The Keepers of the Memorial

And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
(Jos 4:5-7 KJV)

I find it kind of interesting that the job of passing down the importance of a memorial was not that of the leadership but rather of the parents. The longer I pastor the more I am amazed at the apathy of parents. I have watched husbands and wives allow their children to wear things and to go places that they would personally feel convicted over wearing and doing.

Could it be that we are not passing down the importance of visiting and protecting the memorials that were erected by generations before?

It is like a child taking a Stradivarius out of the case and using the million-dollar instrument to hammer a nail. To him it has no value, and if someone does not explain to him that what he is using for a hammer is a valuable instrumental work of art, he will destroy it without a second thought or any feeling of loss.

It is the job of parents to pass down to their children what is important and what is valuable. This is done through teaching and instructing consistently. Through taking them back to the memorials and the old landmarks and explaining to them why these things are so precious and why they must be defended at all cost.

Many parents want to place this responsibility on the back of the public school, the church or the pastor, but the truth is that God has chosen the parents to teach and train their children. He said:

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

(Deu 6:6-7 KJV)

It is not an easy job, journeying to these memorials, many new roads do not take you by these old landmarks, there are no tour guides, no plaques to elaborate on the importance of this monument, no recognition by society as being a place that needs to be remembered. But these old monuments have a story to tell. They tell of God's provision, God's protection and God's power. They convey the importance of remaining faithful to God and the rewards of faithfulness.

Some would like to tear these memorials down, they say we don’t need these anymore, they say, they are outdated and antiquated. But to those who must cross this way they are hope and help to the tired and worn traveler.

It does not take long to tear down a memorial, but once it is torn down it is impossible to rebuild. Nowhere in scripture is there another instance where the Jordan River opens to allow a nation to pass through, no one else ever had the opportunity to gather stones from its midst. There are some things that must be protected at all cost because they cannot be rebuilt or redesigned. There must be a journey made to these memorials with children in hand, there must be a time of teaching about the importance of this memorial and what it stands for and the power it represents. If this does not happen, the memorial will without a doubt be destroyed and never remembered again. Our sacred landmarks are one generation from extinction and only the parents can protect them

A Unified Church

I then, the prisoner in the Lord, make this request from my heart, that you will see that your behavior is a credit to the position which God's purpose has given you, With all gentle and quiet behavior, taking whatever comes, putting up with one another in love; Taking care to keep the harmony of the Spirit in the yoke of peace.
(Eph 4:1-3 BBE)

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them
(Rom. 16:17 KJV)

One of the greatest tactics of the enemy is to divide and separate the body. He understands that he has the greatest opportunity to destroy is if there is division and disunity. Hell gets great pleasure in watching a body of believers devour itself. We must be vigilant and alert to prevent the enemy from sewing seeds of discord in the midst of the church

If the enemy can cause us to doubt who we are and if he can divide and separate the church, then he can defeat us. But if we stand in faith- faith in God, faith in our brothers and sisters and faith in ourselves, anything is possible!

The way we know we are maturing in Him is in our ability to be unified behind a common purpose. When we have learned to focus our individual abilities to ensure that the kingdom of Heaven continues to expand, then we have really begun to find our place in God. The strength of a church is in its unity, a church that has pure motives and Godly goals will be blessed and flourish. A church that allows the enemy to divide and separate becomes weak and powerless. It all hinges on unity.

The spirit of disunity is like an infectious disease that leaves in its wake innocent people who have become infected because of contact with one who is carrying the disease. But the good news is that disunity is curable! It dies through lack of contact with another individual; it requires a listening ear to survive.

There are some things you and I can do to keep our hearts and minds pure:

1. Don’t allow anybody to turn your ear into a garbage can, God created you for better things than that!

2. Heed the plan of God for dealing with gossip – (1Ti 5:19) Do not take as true any statement made against one in authority, but only if two or three give witness to it.

3. Follow the plan of God for dealing with disunity: (Rom 16:17) Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them

4. Use God’s plan for dealing with offenses (Mat 18:15-17 ) Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Let us search our hearts and turn on the spotlight of God’s Word and make sure that we are not a disunity carrier. The salvation of a city depends on a church working in unity with one purpose and goal and that is to reach for the lost. Together we can make a difference in our neighborhood, in our city, in our state and in our world!

