tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54505710552713584022024-03-14T03:31:27.761-04:00COHSS DevotionalsChurch of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-58024023523730274002011-09-25T08:30:00.001-04:002011-09-25T08:30:29.346-04:00Who Are You?<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Who Are You?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jeremiah 31:3; Genesis 1:27; John 3:3, 16-17<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The famous Gloria Gaynor song that was featured in the movie “Birdcage” touts the virtue of being one’s own creation. The words to the first verse are <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“I am what I am <br>I am my own special creation <br>So come take a look <br>Give me the hook <br>Or the ovation <br>It's my world <br>That I want to have a little pride in<br>My world <br>And it's not a place I have to hide in <br>Life's not worth a damn<br>Till I can say <br>I am what I am.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>This song has long been the mantra of so many who have otherwise felt put down or discarded by the broader society. We can understand the human need for affirmation, acknowledgement and acceptance as what we perceive ourselves to be. None of our efforts to express and live out “what” we are addresses the question of “who” we are. We spend so much time trying to express (find out what fits) what we are that we miss the opportunity to fully understand who we are. The extreme need for self expression is often the mask behind which the hurting and confused child attempts to find adulthood! Who we are, however, can never be found at the altar of self- expression, self-experimentation, or self-abuse. Who we are is to be found first in God’s Word and then lived out in Christ’s character. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Psalm 139:13-14 reminds us that we are not made by our own hands. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Even the creation story from which we read this morning in Genesis, Chapter 1, informs us that the image in whom we are made is God Himself. If we are made in the image of the creator of the universe, what other image do we need to project? Each of us possesses an almost innate need to experience something greater than ourselves. That need is the hole that is left in our heart that can only be filled by Christ! The call upon each of us is to live out who we are in Christ, because of Christ and the love that is God! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Not only are we creations of God’s own hand, but we are also redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! When I was a child, my parents would receive “Green Stamps” at the local grocery store that were placed on a booklet. The book of stamps could be “redeemed” at a designated place for various items. We once got a new toaster with green stamps. To be redeemed is to be purchased with something of value. God has redeemed (paid the price to restore us) us with the act of Jesus on the cross. Even though God designed and made us, we all go our own individual way to be creator of our own special life. Not a single one of us is exempt from the attempt to create ourselves in some different image than what God has made. In Jesus’ time, that action was called sin. In today’s world we don’t like to call it what it is (sin) so we call it self-expression, self-creation, self-actualization or any number of other self-exhibits. No matter how hard we try, however, we can’t improve upon what God has already deemed worthy enough to give His Son’s life to redeem. What we think is the worthy part, however, is NOT what God sees as being the worth! As we’ve heard before, “I am not who you say I am, I am not who I say I am; I am who God says I am. We’re so busy living out the former two that we miss the opportunity to discover the vastness, the wonder, the magnificence of God’s creation repaired, restored, and redeemed to His original intent. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>What is the “who” that God sees in us that makes us so worthy of His love, grace, mercy, redemption, salvation or restoration? Could it be the kindness we show to strangers? Could it be the way we live out our lives that gives honor and glory to him? Could it be the gifts of tithes and offerings that we shower upon His church? Could it be the ways in which we avoid situations that tempt our lust for sex? Could it be our non-judgmental attitude toward others who don’t share the same geo-political stance as we? Could it be our gracious heart that gives generously to the homeless and needy? Could it be all the accolades given for just being the gracious “You” that you are? Could it be the heart of forgiveness that is at the ready to forgive 70 times 70? Could it be the magnetism of your compelling personality that causes you to so positively influence vast numbers for the cause of the cross? Could it be the tongues that you speak when filled with the presence of His Holy Spirit, proclaiming the glory of God? It is in none of these that God sees as who we are. These are the things WE hold up as value that prove what we believe to be our worth to God. We give them value and we declare some to be more valuable than others. We let our light shine before each other so as to show how bright we are. Isaiah 64 states that our righteousness amounts to nothing more than a used tampon. It’s good for nothing. It has to be thrown away, discarded as used up and no longer worth anything. So, does that mean that who we are is of no use to God? The answer is yes and no! Yes because God who is omnipotent uses all things for His ultimate will. Despite our belief and action otherwise, He is still in control. What is of little use to God is the person we strive to project, direct, maneuver, scheme, scream, or otherwise contrive to glorify the WHO on which we place greatest self value. That, in fact, is the greatest obstacle to God doing His work in and through us. If all we profess to value (by virtue of how we act) were sufficient for God’s divine intent for us, then grace would have no place. Instead, grace is the only place we can rest assured. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-10 that “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We’ve read that over and over, yet we continue to behave like it all depends upon us. We do this, I submit, because of the natural bent we have to take back ownership of the mother ship and fool ourselves into the belief that it is stewardship! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The question of who we are cannot be answered accurately without first answering the question of who’s we are. Are you your own special creation? If so, then there is little room for God. <sup>1 </sup>Corinthians 6:20 reminds us “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” And Paul writes in Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. <sup>2</sup> Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”What it means to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him as our worship,” is to NOT conform to this world’s version of what is more valuable, more adorable, more desirable or more lovable. It is to surrender all those things at the foot of His cross and thus transform our minds to the things of Christ’s character, the reflection of the Master’s image in which we are made and to whose care we belong. The value that God sees in us is viewed through the life blood of Jesus Christ. We have been made whole again and restored to a place where we can walk and talk with the Father as His very own child. We are the recipients of an eternal life wherein we can worship Him with the same degree of love that created us. We have been made whole as His special creation and need no other expression or creation to make us whole. We are no longer on our own; we have been redeemed and now belong to Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The question to answer then is not who you are, but whose you are! Who we are cannot be fully realized outside of “whose” we are. Whose are you today? Have you been overtaken by the god of self will, the god of “my way”, or have you acknowledged your purchase by your creator from the jaws of false gods to a restored position in the house of THE God? If you have made your choice, you will live your life expressing whose you are!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-47694123486177430932011-09-11T09:04:00.001-04:002011-09-11T09:04:32.658-04:00God's Blessing in a Weird World<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“God’s Blessing in a Weird World”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Isaiah 55:8-11; Matthew 5:1-12<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Economic crises, political upheavals, storms and earthquakes have captured the headlines of late. Just about everyone is being touched in some way by some or all of these happenings. What was just a few short years ago a place of “sitting pretty” and looking good has turned into a precarious perch witnessing challenges never before faced. One Rabbi in NJ has declared that the cause of the recent earthquake in Virginia is because of gay marriage in New York. I guess this means that two people of the same gender making a lifetime commitment to love and honor one another can shake foundations three states away! Who knew that love could have so much power? Just imagine what would happen if that kind of love were unleashed unconditionally! I digress. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Isaiah records the words of God that assert that His ways are not our ways. For some that is comforting and for others it’s confounding. It’s comforting to know that God has it all under control and it’s confounding when we don’t know what “it” is. Some of us develop our plans, execute our strategy and attempt to control our destiny. Others wake to the sound of the wind and follow it wherever it seems to blow that day. Some MUST express themselves or explode where others stuff explosives far out of sight from others. Some would have the expressers tone down and have the stuffers tune in. Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” This reminds us that neither personality is better than the other, but different approaches that come to the same end. Whether we’ve made plans, executed plans and tactics or simply watched as the planners went by, there will come a time when each says “goodbye”. This is not intended to be morbid and a downer; rather it is a reminder that “today is the day the Lord has made – let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). In a weird world, there are still wonders and blessings. You see, God’s plans will always supersede ours. His objectives survive through time, even when ours fizzle out. There were groups of self proclaimed heroes (whom we term terrorists) who thought they would bring down a free nation by their acts of heroism on September 11, 2001. Instead they brought death and destruction to themselves and thousands of innocent people who had nothing to do with their agenda and with it, strengthened the resolve of a nation to not be overcome with fear, but be resolute in preservation and restoration. People make plans, but eternity is in God’s hands! Jesus taught us that strength, virtue, victory, and rejoicing lie in places the world we live in would tell us is found weakness, flaws, defeat, and anguish. In God’s world it isn’t always as it seems!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Let’s look at what Jesus taught us in Matthew 5. These teachings are traditionally referred to as the beatitudes. An easy way to remember them is “let these be your attitude”! We could spend hours on each of these statements by Jesus, but we’ll only touch upon a couple that I think are most needed by us all here today. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Matthew 5:3 reads; “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Now this does not refer to being poor in God’s Spirit; His Holy Spirit, but to having a less determined self-will. The Kingdom of heaven, we said, is both now and not yet. Having accepted Christ as your Savior, you now have the presence of His Holy Spirit living in you. That kingdom to which He refers is a relationship that flourishes as He becomes greater and we become less in relation to Him. This flies in the face of modern day self-esteem asserters who proclaim that it is imperative of raising self to a greater level of importance. Those in so called co-dependent relationships strive to bring one’s self to a higher place of regard so as not to fall victim to the self abusive behaviors that have so entrapped them in past or even current relationships. We have a hard time with the notion of dying to self as a means of spiritual development and maturity. Some would ask: “why do I need to dye to self when I’m just beginning to feel good about myself as a Christian”? Let’s look at it this way. If there is only capacity to hold 100% in a container called self-image, and the container has been previously 100% contaminated with false beliefs, the container will only produce contaminated results. If at a particular point of letting in purity that consumed only 10% of the capacity, the mix has changed, but the product is still contaminated by 90%. The reduction of contamination can only occur by pouring out the old allowing room for the new. In order for the contamination to be replaced with the pure, the old has to be completely poured out. So it is with the Christian’s walk with Christ. The new replaces the old, but the purity of Christ can only exist where the contamination of self-determination, self-need to be esteemed a particular way, and the need for life to be lived on “my terms” is poured out. God’s view is 100% pure because of Christ. When we are filled with His presence in our lives we see less need for self to be exhibited in a particular way. We become hungry for more of His purity, His goodness, His grace, and His mercy. In the presence of Him in our self-container, we become less and less dependent upon viewing our-self and more and more comforted by the presence if His-self as the author and finisher of our faith. It is there in that place with Him that we experience the kingdom of heaven that Christ died to give us. If His presence gives us all we need, there is no other need for any other “self” to be seen. The need to be self-esteemed becomes a non-essential as we live in the light of being His-redeemed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Likewise, this assertion is reinforced in Matthew 5:5 as He says: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” This is almost a direct quote from Psalm 37:11 which reads “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” We have been taught the opposite of this statement from Jesus. We’ve been taught that meek is weak, lacking strength and having deficient ego. Both notions are a lie. Jesus’ reference to meek here is to reassure those who have been put down, kicked aside, abused by the world around them, that they are poised to inherit more than they have lost by the grace of God through Christ. Meekness, in the context of this statement, refers to being humble. This then makes this statement a companion to the “poor in spirit” statement. You see, the meek or the humble have no need to be puffed up, highlighted, the center of attention, or otherwise recognized since they are already “blessed” or overjoyed by being counted in the ranks of the redeemed by Christ. Meekness and humility are not personality traits, they are character traits. The humble and meek may have personality expressions that are “bigger than life” yet exhibit the character of Christ in service, encouragement, self-sacrifice, compassion and mercy toward others. Likewise, the introverted personality is not in and of itself an expression of meekness or humility. I’ve known introverts who are so filled with the need to feed the ego that they’ve completely ignored the needs of others as they scratched their way to what they thought was the top. Personality is a gift from God, not a container for piety, pride, or self-deprecation. You’ve heard me talk about having met R.G. Le Tourneau who visited in our home church in rural NC to share his testimony of God’s blessing and grace in his life. He was a prolific inventor and owner of one of the nation’s largest manufacturer of massive earth moving equipment. He shared how he had started tithing 10% of his income and slowly upped that percentage to 90, living on 10%. He was unassuming, loving and approachable. I remember how everyone was so inspired by his unassuming presence around the Sunday table at Grandma’s house in Providence. He didn’t tout his exploits, his enormous capacity to construct and invent; he humbly shared how much in awe he was at a God who would bless him with the opportunity to give back to the advancement of the Gospel. He could have insisted that he be entertained at the fanciest restaurant in Danville, but instead he reveled in the fellowship with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and homemade biscuits around the table of a poor widow in Providence. I learned from that experience that fame and fortune were not the foundation of character, but that the character of humility can sustain through fame and fortune. The blessing for the meek is the absence of need to be any more than redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Therein lies the basis for hunger and thirst for righteousness; the presence of Christ in a life filled with His Spirit, His direction, and His comfort and assurance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>In summary, God has a better plan for us than we can devise and a call upon us that is far higher than we could rise. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-88432737953196227692011-09-04T09:49:00.001-04:002011-09-04T09:49:08.352-04:00Today's Labor<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“Today’s Labor”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Luke 10:1-12<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>This weekend we celebrate Labor Day here in the United States. It commemorates all those who labor hard to make this nation a better place for themselves and others. There are far too many who are not able to celebrate this year because they are out of work and can’t find a job. Jesus called many to labor for the Kingdom, not just the twelve. Let’s dig into this scripture from Luke and see what we can learn that applies to us in our Christian walk.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two<sup>, </sup> others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” The “this” to which the verse refers is Jesus’ assertion that to follow Him is costly – it requires putting Him first and everything else far behind. So that having been said, Jesus appoints seventy two in addition to the twelve, to go out to the places he was about to visit. Two important elements here that we need to elaborate on:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>He sent them in pairs! The notion of the lone Christian is non-scriptural. We were not created to be alone. “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”</span><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> (</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Genesis 2:18) Moses went with Aaron. Paul went with Barnabas; Jesus surrounded himself with the twelve. There’s no such thing as a lone ministry. A lone ministry puts self first, not God. Even the Lone Ranger had his Tonto! Fellowship in ministry is important for mutual support, for sharing, and for caring. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The visit to the place was to prepare the way for Jesus’ arrival. We often think that it’s all up to us to bring people to the Lord. Initiatives have been designed by organizations that take us through the steps to “winning souls” to Christ. As well intended as they might be, they lead the “witness” to believe that the good work is all up to him or her. Jesus sent them out to declare that the Kingdom is near; the Kingdom will come. Jesus didn’t instruct them to deliver the Kingdom, but to alert the listener that it was on its way! When we take on the role of delivering the Kingdom, we take on the task that only God can perform. That is placing ourselves and our agenda before Him. In Matthew 16, Peter insists that Jesus not endure what was essential for Him to fulfill His mission. Jesus’ response was to tell him “get behind me, Satan.” If He hadn’t fulfilled His Mission, we wouldn’t be here today. Those who were sent ahead were to simply prepare the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Verses 2-4 “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.” I want to elaborate on two things that are important here:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>There are more who need to hear the word of truth than there are those to convey it! So much of what is being spread today that appears to be Christian is far from the call of Christ on the individual life. We see acts of exclusion that are passed off as the Christian message. We hear preaching of conditions that are touted as a gospel of grace and mercy which renders merciless and graceless. We hear that grace, mercy, and salvation are free to those who would opt to live a lie about who God created them to be. That’s not a grace that’s free; it’s a grace at a fee which is no grace at all. Grace is free, it’s not cheap! Every time we put our conditions or exceptions on grace, we cheapen the grace that is given at great cost to God! There’s a huge harvest just waiting for the Lord of the harvest to be presented as He truly is! Oddly, the conditional message that so many spew forth creates more hostility and resentment than acceptance, repentance and redemption! That sounds more like the attitude of Sodom than the grace of God!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jesus was asking them to be totally reliant upon the hospitable graces of those to whom He was sending them. This flies in the face of our self sufficiency model for today’s living. Now there’s nothing wrong with striving for self-sufficiency, but we allow our perceived need for it to hinder us from being open to the love and care that might be a blessing to others. Hospitality in ancient times was of prime importance to protect one another from thieves, from wild animals, and to provide food and shelter when traveling. There was no fast food drive through spot, no interstate highways, and no roadside stands or rest stops. There were only people who lived along the way. The lack of hospitality could mean the difference between life and death in those days. Hospitality today is just as life giving and life saving as it was back then. The church and its individual members are called on to be hospitable to all who need a refuge along their journey. We’re called to be a place where the journey through a sometimes difficult life is open, welcoming and emotionally safe. We’re called to be a place where spiritual food and the “bread of life” are offered without reservation or on the condition that the travelers become someone else or even profess beliefs that are identical to our own. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jesus goes even further in His instruction. He tells them that if they are not received with hospitality that they are to wipe the very dust of that place from their feet. This was an act that symbolically removed the experience of that rejection from their memory. He went on to say that it would be better for Sodom on the day of His Kingdom than on that place that had rejected them. We’ve heard that the so called “sin of Sodom” was homosexuality. That’s pure rubbish! There’s nothing in scripture to support that assertion. The sin of Sodom was its inhospitable stance to strangers and its rejection of God’s angels of mercy. The people of Sodom wanted to harm, not host the angels whom God sent to save them. Those same angels had appeared to Abraham earlier and found Him to be welcoming and full of hospitality. During that appearance, God told Abraham that He was sending His angels to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to see for Himself if they were indeed as wicked (abusive and inhospitable) as had been reported to Him. Abraham negotiates with God to save the cities if as few as ten hospitable people could be found. Abraham knew there were at least four; Lot, his wife and two daughters. There are so many beautiful and hopeful parts to this story and yet there are those who would lead millions to believe that who they are, by God’s design, was the reason for the cities destruction! If you’ve bought that false teaching, I urge you to discard it in that trash can near the front door and leave here with a new understanding of that story.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The labor that we are to be about in our lives today is the witness and the worship of the giver of grace and mercy in our lives. We don’t have to depend upon props, steps to success, catchy phrases or prayer rituals. What we are to depend upon is the willingness of others to hear the witness of hope, healing, and rejoicing that we have experienced in the grace of Christ. God calls us to live in His kingdom that is both now and not yet. That means to live in the knowledge of the presence of His grace and mercy in our lives while recognizing that the fullness of that grace and mercy is yet to come. God’s great command to us is to love Him with all that we are and to likewise love our neighbor as our self. Likewise, His great commission to us is to go to others and share what we have learned from Him. That means living in the light and love of His grace and mercy that is His Kingdom come and to love in a way that is His will being done! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-30980557548421539392011-08-28T08:49:00.001-04:002011-08-28T08:49:25.472-04:00A Stone's Throw<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“A Stone’s Throw”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>John 8: 5-11; Luke 6:41-42; Romans 7:15-25<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>I remember recently that a woman in Iran was sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery. It has invoked an international outrage and a multinational quest to save her from this cruel end. We read today the scripture from the Gospel of John that shows Jesus intervening on behalf of the woman caught in adultery. I’ve often wondered where the man was and what his sentence would be since she was supposedly caught in the “act.” I’ve always thought the “act” required two people, not just one. But “how many” is not the point of the story. Jesus wrote something on the ground that prompted the stone wielding men eager to carry out “justice” to re-think their position. He then challenged them; “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” They each dropped their stones and went away. Jesus then asked the woman to point out the one who condemned her and there was no one left. He then told her that He did not condemn either and that she was free to go and </span><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>not</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> engage in the life that got her to that place. What a relief! We all identify with the relief that the woman must have felt having been set free from the pain and humiliation of having been caught in the act of breaking the law. Adultery in our society is not against the law, but we’ve all been guilty of breaking the rules (if not the law) by bending them to our advantage. Thank God for His grace and mercy that reminds us of our restoration as His very own family, through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ. Do we live in that restoration or do we dismantle what God has put aright? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>In Luke 6 we read about Jesus talking to His disciples (and any others listening in) about judging others. Here’s what He said; <b>““Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”</b> He then uses a metaphor of a bind man leading another with the disastrous result of both falling in a ditch. Then, he challenges those who are listening: <b>“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”</b> There’s an old saying in the recovery community; “you spot it, you got it.” Often the thing for which we accuse another is the very thing that will trip us up in our own walk. Why is it so hard to “judge not”? Every time we do judge another, we’re using the same measure that would condemn ourselves. <b>Is that so bad?