Good Words from God’s Word

It seems our church has reached and broken the 100 barrier on a regular basis.  We have this summer experienced more Sundays with more than a 100 in attendance than we have had with less than a 100.  Breaking the 100 mark has been a constant prayer for us over the last 2 years and God has now blessed us by answering our request and exceeding it.  This is a real joy and incentive for us to look forward to the next milestone of 150 regularly attending each week.

To this end, chairs have been added to the Worship Center making it possible to now seat 200 people.  I am thrilled that we may continue to invite people and welcome new faces into our fellowship because our facilities will accommodate the next level of growth.  As our church prays and works to reach 150 people, we will see new opportunities for ministry to our children and youth.  We will see our ministry to young families, bed babies and preschoolers flourish.  These are exciting days as our church continues to reach people for Christ.

Last Sunday, we reached a new milestone in Sunday School.  For the first time, we have reached 80 people attending Bible study through the Sunday School.  There is no reason for us to look back, but forward as we contact people and encourage more people to study God’s word in our small group environment every Sunday morning.  We have measured every classroom and have determined that we can, in our present facilities, house 130 to 150 people in Bible study units.  It is thrilling to know that we can in the space we now have,  accommodate new classes as well as increased attendance.   Our church normally runs about 30 percent more in worship than in Sunday School.  At this rate, when we attain 130 people in Sunday School, we will regularly have in turn 170+ in worship.  The best way to reach our next level of 150 in worship is to continue to develop our Sunday School.  If you are not yet a part of a small group Bible study, why not get started with your whole family now.  You will be blessed to share God’s word with others your age who love you and care about your spiritual welfare.

This Sunday we will elect Nominating Committee members, a new Facilities Dream Team, and 6 men who will serve the Lord as Deacons here at Grace.  These are additional milestones that mean our church is not only growing numerically, but developing organizationally.  These leaders will work to share the responsibility of insuring the health, unity and nurture of our church.  It is vital that more and more people assume positions by which their spiritual gifts and divine calling to service are utilized to extend God’s glorious kingdom here at Grace.  These actions taking place today are more significant than an election.  They represent the work of the Holy Spirit calling people to service and a spiritual step forward as our church grows more proficient in its impact for Christ and His kingdom.  Be strong in prayer today and do not miss your opportunity to make your mark on the future of God’s kingdom here at Grace.

Good Words from God’s Word

Paul uses some great words in his letter to the young preacher, Timothy.  He uses words like Remember (2 Tim. 2:8), Guard (1 Tim. 6:20), be strong (2 Tim. 2:1), and commit (1 Tim 1:18).  I especially like what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6, “Stir up the gift of God that is in you by the putting on of my hands…”  By “Stir Up,” Paul means to “fan into a flame.”  One commentator says that it pictures fanning the smoldering embers into a living fire.  Paul calls Timothy back to his responsibility to keep the flame of the gospel “white hot.”  I wonder if this young preacher was growing a bit cold and needed a spiritual kick in the seat of his pants from his spiritual father to re-energize his ministry.  One writer said, “The flame had not gone out, but it was burning slowly and had to be agitated to white heat.” (Hendriksen, NTC: Pastoral Epistles, 229).

Do you ever need a boost?  The other day, my car would not start.  I was at a restaurant with a bunch of preachers and, after lunch when we all piled back into my car, the engine would not crank.  One of my preacher buddies who parked right in front of me had jumper cables, which he connected from his battery to mine so the energy from his truck boosted my vehicle and it started right up.  I had to later buy a new battery.

We’ve all had an experience like that.  Life can be draining and we can lose our spark in the Lord’s work.  God has given us His Holy Spirit to jump-start us when we need a boost, “You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  That’s what Paul meant when he said, “Stir up the gift of God that is in you…”  Our energy comes from God through the gift of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer.

I heard of a Baptist Church on Sunday evening to which fire trucks and emergency vehicles were dispatched following an alarm triggered by the security system at the church.  The local newspaper ran the story on Monday morning.  Due to the false alarm, the headline read, “THERE’S NO FIRE AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.”

I pray today that the Holy Spirit will fan the flame of the gospel in your heart and in mine.  We all want and need God’s Holy Spirit fire to fill our church.  We will have guests today who need to see and feel the flame of God’s presence in our services.  So listen again to the apostle Paul, “Stir up (rekindle) the gift of God that is in you…”  May the Holy Spirit give you a boost today.  I pray God will “stir up” your commitment and desire to share your faith with others.