Healing Bruises

It is amazing to watch the mighty hand of God work in the lives of people. People come to God so messed up, confused and broken. They come with confused ideas of who or what God is and the feeling that they have done too much or gone to far for Jesus to love them. They are afraid of rejection and yet at the same time afraid to stay where they are. So they make their way through the myriad of emotions into His house and into His presence.
The first person they meet at Faith Tabernacle is a person who expresses to them how glad they are that they have come. All of a sudden they began to relax a little because they are welcome here. They don't feel rejection like they thought they would, but rather the open arms of a church welcomes them in.
It is so much easier to receive what someone has to say to you if you feel loved and respected by the person giving instruction. Jesus had a way of dealing with people's problems in a manner that even when He spoke about the wrong in their lives they did not become defensive because He spoke with such compassion and love.
People who have been beaten down do not need to know how low they are but rather where they can go from here. The greatest ministry of a church is a ministry of compassion and reconciliation. The ability of a lost soul to find direction and to be encouraged and supported.
The greatest miracles that Jesus did were not the many physical bodies that He touched, but the inner pain and anguish that He, with nail scarred hands, has healed.
Jesus said he came to set at liberty them that are bruised. Bruises are the inner result of outward trauma. Jesus set us free from the internal pain that sin has brought upon us. He heals the internal hurts, that nobody else can reach

Battered, Beaten, But Not Abandoned

2Co 4:8 Troubles are round us on every side, but we are not shut in; things are hard for us, but we see a way out of them; 2Co 4:9 We are cruelly attacked, but not without hope; we are made low, but we are not without help; BBE

Psa 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. KJV

I find that the greatest attack in the minds of many people is the heavy weight of unworthiness. The idea that we will never accomplish anything in life because of who we are and who we are not. The difference between condemnation and conviction is this: Conviction shines a light on what we have done wrong, but lovingly draws us toward the one who can make us right. Condemnation, on the other hand, shines a light on our wrong and pushes us away from the only one who can help us. Adam and Eve compounded their sin when instead of running to Him and asking for forgiveness they ran from God. You need to know that regardless of what wrong we may have committed God will not abandon us. The writer of the Psalms states that His mercy is a far as the east is from the west. That means that it has no end and no beginning. I have watched as people made the journey back to God fearful and afraid that He would not accept them. But not once have I seen God withhold His touch from a sinner crying out to him and expressing to Him their need of His touch on their life. You may be broken but you have not been abandoned by God! Call out to Him

Exercise For The Soul

As I sit at my desk, putting off tasks that were due yesterday, my mind begins to wander. (It has the bad habit of doing that, and then I have to go look for it!)
As Cardiac nurse, I have the joy of watching people recover from what was a near death experience. Many of the patients have the "zipper" down the center of their chest post- bypass surgery. I have noticed something about these who have come through this surgery, they have a different outlook on life. One told me this morning that he is going to go ahead and retire earlier than originally planned, he said there were more important things in life than working that extra year.
Humans have this feeling of invincibleness and when we learn that the very structure of our human being is under attack we feel violated and a little angry. But for most of us, it takes sickness to cause us to began to change our behaviors. We change our behaviours to prevent further problems and to counteract the effects that disease has brought upon us.
I cannot help but see the similarities to our spiritual condition. My pastor in Ky said, "it is crisis that brings us to Christ".
We treat our spiritual health much like our physical, we ignore it until it begins to cry out from the attacks it is enduring. Just as in the physical, we put off seeing someone who can help, we deny we have problems, we try to "doctor" ourselves, but the end result is that our condition worsens.
Finally we come to the realization that if I do not get help I am going to die and we began the search for someone who can cure this spiritual illness. We look for the quick cure all, the shortcut back to immediate good spiritual health but it does not exist. The has to be the application of some principles to start us down the road of spiritual recovery. We have to be willing to listen to someone who can helps us and follow their advice. How many times have I seen people come back to the doctor angry because a medicine did not work only to find out they only took it once or twice. There is no quick fix for the spirit. We have to exercise spiritually: read the Word of God, pray, and seek Godly counsel, these are the prescription for a healthy spirit.
Just as in the natural when you cease to exercise you lose the benefits, it is true of the spirit man as well. To stay healthy we have to keep exercising the soul.

Bob

I am sitting at my desk between patient appointments looking out the window at the beautiful sunshine and one little white cloud lazily floating along. I have been watching for Bob to appear on the bricks outside my window. He usually comes out when the sun is shining. Who is Bob you ask? Bob is a red throated lizard who is, I think, looking for a mate. He comes to the edge of my window and expands his neck to try to attract attention. So far he does not seem to have been successful in his quest. Poor Bob!
They say that we are going to get some pretty severe storms tomorrow, amazing how quick the weather can change! I was thinking how the weather is much like life, everything is perfect and all of a sudden a storm arises, that brings darkness and rain. How quickly life can go from sunny to stormy, all it takes is one phone call, one doctor's report, one letter in the mail box, one visit with the boss and everything changes.
Since we know we cannot change the development of a storm in our life , we have to prepare for how we are going to face the storm. I think God sometimes sends storms into our life just to see how we will react.
The disciples on the Sea of Galilee learned first hand what it is like to face the onslaught of an unexpected storm. The only one on board who knew that a storm was approaching was Jesus and he brought a pillow along for the ride! As God manifested in the flesh I have no doubt He could have stop the storm from ever becoming a reality, but there was a lesson that the disciple needed to learn that could only be taught in a storm.
They were about to learn the importance of not just having the Creator on board but the necessity of also having his attention. I can see Jesus laying back on the pillow with one eye about half open watching them try to battle the storm alone. There is no way He could have been actually sleeping when the boat is nearly full of water. He was just watching and waiting for them to call upon Him. Amazing how long it took the disciples to realize they needed help!
What about you, how are you going to react to the storms, did you know that Jesus is on board? All you have to do is call on His name.
By the way, Bob still has not appeared, maybe he has found a mate!