</b> Some would say we’re too easy on each other with all this grace stuff. Seems in some minds we should be holding each other “accountable” for our actions! What winds up happening, more often than not, is a metaphorical bead reading that gets tempers flaring and feelings hurt and defenses up. That leads to fellowship and relationships being destroyed rather than being nourished as God calls us to do. Even Paul had a tough time with doing what he knew he ought to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>In our scripture reading from Romans 7, Paul goes to great lengths to explain the difficulty that he experienced in doing what is right. He asserts that he would not have known what wrong behavior was without the Law being there to illustrate what was right behavior. His struggle is not unlike everyone who truly seeks to live in the character of Christ. Paul concludes that when he lives in the presence of his redeemer, he is not living out the presence of his sinful nature. <b>Relationship then, is the inferred key; the relationship with Christ that nurtures His right Spirit within</b>. Paul writes in Romans 8, just after his struggle with his sinful self that “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>As we dig deeper into the struggle with doing the right thing, we are all surrounded with thrown stones and dust miners. The modern church (and many included here today) is guilty of having been part of the stones and planks swirling around these days. Just listen to the news as one self-righteous group after another claiming to have THE WAY that points to the damnation of all others, offers up disdain for grace that embraces the whole of the human population. Earthquakes, hurricanes or any other natural disaster have been attributed to the so called gay marriage. It’s interesting that among the most religiously fundamentalist states, the divorce rate is exponentially higher than the rest of the country. Yet, focus on so called family values does nothing more than fuel the fires of self deceit and relationship defeat for so many. And how, I challenge you, are we any different? We condemn those who don’t understand what it’s like to have our attraction orientation. We ignore those who don’t share the same theological bent as we do. We isolate from the broader community to find the safety among those who see life our way. <b>We judge the one who is not living up to “our” standard of what we call scriptural leadership, and then wonder why we get disenchanted with church and fellowship</b>. We’re often <b>too busy reading beads to plant the seeds of faith through mercy and grace that Christ has charged us with</b>. It’s time we lay down the stones (even those that have been previously thrown at us), pull the planks out of our eyes and start building bridges to a world in need of a Savior! If you’re not engaging in bridge building, you’re not exercising your Christ given character! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life. God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Jesus said that he came that we might have life and that we might have it to the full. That <b>full life is not hurling stones at one another</b> (here or out there) and it is not dust sifting through others eyes. <b>That life is the living out of the character of Christ. </b>We can’t fulfill that call on us if we’re not living in relationship with Him. When He said “if you haven’t done it for one of the least of these you haven’t done it for me,” He was challenging us to relationship. Relationship with Himself and relationship with each other that mirrors that relationship with Him. This church has been called into existence for a reason. We are here to “ignite the world for Christ, one life at a time” and we need to be getting back to the heart of that call. When I say we, I mean each and every one of us! Relationships in this community need to be healed and nurtured and bridges to the broader church need to be built. We need to be teaching by example how to love our neighbor as our self. We have in this room, this very day the resources that can change Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, South Florida, this State, and this nation. Within this room is the igniting fluid that can light millions of souls with the hope of a better day and the peace that passes all understanding. God has called you here for such a time as this. Are you willing to be ignited yourself? Are you ready to be a part of the solution to the problems and challenges so often laid out as complaints? It’s time to leave behind service as usual begin living in the extraordinary! Where have you been holding back when He’s calling you forward? Where are you judging that’s keeping you from budging off your safe pedestal of pious pride? Want to see a difference in your life? Make the choice that brings a difference to another’s life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-6306699984547392012011-08-07T08:54:00.001-04:002011-08-07T08:54:34.210-04:00Where He Leads<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“Where He Leads”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Luke 15:8-10; Acts 26:16-18<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We’ve just celebrated twelve years as a congregation known as Church of the Holy SpiritSong. This church started meeting for Bible study in a living room of an apartment in Palm Beach, in 1999. In 2000, the meetings moved to Sundays and a hotel in Boca Raton. The congregation grew and more and more people were attending and joining from Fort Lauderdale. About 2003 the worship services moved south to Fort Lauderdale, near Tamarac. In 2005, we purchased a warehouse space in Tamarac to be home for years to come. At that time we were being led to initiate a community wide effort in Wilton Manors around <i>The Purpose Driven Life.</i> We rented space on Sunday morning from the GLCC of South Florida on Andrews Avenue and after five weeks had grown to a congregational size that rendered the warehouse space obsolete. We had undertaken a capital campaign for acquiring space as God was leading us to a more permanent location. We continued to grow and in 2006, our beloved founding Pastor announced her calling to a new location in New Jersey. Amidst the grieving at our loss, Deacon Suzanne, Deacon Leslie, and I (Elder Tom) were being prepared as best we could to assume the Pastoral positions as Associate, Associate, and Senior Pastor, respectively. In May 0f 2007, the three of us were ordained into the pastoral role for Church of the Holy SpiritSong. Shortly after ordination, the GLCC announced the sale of the property we were meeting in which made it necessary to begin the quest for a new location. We looked for places to buy. We looked for bargain places and we looked at many different possibilities. Purchase was beyond our means as the market for commercial properties seemed to be escalating. After praying over several scenarios, we felt led to negotiate an agreement for the space we are currently worshipping in that would give us a home base and room to grow for the following ten years. We will be completing three years here in this Worship Center in October. We had finances to complete the shared costs of renovations and enough to pay the lease for three years, trusting God to provide through His people the resources for the remaining seven years. We all enjoy the convenience of not having to set up chairs and sound equipment every Sunday morning. The worship leaders can arrive and rehearse without waiting for the speakers to be mounted on their stands. This space is available all week for meetings, study and prayer. People walk in on any given day to ask for prayer, to share a burden, to get some help with a specific issue, or to just sit quietly before the cross. This place is a blessing! This place is a burden! The blessing comes in positive experiences and worship that is centered on the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. The burden is the financial cost associated with having the convenience of being established in the midst of the community here at this center. Jesus says in Matthew 11:29, however, that when we share the yoke with Him, our burden is lightened. We <b>need more necks in the yoke turning the burden into a blessing!</b> This is for the encouragement of those who are already yoked to the fullest commitment and for challenge to those who are standing on the sidelines watching the herd go by! We exist for His purpose, Church: “To ignite the world for Christ, one life at a time.” This place, this service, these services, and those yoked together here are simply instruments of His purpose to ignite! What does it mean to “ignite the world for Christ, one life at a time”?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>You might have wondered how the two scriptures; depicting two separate stories could be tied together in any way. They are each different, yet they share a common thread – God’s passion for His people. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The parable of the woman who lost one of the ten silver coins she possessed is one amongst several parables Jesus used to teach about the love of God. It’s comforting to know that if we were the lost coin that God would metaphorically sweep the corners of the earth to retrieve us and then rejoice that we had been found. <b>Jesus demonstrated that depth of love when He submitted to the human authorities to be crucified in our place, for our self-centeredness, for our redemption and salvation</b>. He’s done His part and now He asks that we do our part in His grand plan of shining the light and sweeping the corners. <b>This story is not only about God, but also about the woman.</b> She had a passion for all she was given. Having lost one of the ten pieces of silver, she passionately went after the one that was lost, so that her collection could be whole again. She could have been thankful for the nine she retained and gone about her merry way, but that would have not satiated her desire to regain her whole collection. Her heart was focused on the whole of her collection and her heart’s desire would not be met until the one that was lost was returned. Before she started the quest to retrieve the lost coin, she must have recognized it was missing. <b>What have you been missing that will make you whole?</b> The woman didn’t go to find a replacement; she was only satisfied with the real thing. <b>God created us to reflect His image of love, mercy, grace, peace, and patience.</b> We miss the mark when we seek to replace that image with substitutes. <b>Ego centered rants, cravings for attention, insisting it be “my way or the highway,” relationship roulette, gratuitous sex, the quest for acknowledgement through gossip, the insistence that church leaders be perfect in order to be for His good, or the belief that all my needs must be met or God must hate me, are all faulty replacements in our quest to restore the genuine treasure.</b> Only one thing will do; the real thing which is the restored and whole relationship with Him. This story reminds us to stop looking passionately to that which is not real, lasting, or completing and to return to the passion for which we were created and by which we are made whole – the relationship that ignites our hearts anew with Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> What about our second scripture today? The Acts of the Apostles as this scripture is referred describes Saul’s conversion (before he became the Apostle Paul). Paul was a passionate man about his religion. He was a Pharisee, having been taught by the best theologians of the time, and he was zealous about maintaining the integrity of the Law upon which the Jewish religion was founded. He had been present at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. So here’s Saul (Paul), going after his passion for religious righteousness as he saw it to be and suddenly he’s blinded by the light of Christ. Not only is he stopped in his tracks, but also he’s re-directed. <b>His passion is not wrong, his direction and focus is wrong. You see he thought he was to save the Jews from the ravages of those pesky Jesus followers, and God intervened in a way that got Paul’s attention and redirected him toward igniting the world outside of Judaism for Christ, with the same zeal and passion Paul had been using to persecute</b>. God didn’t take away Paul’s passion, He redirected it for God’s glory, which brought Paul into a deeper relationship with God and led others in that direction as well. Paul had to be blinded to his current direction to receive vision for his new direction. We also get caught up in our own sights trying to do what we think is going to make the difference in our lives when suddenly blindness sets in. We can’t see where it’s all going; people seem to not be doing what we think they need to be doing, and we’re included. In his blindness, Paul received a new vision from God; a new direction. Instead of destroying the blight of Christ, he was being led to ignite for Christ. God used Paul’s passion. He just changed its focus.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>What is God doing in your life that is calling you to sweep every corner and to look differently in a new direction? What coin in the collection that God has given you do you need restored to make the collection whole again? What new direction is God telling you to move with a changed mind and a new vision? As the body of Christ here, each of us is a part that serves a function in the call to “ignite the world for Christ, one life at a time.” What is your call in being united as one body to ignite? Are you being a part of the ignition or are you removing the battery cable? The engine is ready; the fuel tank of God’s Spirit is waiting to be used. Each of us has a key in hand. Are you willing to insert it in the ignition and turn the lever for the relation of a lifetime with Him who made you to have a relationship with you? </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-25225849103828832412011-07-24T08:22:00.001-04:002011-07-24T08:22:32.147-04:00What You're Worth<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“What You’re Worth”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16-17; Romans 8:38-39<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We see web sites and TV programs that focus on enhancing your net worth. Secrets of saving and investing are promised to be shared for a contribution to the person who is offering the keys that unlock the secret so that their financial net worth can be increased at your expense. Of course they would tell you that the money you send them is really an investment in your future. There are many of us who have relied on the calculation of assets minus liabilities is equal to our net worth. Some of us have seen those numbers go down over the last few years at a rate faster than they went up. Is our worth really measured by our net assets? What about our name or reputation? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>My lovely Grandma use to tell me how blessed we were to have been born into the family we were. She would go on about how upstanding and almost righteous we were in our family history. Bless her heart, she had a short memory of history of family. Her husband died after catching pneumonia following a drunken binge leaving her with eight young girls to rear on her own on a tobacco farm in rural NC in the 1920’s. Yes the family could trace it’s lineage to pre-revolutionary America, but that was no solace to a struggling family of women ages 6 months to 15 years. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t count my Grandfather as worthless. My mother idolized him and recounted numerous stories of his playing the violin as the family sat around the hearth in winter. None of the things that Grandma or Mom counted as worth, however, amounted to a hill of beans in God’s eyes. The good news is that all of Grandpa’s failings were not held against him either, by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Grandpa was a faithful believer! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Worth often translates to value in our way of thinking and behaving. I led a corporate change initiative for the subsidiary of a large chemical company I worked for in the 1980’s. The entire three day workshop focused on getting every person who was involved with the business, without regard to department or function, to a place of recognizing that she or he was a part of the process that ultimately brought value to the customer. We taught that the customer does not buy a product or service only, but rather the customer buys value as the customer sees value. Every person who comes in contact with the offering has the potential to add value to the customer. Every person along the value chain, as we called it, had the opportunity to bring additional value for the next person along the process. Ultimately, the consumer was the beneficiary of value to self, family, and community because of enhanced health. So it is with us here. We go where we see value to us in going. We do the things that we perceive as giving value to us in doing. We hang around with people whom we believe add value to ourselves. We wear the cloths that we believe show value to our appearance and we seek to please God in a way that will make us more valuable in His eyes. There’s nothing inherently wrong with doing these things, but the motive is totally off base. There is nothing that we can do, nothing that we can say, nothing that we can give, buy, or sell that will make us more valuable than we already are in the eyes of our Creator. If we truly understood what we’re worth in the eyes of God, we’d never do or say anything that would not honor the worth of every one of His precious creations! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Science is uncovering more and more of the “how” of creation. In that discovery we’re learning more about the awe of His universe. The one thing science cannot tell us is the “why” of creation. Why was the universe set in motion? Why is there complexity in the human that transcends the neural pathways of cells in our brain that can actually understand beyond its own boundaries? Scripture gives us a clue. According to 1 John 4:8, God is love! That God who IS love said in Genesis 1:26 “Let us make mankind in our own image, in our likeness.” Another way of stating this is God created us to reflect who He is. Problems arose shortly thereafter when mankind decided that the reflection (image) could be equal to the real thing. History was set on a downward spiral from that point. Seems like we’ve tried to outdo God ever since! You see, God created us as a perfect reflection of His love and when we tried to improve on it, we cracked the whole mirror so that the reflection was distorted and disjointed. God allowed us a history of trying to repair the damage, but we kept on making it worse. In fact we compounded the problem by making laws, rules, and regulations that led us further away from the true reflection we were created to illuminate. All of our wrangling then and even now can’t make us more worthy than the one who created us. We keep trying to see Him through our eyes instead of seeing ourselves through His eyes! So God, full of love that pours out in grace and mercy, did something that said this is what you are really worth! We’re worth the life of His very own Son. Through His eyes we are as pure as new fallen snow; as clear as fresh water from the spring; as bright as the fresh morning sun. Through His eyes we are fresh from the cleansing that has not only scrubbed us up, but also made us new within. What is it that distracts us from seeing the image of God’s love in ourselves and thus in others?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We look to our insecurities and each other instead of Him! God’s WORD is filled with the message of God’s grace to “measure” us up in His sight. We have a plethora of resources that help us understand His Word; modern translation tools, commentaries from Biblical scholars, and texts in modern terms. About the core message of God’s grace and mercy, the translators agree. Some self styled interpreters, however convolute the message of grace with conditions for grace that render grace not grace at all! We often don’t have a clear reference to grace in our lives. We view discipline as punishment and rewards as recognition for good behavior. Grace has nothing to do with discipline or with reward for good behavior. <i>Grace has to do with the giver, not the receiver!</i> Because grace has to do with the giver, we don’t need to worry ourselves about preconditions, stipulations or even post conditions. What we do need to do to enjoy the true depth of grace is to learn how to live in the light of that grace and let it be shown back to the giver. Notice I didn’t say we must do that or grace will be taken away or denied… Grace is not conditional. What God wants us to know is the fullness of His grace that enables us to live with a heart loving Him and each other because we see a grace filled self. God’s grace has nothing to do with circumstances around us. We buy the lyrics from <i>The Sound of Music</i> stating “I must have done something good” because “here you are standing here loving me!” God is standing here loving me not because of what I’ve done that’s so good, but because He is so good and full of love and grace! Exodus 20 gives us the account of God delivering His commandments. He says “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. [therefore] You shall have no other gods before<sup> </sup>me.” He didn’t say that they were to have no other gods before Him and then He would bless them, He showed His sovereignty and power and then said “now respond in kind.” God doesn’t hate, contrary to the assertions of a love impoverished church… God can’t be who He isn’t! We can’t be who we aren’t either, that’s why we need grace to cover us as we become who He died to free us to be. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>It’s time to stop living as though we’re graceless. It’s time to start living outside our insecurities and outside our efforts to fill our deficiencies. It’s time to live in His love that is manifest as grace and mercy in our lives – not earned, not worthy, but loved to Him with grace filled arms. Don’t worry about that grace going away. He won’t love you any less – He’s already loved you with His very best! Be reminded daily that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-24604618892346848532011-07-18T11:35:00.001-04:002011-07-18T11:35:29.613-04:00Why Me, Lord?<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><i><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Why Me, Lord?<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Luke 10:25-37; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Ever ask the question; “Why me”? Why am I the one who has to ___? Why is life so ___ for me? Years ago I expressed the “why me” sentiment to a friend once in New York, who responded “why not? “What makes you special,” he asked. It was a challenging question, but not at all comforting. You see, I had this version of life that if you lived a certain way, believed a certain way, talked a certain way, dressed a certain way, and walked a certain way, then life would be good. I believed that God would see me in a favorable light and therefore bless me with the things I wanted for my comfort. There’s not an iota of Biblical truth to that belief, but I held it passionately. I was going through an emotionally challenging time, dealing with fear of loss of my family, my possessions, and my perceived reputation. What I learned is that God promises to satisfy our needs, not our comfort. Each of us seeks comfort in the things and people around us. Let’s give thanks for every moment of that earthly comfort and remember that the comfort of His presence is ours even when our lives seem uncomfortable. When I surrendered my notions of what life should be like to His promise of what life could be like, I asked with a grateful heart “why me?” We all have our versions of “should be” that need a hefty dose of “could be” in Him. Let’s look at how His Word helps us discover the possibilities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Discomfort is a part growth!</span></b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Physiologically, young people can experience literal pain in the process of growth. It’s not comfortable, but it’s a part of the maturation process. When the good and faithful Jews in Jesus’ story from our reading in Luke today were confronted with a fellow Jew who was naked and wounded, they avoided the discomfort of providing help where help was needed. Not only would it have taken them off their schedule, but it would have rendered them as unclean having touched human blood. That meant they would have to go through a ritual cleansing process to become ceremonially clean again. That process was not convenient. So in Jesus’ story about inheriting eternal life, He uses the example of the “less than” Samaritan that goes out of his way to help out a Jew who historically would not like him. Not only does he bind his wounds, but he also takes him to an inn to care for him and then paid the inn keeper for more care if needed. The discomfort avoidant Jews missed the opportunity to grow in the blessings of His kingdom. The unlikely Samaritan was the blessed one because he invested in the blessing! Taking time out from his schedule was probably not comfortable for Sam the Samaritan, but empathy demonstrating God’s love for another of God’s creation outweighed the inconvenience. Remember, this whole story started when the Pharisee asked Jesus; Teacher,” he asked<b>, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he [Jesus] replied. “How do you read it?” He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’</b>” Missing the importance of love for God being expressed through love for his neighbor, the legalist looked for a loophole when asking “who is my neighbor?” We’d like to profess that we’re not like the Jew, but rather like the Samaritan. But are we? How often do we go out of our way to help another in need? I’m not talking about the obvious, but the not so obvious. Enjoying a clean seat and worship space today? Someone loves God enough to give of himself to clean and prepare this place for worship. He doesn’t do it for attention, but out of love. Greeted warmly as you entered this space today? Someone cared to love God enough to make His house a welcoming home today. The work of our lay ministers in preparation and execution of our worship service is done out of love to God through working to see things run seamlessly for each of us experiencing worship today. There are lots of Sams here today who took a stroll to the other side of the road to attend to the comfort of those who may need attention and comforting. Some of us have moved from “not me” to “why bother me” <b>to the grateful place of “why me”.</b> That place is one of awe in the honor of service to the Lord. Sam might not have been “feeling” like giving the love, but he respected God enough to act in another’s behalf.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>God calls us to invest for His return.</span></b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9 that “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” We love a good return on our investment. We seem to ask “what’s in it for me?” WIIFM! In my sales training days we would remind sales reps that “to sell John Brown what John Brown buys, you must see John Brown through John Browns eyes.” This translated into guiding the customer into seeing the benefits of a particular product from the customer’s own perspective. We see that being done in many modern churches today. “Send your donation to… and we’ll send you the keys to the Kingdom.” The keys to the kingdom are not to be found through a commercial or a sound bite. We tweet, post, and instant message our way through the day. Vast information is available to us 24/7. We like to get results fast, quick fixes with instant gratification. Some of the Corinthians were looking for gratification from their efforts as well. Paul is telling the Corinthians focus on their giving of their time, talents, and treasures as an investment in God’s kingdom. Paul also told the believers in Rome to “not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” This, he asserted, would lead us to knowing what God’s good and perfect will is for our lives. Sowing into the kingdom gives kingdom returns. What God gives in His return on our investment is an abundance of His presence, His kingdom, His Spirit poured out in those who invest. Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to see the value of giving of self cheerfully. Those who give sparingly get a sparse return. Those who give generously get a generous return. The return is not so much on the things invested, but on the heart that invests. The heart becomes the “thing” we invest. <b>When we invest with a “not me” or a “why me” attitude that comes from a place of having lost something, we diminish the heart return.