Good Words From God’s Word

I will be preaching from the book of Nehemiah Sunday morning.  Nehemiah was God’s chosen instrument through whom God chose to reconstruct the wall around Jerusalem which Nebuchadnezzar destroyed nearly 100 years earlier.  Nehemiah was the cup bearer to king Artaxerxes who was the Assyrian leader God would use to set God’s people free from bondage.  As cup bearer to the king, Nehemiah was one of the closest and most trusted servants to the king.  It is amazing how God works.  Nehemiah was a Jewish servant who had managed to work his way into the pagan king’s confidence.  It shows how resourceful Nehemiah was, but it also shows how God does amazing things to accomplish His purposes in the world.  God simply planted the key person he would use to set the people free right next to the person who had the authority to let them go.  The book of Nehemiah is a picture of how God’s sovereign will works.  God works through all kinds of people to accomplish what He plans to do.

Before Nehemiah actually asked king Artaxerxes for his blessing in returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed, he prayed and asked God to give him success in gaining the king’s permission.  As a part of his prayer, Nehemiah spent some time making confession on behalf of the people of Israel.  I am amazed by the way he worded his prayer.  He said, “…I and my father’s house have sinned” (Nehemiah 1:6).  Confession is always two-fold.  We sin personally and need to confess our own sins.  We also participate in shared sin, and need to confess the sins of our larger community.  The prophet Isaiah knew this fact when he prayed, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!  Because I am a man of unclean lips; and I live among a people of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:1).

Prayer is not a place where we should point fingers and cast blame toward others.  We like to assign fault and blame our problems on others, but prayer is no place to spotlight the sins of your neighbors without owning up to your part in it.  The Bible says, “Bear one another's burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1). We simply need to learn better how to pray for others rather than complaining about what someone else has done.  Prayer is no place to point fingers.

I lady came to her pastor and confessed, “Pastor, I’m afraid I have committed the sin of vanity.”  The pastor asked, “Why do you say that?”  She replied, “I look in the mirror at least twice a day and admit to myself how beautiful I am.”  The pastor stepped back to get a better look into her face and said, “Dear lady, that is not a sin, it is simply a mistake.”

It is a mistake to confess  your own sins without making confession on behalf of others.  When you confess your own sin only, you simply narrow God’s forgiveness to you alone.  Don’t you think that’s a bit selfish and self-centered.  Expand your circle of confession to include not only yourself, but your family and your friends.  Ask God to forgive the sins of our community and our nation.  God’s forgiveness is big enough to handle it.

Good Words from God’s Word

I heard about a little girl who was asked by her parents what she did at church Sunday morning.  She said, “Oh, we learned that Jesus walked on water and cast out deacons.”

I heard another one about a deacon who was asked by his pastor to give a testimony at the upcoming homecoming celebration about a deacon of the church who had passed away and had been a great influence in his life.  Thinking about his assignment one night at the dinner table, he asked his wife, “Honey, who are some of our dead deacons?”  She replied, “Well Jack, you are, for one.”

There are many funny stories about deacons that we tell to get a laugh or make fun of deacon leaders we really love and respect.  Many times we pick on those whom we love the most.  I can think of a couple of folks here at Grace who not only receive kidding well, but also know how to dish it out.  However, the Bible is very serious about what it says concerning deacons.

The word deacon literally means “SERVANT” and is particularly used of people who served tables.  Such servants not only brought food to and presented it before the honored guests at the table, they picked up the mess of leftovers, washed the tableware and cleaned both table and surrounding floor afterward.  Eating was a messy affair, and the table-servants were charged with the necessary work of keeping the eating place tidy and the people happy when they came to the table to eat.

Paul said of deacons, “Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Timothy 3:8-9).  Deacons are to be Godly men who possess a clean reputation and practice loyal devotion to the work of the church.  The church is charged with the responsibility to choose them with spiritual discernment and care.

Next Sunday morning you will receive a list of men who have been members of Grace for at least a year and have been chosen by the Leadership Team of our church as qualified candidates for service as deacons.  You will be asked to pray over the list and come the following week to church ready to select as your choices for nomination to serve as Deacons here at Grace.  The men who receive the most nominations will be prayed with, counseled and offered to proceed with their names presented to the church for election.  The church will select 5 men to serve as the Deacon Body here at Grace.

We are not charged with the task of “casting out deacons,” or “raising the dead.”  Our task over the next couple of weeks is to pray about who God is setting apart to serve our church table, to make it a happy place for all you gather here, and keep this place where we eat spiritual food free of crumbs and scraps that disrupt the appetites of our people.   Ask God to show you who He wants to serve this church as a Deacon.