Christmas Advent 2012 Day 1

December 2, 2012 The auditorium was almost completely decorated; the wreaths were hung, the garland was up, the Christmon tree decorated, the poinsettias were on the stage steps and each piece of the Nativity was placed on the Communion table. From the congregation came a child's voice saying, "You forgot the baby! You see everything was in place but one thing. It was the baby Jesus. This year as we prepare for the Christmas celebration let's not forget the baby. He is the real reason for this season. The apostle Paul said in Galatians 4:4, "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that we're under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." It's something to think about.

Walking with God

Before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, there was a great fellowship. Imagine, God and man walking and talking in the garden. Man’s disobedience toward the word of God to not partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil broke that relationship. But God’s love provided a plan of bringing man back into relationship with Him through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. Anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord can experience the relationship of walking and talking with God. According to Galatians 4:4-6 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, coming into being out of a woman, having come under Law, that He might redeem those under Law, so that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Modern King James ). Fifteen minutes with God walking and talking. It’s something to think about.

40 Days of Prayer

Today is the beginning of the days leading up to the celebration of Easter. Some refer to this as the Lenten season which begins with Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance to God. During Lent, many commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence.
One of the most precious things that we have is time. There are twenty four hours in a day and 1,440 minutes. During this Lenten season what would happen in our life if for the next forty days “give up” 15 minutes of our day to spend time in prayer and reading the Word of God. It just might be something to think about.

What if?

What if you were told you only had a short time to live, say a week. Would you live it any different? People who have been diagnosed with a terminal disease usually spend time getting their "house in order". They then live as if evey day was their last day to live. For Christians it is living with the anticipation of seeing Jesus face to face and the comfort that brings wth knowing in your mind and heart by faith where you are going.

What if the hand of God wrote in the sky that Jesus was coming back in one week, would it change anything about the way we live? Would it change the way we act and react to our family members? Would it change the way we see other people? Would it change our understanding of who God is and what Jesus Christ did on the cross as the sacrifice to God for our sins?

What if we lived each day as if Jesus was coming back, just like it says in the Bible? It is something to think about.

Who's Church is it?

Here is something to think about. When Jesus ask his disciple, Who do people say that I am? He went on to tell Peter, after His personal cofession that Jesus is Lord, that Upon this rock He would build His Church. John's gospel teaches that He is the way the truth and the light unto salvation. Then in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul discusses the diversity of gifts that are given for the building up of the church. He finishes that chapter by saying the gifts are given to each christian according to His purpose.
Here's the thought, If Jesus is the establisher of the church, and if salvation is of God, and if He gives gifts according to His purpose for every beleiver, and if they are for the building up of the church. There really cannot be any question as to who's church it is. And if it is His church we are to be about the ministry He has called us to and to serve Him as bondservants.

Is Revival Relevant?

I was discussing with a group of pastors the question, Is Revival relevant for today? The response was mixed. Some said a resounding yes, while others said not practical. Those who said not practical pointed to the fact that the schedules of the modern family have become so filled with sports and educational activities that time for scheduling a two or one week of services for Revival would be counterproductive. They also sighted that children today are involved with multiple hours of homework every night. Some of the pastors recounted times in their life when churches scheduled two weeks for Revival Services. The first week was dedicated to getting the saints stirred up and the second week was for getting the sinners saved.
All believe that there is a genuine need for revival. The moral decay in the world and the way the world standard has changed point to a genuine need for a spiritual revival of the church. The question needing to be addressed is whether we are talking about placing emphasis upon an event called Revival or emphasizing the process for obtaining revival. In both cases the goal is to see believers spiritually renewed and recommitted to the task of kingdom expansion.
Here is a question I have considered; do you have to have an event called a revival to have a revival? In looking back upon the Great Awakening within the United States there was always the elements of prayer, humility, and the seeking of the face of God that preceded any spiritual renewal of the Christians. When the Christ followers seek the presence of God through humility, the Spirit of God reveals areas of life that individually need confession and repentance. Through confession and repentance the child of God receives a cleansed heart and a reviving of God’s Spirit within their life that prompts them to service. Service to our Lord is evidences by the living out of our profession daily before a world. By allowing Christ freedom to live through the believer others will see and be drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is genuine revival. A specific service or series of services referred to as Revival Services may be used as the focal point, but the key to revival is the process used to get the God inspired outcome of the followers of Christ. It can only happen through a renewed relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. The momentum of revival can only be sustained in what is planned for following up the revival process. There is a greater need to focus on what is needed for Spiritual Renewal than about a set event. After all according to Webster, revival is defined as to return or restore to consciousness or life.

It is approximately a month before Easter. In the same way we look forward to Christmas, we need to look forward to celebrating the ressurection of Jesus Christ on that first Easter sunrise. But we must never forget what Jesus did that allows us to celelbrate His ressurection. Each day there will be a new post to assist in the preparation for Easter.

Day 31 Luke 9:51 “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

Consider the fact that Jesus had twice foretold of his treatment and death in Jerusalem to His disciples. Yet after the transfiguration, the casting out demons and the settling of an argument between the disciples, Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. He did this knowing that he would be rejected by the religious leaders and eventually killed. Jesus determined to accomplish His God given mission, resolved to follow through with the task, and became unwavering in His steps. In His obedience he died for the sins all mankind.