</b> When we give out of a heart of gratitude for God’s very presence in our lives, knowing that He provides our needs, sees us through our fears, and hears our every plea for grace, we shout with gratitude “why me.” His return on our investment in the kingdom is far greater than we can ever earn on our own. That return on investment of our hearts to Him is redemption, kinship, holiness, righteousness and an eternity in His presence. In Paul’s word to the church in Galatia (<b>Galatians 5:22-23) “</b><sup>22</sup> But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, <sup>23</sup> gentleness and self-control.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>What God desires in our gifts to him is a heart of gratitude for what we’ve already been given. Where’s your heart today? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-14802305664820306382011-07-03T08:23:00.001-04:002011-07-03T08:23:59.785-04:00FREEDOM<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Freedom!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>John 10:10; Galatians 5:1<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Freedom is seldom free. Freedom from the tyranny of a selfish despot that taxed without representation was gained only after the loss of countless lives in the revolutionary war. Even then, freedom was not enjoyed by all. Some of our ancestors were enslaved as duty bound to often unjust and unkind masters. A war was fought and freedom from slavery was won. We are a people who thrive in the notion of freedom to express ourselves as individuals, as communities, or as sects with like viewpoints. We enjoy the freedom of being able to worship where and as we please or feel led. We like to be able to express ourselves through words, songs, or various other media. We just love to be free! Why is it then, that we don’t exercise our freedom in Christ? Why do we constantly fall victim to our own agenda to measure up to a self-contrived standard that says that only then we are free? Paul reminded Timothy that (2 Timothy 1:7) “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” We often live outside of that assertion to Timothy. Here are some impediments to freedom in Christ that we stumble over each day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The “Too Good to be True” Trap.</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> We just have a hard time understanding that grace is truly free. We hear that grace is free…but… Each time we hear a “but” following an assertion, we can pretty well accept that the assertion has a catch or it’s only partially true. A half truth is still a lie! Grace is free AND it ignites a response! If you haven’t been moved in response, you haven’t experienced grace. If you act in the belief that you SHOULD somehow measure up to a standard for the sake of grace, you’ve missed the grace that is free to all. We have a hard time accepting that anything is free. We have a culture of skepticism that tells us that nothing is free. Everything has a price…everything costs something. When it comes to grace, we forget that the cost was paid by someone else – Jesus, and that price of grace was paid in full, leaving no room for added cost! The only additional cost associated with grace is the cost of not accepting God’s free gift of forgiveness, atonement, justification, and redemption. The cost of not accepting grace is enslavement to a life of guilt, self-defense, shame, competition, external affirmations, struggles to measure up and get ahead of the “game” of life. The biggest slave trader that exists is the one that would have us believe the “but” after “grace is free.” Each time we buy the “but” we take on God’s role as one who knows better. Sounds a bit like the tussle in the garden those many years ago. Jesus came and lived His role as the new Adam who did not sin, did not doubt, did not desire to raise Himself above His Father’s will, and submitted to be the end all sacrifice for all mankind’s transgressions. Sounds like the past has been rectified so that we can live in a different reality of the present and enjoy the fullness of the future! That’s the truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The “All But Me” Trap.</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Many hear what’s being said and believe that it’s possible for folks to be freed from their bondage of self judgment, but not them. I’ve heard the stories of how unworthy I am…how God condemns who I am…how God can love anybody but me. We’ve had a healthy dose of condemnation from the church and from many elements of society that do not understand scripture in context, paint all God’s creation with the same damnable brush, and hold self then to be how great I art for not being like THEM! John 8:36 states “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” This is the same Gospel that asserts that God loves us so much that He gave up His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life! If these are true, it can’t also be true that God rejects anyone for being who He created them to be! God’s grace covers each and every one of us. There is no greed, no lust, no lies, no misconduct, no unforgiveness, no anger or any other thing we can think of that we’ve done that is not covered by God’s grace. There is no depth to which you can fall that the arms of God’s grace are too short to reach. When we choose to believe that He can’t be offering grace to ME, we are placing self in the final judgment seat that shuts Him out of our lives. All our being cries out for Him, yet we close our ears each time He knocks. The path to freedom is through an open door. The key to the door is on the inside! You hold the key; He holds the way!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The “I Can Do It My Way” Trap</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. This one is just another side of the same coin as the trap just described. There are many who believe that doing things our way is the pathway to success and happiness. We read books, see movies, or watch TV shows about the successes of those who have self determination. Being self determined and sometimes single minded can be a good thing for accomplishing a goal. There is a story told that Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times at constructing an incandescent light bulb that had commercial value. Whether true in part or in whole, the outcome was learning from his mistakes and improving upon his method until he reached success. Some people use this kind of story for justification for continuing on their chosen path to make life give them peace, happiness and/or success. Edison’s story is different, however. He tried his way, learned from his mistakes and then tried another way until he found a way to succeed with his goal. What we do more often, however, is set our determination to do it our way, continue to do it our way, even when the outcome tells us it’s the wrong way, and then blame God or others that it didn’t go our way. There’s an old adage in the recovery community that is actually a quote from Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.” The insanity of our lives is in the acts of self determination that take us away from that which we really seek – intimacy with our creator! Intimacy is a condition of knowing and being known. God’s Word tells us who He is; His Holy Spirit takes us to a deeper level of intimacy within who He is. We create the barriers to the intimate relationship with Him when we decide to not be real with Him; to treat him like we do our peers or loved ones and present to Him only what we want Him to see for fear that the REAL me is much too vulnerable and might be hurt yet again. That very idea that God hurts us when we are real is an idea that enslaves us. God’s love is steeped in grace and mercy far deeper and wider than we can even imagine. Each time we limit our intimacy with Him, we step deeper into the depth of bondage to self and this world. True freedom comes in surrender of self-willed, self-defeating thoughts and behaviors to the grace filled presence of the One who loves us even through death. The only place God’s grace can’t reach is the place that’s under siege and locks Him out by the god of self-judgment and self-will. God is always there with grace. We can only experience it when we take second place. II Corinthians 9:8 reminds us “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Where’s your freedom? Where’s your bondage? Are you practicing each day the walk of freedom in the love of Christ or are you insisting on remaining in your bondage to self judgment, self-determination, and self-centeredness? It’s not your orientation that limits your participation! Only those who are steeped in limitations they place on God’s creation and the study of His Word would even utter that thought. Don’t let false beliefs enslave you away from Christ! John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The thief is anyone, any thought, any belief that would keep you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.<b> </b>Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” There is freedom for all who will walk on the path of faith, assured that “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, <sup>39</sup> neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!” (Martin Luther King, Jr)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-15131524644998043702011-06-26T09:10:00.001-04:002011-06-26T09:10:08.282-04:00Grace Full Living<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Grace Full Living”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>John 13:34-35; Romans 15:5-7; Ephesians 2:4-10<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>There are scientific advances being made every day. Just this week I glanced at an article about a vaccine for cancer. Recently there was an account in Germany of a fellow being cured of HIV through stem cell therapy. Fifty years ago the thought of space travel was just a fantasy; today we worry about all the space debris crashing to earth or striking stellar space craft and dooming all on board. We’ve sequenced human DNA, we’re unraveling the human genome, and we’ve learned to tweet and post to the masses of our peeps. The one thing we haven’t been able to do is live our lives in the perfect reflection of the One who created us. Just when we think we’ve made it, we’ve failed miserably! What’s a peep to do? It just seems like we’re danged if we don’t and dinged if we do. Is that really the end of the story though?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>God’s love for us is demonstrated by His grace and mercy</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. We could pray fifteen times a day, abstain from lustful thoughts during a proscribed period of time, give 30% of our income to the church, be slain in the Spirit six times a day, give meals to the homeless four times a week, serve faithfully in the ministry to which we’ve been called, abstain from gossip, abstain from drugs, alcohol or other substances, be nice to people’s face and behind their backs, get recognition for how great we art and never be worthy of God’s blessings! If any of us are doing any of the above so that we are worthy of His love, we’re wasting our time and energy. God doesn’t love us because we deserve to be loved; He loves us because that’s who He is. If we truly got what we deserved, not a single living human being would be given an opportunity to share in the blessings of God’s love. Not even those who would like to think they are so religiously, devotionally, spiritually, emotionally or otherly pious that their fecal matter holds no fragrance, are exempt from the not worthy club. Not even a PhD, M.D., Th.D., or D.D., can render one more worthy! God’s mercy saves us from our own foolish destruction, and that’s God’s mercy only! His grace gives us the right to be called justified and righteous before Him because of the act of Jesus on the cross. The unselfish, loving, redeeming act of surrender to the burden of mankind’s sin upon His back, taking our hit in our stead, is the act of mercy and grace that God shows as love. Don’t get me wrong; all those pious and good things I described have their place, but it’s not in place of grace! Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds us “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” What then shall we do with grace? How do we live it to the fullest? Love him back!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Our love for Him is demonstrated by extending grace to others</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. When asked what was the greatest of the commands, Matthew 22:37-39 records: “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’<sup> </sup>This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” We love God and others out of gratitude for the great love He has extended to us. Many people use their “acts of love” as tools of manipulation that they believe will somehow render God indebted to them. In the words of the great theologian, Larry the cable guy, “that dog don’t hunt.” God cannot be indebted to us. There is nothing we can do to merit His favor. We have already gotten it through the act of Jesus Christ on the cross. There is a great difference between “acts of love” borne out of gratitude and “acts of love” intended to impress or enslave. The latter are no acts of love at all! When Christ commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, He knew it wouldn’t be a snap. How do we love God? How do we learn how to keep our hearts, our souls, or minds about loving Him? We practice on each other. We practice knowing that we will never be perfect this side of eternity, but that’s perfectly fine! We’re so tied up in feelings and what seems to be happening that we miss the reality of what goes on in lives daily – namely that all fall short and are covered by the grace of God! Grace has nothing to do with money, status, possessions, feeling up, feeling down. Grace is God’s love wiping our sin slates clean so we can live in a different attitude about money, status, possessions, feelings, and outcomes around us! God’s grace does not wipe out consequences of our bad choices, prevent natural disasters, ensure wealth and prosperity or grant a dispensation of healthy relationships. God’s grace does give us a different heart and mind with which to view consequences of bad choices, natural disasters, wealth or poverty, and all forms of relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Lack of grace to others is a signal of our own condemnation. </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Matthew 6:12 reads “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” There have been volumes written about this one verse and I don’t presume to boil them down to a few lines here, but I do want to speak to the heart and mind that is unforgiving. I believe that we hold forgiveness or unforgiveness only toward those whom we judged worthy of forgiveness or unforgiveness. Matthew 7:1 reads “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” This translates to something like this; “the measure you use to judge another is the measure you use to judge yourself.” Often those who judge others the harshest are the harshest judges of themselves. Imagine the pain of someone who harbors so much anger and resentment towards another. That anger and resentment eats away at the heart, mind, and soul of the one harboring. Not all anger and resentment come from self-judgment, but you can be pretty sure there’s a hefty dose at the center. The angry and resentful person is one who has not allowed self to be fully bathed in God’s grace and mercy. All the things that coulda, woulda, shoulda been in order to measure up to the expectation that was arbitrarily set by self and manipulated for self-gain, has been made obsolete in the face of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. What freedom there is that awaits the heavy burdened self-righteous achiever who thinks he can become worthy of having it all his way! When we accept God’s grace through the acknowledgement and surrender to the act of Christ on the cross, we are freed from the bondage that set’s us up for self-condemnation and failure. He has already measured us up through the cross; no further measure is needed. Now we can live in the light of His love, recognizing that His grace is sufficient for me and for you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Living in Grace means that we are living in His love, sharing His love. </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>After accepting His grace, freely given to us at a great cost to Him, we can practice grace full living each day by reminding ourselves of the gift that has been given us. Each day, as we spend time in His Word, we seek to understand the many depths of His grace. As we live out our lives we have the opportunity to live out our grace! Grace filled living embraces the richness of who we are because of who He is in us. Grace full living is not focused solely on we, but on He who freed us from the everlasting consequences of our short sightedness. Grace filled living means dropping the burden of our self-condemnation for what we’re not and living in the full knowledge of what we are: loved, forgiven, redeemed, justified before God, born anew, God’s child, one for whom God would die! What a difference a day in a life with Christ at the center over a day with self as the center! When we’ve truly gotten the gift that grace is in our lives, we’re in the best position to pass it on. His love is too great to be stuffed into one human alone; it has to be shared. Have you ever learned something so life changing that you just had to share with someone else? Well now you have – Jesus Christ has done for you everything you thought your whole life should accomplish to be considered worthy of the graduate certificate. You are proclaimed winner because of what He has done. Now you’re free to act like the winner you are – not because of you, but because of Him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-74785769440737887192011-06-12T08:42:00.001-04:002011-06-12T08:42:21.914-04:00Who's on First?<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“Who’s On First?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>John 12:44-50; Romans 14:1-9<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>It seems to have become a national pastime to air people’s faults and failings. We see the occasional broadcast of a local hero but squeezed in between the hero is this or that person’s failure to do something or that they have done something that would expose him or her as guilty of wrong doing. The process is almost as old as mankind. Remember the story of Cain and Abel? Cain felt Abel was taking all the glory, so he decided to get rid of the competition. Seems we just like diminishing another’s efforts. We’re told to exercise good judgment yet we are told not to judge! Exercising good judgment always has its foundation in relationship with God. Judging others, however, takes God’s place and sets self in the precarious place of being first before God. What is it that we are looking for when we engage in gossip about others, exposing the faults of others, or touting our superior standing on a particular topic or subject? Are we looking for significance? Who are we trying to convince? More often than not, we’re trying to convince ourselves. Rarely are we successful, even when we proclaim ourselves the winner! Let’s look at the consequences of setting ourselves up as final judge, being number one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Relationship with a partner</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. Relationships are not made in heaven though some may seem heavenly at times. The person to whom we feel attracted strikes some chord in our imprinted past of experiences. Early weeks and months of relationship are filled with hormonal cravings that tell us how great we feel just being near that special person. We in essence know nothing about the other, but just know that the other could never do anything wrong because everything just seems so right. Unfortunately, the time soon comes when it may appear that what has always been done just doesn’t seem right enough to make me “feel” the way I use to feel. That’s when the true joy of relationship can blossom, but it’s often the point where judging and competition come into play to destroy the relationship. Since it is all about me, I need to feel, to sense, to know, that you are all about me. We often think of the other as being the other half of that which can be counted as whole. When that’s not working, disappointment sets in and hearts, minds and eyes start roving for the next candidate of my dream. The process repeats itself, this time with even more baggage than before and we wonder if we’ll ever find what we’re looking for. The answer is “yes you can,” but not where you’re looking! The answer to your prayers is not in the cutie of your dreams. Remember, the other person was looking for you to be their answer as well. Who was the miserable failure? Who was the proclaimed winner? Those questions set the trap that is certain to snare us away from the presence of grace and mercy in the most important relationship we can ever have. The one for which we were created! Relationship is not about power or hierarchy or winning over losing. We’ll address that later on.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Relationship with other people</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. We experience difficulties not only with intimate one-on-one relationships, but with so called peer or casual relationships as well. We sometimes band together in groups for the purpose of creating what we can’t seem to create alone. Competition builds as one member vies with another for position, for agreement from others. Smaller splinter groups begin to form as individuals begin to compete with others for the top spot of support from others. Churches are not immune from the ravages of competition from within or from without. Denominations and or sects form. There are the reformed, the Pentecostal, the progressives, the liberals, the fundamentalists – all proclaiming the justness of the theological positions they hold. There used to be the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Samaritans, and many others who held to the rightness of their positions to the exclusion of any others. In our modern society we see divisions that separate us often more frequently than we see what unites us. Feminine versus masculine; gay versus straight; gay versus Christian; left versus right – all seeking to gain acceptance by gaining the upper hand or at least the right to be left alone! It even becomes television and social media worthy to expose the faults or achievements of individuals or groups, just to gain more followers on the road to see who’s on first! As long as we seek to find the person who’s on first (or to be the person on first in at least one other person’s life) we’ll be worshipping at the god of our place and not God in the first place! John 3:17 records Jesus saying “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.” Believing or not believing is what brings judgment, not by God, but by one’s self. A just God brought about our justification by giving the life of the only just human – Jesus, so that we could relate to God just as if I’d never sinned. God did all the redeeming, what we’re called to is the believing that we’re perfectly measured up by the act of God through Jesus Christ on the cross. We’ll never fully find what we were created for in relationship (or competition) with others only, but we will find that in relationship with Christ! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Relationship with God</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. God created us to be in relationship with Him. That relationship is broken by our desire to always be in first place or equal to that place. We’ll do just about anything to gain it. The Old Testament is full of the stories of how God reaches out and humans reach back for a while, but succumb to self-desires over God’s greater desire (commands) for us. Christ died once for all. He appeared to His disciples and others calling them to unity of purpose after His resurrection. Today is Pentecost Sunday! In the account of Pentecost in the book of Acts, Jesus left with the believers the One who calls us to unity with Himself and each other -the One who levels the playing field. <b>Not one of us is worthy</b>, but each of us is now justified before God because of the unselfish act of Christ on our behalf. On the day of Pentecost, the believers were in one accord (not a Honda) – according to God’s design for relationship – enabled by the presence of His Holy Spirit. Chaos did not reign, but rather a unity of presence and purpose. The purpose was not for the edification of each individual present so that he or she could tout how special they were to have experienced the outpouring of His Spirit, but rather the purpose was to glorify God and the power of His presence to bring others into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. God calls us to relationship with Himself and He gives us Himself to nurture the relationship. He doesn’t force Himself and He doesn’t play the power game with us. Revelation 3:20 quotes Jesus stating: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” This does not mean that Jesus is asking to join us in a power struggle or an ego wrestling match. His invitation is to open the door and invite Him in for the feast of our lives – the sharing of the bread of life and the everlasting waters that never run dry. Placing Him at the center of our attention puts all else in perspective. He died to make it happen. What are you willing to do to follow through?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Instead of asking who’s on first, let’s change the question –<b> with whom can I relate to gain all for which I was created? </b>We were created to commune with Him, to reflect Him in our lives, and to live eternally. Opening the door to relationship with Him means opening ourselves up to the fulfillment of our created purpose. He is the way, the truth, and the life that we have sought all our lives. There is no other way. There’s none needed!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-14822113797567583542011-06-05T08:52:00.001-04:002011-06-05T08:52:49.315-04:00Life Wihout Excuses<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“Life Without Excuses”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>John 10:10-11; Galatians 3:28-29<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>I’ve heard just about every excuse that can be contrived. I’m always amazed when I see people trying to convince themselves of the justifications for doing or not doing a particular thing or acting in a particular way. The classic one is “the Devil made me do it.” We’re always looking for an excuse for what we do. Excuse making is about as old as creation. Adam blamed Eve; Eve blamed the serpent. Every time we engage the blame game, we attempt to excuse ourselves from accountability. There is no running from accountability, however. Even the most egregious misconduct comes home to roost, whether publicly seen or not. Not a single one of us is immune to excuse making. Romans 3:23 states; “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Accepting that truth and laying down our guilt and need for excuses before His throne and accepting the “justification” made for us by the life of Jesus Christ is the foundation for living without excuses. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Debunking common excuses:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“It’s my childhood experience.”