.

Depending on where you come from in life, Easter may mean different things to you. Some people see it as a holiday al baout candy and rabbits and plastic eggs. Gifts are exchanged, and time is spent with family. And that sounds harmless enough...

 

For others, Easter is one of the time during the year when they feel compelled to show up at church to fulfill some obligation to God or family. And while they may feel good about going, that's about as far as things go.

 

Another group may say that it's just one of the seasons of the year for the Church as a whole. And they'll talk about how it's nice to focus on Jesus' death and resurrection to refocus for a week or two. Plus , getting pictures of the kids in their white shoes and dress clothes is a family tradition.

 

For some it is a time of year, more than just a day. Time spent in relfection of just who we are, how our sins past, present and future have separated us from God. Time spent realizing that no mattter how hard we try, we'll never be able to make up for those mistakes. Time spent thanking God for the great gift of grace and mercy He gave through His Son, Jesus.

 

Easter isn't just another holiday. It's not some marketing ploy to sell marshmellow farm animals, plush rabbits and strange translucent varieties of grass used to stuff baskets to hold those other things in...

 

Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, is all about God's great grace. It's all about His Son, Jesus, who sttod in the gap for us and took on our punishment for sin when He deserved none. It's all about love, and forgiveness appeasing the wrath and judgment that we so deserved. It is a time to reflect, and be thankful and to bend our hearts to God. It should be our "New Year" for the Church.

 

Jesus' death, burial and resurrection (and all the events surrounding them) deserve more than a casual side glance, or acknowledgement by wearing a new tie or dress. Resurrection Sunday is so much more than that, and if we would just take the time to listen, to discipher what God is whispering to us through the ages till today, is that He still loves us and wants that relationship with us that He originally intended. But we have to respond to Him first, and that's what He's proclaiming loudly through the life, death and resurrection on Jesus.

 

Can you hear Him?

I was talking to some guys on Sunday afternoon about planning and action, and heard an interesting story.

 

It seems, back in the early 70's several policemen got involved in  a shootout with several bad guys. I'm not sure what the crime was, but that's okay because it's not the point. What happened was this, several policemen were gunned down, and get this, because of their training.

 

Usually you would expect it to be the other way around, that they were saved because of their training. But for these unfortunate officers, their training played a part in the loss oftheir lives. Here's why, in order to maintain a nice, clean firing range the officers had been trained -trained- to take all the empty shells from their revolvers, dump them into their hands and then deposit them into their pockets. This way they wouldn't have to clean up all that brass after their time at the target range.

 

So, these officers, in the midst of a shootout, were still taking the time to empty their revolver's spent shells into their hands, transfering the shells into their pockets, then reloading their guns. That may seem silly to do that, but when they were recovering the bodies of the fallen officers, they found empty shells in their pockets.

 

In the moment of greatest stress, where you run on your instincts, these officers fell back to the training they received. Like I said, falling back on your training should be something to help you, but in this case it unfortunately did not.

 

What about you, in your moments of greatest stress, what training do you fall back on? If you have been a student of the Bible, commiting it to memory, spending free moments soaking it in and making sure it is a part of who you are, then by all accounts it should be your basic guide in those tough times.

But if your basic training was learned from Madison Avenue, Hollywood or in your high school locker room, you are going to find yourself ill-equipped in those tight spots. We will fall back to what we know, what has been ingrained in our minds and hearts. You can always see someone's true colors when they are under stress.

 

Spending time in Scripture isn't just some self-righteous exercise. It isn't something for the spiritual elite, or church staff or some monk in a stone cell in Europe. Making Scripture the foundation of your day, reading and seeking God will equip you to handle anything life throws your way.

 

Ephesians 6 talks about putting on the full armor of God:

 

"¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle  is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, ¹⁵ and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; ¹⁶ in  addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly,  as I ought to speak." (NAS)

In Galatians 6:1-10, Paul is starting to wrap things up in his letter. He's getting into the last meaty issues before he signs off...

 

None of us would veer dare to say that we are perfect in fact we all know full well aht we are far from it...but for some reason we still like to put on a face for the world that makes it look like we still have all our ducks in a row, and that we have no deep-seeded issues to deal with...we go to church, and so therefore we have already attained perfection.

 

But Paul knows better than this, so he addresses this problem with the church in Galatia. When we see someone else has been exposed in their sin, we are to restore them gently. Why? Because that could have been us, and may well be someday. It's not a matter of if someone catches us in a weak moment, or speaking in an manner that doesn't exactly bring honor to God, it's  a matter of when...

 

So, we need to do as Jesus told us when he told us how to confront someone who has wronged us in Matthew 18:15-18. It is a multistep process, done quietly at first. When we help restore someone, we don't need to broadcast their shortcoming to the world. We should rather treat them the way we would want to be treated if we were the ones being scrutinized.

 

John 6:14-15 says, "¹⁴ "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

And we remember that Jesus told Peter not to forgive just 7 times, but 70x7, meaning completely and every time they ask.

 

We are going to encounter people every day who are already carrying around bags of guilt. We do not need to add to it, but rather bring them to the One who has an easy load to carry, and rest for the weary. Then they may see His gift of grace, and receive it, or if they already know Him, they may be stirred to restore their relationship with Him.

 

And always remember to test yourself, make sure you are walking the path God desires for you. That Golden Rule wasn't just for kids...it works for everyone, and once someone has seen mercy through your actions in their time of weakness, maybe you'll see it in yours as well.