Go Tell Peter

Go Tell Peter

Simon Peter- A fisherman, a strong burly man. A man of strong opinion, and quicker to act than to listen. More than once his actions as well as his quick speech has gotten him into trouble. He is quick to speak his mind but sometimes he has not thought out what he should say before speaking.

He was brought up to continue his father's business as a fisherman on the lake of Galilee. He and his brother Andrew were partners with Zebedee's sons, John and James, who had "hired servants," which implies a high social status and culture. Peter lived first at Bethesda, then in Capernaum, in a house either his own or his mother-in-law's, large enough to receive Christ and his fellow apostles and some of the multitude who thronged about Him. In his statement, "leaving all to follow Christ," he implies he made a large sacrifice.

His first introduction to Jesus is in Matt 4:18-20
18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Peter made a decision that day to follow Jesus that changed the rest of his life.
Peter was present at many of the great miracles that Jesus performed and was a recipient of at least three. The filling of his boat with fish after they had not been able to catch any, the healing of Peter'’s mother in law and finding the coin in the mouth of a fish that they needed to pay taxes.

He became one of the inner circle that Jesus would take with Him when He needed to get away. He was on the Mount of Transfiguration, at the raising of Jarius daughter, and the garden of Gethsemane. He was the only disciple to walk on water with Jesus.

Peter had the great ability to say the right thing at the right time.
John 6:67-69 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Matt 16:13-17 13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

He also had the knack for saying and doing the wrong thing at the wrong time
Jesus had to rebuke him and called him Satan when he tried to stop Jesus from talking about His eminent death
He was abrupt in his question to Jesus about who had touched Him.
He did not want Jesus to wash his feet.

He developed a devotion to Jesus and a fierce loyalty to Him.
In the Garden of Gethesemene he drew out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priests servant.
There is closeness between Peter and Jesus and a clear indication of how much Jesus cared about Peter.

Peter was dedicated to Jesus
He was willing to fight for Him
He said he was willing to die for Him

But something happened in the life of Peter that turned his world upside down.
His friend, teacher, leader, instructor, was taken to court and falsely accused, those who should have been defending him were the ones bringing charges against Him.

Peter waits for the sign that Jesus is going to reveal himself as the conquering Messiah, but it never occurs. Peter watches him beaten, spit upon, he watches them strip him of His clothes, he watches as they mock Him and call Him King of the Jews. Peter feels the inevitable slipping up on him. They are going to kill Him and he is not going to do anything about it. He is not going to call angels from heaven.

In that moment Peter loses his faith, everything he has trusted in falls apart and with it goes his bravery and his promise that he would never deny his Lord. He becomes afraid to even let a servant girl know that he was associated with Jesus and does everything in his power to disassociate himself from Jesus. Mathew records the sordid details

Matt 26:69-27:1 69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Everything is lost, Peter has denied his Lord when He needed him most

The guilt and condemnation that must have overwhelmed him the feeling of total hopelessness that invaded Peter's heart must have been immense.

What do you do when you have denied what you know to be right? How do you go back and undo what has been done?

But while Peter is dealing with the guilt of having denied Jesus, what He does not know is that Jesus knew he would fail during this time and He has already forgiven him.
What Peter thought was Jesus greatest defeat was actually His greatest victory. Because now mercy had been released and there is forgiveness for sins.

As Jesus prepared to leave the tomb, He pulled on of the angels to the side and said "I want to give you some instructions, when the women come to anoint my body and find me gone instruct them to tell my disciples that I am risen. Oh, one more thing, tell them to tell Peter as well".

What Jesus was doing in singling Peter out was to make sure that he got the message that everything was all right. Jesus could not have said it louder if he had been screaming. "Peter I have forgiven you!"

Never again did Peter deny Jesus in fact He became one of the most outspoken preachers of his day. History says that when they decided to crucify Peter he asked to be hung upside down because he was not worthy to die as his savior did.

No matter what you have done or how much you feel you have denied Jesus, He is still calling, saying let them know that I am alive and I love them.