</span></b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> I’ll bet that if we took a survey here we’d find that at least eighty percent of us had some kind of negative experience as a child that we would deem near traumatic. Scars from childhood can be hard to overcome. Whether they are scars from parents, from siblings, or from classmates/friends, they can have lasting effects on our sense of self and how we experience the world. Even though wounds heal, scars often do not disappear so easily. Each time we see that place, hear those words, recall that experience, we are emotionally moved and experience what we call the emotional scar of that experience. Fortunately, we don’t have to stay at that place. The scar may not totally disappear, but we can significantly reduce its presence and size. Jesus tells us in our scripture reading today that “The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” There are resources all around to help us move out of that place of perpetual agony over the past. God does not want us to stay there. Jesus, who was rejected, who was lied about, who was betrayed, beaten, nailed to a cross and killed, was the same Jesus who rose from the dead. He died so that we might have life and have it more abundantly than we otherwise would have had He not died for us! He came to heal, He came to save, He came to give new life, He came that we might have life eternal with Him. When we insist on staying at a place of victimhood, we choose to use our past hurts as an excuse for our current behaviors. In the light of John 3:16, and John 10:10, we are called not to use all these old events as the justification (excuse) for our lives, but rather recognize that Jesus is the JUSTIFICATION (just as if I’d never sinned) bringing us new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” To excuse today’s bad, angry, begrudging, hurtful, or other negative behaviors on scars from childhood, is like blaming being caught in a rain storm as a reason for not bathing! We need to know that after the rain comes the sun; after the winter comes the spring; and after the cross comes the resurrection. We are not bound to what was, but what is! If there’s something that happened in your past that you use or are tempted to use as an excuse for your current bad behavior, give it up, Dorothy, you’re no longer in that storm! You have been given all you need to live life fully in the knowledge of His grace and mercy. Exercise your choice; live the life He died to give you! 1 Corinthians 13:11 states: “</span><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became (an adult), I put the ways of childhood behind me.”</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“It’s because I’m _____.”</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Other excuses that may be used for poor behavior is orientation, or gender, or cultural background, or socio-economic status. It’s amazing to me the amount of alcohol, drug, and sexual abuse that abounds in our community. Many in this Body of Christ do now or have struggled with addictions that manifest as substance or sexual abuse. When I speak of sexual abuse in this context, I don’t mean intentional infliction of pain and suffering upon others (although that can exist in the same arena), but rather the behavior that uses others as objects of sexual gratification to the extent that one’s own ability to love and be loved in a healthy one on one context is severely compromised. Idolatry comes in many forms and it keeps us from worshipping God who created us for relationship with Himself and Godly relationships with others. Too many people buy into the lie that orientation is about sex, drugs, and alcohol. It’s time this community grows up and recognizes that orientation is not an excuse for behaving like irresponsible, irrational, and irritating adolescents. When we use our orientation as an excuse for bad behavior it’s because we buy the lie that is perpetuated by the legalist fundamentalists who can’t bring themselves to a grace filled place of common sense about the diversity within God’s creation – all of which bear His divine reflection! Being straight is not a justification for multiple marriages, strip clubs, brothels or speed dating. Why is it that so many gay folks tend to blame their bad behavior on their orientation? Jesus leveled the playing field. There is none greater or lesser in His Kingdom. That is not intended as a license to behave badly – quite the opposite. It is “get out of hell” card so you can know and love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and then approach other of His creation with the same care and interest as you would desire for yourself. Galatians 3:28-29 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” The promise is not for better lives through living badly, but for the grace and mercy to live a life reflecting His passion for each of His creation. It’s the promise of new life experienced to the fullest – without excuses weighing us down. Often we have bought so deeply into the lie of what it means to be created uniquely from the majority that we find it difficult to believe that God could really love me!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“God can’t love me.”</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> This is one of the most tragic statements I’ve ever heard from another human being. Yet, there is an element in many of us that holds to this notion. Let’s break this apart for a bit. What the person is saying is that he or she doesn’t believe that John 3:16 applies to him or her – that he or she is not a “whosoever.” It’s pretty clear that John is stating the facts about the Gospel – that God (creator of the universe who is Love Himself) loves His creation so much that He has given His only Son (Himself), so that if you believe that Jesus is who God says He is and did what scripture says He did, all sin barriers between God and us are wiped away and relationship with God is restored to how it was in the beginning of creation! So the question I pose to you is this; why don’t you believe this act of grace and mercy applies to you? I submit to you that whatever your response, it translates to the same – you have set yourself up as the god who judges and always has the last word! If you can’t forgive yourself; if you can’t get past your own judgment, you can’t receive grace and mercy from a second hand God! When you’re ready to put God first in your life, you’re ready to accept that God the CREATOR loves you to squeeze out the death of your past and breathe life into your today and tomorrow. Paul in His letter to the believers in Rome wrote; “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28-29) Nothing can separate us from His love, but setting ourselves up as the final arbiter of all that is acceptable to be loved is to deny ourselves the joy of our own lives, saved by the grace of God. There is no valid excuse for living life as a less than when God has already done the more than for us! He’s already done more than we can do, more than we deserve, more than we can earn…He has bestowed grace and mercy on each of us! Let go the ego! It’s too weak to box with God! Paul sums it up for us nicely in Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” What is God’s will for our lives? Mark 12:30-31 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” What’s your excuse?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=384 height=121 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.jpg@01CC235D.EE57E490" alt="cohss logo"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner, Sr. Pastor<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.cohss.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohssnj.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.cohssnj.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> (Sister church in NJ)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.godacceptsyou.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.GodAcceptsYou.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>954-418-8372<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-83298343789475305232011-05-22T08:50:00.000-04:002011-05-22T08:51:02.383-04:00Building on Faith<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Building on Faith”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalms 25:14; Matthew 7:24-27<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>I hear from folks fairly often that they feel their faith is wavering. A little probing and I find that what is lacking is the “feeling” of God’s presence in their life at that or recent moments. We all, to some degree or another, equate our faith with our feeling. It’s especially true in our modern culture where feelings are held up as the ultimate test of reality in social media and other forms of communications. “I’m not feeling it” is a common expression denoting the absence of something that is at other times professed, or it may simply be a denial that another’s expression is valid. It’s time we let go of the “feeling” god and grab hold of the faith in God! Feelings are the result of thoughts, conscious or unconscious and thoughts can be true or false. Faith in God is a conscious choice! We are faced with making that choice every moment of every day. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Everyone has faith. Even the atheist has faith that his reasoning is superior to any potential evidence that God is the author of the universe. Those who are worshipping here stand on the faith that God loves us so much that He gave His only Son so that anyone who believes (has faith is this truth) in Him will have eternal life with Him. That eternal life is not some distant thing, by the way; eternal life is now and forever! Faith abounds in all of us. The challenge is not only related to the degree of faith, but also to the object of our faith. Our reading from Proverbs today reminds us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Let’s translate that for today’s living: “Steadfastly trust (maintain your faith) that God is who He says He is and don’t be distracted by your momentary feelings or experiences and the result will be a deepened walk and relationship with Him, no matter what is going on around you.” Faith is the rock upon which we lay the foundation of our beliefs. Our beliefs drive our actions. Therefore, faith is the fuel for our journey!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Matthew 7:24-27 quotes Jesus telling those whom He was teaching that putting into action His instructions is like the wise builder who constructed his house on a rock. When storms of life come, the house built on the word of Christ is steadfast and unmovable. In contrast, the houses constructed on the sands of the times, the whim of the movement, will be swept away in the storm. The rock on which He calls us to build is the one that puts God first in all things and places others in a position equal to self. Jesus had been talking to the crowd about things prevalent to them in their experience. Things like standing up for what you believe is God’s way, grace as the fulfillment of what the Law can’t accomplish, not taking the life of someone else either literally or figuratively, staying true to your relationship commitment, letting your word be your testimony, not giving tit for tat, loving our enemies, caring for the needy, praying and fasting, not worrying, not judging others, and going to God with our requests for everything by asking, seeking, and knocking. So the foundation of faith is relationship; relationship with Him and relationship with others lived out through Him. In the words of Hebrews 12:2 “2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He is the beginning, the middle and the end. Relationship requires our attention, time, and energy. We can’t build where we are ignoring! We so desperately need that relationship with Him but we look for its substitute around every corner. What we desire is Him, what we often seek is His substitute that looks like satisfaction. Matthew 6:33 reminds us “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” “All these things” is not the cheap substitute, but the “real thing” in relationship. Faith in Him is our foundation! When we build our lives on Him, we’re not moved by the rising waters of doubt around us or the mighty force of the winds of change. We are firmly standing on the only rock that will never be moved!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Faith not only serves as our foundation, but it also serves as the path upon which we are to walk. Paul asserts to the church in Corinth that even though we are bound to this world in these bodies, our residence is permanently in eternity. He says; “We live (walk) by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7) I’ve heard so many people express their doubts about God really loving them. They look at how others who they have believed have judged them, how their families have judged them for being who they are, and how repulsed they believe God must be by their own desires and they conclude that there is no way God could love them. We know that the Gospel of John says, however that “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We know there is no exclusion clause in the fine print. There is also no expiration date or “best bought by” date! 1 Peter 3:18 reminds us “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” How many times would He need to die for you to believe that you are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God? For you to believe that He died for everyone else, but somehow for you that seems so unlikely, is to place yourself as a far superior judge to God Himself. When you choose that path, you are walking in faith not of God, but of His enemy. Faith in God is the walk that starts the day with thanks to God for the gift of another day in His loving grace. Faith walked during the day is each step being taken in the knowledge of His grace and the promise that “… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) That includes all of us “who so evers.” This doesn’t mean everyone is going to like me, move over for me, show deference to me, be nice to me, or even look out for my best interest. It doesn’t mean that all Christians are going to acknowledge me as God’s very own or that all of the peeps in the local peepdom are going to affirm me. Armed with the knowledge of His grace and mercy being sufficient, I can walk each day in the faith that “… I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Not a single person in here or anyone listening in on video is perfect. To try to be perfect is perfectly sinful! Walking by faith in Christ as the perfector of our faith makes us perfectly lovable in the eyes of God! So faith in your daily walk means you are grounded in your knowledge of who you are in Him. Your daily walk with Him keeps you there!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Not only can we walk daily on the foundation of faith, but we can also soar to new heights on faith. Isaiah 40:31 tells us “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Sometimes we limit ourselves to a crawl in faith when we are called to soar in faith! God gives us spiritual gifts, hearts (passion) for certain things, abilities that are unique to us, personalities that are differentiated to glorify Him, and He allows us to have experiences that when reflected upon in light of His grace and mercy, provide us with a SHAPE to fly for Him. I know some folks who don’t like the spotlight. They are reluctant to be out front, yet they have a passion to witness and share the Good News of God’s grace and mercy with others as a testimony of what He has done in their lives. God has given them gifts and abilities that He desires to be used to His glory. If we believe that everyone should take the same flight path, we’d have Saints crashing all around us! (Sounds like some of our peeps, but I digress). When God gives, He desires that we use those gifts of Spirit, heart, ability, personality, and experience to soar for Him. The outcome from your soar is like no other! The ostrich cannot flit like a hummingbird! But the hummingbird can’t fight off the predator like the might legs of the ostrich. Both are beautiful in God’s eyes. Knowing what God has given, we are called by faith to boldly soar in our uniquely created way for Him. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” With His spirit of power, love, and self-discipline we have the resource to spread our wings before Him and soar to new heights for His glory. The beauty of spreading our wings in Him is in our knowing that every time there is a wind blowing against us, we are able to soar to new heights because of Him. Romans 8:37-39 reminds us: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>God created you to be uniquely His. No one else can fulfill that role. He calls you by faith to build, walk, and soar each day in the knowledge of who you are because of Him. He calls you to be the you He has created. Everyone you’ve tried to be has been taken already! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><sup><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></sup></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-29048563342075208382011-05-15T08:35:00.001-04:002011-05-15T08:35:39.796-04:00Living Response-Ably...STEWARDSHIP<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Living Response-Ably…STEWARDSHIP”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Malachi 3:8-12; John 10:7-10<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>I’ll venture to say that most of you think of stewardship as tithing. Whereas tithing is an element of good stewardship, stewardship is much more than tithing. In the second chapter of Genesis, God placed mankind in the position of being the stewards of all that was created. The steward does not own. The steward does not rule. The steward handles for the owner those things entrusted in a way that is in the best interest of the owner. The steward furthermore enjoys the benefits of that for which he or she is given oversight. From the time of the “fall” in the Garden that resulted from “having it my way,” we live in a world set on false assumptions about purpose and ownership. We say; “I did it my way.” Jesus says; “I am the way.” We say; “this is my life!” He says; “I have bought you with a price.”We are not our own! As ones who believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; as Redeemer and our friend, we have been placed into a newly restored position in Christ – the position of trusted steward of all God has given us. I think we are not very good stewards because we don’t understand what stewardship really means. How, then, are we to learn what good stewardship is about? Let’s look to God’s Word for wisdom and guidance!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>In today’s reading of Malachi we hear of the prophet’s chastisement of the people of Israel for not being good stewards of what God had given them. They had been delivered from captivity by the Babylonians and had returned to their land without due regard for the One who had delivered them. God had been faithful to deliver them; He was expecting that they be faithful in giving back to Him as good stewards. God reminds them that He is the giver of all blessings and that when honored as such by their stewardship; He is faithful to deliver more as a testimony to others. He says “Test me in this.” Now let’s get something clear. This is not an “I give and I’ll get” scripture. In our greed, we may be tempted to tithe so that we will be blessed with more; as though putting our money into the vending machine to push the button for something we desire. This is not what Malachi is trying to convey. God is saying that He is faithful to provide and that we are to be the good stewards He has created us to be and give back for the good of all. In being good stewards or stewardship is multiplied as a witness to living as God created us to live. We are so accustomed to look for “what’s in it for me,” that we lose sight of being the steward He created us to be! The blessing is tied to the stewardship. The stewardship is not the ticket to the blessing. Stewardship is honoring God for who God is and what He has done; it is not the manipulation of God’s grace and blessings in order to get more! We too often use the broken model of human relationships as the model for relationship to God. In our human relationships we more often than not give to get, rather than give for the joy of giving because that’s what we have to give. When we model our human relationships after the Godly model, our human relationships will be healed from their brokenness as well. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> We’re not only to be good stewards of our money but also of all He has given us. When asked by the Pharisees in Matthew 22 about the greatest of the commandments, Jesus responded “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” He went on to express that loving your neighbor as yourself was the fulfillment of the expression of love to God. God desires that we be good stewards of our hearts. He has given us hearts filled with desires that honor His presence and His leadings. When we nurture (as good stewards) those things which build up our heart towards Him, we experience even more of His heart in us. R.G Le Tourneau was a passionate inventor of earth moving machinery. He was at my home church once when I was just a young lad to give his testimony. He told the story of how he turned the stewardship of his heart into a mighty force for this nation. As his business began to grow, he grew his contribution to God’s work (His Church) proportionately. Beginning with 10% of his earnings, he grew his contributions to 20%, then 30%, then 40%, and so on until the time of his testimony he was giving back to God 90% of his income. I didn’t realize at the time that I was hearing the testimony that the man speaking was the inventing father of one of the biggest earth moving business in the world. Le Tourneau earth moving equipment were the major instruments in the building of the interstate highway system in the US. Le Tourneau gave his testimony not to encourage more people to get rich, but rather to share the joy of how God had inspired and multiplied his heart for building in a way that built greater things than his heart could ever have imagined. God has given you a heart for something as well. How is He calling you in stewardship there? He has given you a heart for that special something for a reason and it is not for you to hide it firmly in your own control but rather to be His steward in multiplying it for His kingdom. When we are good stewards of what He has given us in our hearts and give back to him in greater and greater proportion, we discover the multitude of ways others are blessed by our heart expressions. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Romans 12:1-2 reads: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Not only are we called to love God with all our heart, but also with our entire mind. If we are too busy indulging our mind in all sorts of ways in which we can maneuver measuring up or getting out of having to measure up, we haven’t much time left to be good mind stewards for God. I venture to say that if we were better stewards of our thoughts, we’d experience greater joy in our hearts and more love in our relationships. Instead of offering Him the best of our thoughts, we more often than not offer Him the brunt of our thoughts. Some of that brunt is anger, hurt, and insistence in having it all our way – that is not having to suffer any bad consequences for any of the bad choices we’ve made. At other times we give Him the brunt by turning away from Him and not being obedient to His commands because it’s more convenient than giving Him thanks in the midst of life’s struggles. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This requires good stewardship of the mind we have been given. Paul encouraged the folks in Thessalonica to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In the midst of your turmoil or strife, just as within the midst of your joy and gladness, stewardship of your mind renders thankful thoughts and acknowledgement of His gift of life and love. Cluttering our minds with gossip, selfishness, revenge, ego fulfillment or self-elevation at the sacrifice of others is not good stewardship of our minds. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Going back to Romans 12:1 again we hear Paul asserting that we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. We seldom think of our bodies as gifts for which we are to be good stewards, but they are an essential part of the stewardship mix. Who gives you the capacity to breathe every breath? Who provides you with life itself? Who has gifted you with the body you have that is inhabited as the very temple of God? The answer is not YOU. Yet YOU are called to be the steward of that body. How many of you would upon receipt of a priceless masterpiece of art begin to daily slap permanent ink all over the canvass? Pretty soon, that priceless piece of art would be rendered a worthless unrecognizable object. I venture to say that we wouldn’t do that, yet we think nothing of polluting one of the greatest and priceless gifts we have been given with toxins, infections, bad thoughts and bad habits. That masterpiece you’ve been given is priceless in the eyes of God. He even gave His life so that you may have your to the full. Why do we insist upon turning his priceless tart into a mud pie? It’s poor stewardship!!! We’re all guilty, to one degree or another. God calls us to be good stewards of what He has given us. How are we answering that call? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>All of us have fallen short of His call. That doesn’t mean we are forever failures at the task. His grace is sufficient in all situations. He doesn’t ask us to be good stewards in order to measure up; He asks us to be good stewards because He has already done the measuring up for us. We can thus be stewards in gratitude rather than slaves to an unrelenting master. We can be good stewards of our wealth (or seeming lack thereof). We can be better stewards of our hearts, of our minds, and of our bodies. He does not leave us alone in our tasks. He has given us the fellowship of other believers here in this church family. He has given us the comfort of His Holy Spirit presence in our lives. He has given us the benefit of His WORD. From our scripture reading today in John 10:10 we can be assured – “the thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=384 height=121 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CC12DB.062EF420" alt="cohss logo"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner, Sr. Pastor<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.cohss.org/">http://www.cohss.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.cohssnj.org/">http://www.cohssnj.org</a> (Sister church in NJ)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.godacceptsyou.org/">http://www.GodAcceptsYou.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>954-418-8372<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-73194355079372836872011-05-01T08:26:00.001-04:002011-05-01T08:26:07.352-04:00Living Response-Ably; RELATIONSHIP<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“Living Response-Ably…RELATIONSHIPS”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>John 15:12-17; Ephesians 2:4-10<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“The ultimate calling upon the follower of Christ is to live a life that reflects the essence of Christ.” This is the statement that was used two years ago as the foundational truth for a series of lessons on loving intentionally. Love is a verb which demands action. We confuse hormonal changes that are triggered by psychological and emotional imprinting (sometimes known as lust) with love. Love is greater than our feelings; it lives before, during, and after our good or bad feelings have subsided. Every relationship is not intended to be intimate, but every relationship is made whole in the presence of love. Not only does Jesus assert the imperative to “love each other,” but He also summed up the whole of the commandments in loving God with all we have in us and loving others as we would ourselves as being the fulfillment of those commands. Armed with this truth, how do we live our lives response-ably (able to respond to love’s call) in relationships? What do we do when relationships go sour? How do we respond when someone offends us? How do we nurture and value our relationships?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The offense:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> In every relationship there is the potential for one or the other of the parties to be offended by something the other says or does. I’m sure that’s never happened here (not), but we’ll go there just in case it ever happens to you. We teach the Biblical principle from Matthew 18:15 that states; “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” I have seen folks quick to jump on this and confront someone in a way that was itself offensive to the one being confronted. That winds up being a defensive tactic, rather than a loving act of reconciliation seeking to dissolve offenses. If you want to understand what are the true “sin” offenses to which this scripture refers, look at the list of the Ten Commandments as a guide. Failing to say hello at the grocery store is not a sin offense worthy of confrontation that requires forgiveness. It is a good idea, however, to disclose to someone our intent to acknowledge each other where time, focus on the task, or distraction may have been the impediment. We are such creatures of the habit of walking around with the belief that someone will see us for who we believe we truly are (less than they or others), or that they will not see us for who we try to project (our contrived self). Don’t fret, it’s a human condition. Everyone does it to one degree or another. That’s why Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 to “…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” That scripture followed a discourse on not worrying about what you eat or wear; common concerns during the time of Jesus. Today, we worry about what we eat or wear for very different reasons than folks back then. Today our major concern is how we appear. The Biblical truth still applies; But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Seeking His kingdom first is acknowledging and living in the truth of who we are because of who He is. He has redeemed us, justified us, made us His friend, united us in one Spirit with Him, made us next of kin, opened a direct pathway to God, made us whole before God, freed us from condemnation, assured us that God’s got our back eternally, we’ve been given the spirit of power and love, appointed to produce good fruit for Him, made into God’s holy temple, and we are able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us. What more need I seek? About what more do I need to worry? Seeking the kingdom of God is engaging the process of living in the reality of who we are in Christ. Living in the light of this truth, brightens our path and helps to ensure that we do not so easily give or take offense. Dialogue with one another is in the essence of relationship. Often we confuse our monologue with dialogue. The former takes only one and renders only one. Dialogue takes two and renders the possibility for more to be multiplied. Dialogue begins with God, and is multiplied with others.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The sour one: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Sometimes relationships grow sour. Misunderstandings, misgivings, and or miscommunications may be the culprit. It may even be theological or philosophical differences that bear heavily upon relationship. What do you do when there seems to be such a strong and deep divide between you and another? Maybe it’s a parent, a child, a brother, sister, other relative or friend that stands firmly at odds with your personal convictions. More times than not there is something on a deeper level going on than is apparent. It could be deep seated fear (of any number of consequences), pride, or just plain ignorance that is at the center of the divide. Without dialogue and self-awareness, however, the chances of resolving these issues are slim. Ignorance doesn’t have to be terminal; it is curable, but one has to want to be cured. It is unlikely that one who is not willing to probe deeper than the surface will find the true source of the discord. If you’re the one holding the affront and position of rejection, you can probe more deeply within yourself in prayer and supplication to God. We are told that He is faithful to deliver us into the light of truth if only we ask and remain open to His prompting. Often it is not sufficient to listen in a vacuum. God places us in fellowship so that we may seek counsel among the wise and thus grow stronger in our faith. If you are on the rejection end of the sour relationship and the other seems not willing to discuss or be open to finding a common ground for the good of the relationship, you cannot force the resolution. What you can do is to continue to seek God first in your own life, pray fervently for the person with whom the relationship has been lost (pray for that person’s well being, not that person’s demise), and allow yourself the space and time to grieve the loss of a dream of a relationship that was not possible. We are called to trust God for the outcome and not insist upon things being “our way.” Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28 “that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” We don’t know the end of the story…God does! Let’s trust Him with the outcome rather than trying to force it to be our way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The Nurture: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>God gave us the example of how to engage a nurturing relationship. He gave of Himself, came to live within our world, rejoicing and hurting just as we experience. To nurture our relationships, we are called to follow Christ’s example. In a world filled with timelines, meeting schedules, more yet to do at the end of “to do” lists, we find it hard to allow ourselves to glimpse at what it must be like to experience life as the other does. The Christian is called to be the face of Christ to an un-Christian world. So what does that mean? What does that look like? The Bible gives us a clear picture of the nurturing relationship. In the New Testament Jesus is seen as the Good Shepherd, always looking out for the best interest of others, even if it cost His life. Seldom does the care of our relationships literally cost us our physical lives, but we have much to learn about relinquishing our possessive notions and behaviors when it comes to nurturing relationships. We could even say that we are even metaphorically called to surrender our agendas to God for sake of the greater good. That’s how we find truth in our reading from Romans Chapter 8. But let’s look deeper at relationship nurturing as Paul was teaching in Romans 12 (pg 788). Romans 12:1-3 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. <b><sup>2</sup></b> Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. <b><sup>3</sup></b> For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” The good rule of thumb here is to spend time with God each day as you reinforce who you are because of Him, not because of you. We are neither as great nor as minor as we would think. When Paul encourages us to be transformed by the renewing off our minds, he’s speaking to each of us here. Begin your day in the renewing mode and you’ll see the disappearance of the “chewing” mode! Let’s see what else Paul is sharing with us as food for renewal. Romans 12:9-21 “<b><sup>9</sup></b> Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. <b><sup>10</sup></b> Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. <b><sup>11</sup></b> Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. <b><sup>12</sup></b> Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. <b><sup>13</sup></b> Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. <b><sup>14</sup></b> Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. <b><sup>15</sup></b> Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. <b><sup>16</sup></b> Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. <b><sup>17</sup></b> Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. <b><sup>18</sup></b> If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. <b><sup>19</sup></b> Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. <b><sup>20</sup></b> On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><b><sup><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>21</span></sup></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>How are your relationships faring? How are you living out the character of Christ in your relationships? What place is the Kingdom playing as you seek out relationship with one another? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=384 height=121 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.jpg@01CC07D9.6863CB50" alt="cohss logo"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner, Sr. Pastor<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.cohss.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohssnj.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.cohssnj.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> (Sister church in NJ)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.godacceptsyou.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.GodAcceptsYou.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>954-418-8372<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-83590398775557766542011-04-24T09:47:00.001-04:002011-04-24T09:47:27.180-04:00Living Response-Ably, The Witness<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Living Response-Ably;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>THE WITNESS”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Luke 24: 1-12<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The women described in our reading today were distraught over the loss of the person, Jesus. He was their friend, their sometime confidant, and a person in the male dominated world that accepted them as they were for who they were and had expressed his unfailing love for them. Yes, the Disciples had lost a friend, but they had lost a personal dream of being a part of a greater Kingdom, sharing power with their mentor. These women, on the other hand, had lost someone so very personal. The Disciples of course had lost a personal friend, but they had always been in the “in crowd” around and with Jesus, and they anticipated an even greater presence and prestige with Him in His Kingdom that now seemed lost to the cross. This did not make their grief any less keen, however. The women, moved that morning by their desire to bring honor and presence to what they thought would be the soon to decay body of Jesus, went in grief to visit His tomb. In Luke’s account, two angels appear to the women at the tomb and ask; “Why do you look for the dead among the living? He is not here; He has risen!” They had come to pay homage to their dead friend; they had found a vacated tomb and messengers of hope that life had been restored. Armed with the information of restoration and hope, they went back to the eleven remaining Disciples to share what they had witnessed. Predictably, the women were not believed. The testimony of women in that day held no validity, simply because of gender. Even though these Disciples had been around the women day in and day out, the skeptical males failed to acknowledge the first witnesses to the empty tomb. Peter, who had denied knowing Jesus during His darkest hours, had to go and see for himself. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>It seems like the “in crowd” is always skeptical of the “witness” of the obviously excluded. How could these obvious outcasts from the broader society, though honored by Jesus, stand in witness to the risen Savior in their lives? Sounds like how it appears in modern Evangelical churches today, doesn’t it. The debate over women in ministry and the even stronger debate over orientation in the worship place. How can “those folks,” obvious sinners in the eyes of God, hold witness to a risen Savior? Here’s how; they simply told it as they had experienced it! They gave witness to what God had revealed in their lives. John 9 tells us that Jesus was called a sinner by the Pharisees as they were confronting the man healed from his blindness. The man responded; “Whether He was a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.” (John 9:25) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We give witness every day to whatever has power in our lives. The sex addict gives witness to the power of need for attention and self gratification by his or her constant prowling behaviors for another willing participant. Similarly, the alcoholic gives witness to the power of intoxication as a coping mechanism. The drug addict gives witness to what takes priority in his or her life, most often the escape from a perception of reality that demands distraction. The fundamentalist who bangs his fist against his pulpit in anger against the damned gays and lesbians gives witness to his underlying unrest with anything different than he. The gossip gives witness to the need for attention and excitement that elevates them with sharing a morsel that may raise the eyebrow of another for a moment. The non-tithing person gives witness to desire for self to be in control and his lack of trust in God’s Word that instructs us to give out of the bounty that we have been given. On this Easter Sunday morning, God is calling us to give witness to Him who has raised us to new life with Him, and not witness to the god of self creation. We teach a class as a part of our Christian Life and Service Seminar series that focuses on sharing the Good news in your life with others. I encourage everyone to gain the knowledge and experience of that CLASS 401. Today, however, I want to encourage you to examine your witness and learn to go to a deeper place in your relationship with Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>A witness in a court of law can only testify to what he or she has seen, heard, or experienced. Often we craft our Christian testimony as though we were being judged in the court of skepticism or by the jury of the righteous. Giving witness to Christ in our lives is not a well crafted homily in the power of persuasion that we have put together from a book or guide. Let’s look at what the scripture reading today shows us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Witness from your own experience: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.” They told others about what they had experienced. They gave testimony to an empty tomb and the obvious risen Savior. The angels didn’t give them two main points and three supporting reasons why Jesus is the Messiah. They simply pointed out that it was pointless to seek a risen Savior in a place reserved for the dead. No longer would they anoint smelly remains but they would instead share the excitement of a living Lord. What is your experience? What power of the living Lord of your life do you wish to testify? Do you testify to what others have said or to what you have experienced? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Testify to what you’ve seen: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The women recounted for the eleven precisely what they had witnessed at the tomb. They didn’t testify to hearsay or speculation; they testified to what they had seen. If you’ve never had a personal experience with Jesus; if you’ve never seen His transformational power moving in others, you cannot testify to His living presence. This doesn’t mean that He didn’t die on a cross for our sake and rise again to make us next of kin. When Jesus asked His Disciples “Who do people say that I am,” He followed up with Peter saying “but who do you say that I am?” Before the women could testify to what they had seen, however, they had to go to find Him. Before Peter could testify to who Jesus was to him, he had to have had his eyes open to God’s work in Christ. When asked to give testimony to how God can work in the life of an openly gay man, I must respond with the evidence that I have experienced and witnessed that God is more interested in my heart and what is between my ears than He is with what’s between my legs. He is interested in the whole of us, living out our lives in an ever deepening relationship with Him. Because I believe He created me – all of me – in His image, and that He’s made no mistakes along the way, I accept His unconditional love for me. I accept His grace and mercy for me through the righteous blood of Jesus Christ. When I allow Him first place in my life, He enables me to move beyond the confines of a tomb of self-condemnation to be raised with Him in life fulfilled. I have witnessed the power and presence of God in my life and the lives of others. God is not limited by our gender or orientation; He made us! It’s time we stopped making Him in our own image! Want more witness? Find it for yourself. Apply the wisdom and direction of 2 Timothy 2:15; “Do your best (study) to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Leave the outcome to Him:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> The women left the empty tomb and told what they had experienced and seen. God had chosen them, disregarded as witnesses to the evidence of the resurrection, to be His witness. They didn’t debate with God as to whether their story would be believed; they simply told it. I think we often miss the opportunity to witness or share the power of God in our lives because we discount our experiences or conclude that our story is not that convincing. We need to ask then “who are we trying to convince”? We fail to remember that the power of our witness is not in the strength of our story, but in the presence of His Holy Spirit to accomplish His will in all. If we’re in control, God has no place to do His work. When we witness to the power of His presence as we have experienced and seen it, we’ve done what He has called us to do. When Jesus gave the Great Commission He did so by stating that God’s power had been given Him by the Father. “Therefore,” He says, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The charge to the Disciples and to us is to witness, baptize, and disciple in the power of His presence in our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>On this Easter Sunday morning we are here as witness to the risen Savior, whose defeat of death and the grave is the defeat of sin over our lives. No longer are we bound by and to the slavery of sin, but we are raised to a new life, “just as if I’d” never sinned. All this for me and for you made possible by the blood of Christ at Calvary and His victory over the grave. He did all of this as a witness to His unfailing love for us. To what do we give witness? Do we give witness to the god of self-absorption or the God whose love for us embraces all in us with grace and mercy? The god of self-absorption is the god of death. The God of love and mercy is a life fulfilled through eternity. We can’t find the living among the dead! God calls us to give witness in our lives. The witness is to what we’ve seen and what we’ve experienced in the grace and mercy of the risen Savior in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Need a different witness? Meet Jesus!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=384 height=121 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CC0264.9D29CFD0" alt="cohss logo"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner, Sr. Pastor<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.cohss.org/">http://www.cohss.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.cohssnj.org/">http://www.cohssnj.org</a> (Sister church in NJ)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><a href="http://www.godacceptsyou.org/">http://www.GodAcceptsYou.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>954-418-8372<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-89575217008404482292011-04-10T08:18:00.001-04:002011-04-10T08:18:59.514-04:00Living Response-Ably - PERSEVERENCE<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Living Response-Ably;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>PERSEVERENCE”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:black'>Matthew 6: 19-21; James 1:2-8<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We’re beginning a series of lessons on living response-ably. Our objective is for us to learn how to enhance our ability to respond to circumstances, challenges, inspirations, limitations, temptations, and confusions with the grace that God has granted us through Jesus Christ. The dictionary defines responsibility as having a burden placed upon one as in an obligation. We’ve known parents, children, friends or even neighbors who have acted irresponsibly with the persons or things that have been entrusted to their care. Perhaps we have been the recipient of irresponsible behaviors from others, or even suffered the consequences of our own irresponsibility. Even those who have taken on the mantle of preaching, teaching and living God’s love through grace and mercy have acted irresponsibly and caused strife, division, rejection, and even violence toward God’s children. When God divined creation of the earth, He gave mankind the authority to care for it. As far as we know, mankind was doing an able job of looking after that for which God has made them responsible. They were in relationship with God and enjoyed enhanced abilities directly through that relationship. Then, they decided that they could go against God’s rule and become as good as the teacher and giver of all. They thought they would gain all knowledge. Instead of gaining all knowledge of the universe and all things created therein, however, they gained knowledge of their own deficiencies, shortcomings, created-ness and inabilities. We’ve inherited those traits to want to do life all on our own. We want more of what we see as good and less or none of what we deem as bad. Yet we often shun the responsibilities that come with having or being given more or much less. Responsibility is the obligation that comes with position, ownership, oversight, etc. Response ability is the wherewithal to be able to live out the commitment to what and for what we have agreed to be responsible. Responsibility is the what; response- ability is the how. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>So, where does the strength for living up to the responsibilities come from? Psalm 19:14 declares; “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” That means that strength lies in relationship with God. When we acknowledge and accept that Jesus Christ has secured the ways and means of restored relationship with God, just as if we’d never broken that relationship, we acknowledge that the power behind that union is Jesus and not we ourselves. What does God require of us? He requires the surrender of our hearts, minds and souls to His tender, loving care. That’s our work, and it’s grounded in faith. He calls us to faith it till we make it!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>James wrote in his epistle that we “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Even when our faith is weak, He calls us to stay the course – to persevere even in the midst of whatever is challenging our faith. Look at some prime examples from scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Abraham:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> It’s recorded that Abraham was considered as a righteous man; his faith was counted as righteousness. At a ripe old age of around 75, as a result of his faithfulness with being hospitable to strangers who turned out to be Angels from God, was given the promise of being the father of a great nation. Abraham believed God and went about his business giving God the glory for every day. No child seemed to be coming their way so Sarah took it upon herself to help God out in His promise. She ordered her servant, Hagar, to mate with Abraham. A son resulted, but Ishmael was not the promised nor intended heir. When Sarah discovered she was pregnant at an advanced age, she was humbled. In spite of her unbelief, Isaac, the intended heir and progenitor for a great nation was born. Abraham’s faith must have faltered at times, but he never ceased to move ahead as though it were to be. Even when God tested him by asking him to give up Isaac as a sacrifice to God, Abraham moved forward in obedience, trusting that God would provide a way out. And He did! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Paul</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>: The Apostle Paul, before his dramatic conversion, was persecuting Christians with zeal. Once God touched him with the presence of Jesus Christ, his zeal for persecution turned to passion for spreading the good news of God’s redeeming grace to everyone, regardless of where, what, or who they were. He suffered beatings, persecution, imprisonment for extended periods of time, yet he stuck with his faith that God’s grace and love for this world is greater than any circumstance that he (Paul) faced. Paul had faith beyond the circumstance. In Romans 7:19-20 he states; “19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” In the face of his own actions that did not always honor God, Paul nevertheless persevered in his faith that he was a child of grace, not condemned by the sin that he identified as living in him. How many times do we find ourselves being discouraged because what we are doing is not what we know we could be doing that honors God? It’s easy to beat oneself up and conclude that indeed one is not worthy of God’s love and thus depart from the faith. What Paul encourages us to remember is that we were never worthy in the first place. Grace is God’s love shown to us without regard for our merit. We can never measure up! That’s not meant as defeat, but as “de” fact. What takes us off tract from living our His grace through faith is the belief that we SHOULD be able to live our lives without temptation, without flaw, without the bothers of difficulties or distractions, hardships or challenges. That’s not real life, folks; that’s fantasy! Paul lived out his life of grace through faith, even in the midst of life threatening, personal conflicts, and challenges. He persevered, not because there was some grand reward for him at the end of the rainbow, but because he believed that the One in whom he believed was greater than all his experiences, challenges, sins, and circumstances, which surrendered him to “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Living out His grace in our lives is the work to which He calls us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jesus:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Let’s talk about Jesus now. He’s the perfect example of the perfect human living out God’s creation plan in a perfect way. He practiced what He preached and lived out His life in perfect harmony with His Father. “Sure,” you say; “He was God.” He was as much human as if not God at all and as much God as if not man at all. In His humanness He experienced temptations, emotions, and desires for all the places of safety from harm that you and I experience. What made Him rise above the worry, temptations and what could have been negative emotions? It was His faith that His Father had His back. It was the surrender to doing what was God’s will that transcended all the things that might have filled His agenda at the moment. It was the faithful perseverance in the faithfulness to which He had been called that was the culmination and fulfillment of His righteousness. This He did by the power vested in Him by the Father. He executed God’s investment perfectly and made himself the perfect sacrifice that overshadows all of our sins, our shortcomings, our failures to measure up to the standard for which we were created. Because He did this perfectly and was not held captive to death and the grave like all other humans, we are given the vista of new life in and because of Him. When we choose to live out His love in grace and mercy, we “faith” our way to a deeper relationship with Him and enhance the probability of a deeper relationship with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>From our reading in Matthew today we hear Jesus saying; ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The question we must face today is “where is our treasure.” If our treasure is truly to be found in Him, why do we spend so much time and energy striving to measure up with a treasure that has nothing to do with Him? Letting go of our self-professed intentions to always do His will and surrendering instead to “not my will, but Thine be done,” is the pathway to the ability to truly respond within His grace and mercy. As Christians we do have a responsibility and an obligation – to nurture our part of the relationship to the One who has given His all for us. That nurtured relationship takes shape in surrender of agendas to the power of Grace and Mercy Himself and therein acquire new abilities to respond to Him and others with the same degree of love that has drawn us to Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='text-decoration:none'><img border=0 width=384 height=121 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01CBF757.ED27E020" alt="cohss logo"></span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner, Sr. Pastor<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohss.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.cohss.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.cohssnj.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.cohssnj.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> (Sister church in NJ)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.godacceptsyou.org/"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>http://www.GodAcceptsYou.org</span></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>954-418-8372<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-12513044939350141612011-04-02T19:41:00.001-04:002011-04-02T19:41:15.981-04:00Finding Peace<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“Finding Peace”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>John 14:27; Philippians 4:4-8<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>April 3, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>A few years ago a beauty queen from Virginia, left the ceremony where she crowned her successor, and drove 250 miles seeking revenge on her boyfriend who had rejected her and married another woman. She packed with her a hammer, a gun, a lighter and some lighter fluid. She arrived at the home of the parents of the other woman where the ex-boyfriend and his bride lived and gained access to the house by telling the father that she had car trouble and needed to use the phone. Once inside she took the hammer to the father and hit him squarely on the head. The father was only stunned, but began to fight back. The mother heard the commotion as the beauty queen was trying to pull out the gun and the mother joined the fray to help secure the girl until the police arrived. Queenie had not known that the father was a former Secret Service agent. When confronted, the beauty queen stated that she just had to get some inner “peace” over having been jilted. Is peace within something different for each of us? Could it be that for this person to receive peace she had to destroy the lives of others? Perhaps instead it’s her foggy mental filter muddied by false assumptions that lead to faulty solutions? How many here want more of that “peace that passes all understanding”? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>In our reading from John 14:27 today we heard Jesus saying “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” Jesus was talking to His disciples and He had been referencing His leaving His Holy Spirit to those who love Him enough to obey His commands. Jesus was about to face the cross, so He wasn’t just flapping His lips. Paul, writing from his prison cell and facing death urged the church members in Philippi “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” What is it that allows Jesus, who was facing the cross and Paul who was facing certain death to speak of peace? About what peace are they talking? The peace that passes all understanding; that is not as the world gives, is the relationship with God that is grounded in His grace and mercy. The peace that passes all human understanding IS the peace that comes in the restored (as created) relationship with God. Created in the image of and fashioned after the heart of God, our ancestors sought to have it all themselves (just like they thought God had it) and the tragic result was a world set at odds with itself – a world no longer at peace. From an ancestral point of view, then, peace is something we seek to achieve on our own. There are multiples of ways that seem right on track for the peace we seek, but we find anything but peace at the end of the tracks! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Absence of conflict</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>: The Middle East is fraught with conflict. One sect or another is seemingly at odds with each other over religious, cultural, or sociological differences. Political and fiscal conservatives are at odds with moderates and liberals over the “right” direction for this country. Conservative and liberal religious groups are at odds with each other over acceptance of gay, lesbian, or transgender persons into their bodies as full participants in the grace of Christ. If only these conflicts would go away – then we’d be at peace, right? Which side of the conflict needs to be dismantled? Is there a place in the middle that holds promise for peace? The middle seems reasonable, doesn’t it? Who sets the middle agenda? What if one side just obliterates the other side? That would take care of the problem, wouldn’t it? Didn’t for Miss Virginia, did it? Who sets the agenda for peace if it’s just the absence of conflict? I’d venture to say that just about everyone present today would volunteer to be the agenda setter if you knew your agenda would be carried out without conflict. Now, that would be real peace – NOT! A quarter ways into the process you’d change your mind because it wasn’t working out the way you thought, and thus create a new conflict all over again. Where’s the peace? Peace is not found in the absence of conflict, it’s found in the presence of its Creator – Jesus Christ. That presence is magnified in relationship. It is in that relationship that the individual finds peace in the midst of conflict. It is in that relationship that the individual find peace in the midst of heartaches, trials, pain, suffering or great joy. It is in that relationship that peace comes alive in the way that we were created for it. Peace is His presence; His presence is relationship. We have to be present to engage.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Security:</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Some folks try to find peace in places of security. We probably all have the image of a security blanket as a child. If only one has enough money, then one can feel secure and at peace, we think. Gaddafi has lots of money, power, and assumed position. Think he’s feeling the peace right now? A better home, a bigger apartment, a newer car: - “I can finally be at peace.” We tell ourselves that if maybe we have a better job, a larger salary, a greater commission, a stronger client base; that will give us greater security and a greater sense of peace, right? “Perhaps if I just had enough to cover the bills for this month or enough food to last through next week, I could be at peace.” What are you looking at to give you security that leads to peace? Scripture tells us that security and peace are not to be found in a place or thing, but rather a person; Jesus Christ. Paul writes in Romans 8:28 that “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s a pretty secure place, isn’t it? That is a place of real peace! If nothing can separate us (that means anything we do or don’t do, anything people say or don’t say, any declaration of interpretation that is exclusionary, any rule, regulation or outrageous stipulation) then our relationship with LOVE Himself is eternally secure. That includes any ifs, ands or buts that anyone wants to throw in. So now that I’m at peace with my secure position in Christ, what about this sense of loneliness I have? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The right person: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The media is full of the romantic notion that when the right person comes along, everything’s going to be all right. When I know that special person comes along that truly loves me for who I am, I’ll be at peace. There is a built in desire for us to have that desire for intimacy met and we have so many romanticized notions as to what that looks like. We all want to hear those three little words that we believe are at the bank of peace like a river- “I love you.” Once we’re there beside those still waters, we believe, we’ve found true peace. That place, however, is the launch pad for some of the hardest work you’ll encounter in life, a potentially rich and rewarding journey, but not everlasting peace. You see, in the beginning, hormones are raging and you’re feeling on top of the world. You are loving how you’re feeling in the presence of the other (as distinguished from loving the other person). What you’re experiencing is the love of how you make me feel, as opposed to truly loving you. Loving someone else in a relationship comes with getting to know the other and allowing oneself to be known. Then the act of love directed at the best interest of the other can be nurtured, explored, and ultimately consummated with a commitment to continue to act in the best interest of each other. There are moments of peace in relationships, but it is not constant. If your expectation is that relationship is the place for peace and refuge from all other concerns, you are in for a rough ride! This is why some folks give up on developing a relationship and settle for living with fantasies or one night stands with Mr. or Ms. “Will Do.” Peace is not to be found there either! Peace IS to be found in a relationship, however. His name is Jesus. Unlike human relationships, this one comes with an instruction booklet – the Bible. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>PEACE then, as Christ was declaring it is not just the absence of conflict or an abundance of security. The peace as Christ describes it is present in the midst of conflict or not and abundantly with us in our securities and insecurities. The peace that passes all understanding is the presence in our lives of the person Jesus, who fills us with His Spirit, affirms us with His love, molds us in His mercy, and secures us in His grace. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-36030138985178269232011-03-19T17:21:00.001-04:002011-03-19T17:21:09.162-04:00What's in A Prayer?<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“What’s In A Prayer”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Luke 11:1-4, 9-13<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>March 20, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jed and Henry were strolling through what they thought was a field of grass one day when they came within eyeshot of an angry bull. The bull was pawing the ground in front of him as he prepared to charge the unwelcomed intruders. Jed and Henry looked at the bull in fright and dismay as Jed asked “what shall we do?” Henry saw a barbed wire fence about a hundred yards away. “Let’s run for the fence,” shouted Henry. They both took off in the direction of the fence, running as fast as they could get their feet and legs to go. The bull was gaining on them as they were getting closer to the fence, but there seemed little chance they would make it before the bull bore down on them with full force. Henry shouted to Jed “pray for us.” Jed told Henry he didn’t know how to pray. “Just pray something,” shouted Henry. So, Jed prayed the only prayer he remembered his Dad praying; “Father, for what we are about to receive we give you thanks.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We can laugh at this story and recognize at the same time that we are often in the shoes of Jed and Henry. Each Sunday we say or sing the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples at their request. We learn that prayer as a child and are able to recite it on command; much like Jed recited his as the bull approached from behind. How do we pray when there’s no bull in sight? What’s really in a prayer as Jesus taught us? Why is prayer so important to our lives? Scripture gives us some insight into the relationship of prayer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Position</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>: Jesus said; “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name.” Notice that it starts with a relationship. The position we assume in the beginning of our prayer is one of personally relating to the one to whom we pray. That personal relationship is as next of kin. Let’s not confuse that relationship as sibling, with whom we have rivalry. That position in relationship is as child to parent. In ancient times, children were property, not having rights equal to the parent. Parents were revered and respected as having authority and power over the child, and parents were entrusted before God in the Jewish tradition to bring up a child in the knowledge of God. The father was not only one in authority, but also one who was trusted and entrusted with the safety and very lives of the family. When we pray, we do so from the position as “not my own,” but that of His. Many fathers today could not stand up to the test of Biblical fatherhood, but nevertheless we are instructed to approach God as one from whom all beneficence arises. Jesus points out that if earthy parents who are unholy can give good gifts as well, how much more capable is our heavenly Parent, who is the embodiment of goodness and grace, deliver that which is good for us. So the first element in our prayers has less to do with what we say than where we position ourselves in relationship with Him. God doesn’t need Himself to be elevated to highest position; we need for ourselves to be humbled to a position where a relationship with God can occur. The second point is similar to the first, but also vastly different. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Disposition</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>: Wikipedia defines </span><b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>disposition</span></b><span lang=EN style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habit_(psychology)" title="Habit (psychology)">habit</a>, a preparation, a state of readiness, or a tendency to act in a specified way. We’ve known folks with positive and negative (what we call good and bad) dispositions. The former is much more pleasant to be around. From where does one’s disposition come? It’s not the devil who makes us do it (though the devil will take the credit wherever she can), rather it is our hearts and minds turned to self as central, opposing the center of love that we are called to and saved by – God. When Jesus taught us “hallowed be” God’s name, He was reminding us that the very character of God is holy, set apart from the nature of this world. This infers that when we pray, we are pre-disposed (our intended disposition, preparation, intent to act) to an attitude of reverence for who God is. He calls us to a place of awe and wonder before Him, marveling at His splendor, His Kingdom, as it is coming to pass here within us as it is solidly grounded in heaven. Many of us are guilty of approaching God as our personal vending machine, to be used at our whim, for our gratification and satisfaction. When we get in the habit of calling on the name of Jesus or God every time we are confronted with frustration, challenges, or opposition to our agenda, we are not dispositional to a relationship with God. God is neither our vending machine nor our personal “fetch it” dog, but He can handle whatever is on our hearts and minds. If you’re angry that something has not gone your way (or the way you believe it needed to go to be good), God already knows, but He wants you to know the absurdity of placing your agenda above Him. He wants us to be with Him in prayer possessing a disposition of surrender before Him. Adam and Eve discovered in the Garden that putting self-agenda’s before God’s agenda that looks out for the good of all, leads to separation from God. Jesus came through the garden again to heal what they had done. He embodied the disposition of love and surrender that has translated to grace and mercy for each of us as Adam and Eve’s descendants. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Requisition</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>: After we’ve acknowledged our position before God and aligned our disposition to relationship with Him, we’re in a place where our requests can be submitted. Note that in our scripture today from Luke reads: “Give us each day our daily bread (and) forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” Notice that Jesus instructs us to ask for our daily needs; bread to eat and bread of life – relationship with Him, but also, He goes deeper. He tells us to ask for forgiveness of our sins against Him because we have forgiven all who have sinned against us. Interesting dynamic, isn’t it? God forgives when we are forgiving? Does this mean that we are to be door mats and lay down to have others wipe their feet on us? Not at all! This does not speak to modern day co-dependent behaviors, but rather to the act of forgiveness of those who have harmed us, offended us, abused us, outside of our permission and will. The mother, father, sister, brother who may have abused us is as an example. The friend who betrayed us; the lover who cheated us; the spouse who left us; the neighbor who gossiped about us; the murderer who took the life of our loved ones – all have wronged us and have sinned against us and our imperative response is to forgive. Forgiveness is not only an action, but also a state of being. In the chemical world there are certain compounds or even elements that act as catalysts in chemical transformations. Two compounds coming together alone would not interact. In the presence of the catalyst, however, an interaction occurs; changing the nature of the two compounds, but the catalyst is not changed. The state of forgiveness is the catalyst that changes the interaction between ourselves and God from one of contention, to one of unity of heart and soul. This is where a change of mind about our own state of ability to forgive results in an eternal heart and soul change before God. Then we are truly ready to “ask and it will be given to you.” This is where many stop. There is more to prayer. There is the action that comes with it; the seeking and the knocking!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Action</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>: Many go to this place of action first before attending to position, disposition, and clearly looking at in what proposition they are making. Action is the follow through, not the lead in. Some throw around the name of Jesus as though that action will submit to them all authority. To act in Jesus’ name is to be living in His character. To be living in His character is to be positioned at God’s feet, disposed to a heart of forgiveness, and walking in a state of acknowledged grace. God doesn’t want us at His feet for His sake, but rather He wants us there for our sake. When we are spiritually there, we are in a position to act in the direction of our prayers. Jesus tells us to “seek” in order to find; to “knock” for the door to be opened. How many times have we prayed for something, leapt from our knees and done nothing in the direction of our prayer? Want to know what to be doing? Listen to your prayers. Financial times have been tough the last couple of years. We have been praying for more income here at the church so that we can carry out the mission to which He has called us here. That means we have to act in the direction of our prayers. We’ve cut expenses where we can; we’ve cut back to a place that has almost crippled us from accomplishing the call….I said almost! We’ve also begun new initiatives that fly in the face of financial ability – small groups; GodAcceptsYou.org; SpiritSong Institute; all designed to draw us to a closer relationship with Him. We’re seeking grants, we’re letting folks know our financial need and we’re asking ourselves to be challenged to give more generously and more faithfully. If you’ve been praying for a job, but not going out to seek one, you’re not fulfilling your part of the prayer. Now I’m not saying that your continued or extended unemployment is your entire fault; I’m simply encouraging you to be a part of your answered prayer. God’s answer to our prayers can come even when we’re looking in different directions. He tells us to ask, seek, and knock. God calls us to act in the direction of solutions, not react in the direction of fear or disillusionment. He calls us to ask for what we need, seek to find the solution and knock on the doors of opportunity to be opened to us. If you’re not acting in the direction of the answer to your prayer, you’re doing something other than prayer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Prayer is position, disposition, proposition and action. What’s in your prayers? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-46768013916598618552011-03-06T09:31:00.001-05:002011-03-06T09:31:34.755-05:00How Much for the Treasure?<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b>“How Much for the Treasure?”<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b>Matthew 13:44-46<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>March 6, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jesus used a number of statements about the kingdom of heaven to gain the attention of folks, yet few really seemed to understand. Not even His disciples were savvy to His teachings. Everyone was looking for the earthly kingdom; so much of what Jesus was saying may have made little sense to the crowds around Him. It was more in retrospect that these words of Jesus bore greatest meaning to those who heard. We’ve heard it said that “the kingdom of God is now and not yet.” Human nature hasn’t changed much over the years, even with the Good News of God’s grace and provision for us. We have been given, by the grace of God, the most precious gift – <b>life Himself</b>, as our brother, Father, our next of kin. What we fail to do is enjoy the relationship because we are too busy trying to hang on to OUR goals; OUR possessions; OUR feelings; OUR hurts, and OUR accomplishments. The illustrations that Jesus used in today’s scripture point us to a different action. If we’ve found in Him the greatest treasure, what would we give in exchange? <b>Grace is free, but it’s not cheap!</b> We want the treasure that He gives and all our “stuff” too. Our “stuff,” according to Isaiah, is nothing more than menstrual rags! The purpose of being born again in Him is new birth in His character; the one that is pure before God because of His sacrifice of all that was self-interest. And that sacrifice was all for me and for you! What does it mean, then to be born again? It means taking off the old and living in the new. Though the redemption work has been done, the treasure is not free and clear until all that we hang on to has been disposed of. In each of the scriptural illustrations today we see that ALL the person possessed was sold in exchange for the newly found treasure. Getting rid of OUR treasure is the cost of discipleship. I’d like to offer three points of encouragement this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The Kingdom is worth more than a tag sale</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. Jesus said that each of the characters in His illustration went and sold all that they possessed and then went and purchased the treasure (Kingdom) they had found. Many of us, however, don’t want to get rid of all our stuff. Therefore, we engage in our own little tag sale, saving up for when we believe we’ll have enough to make the purchase complete. Let me look through my emotional and character trait attic and see what things I can easily discard. Let’s see, there’s my old resentment of Mary Lou who called me names in second grade. That can go, but the resentment of my Dad who put me down so much; well, that’s too precious to let go of yet. Ah, here’s my demonstrated talent. Let me package that up for the tag sale. Maybe they won’t notice that their use for His kingdom is restricted to what I like or have interest in. Oh and here’s two cups of coffee at the local hangout that I’ll sacrifice as my giving. They won’t notice that my tithe has gone to fund my own interests. Here’s my lust for attention. What a treasure! I’d throw that in the sale, but I’d just miss it too much. What on earth would I have to entertain me or to affirm me? On the other hand, here’s my pitied self; the one that has been so misunderstood, unloved because things didn’t go my way self. I’ll put that out for sale. No, wait, that has been such an old friend, I can’t bear to part with it now. Sound familiar? You’ve heard all these and more and struggled with letting go of any or all. <b>God wants us to get rid of them all, to let them go forever and replace them with Kingdom living</b>. He wants us living in the place He is present, the one without resentment, hostility, impatience, control, and fear of loss. That’s the place of relationship; a place of wholeness, a place where we can own our actions and say forgive me without trying to justify. That is a place of relationship where Kingdom growth occurs; the place where His will is done here on earth just as it is in heaven. He paid the price for our participation!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Jesus saves so we can invest</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. John 3:16 tells us that because of God’s love, He gave His only Son so that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life instead. We said last week that everlasting life is not a future event to happen sometime in the future; it is both now and then! We don’t have to save ourselves. God’s done all the saving. When we truly recognize that He’s done all the saving, we can let go of our self-saving attitudes and behaviors and start investing in the relationship to which He calls us! That investment is one of time with Him in prayer and meditation, time in loving fellowship with others who share in the relationship with Him, and giving of your tithes and talents for the advancement of His Kingdom. These are investments that yield a higher return for a higher good than any of us could ever earn. We can afford them because God has already given us His savings to invest! We more often than not act as though we are giving away what we’ve somehow earned or deserved. The reality is that God has given freely for our good and the full joy of His gift to us is only experienced when we invest it back for the good of His kingdom. When I invest, we all reap a return. When I invest out of the bounty from which I have been given, the return is far greater than my investment. <b>John 15: 7-8</b> read; “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” There is much to be gained for the kingdom when we invest (remain) in Him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>3.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>God's exchange rate is in our favor</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>. When we were in England a few years ago we were always watching the exchange rate at various locations. Sometimes the best rate wasn’t the best when fees were added. We were always looking to get the most in exchange because the dollar was valued so much less than the pound. The Brits come here and they’re in heaven, so to speak. What we think is expensive here is virtually half the price to the Brits. Looking for the best exchange rate? Let me tell you about one that’s to die for. You see, God (Who is the creator of all that is, was, and ever will be) exchanged His position as God to become like us. When He did that, He was the perfect example of how and why He created mankind in the first place. He did this because the rift between us and our selfish desires to be in command was so great that only God could restore it. So. He gave up EVERYTHING for us to be restored to relationship with Him. In exchange, He asks that we give up also and take on the character that over lays us now; the very character of Christ. To live in Him is to engage a relationship with Him that honors Him first, and honors others as being as worthy of honor as yourself. He does not call us to physical pain and death for His sake. Physical pain and death are a part of being in this human form. He calls us to exchange our filthy rags for the robes of righteousness that He has already acquired for us through His own ungodly pain and suffering! To receive the treasure of eternity that cannot be gained by our own searching or efforts, all we have to give is our hearts. To gain the joy of our inheritance we exchange our mind, body, heart, and soul. His exchange rate is so very much in our favor! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>So knowing that the kingdom is worth more than a few items at a tag sale and that Jesus saves so we can invest, and that God’s exchange rate is in our favor, what are you going to do? <b>Revelation 3:20</b> reads “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Is it worth your investment of energy to answer the door? Get ready for a house cleaning, an investment portfolio that doesn’t fail, and an exchange rate to die for!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-17366663074808046372011-02-27T09:37:00.002-05:002011-02-27T09:40:22.584-05:00The Key and the Unlocked Door<div class="WordSection1"><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">“The Key and the Unlocked Door”<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class="MsoNoSpacing" align="center"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">Matthew 7:13-14; John 14:1-7<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">John 14:6 from our reading today states; “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This one verse has been a lightning rod for so many folks of this and past generations. Pantheists are revolted by the notion that there is only one true way to God…in their view there are many gods, but each has a unique way to get to that god. Many people in our community are swayed by the erroneous belief that this statement is too narrow, too limiting, or too old fashioned. What in fact most of those who embrace that stance are asserting is their objection to the god of condemnation that is so readily promoted in the fundamentalist community. This verse is not about condemnation, it is about good news that the way to God, (what we’ve always dreamed of) is present, ready, available, and completed through and by the person, Jesus! He is the truth, He is the way, and He is the life and there is no need for any other way, since no other way is possible. The rift between us and God was made by our ancestors and we re-open that separation wound every day. The only one who can heal that wound is God Himself! The only thing we are asked to do is to accept that God has done for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves and then live in our “healed” state. Simple, isn’t it? Then why is it that everyone’s trying to find “the key” when the door is already unlocked? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">1.<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><b><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">God’s act of grace through Jesus Christ doesn’t magically make us perfect.</span></b><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;"> There is a damaging misperception that Christians are supposed to be perfect. The only perfect human we’ve ever heard or read about is not Super Man or Super Woman, but Jesus. There’s only one of Him. He doesn’t need a stand in while He takes a rest to get His nails done. He’s perfectly human and perfectly divine 24/7. When Jesus answered “I am the way and the truth and the life…No one comes to the Father except through me…” He wasn’t asking for His replica to come forth. When we believe that we must be perfect as Christians, we develop all sorts of little defensive behaviors to guard against others seeing anything other than our perfect Christian character. The moment we believe we are or even need to be perfect is the moment our imperfection is in full bloom. The Pharisees believed that they too must be perfect in holding up the Law. Jesus challenged them with the truth of who He was. The Pharisee response was to kill that which showed their failures and threatened their grip on people’s perception. We live in a nation full of modern day Pharisees who strive to project perfection while ultimately sowing seeds of deception and rejection. There is no path to perfection. There is no “perfect way.” There is Jesus who is the way the truth and the life…that’s perfectly divine! He is the way to the Father, with whom we were created to relate. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">2.<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><b><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">Relationship is the door that opens to life. We</span></b><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;"> look for keys to life; keys to success; keys to happiness and keys to relationship when no keys are necessary. Keys open doors, open chests, open cabinets and jewelry boxes. We believe that the secrets of the universe are locked away somewhere and all we need to do is to find them. We seek to practice prayers, attend meetings or worship services, read daily from inspirational sources as we strive to unlock the door to health, wellness, and prosperity, not to mention peace, love, and joy. When one key doesn’t work, we seek to find another key, then another key, then another key until we’ve collected a treasure trove of keys. Sometimes we go back and pick up a key discarded and try it again believing we didn’t hold it just right the first time. A key, my friends, not only unlocks, it also locks! Each time we’ve tried a “key” that didn’t work for us, we’ve locked ourselves out of understanding there is no key and locked ourselves into the need of finding the right one. There’s no lock on the door we seek. Therefore no key is needed. The wide gate and the broad road are loaded with fabricated locked doors and shiny keys. They are all so attractive because they hold promise of fulfillment, peace, acceptance, power, and love. Tell me, how’s that key to the one night stand working out for you? How’s that key to peace through Gray Goose working to build your character? How’s that last article of clothing or other trinket you compulsively bought doing with everlasting peace? How’s that last juicy bit of gossip you shared working in your quest for everlasting respect for knowledge and power you possess? Anybody here getting the picture? None of these build relationship with Christ. Unless you’re willing to lay them down at His feet and start relating with Him as a grateful grace recipient ready to be stripped of all your keys, you’re not in a relationship with Him. C.S. Lewis said “The doors of hell are locked from the inside.” Simply because you choose to live with your own key doesn’t change the fact that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” Drop the keys and knock on His door of everlasting life!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; MARGIN-LEFT: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore">3.<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><b><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">Everlasting life IS a relationship!</span></b><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;"> Everlasting life is not an event to happen, a time to come when we are no longer breathing, nor a continuation of the same thing we’ve experienced, but without all the negative influences (bothersome people) in our lives. Everlasting life is not just the absence of bills to pay, tweets to return, people to unfriend, or nights feeling alone and rejected. Everlasting life is not just that place where we experience perfect peace some day being who He created us to be without all of the religious condemnation. Everlasting life is a relationship with life Himself, with the way Himself, with the truth Himself. That relationship is not some distant time and place; that relationship is right now. That relationship is what He talks about in the “whosoever” of John 3:16. That relationship is the one He describes in Matthew as a small gate. It’s the gate everyone desires, but not the one that the world around us paints as open to all and available right now. Relationship is the way, the truth, and the life…the relationship is Jesus. We cannot be in relationship if we insist on always having everything as we see fit, when we see it, as it is convenient for us. Fortunately, the relationship to which we are called is with the perfect lover. The lover, who is full of grace and mercy, always patient, always kind, does not envy or act boastful or prideful. A lover who is not rude or self-seeking and keeps no records of wrongs. One who does not delight in anything evil, but rejoices in the truth. A lover, who always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. We seek a lover whose love never fails. That’s our dream of a perfect relationship. His name is Jesus…why do we call Him by other names or put other characteristics on Him that He neither needs nor deserves? He’s the perfect lover for our imperfections, our shortcomings, and our visions of grandeur. He’s the perfect lover for learning how to let go of our key chain. We just have to remember that the way to the relationship with Him is running to Him, not away from Him. He gave His life for this relationship with Him. That life given is life for us, with us, in us – relating intimately with Him and practicing what we’ve learned in Him with each other. Relationship with Him is not at a time and a place; relationship with Him IS time and place. Relationship with Him is not the map to the kingdom; it is the kingdom. Relationship with Him is not the key to peace and prosperity; it is peace in the presence with the owner of the universe. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.25in" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family:'Georgia','serif';font-size:12;">It’s time to deposit our keys in the eternal key drop and open the door which is relationship with God. He doesn’t expect us to arrive at our first date with Him driving our U-Haul; He wants to arrive with our dump truck because He knows there are many more loads to come. He’s fit for the journey. Are you willing to unleash the first load and fall into the arms of Love Himself?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-51741302773422738762011-02-23T11:49:00.000-05:002011-02-23T11:50:10.836-05:00Getting Your Feet Wet<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“Getting Your Feet Wet”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Matthew 14:22-33<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>February 20, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Several years ago at a training center near the Pecos River in New Mexico, I participated in an “executive” outward bound program designed to teach us through experiences the power of excelling. There were two life changing experiences that I have recalled over and over since then. The first is that living life to “win” is different than living life “not to lose.” That notion was reinforced by numerous exercises, but none like the cliff dive. We climbed to the top of a huge granite outcrop several hundred feet above the Pecos River. There was a heavy gauge cable that ran from a large telephone type pole atop the rock to a location not visible through the trees about one and a half football fields away. The exercise instructions were that we were to secure ourselves into the harness tethered to the cable and launch ourselves out over the cliff, above the river, to the unknown location on the other side. I eagerly volunteered to be first. My eagerness arose not so much from confidence as from the desire to not procrastinate in waiting a turn for who knew how long. Some of you are shouting “amen” to my truthful declaration! God has gifted me patience with many things, but waiting in line is not one of them. Nevertheless, when I stepped to the edge of the cliff tethered to the harness and looked down past my toes, my heart sank and my stomach rose. I recalled our scripture verse from today about Peter keeping his eyes on Jesus, stretched my arms wide and leapt from the edge of the cliff, sailing at a rapid pace across the Pecos. The thrill was exhilarating, the wind was refreshing, and the sight of the landing position with three “catchers” at the ready was reassuring. It seemed to happen so fast I was eager to do it again to experience it without the original apprehension. The learning had already occurred, however. My reflection on this as I read Peter’s experience of stepping out of the boat serves as food for thought today. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Stepping out of the boat requires a leap of faith. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water he was in somewhat disbelief that it truly was Jesus. He called out the figure in the mist who had identified himself as Jesus, to command him to walk on the water toward Him as proof of who he was. Apparently Peter had faith that the voice calling him forth was indeed Jesus; otherwise Peter would have never stepped out of the boat. Everyone has a place of comfort and safety. It will vary for each one. Some find it in a favorite chair, a location by the sea, a special position between the sheets or a place of fantasy to which one travels during moments of quiet or over excitement. Still others find it in surroundings that are familiar, even though those surroundings may not be completely emotionally, physically or even spiritually safe. How many people have we known who seem to find greater comfort in remaining in the familiarity of an abusive relationship rather than taking the steps to walk away to a saner and safer place? There are those who would rather hold onto the familiar place of religious rejection from the broader church than to take the steps to reconcile with whom God has created them to be in love and acceptance. Some say “well, Pastor, I just can’t seem to reconcile those clobber passages with going to the bars, having one night stands, or drinking and drugging.” Well that’s good because there’s no reconciling self abuse and using others as self-gratification or self-medication with the clobber passages or with the great command to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love others as you would yourself. If you’re stepping out of the boat, make sure it’s the water you’re stepping onto and not someone else’s mess. Simply because your feet are wet doesn’t mean you’re walking on water! Accepting who God has made you to be and living to honor Him in and through that does not mean you have to emulate Rue Paul or Margaret Cho or the “A” list! Neither does it mean you have to emulate Ted Haggard or Fred Phelps. God created us first and foremost to be in relationship with Him. It is only in that relationship that all other purposes for our creation come to life. If you’re trying to live someone else’s life, you’re not having a relationship with God. Stepping out of the boat of self-centeredness onto the waters of relationship with Him requires a leap of faith. To get the most out of your relationship with Him, you have to stop spinning your wheels!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Spinning your wheels revs your engine, but you don’t get anywhere. Three days a week I go next door to the gym, sit on a stationary bike and spin my wheels for at least eight minutes to get my muscles warmed up for some exercise. I can peddle fast or slow; it doesn’t matter; I’m still not going anywhere. The faster I peddle my bike the faster my heart, but at the end, I’m still at the same location I was when I started. If I really want to get somewhere I have to get on a different contraption. Many of us have either in the past or are now sitting on the stationary bike spinning our wheels and wondering why we’re not getting anywhere. Does life seem to be falling into the same routine? Doing the same old things? What’s the old recovery quote: “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result is insanity?” Doing the same ministry work, perhaps but not enjoying it as much? Going to the same old hangouts and not meeting the right people? Going through the same routine each day searching for a job? I remember the old adage: “when you’re hip deep in alligators it’s hard to remember that your goal was to drain the swamp.” Peter experienced something similar as he was walking on the water. His focus was taken away from the purpose and he went back to doing what he had always done – worry about what’s happening around him! Isn’t it amazing how we avoid making changes in our lives and then complain about having to deal with the same old thing? So often it’s not the doing that is the root issue but rather the thinking behind the doing. Jesus took on death for us because that’s where each of us is headed eternally on our own. When He calls us to relationship, He calls us into a place of life. Relationship with Him is living. Relationship with self or others without Him is wheel spinning – getting nowhere! Want new life in your life? Want a different outcome than what you’re getting? Want a greater sense of peace, calm, or even more excitement? The place to find it is planting your feet solidly in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! As long as Peter had his eyes on Jesus, he was walking on the water. When Peter took his eyes off their focus and was distracted by the wind, he sank. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>3.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Keep your eyes on the prize and not on the wind. The greatest motivational speakers in the world will tell you that accomplishing what you want in life requires single-mindedness of purpose – a strong sense of focus. We all have that to varying degrees, however, so why aren’t we as a nation and a world happy with accomplishments? Why are so many of our brothers and sisters living a life filled with condemnation because of who they are rather than a life of joy and grace because of Who Christ is? Why do some see yet another day of defeat while others see another moment of victory? – it’s the same 24 hours! Depression, disappointment, heartache, and emotional pain are real. There are treatments available that help with the physiological components of these attacks. The majority of us ignore the key element to fulfilling our purpose, however; namely a relationship with the God who created us for the very purpose of relationship! That purpose is fulfilled in relationship with Him, because of Jesus. Often we spend two minutes in prayer that seem like an hour, babbling on and on about “I want,” “I need,” and we miss the opportunity to be in His presence. That’s not a relationship with Him any more than the cat’s relationship with the litter box. We reach out to God (like Peter), God says come on – “trust me,” and then we look the other way, sink, and scream out “save me!” He removes the litter from our box and we go back just to make another deposit! Pretty soon the only relationship we’re having is with our own litter. That’s a distraction from the relationship to which He calls us. That’s no more than spinning our wheels again. When we step out of the boat of all that’s dear to ME onto the waters of relationship with He who has given His all for that relationship to exist, we get our feet wet. We may experience some discomfort with the newness of wet feet, but if we stay there, He’ll lead us to a walk that is ever so refreshing. When looking at the lake of life, the surest way to the other side is a walk on the water! Staying in the boat or trying to find the path around is approaching life with the desire not to lose. In the end, we discover that we never had what we thought we were trying to avoid losing – namely safety, security and acceptance. When we take the step out of the boat onto the waters of faith in relationship with Him, we live the life that He has already won for us – the one we’ve truly been seeking, but never seemed to find. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-56628916741597578262011-02-13T08:07:00.000-05:002011-02-13T08:27:42.158-05:00Good Fruit or Sour Grapes<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Good Fruit or Sour Grapes?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Luke 6:43-46; John 15:1-8<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>February 13, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>When our son went off to college in Chicago he was confronted with some interesting responses from folks when he told them he grew up with two dads. The most frequent response was “well are you gay?” When he responded that he indeed was not the second question most often followed: “Are they upset that you’re not?” I was at first puzzled by their response. Then the premise behind the assumption occurred to me; one kind produces the same kind. There was the belief that because heterosexuals expect to produce heterosexuals, homosexuals must also expect to produce homosexuals. Interesting reasoning, but why would homosexuals desire to produce homosexuals when heterosexuals are doing such a fine job of it? Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about the kind of fruit to which our scripture is referring today.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>When training new managers for a major pharmaceutical company some years ago, I used the borrowed line that “the best predictor of future performance is past performance.” Job resumes emphasize previous accomplishments in the hopes that the one reviewing will extrapolate a person’s past accomplishment into future potential for the job being sought. Seasoned interviewers can readily spot inconsistencies between what is written and what is said in an interview. Experiences can easily be recalled, but lies are hard to remember. Even the most qualified may be passed over for a job because of the perceived need to embellish what is already sound experience for the job. We tend to take the same tactics into our spiritual lives and wind up with sour grapes instead of good fruit! God’s grace is not contingent upon our impressive performance; it is in its fullest in the face of our honestly depicted performance. More than that, God’s grace seeks the heart behind the performance even more than the performance itself. God seeks the grossly unqualified for therein lies the greatest potential to learn and grow with Him. Let’s look at some things we need to keep clear in our minds as we bend our hearts toward Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The problem you have with everybody else is you</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>! Now, that’s a loaded statement. Some of you may have already checked out to “ain’t going there land.” Stick with me here for a few and see what might pop up. Let’s talk about that preacher from the past that told his congregation that all gay folks who stay gay are going to hell for choosing to live the “gay lifestyle.” Now, who had the problem with what he said? If the preacher is straight, he didn’t have a problem…not being gay was a piece of cake for him. In fact, it probably wasn’t a problem for over 90% of the congregation. For a few of us, this presented a problem. We look at the preacher and call him a bigot. We extrapolate his words as though he were the mouthpiece for the broader church and summarily cancel our membership. Suddenly we are at emotional war. God has now become the enemy and our judge and we turn in anger from Him. For many, the next steps are numerous one night stands, seeking affirmation through medication (whether alcohol or drugs) and building of defenses around the name Jesus. Get the picture of who has really been bothered by the statement of an ignorant and possibly naïve preacher? The problem is not what has been said or with who has said it. The problem is with the person who heard it as being an indictment of self and BELIEVED it. If the person didn’t believe it, it wouldn’t in itself be a problem. If I told Pastor Les that her nose had grown into an elephant’s trunk she would laugh and brush it off because she knows her nose. There are other things I might say to her, however, about which she is insecure, and she would sit sobbing and later let me have it! We are most bothered by others when we believe their actions or words say something about us. The slow poke in front of me is annoying me! No…I am worshipping the god of my agenda and I believe that someone else is responsible for my interrupted worship. Believing a lie leads me to a place of anxiety, rather than to a place of recognition that I’m a sapling about to squeeze away from the vine! Anxiety, fear, anger, frustration, rejection and hurt are signals to us. In our human state we see them as fight or flight signals. In God’s Kingdom these are a call to the vine…where we get our nurturing to grow and bear fruit. We can’t turn anxiety into peace of mind, anger into loving sacrifice or fear into a bold confidence worshiping at the god of self-righteousness. We may make some progress by rational interventions, but lasting change comes only from and in His presence... (Or better stated; our presence with Him). He desires for us a juicy harvest, not sour grapes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>For the best fruit, you have to go out on a limb!</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> On our pear tree in the front yard at our farm, we gather each year an abundance of luscious pears. Many of the best ones are out on the branches where it has been recipient of full sun while still connected to the richness of nutrients from the trunk of the tree. More than one pear may be on a limb, but often the best one is out on the limb. That fruit is sometimes the hardest to pick because it is out on the limb. If you shake it loose, it falls and is bruised. If you pick it, you have to go out on the limb. Some of the greatest achievements many have ever made have been those done at great risk. The astronauts heading to the space station on the next space shuttle journey will do so at great personal risk. Technology has advanced so much since the Challenger, but it has not moved to zero on the risk scale. You took great risk in getting here this morning by driving or riding in a motor vehicle. Last year, thousands of people died in such vehicles, believing they were safe from harm. Some folks have a fear that relationship will not work out, that only hurt will result because of this, that, or the other fears that reality will fall short of fantasy. God calls us into relationship with Him. It’s the safest place to be, but to discover that means we have to risk letting go of the familiar defenses, pre-conceived ideas of who He is or is not, strap ourselves in with the seatbelt of faith and discover the ride of our life! It’s no easy task. Not a single one of us, if we’re honest, has planted ourselves in His “glory shuttle” and not bailed when the god of self-defense or the god of self-righteousness raises its ugly head. Don’t believe it? Check out Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Live there all the time? When not living there, we are not in our right mind!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>3.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Your right mind is in the Vine!</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> Jesus was not just whistling Dixie or a version of the Star Spangled Banner when He stated “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” He also tells us through His Word that the kingdom is within. Jesus is serious about our relationship with Him. We so want to believe that He meets us where we are, as we are, for who we are. Yet, because we aren’t surrendered in our minds to where that is, how we are, or even who we really are, we try to have a relationship with a fantasy Jesus who turns out to be no Jesus at all and cynically say “well, that didn’t do it for me.” People turn to Jesus for all sorts of reasons. There’s the “feel better” reason, the “higher power” recovery reason, the “be the greatest me- how great I art” reason, the “everything’s gonna be all right” reason, and the “I can do all things” reason. Whatever the reason we turn to Him, relationship with Him means we take up different and more eternally meaningful reasoning as a result of the relationship. I am not the same person who at the age of 6 baffled the pastor with my knowledge of what it meant to accept Christ as my savior. His relationship with me and my relationship with Him has changed me. I have fought Him, I have defied Him, I have denied Him, I have avoided Him, and I have abused our relationship by trying to convince Him that I was some place other than where I was. Each time I regained my right mind, it was in a place stripped of expectation, devoid of defenses, laid bare before Him and covered in the grace of His presence. Each time I came to Him with pre-conceived notions, requests for him to take away my anger, bitterness, or hurt as a condition of our continued relationship, I went away lacking. We yearn to believe that He accepts us and forgives us, and loves us just as we really are (forgetting that we aren’t even fully clear about ourselves) yet, we aren’t open to accepting Him as He is, where He is, as He is. He calls us to a meeting of the minds – His, where we are defenseless, vulnerable, trusting, naive, truly desiring to turn away from our self-rule. He calls us to our right mind – His. Paul urges the believers in Rome to “not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) His will lies not in our wants; it lies in our relationship with Him. Each time we approach the relationship with the insistence upon our wants, we wear the fig leaf that surely tells Him the real story behind our hearts. We’re not fooling Him. He wants US – the real, honest, defenseless, unpretentious, trusting, and vulnerable us. To the degree that you can bring yourself to that place with Him, you’re closest to your right mind. How do you get there? One moment, one dismantled defense, one step of faith and one thought at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Folks, it’s time to stop playing God and start relating to the real Jesus. He died for a relationship with you. Are you willing to let your prejudices die for a relationship with Him? Are you willing to invest with no promise of a return as you desire it? Are you willing to give your all without knowledge of from where any more will come, like the widow and her mite? That’s the heart that Jesus desires to meet Him. That’s the heart that can relate to Him and be enriched by Him. That’s where the best fruit grows, even on Wilton Drive! All else is sour grapes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-64602955309667689432011-02-06T08:17:00.000-05:002011-02-06T08:36:07.142-05:00Seeds of Faith<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>“Seeds of Faith”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Mark 4:1-20<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>February 6, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Last spring at our farm in NC we planted a row of fast growing trees along the edge of a field on the side of the road. Our desire in planting the trees was to enhance our view from our yard and to reduce the noise from a metal recycling plant about a mile away on the next hill over. Some of the trees seemed to take root quickly where others began to turn brown during the steaming hot summer. We replanted about one third of the trees, anticipating a strong root system to take hold in the more moderate temperatures of the fall. It appears now that we will have to plant about one quarter of them again this spring. There’s nothing wrong with the trees. They arrived from the nursery healthy and green. The soil is the issue! Much of the farm is red clay that could easily be used for bricks if exposed to the heat of a kiln. Even so, that soil seems to host healthy trees and grasses. The problem with the soil where we planted the trees is that it is void of nutrients, steeped in mica and dries out too rapidly in the sun. Plants have always been challenged along that section of the field, as I have recalled. New plantings will have to be made, but this time we have to prepare the soil in a different way than before. We will need to mix a generous helping of rich and fertile soil to the area being planted. Jesus was familiar with the planting of seeds and the readiness of soil to nurture the seeds to germinate and grow. The seeds are from the same plant – the Spirit of God, but the soils into which they are planted vary greatly. That seed that is so graciously planted is the seed of relationship with God that is intended to multiply in relationship with others. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We are no longer an agricultural society. Let’s look at this parable from the perspective of today’s experience and see if we can gain any insight into the living WORD of God. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Several years ago we were meeting as a men’s Bible Study in an old garage room off the former GLCC. Someone who was preparing for the study arrived without the key and went to the office to see if someone would let them in. The otherwise cordial fellow with the key blurted out as he was opening the door: “don’t know why you’re bothering with a Bible study; we’re all going to hell anyway!” Here’s a fellow who had obviously heard the message of God’s love before, but because of all the condemnation and damnation he had heard from our potentially well-meaning but not so well informed so called Christian neighbors, the seed of a grace filled relationship was snatched from his grasp. <b><u>You see, God calls us into relationship with Him that is made possible by His grace and mercy.</u></b> When we are told that His grace and mercy extends only to those who experience the world differently than we, Satan scores big in his super bowl! Spreading the lies of conditional grace produces no grace at all. I’m amazed at the level of rhetoric and time invested by so many self-professed Christian in seeing that those who have been created differently believe they, by virtue of their creation, are inherently unacceptable to the grace of God, just as they are. There are many more examples we could use of this hideous practice that produces a whole constellation of grace snatching that renders people seemingly without hope. Just think of the thousands of people who believe that just because of who they are, they are fundamentally not a candidate for relationship with Jesus Christ! And, who can blame them? Who would want a relationship with someone who fundamentally hates you for the very nature you possess and who you believe will only accept you on condition that you change everything about you? Folks that is not the Jesus of grace, of redemption, of justification, of mercy – that is the work of Satan!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Then there’s the message of God’s grace that falls on eager ears, but is packaged in a shell of health, wealth, and prosperity. Who doesn’t want to have good health, be endowed with at least adequate wealth, and enjoy prosperity in all our endeavors? Such ideas are enticing and there is some truth to the message. You’ve heard the statement: “a half truth is still a lie”? When Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” He wasn’t addressing the sure fire return on the 401K, the assurance of an ever growing economy or the promise of a love life that never ceases to thrill. He was talking about a life of relationship with Him that sustains and fulfills through the good times and the not so good times. The kind of relationship that was described in the garden of Gethsemane the night Jesus was betrayed – that anything was possible and could the cup of suffering He was about to endure be taken away. “yet not my will but yours be done.” We see in this scripture a glimpse of the intimacy of trust and relationship between the Father and the Son. Jesus didn’t surrender to the cross to ensure our good mood. He surrendered to the cross for sake of our relationship with the Father that is as intimate and precious as the one He has. This scenario is similar to the rocky soil. So many of us come to Christ and receive the seed of faith at a time when God is speaking to our hearts in a moving fashion. We welcome Him in by the message of grace and love that so deeply touches the core of our being. Then the circumstances and pains and challenges of life come our way. We cry out “Lord, why me?” We build up anger and hostility toward God for not making us feel good about life right now. We question even the goodness of God in the presence such evil and harshness to one another that exists in today’s world. Because things are not going our contrived way, we throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater, declaring God to be the great disappointment, rather than the great healer. Upon examination we discover that the god we’ve come to worship is not the God the creator, but the counterfeit of our own creation. How can the seeds of faith grow in a place where there isn’t room? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The third scenario is also a common one. The seeds of faith are planted, received and nurtured. Strong spiritual growth seems evident. Eager to serve, this person takes on more and more “responsibilities” that help promote the faith through the message of grace and mercy. Challenges arise through demanding schedules, difficult people, disappointing relationships and the joy of service becomes the burden of service. Overwhelmed by what was previously a joy and an honor, the thorns of expectation and “duty” overtake the fundamental of relationship and choke out much of what was so vibrantly growing. What was previously felt as spiritual gain is reduced to the level of physical and emotional drain. Joy turns to resentment, resentment ignites withdrawal, and relationships wane or disintegrate. God’s call is first to relationship with Him. Without that fundamental, all else is futile. He wants even or experiences with the thistles and thorns, the demands of life and the false hopes and expectations of others to meet our ideals to be laid down before Him with the supplication “not my will, but yours be done.” He’s eager to hear your expectations of where others ought to be if they are good Christians. He’s even more eager to hear your version of what you ought to look like as a good Christian. In the intimacy of relationship with Him, He’s eager to help you dismantle both of these false expectations as you learn what He really has in mind for you!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Now, let’s look at some fertile soil. From the agricultural perspective, this is a soil that has a good mixture of sand, decaying or decayed organic matter, and a touch of fertilizer, preferably from an animal source (recycled organic waste, bovine fecal matter). This, folks, is the soil in which seeds can take hold and thrive. Imagine that; a picture not of perfectly pristine proportions, but a picture of death, decay and manure. God calls us to relationship with Himself. He calls us as we are, for who we are, where we are – not for as we’d like to think we need to be, or who we believe we need to be, or even where we think we need to be. He wants the real, rotten, rubbish that He can turn into a rich field of faith where the harvest can be greater than all our expectations. The folks of the beatitudes are blessed not for their lack of position, but for their mind set to a willingness of relationship without pretense or pre-condition. We revel in the good news that God gives us grace and mercy by meeting as where we are, as we are, for who we are and then break off the relationship when He’s not meeting our “humble” expectations. God has called us each here because a seed has been planted or because He desires to plant that seed of faith in you today. His call to relationship is just as you are. He can’t have that relationship with you if you’re ranting about the stink from the presence of others or the demands of perfection you’ve idolatrously placed on yourself and your church. He calls us to ask not why this, that, or the other, but rather “how” can I grow deeper in relationship with You, God, through all of my life’s trials, joys, and challenges? The call to Christ is the call to fall into His grace. To leap from the mountain of should ah, would ah, could ah, into the rich soil that is the mess of all we’ve digested and produced so that He can begin to grow in us as we were designed from the beginning of the universe. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-56755035294763710482011-02-02T11:32:00.000-05:002011-02-02T11:51:00.962-05:00When You Have a Friend in Need<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>When You Have a Friend in Need</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Pastor Leslie Tipton</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>January 30, 2011</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br></span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'>Mark 2:1-12</span></b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'>1</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'> A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. <b>2</b> So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. <b>3</b> Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. <b>4</b> Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. <b>5</b>When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." <b>6</b> Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, <b>7</b> "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" <b>8</b> Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? <b>9</b> Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? <b>10</b> But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . ." He said to the paralytic, <b>11</b> "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." <b>12</b> He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'>Mark 12:28-31</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br></span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'>28</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'> One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" <b>29</b>"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. <b>30</b> Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' <b>31</b> The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#333333'>We’ve been listening to sermons here for sometime now about God’s greatest commandment, To love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind. We’ve been told that we cannot love our neighbor correctly if we don’t do the first. That’s true, so true. And today we are going to look at a story about four friends who knew the truth, and knew that the Truth would set their friend free. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Some friends, very devoted friends, take matters into their own hands when they see that they have a friend in need. As the story goes, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and he is found in this particular story teaching in a home. It is obvious that his teaching had become quite popular, because, as the Bible intimates with us, “So many had gathered there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.” There are many things that we do not know about these friends. We don’t know their names, we don’t know their nation of origin, we don’t know their skin color, we don’t know how long their paralyzed friend has known them.</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>However, even though we don’t know these things about his friends, there are a few things we do know. And that’s what we are going to talk about today.</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The first thing we know is that <span style='background:yellow'>they knew where to take their friend. </span>They didn’t take him to a doctor, they took him to THE GREAT PHYSICIAN. They didn’t take him for a prescription, they took him for the WORD. Instead of giving up on him, thinking that they wouldn’t be able to help him because he couldn’t walk, they CARRIED him to the ONE, the ONLY ONE who could help him.</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Mark 2:3 indicates to us that there were several friends that came with their friend, but only four of them carried him. These men were on a mission, and they were SURE of where their friend needed to be. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>In our calling to fulfill the second greatest command, to love our neighbor as ourselves, we have got to know where to take our friends, and even just acquaintances, when they need help. It is a must! There is no better place to take them than to Jesus. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Hebrews 10:24 says “</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:#330033'>Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.”</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>This man, this paralyzed man, needed someone to care enough to take him to Jesus. That’s us, folks. God has placed people around us, in our lives, for us to take to Jesus. Our coworkers, our relatives, our neighbors, our friends....WE have the opportunity to take them to Jesus. Even when it negatively impacts our schedules, even when it is inconvenient, when it is something we don’t feel like doing, when it is with someone we aren’t particularly fond of.....we are called to take them to Jesus.</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The soldier's first article of faith is summed up nowhere more eloquently than in an 1865 letter from William Tecumseh Sherman to U.S. Grant: "I knew wherever I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come--if alive."</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>I don’t think I’m stretching it by saying everyone of us in here is alive. We MUST be there for our friends, our neighbors. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>2. The second thing we know about our friend’s friends is that <span style='background:yellow'>they didn’t let the obstacle stop them from their goal.</span> There was a huge crowd, so much so that they were unable to get him in through the front door. They couldn’t get him close to Jesus, where they knew he needed to be. But they didn’t let that stop them. They didn’t just lay him down at the door hoping that someone else would pick him up and take him into the house eventually. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>The word says that when they saw that the house was too crowded for them to get in the front door, they went up on the roof. Houses in this particular era and area were made with stairs that led up to the roof. So when the four of a kind found a full house, they beat the odds and went up the stairs. Up they go, onto the roof. We don’t know if one had the idea and the others followed suit, but we do know they made their way to the roof. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>We, too, are called to beat the odds and not let the obstacles get us down. Obstacles tend to frustrate me, how about you? Anybody else frustrated by obstacles? Sure we get frustrated, because we had an expectation that something was going to go a certain way, and when it didn’t, we got frustrated. That’s what makes us stop and give up. Obstacles are just opportunities for us to grow stronger in the Lord, amen? If we would just take a moment and pray when we hit an obstacle, ask for God’s guidance, we would get so much more done for Him. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>What kinds of obstacles do we run into when we are helping others? Maybe we don’t know a certain Scripture that might help them, or perhaps we don’t make the time to be with them. Sometimes we simply just don’t know what to do. But none of those things should be able to stop us in our mission to follow God’s command to help and love our neighbor. We just give up too easily. Sometimes it’s easier to give up. I tried, I really did. They were too many people there, we couldn’t get you in......sorry dude. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>3. The third thing we know about his friends is <span style='background:yellow'>that they were innovative in obtaining their goal</span>. Again, did one suggest and the others follow? I don’t know, but to think of this is brilliant. The house itself was made of stone, with a roof made of mud and straw. They dug a hole in the roof and lowered him down, mat and all, right in front of Jesus. Wow! Now that’s thinking! </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Can you even imagine being the owner of that home. Here you are, Jesus is teaching the crowd in your home, and the ceiling starts to crumble. Then a hole develops, and you realize that someone or something is digging through your roof. I wonder if his goals were blocked?</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Innovation is defined as something new or different that is introduced. I’d say digging through the roof to get to Jesus is innovative. But they knew they had to get their friend to him. They were so close, they knew they couldn’t give up, so they went another route.</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Sometimes we have to go another route to help our neighbors and friends, eh? </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>We should consider thinking outside of the box a bit more. Who can tell me in this place that some folks outside that door DON’T NEED US to help them dig through some things in their lives so that they can get to Jesus. Just like the paralyzed man’s friends, we are there to help dig through that barrier in new and different ways, and get them right in front of Jesus. And sometimes all that means is doing something practical, being a servant, meeting a need in a new or thoughtful way.</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>Sandra and I have a new friend. She lives down the street from us. We’ve been saying hi for months as she passed by walking her dog or after a run. Last Wednesday, I was leaving for work, and she was coming in from a run. A conversation began, we met officially, exchanged names, got to know a bit about each other, and parted ways. The next day, two police officers were killed in the line of duty in Miami Dade....one of the officers was our new friend’s life partner. We had no idea until the funeral on Monday. They lived a very private life together. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>What can we do for our new friend? We don’t know her very well. We’re really just getting to know her. But we can be innovative in meeting needs and showing God’s love. A cup of coffee yesterday, a hug here and there, taking Bella (the lab) for a ride in the jeep. There are many, many ways to show our friends the love of God, and they don’t all have to be text book strategies. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>These friends knew where to take their friend, they didn’t let any obstacles stop them, and they were innovative in their thinking. </span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><br><br></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'>But that’s not the end of the story. That’s right, they had another friend there. He knew where to take his friend, for he came to show us the way to God. He didn’t let any obstacles deter him from doing what he came here to do. And lastly, he WAS INNOVATIVE in accomplishing his mission while here on earth....very innovative. He was born of a virgin, conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless life. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except THROUGH ME.” He is the WORD made flesh. And his name is Jesus.</span><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5450571055271358402.post-17539065242665474612011-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:002011-01-25T07:18:26.892-05:00The Proff of Wisfom<div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>“The Proof of Wisdom”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Pastor Tom Millner<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Matthew 11:16-19; James 3:13-18<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>January 23, 2010<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>You’ve heard “the proof is in the pudding”? How about “I’ll believe it when I see it”? Some say the longer you live, the greater skeptic you become. One of the more common things I hear from folks who visit churches is that they are waiting to see if the folks in the church “walk the talk.” I did the same thing when I first came to visit COHSS. I felt the warmth, the welcoming spirit, and I wanted to witness love in action. What I saw was encouraging, but it didn’t allay my skepticism about “these people.” Although I had been around and sometimes involved in churches most of my adulthood, in the years just prior to COHSS I had experienced three extremes. The “damnation if you don’t change who you are” church; the “everything is beautiful, I am the Spirit of God” church; and the “I’m so gay this must be the way” church. None of those spoke to me about the God of grace and mercy that calls us to place Him first in our lives. All of the others seemed to be about justifying self, (change self to be acceptable, try to equate one’ self to the goodness of God, or push the contrived world view of orientation as the central theme of God’s love) rendering the effort itself as the god being sought. My decision to stop judging the folks around me (as harshly as I was judging myself) and to enter into a relationship with Him, one-on-one, in the fellowship of other likeminded folks, was the first step I took toward membership in this Body. I stand before you today a work in progress, not perfected, but perfectly at peace with Christ as my leader. What I was looking for was the evidence of wisdom that was patterned after what I knew to be from God. I had witnessed other forms of wisdom and found them to be lacking in substance to nurture my soul. There are three things I’ve learned about wisdom that I’d like to share with you today<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Wisdom comes alive in action! </span></b><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>We make the mistake of thinking that wisdom is something abstract that is captured in a body of literature or knowledge that is passed down generation to generation. If wisdom sits on the shelf of self-knowledge and is never exercised, it is of no value and turns out not to be wisdom at all. James reminds us that wisdom is action that is full of mercy and good fruit. He said: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” He means that the execution of wisdom is to be done in the absence of self-interest. That lack of self-interest is called humility. The humility that calls attention to itself is always false. James further states: “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” The good fruit that James talks about is not unlike the fruit that Paul asserts in Galatians 5:22-23 as being “</span><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These are all action oriented words! The action has a consequence – a deeper relationship with God, the giver of all wisdom. </span><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>True wisdom is divine! </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The smart thing we think we’re doing sometimes isn’t the wise thing. Create a system and someone is always smart enough to create a way to beat it. The human network of actions, interaction, and reactions is centered on structure, hierarchy and power. It’s a smart system to keep things in order. It isn’t a system built on God’s wisdom! You see God’s wisdom draws us to Him. He isn’t interested in our power systems or hierarchy. He doesn’t need such things. He’s interested in relationship with us. The exercise of true wisdom takes us deeper in relationship with Him. As we grow deeper in our relationship with Him, we grow broader in our relationships with each other. Action that takes us deeper into Him is wise action indeed. Action that undermines or diminishes our relationship with Him is foolish. We believe that living out His great commandment will lead to the fulfillment of His great commission. His great commandment is to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and likewise love each other as we love ourselves. I’ve heard many say “I can’t love another until I’ve learned how to love myself.” That’s a way of saying “don’t bother me with your stuff because I’ve got my own plate full!” That’s an excuse for continued self-indulgence, not a scriptural prescription to heal a broken heart! We already love ourselves to death. Why else would we create any false god that we believe will be safe for us to worship? We truly don’t believe that God has our best interest at heart – otherwise, we would be knocking down walls of self-denial, and self-interest to get to the heart of God and co-union with Him. God calls us to relationship with Him so we can love ourselves to life – in, through, and because of Him. We create a foolish box of rules, stipulations, conditions, laws and damnation and try desperately to stuff God into it. God and His wisdom cannot be contained in our stupid box of rocks! True wisdom seeks the real God! So the exercise of true wisdom is indeed divine. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='margin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>3.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span></span><![endif]><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>The object of wisdom is love! </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Proverbs is a part of what is called the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. It is chocked full of little tidbits for fruitful living. In the prologue to the book, Solomon states: (Proverbs 1:7) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Now the fear that is talked about here is not the fear that we would experience when faced head on by an out of control cement truck with no place to turn. It’s the kind of fear that is better translated in our language as “awe” or wonder. The kind of awe and wonder that arises when we contemplate that the creator and crafter of all the universe, who is with us now on a sub-atomic, quantum level that is beyond even the greatest mind’s conception, is the God that is so much in love with us that rather than see a single one of us self-destruct, would actually take on our human form and be destroyed Himself. That’s a God of awe, a God of wonder. And, that’s a God of love whose wisdom points the way to a deeper relationship with Him. So called wisdom that leads to fear so great that we run from the presence of it is not the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God will always lead us back to Him because that’s the reason we were created. Wisdom has a purpose – to lead us to God. God desires to love the hell out of us, not beat it out of us, damn us to it or make us burn in it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>So, wisdom comes alive in action. Not just any action, but that action that is from God. True wisdom is divine! It come from and points back to Him. The object of wisdom is love - not only the object, but the purpose! Been wrestling with an unloving version of God? Got Him wrapped up neatly on a shelf in a box of your self-creation where you can safely pull him out when the going gets tough? In the words of a great unknown philosopher; “that dog don’t hunt.” The “hound of heaven,” however, hunts us down at every turn, waiting to rescue us from our own wisdom and secure us soundly in the arms of His love. He’s calling you today. Can you hear His loving howl echoing over your soul; come home…you who are weary, come home? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>This is wisdom (from Matthew 11:28-30) “</span><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif"'>Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. <a name="_GoBack"></a> For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNoSpacing style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>Church of the Holy SpiritSonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07825889535111573668noreply@blogger.com0