The Comfortable Church..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Comfortable Church

Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 28:16-20

I think it’s fairly evident that the society we live in is very self-centered, and this same characteristic can be present in a church. Whenever a local body of believers develops an inward focus, its fruitfulness in ministry begins to decrease, and each member’s Christian walk is hindered.

Many believers want their church to be cozy and comfortable. They come to listen to a nice sermon, fellowship with friends, and have their needs met. But Godnever intended for the gathering of His people to be like a country club; He calls us to join an army that will bring the gospel into enemy territory.

An effective church—one that poses a real threat to the Enemy—is a body of discipled people who have been taught the truth of Scripture, trained for service, and helped to mature spiritually. But all this is accomplished for the purpose of going out into the world, not for becoming a self-contained sanctuary of Christian comfort.

The urgency of the Lord’s command and the desperate condition of humanity should motivate us to leave the safety of our Christian fellowships and deliver the message of salvation through Jesus. To avoid this responsibility is to miss the Father’s plan for your life and the opportunity to help build His kingdom.

None of us want to waste time or energy on trivial things and thereby miss the exciting fulfillment of God’s will. He has called us, not to a life of comfortable tradition, but to an adventure of obedience. Answer His call—you’ll help fill His kingdom with people from every tribe and nation.

The Parable of the Lamp on a Stand ..... Craig Denison

 The Parable of the Lamp on a Stand

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Jesus loved to use stories to illustrate profound, life-transforming concepts. He loved to use real and genuine settings, characters, and ideas that apply to all of us to reveal God’s heart of pursuit and love. This week we’re going to spend time allowing the parables of Jesus to speak directly to our situations, mindsets, and core beliefs about who God is. Open your heart and mind to be transformed by the powerful and captivating stories of Jesus.

Scripture:“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15

Devotional:

Reading Matthew 5:14-15 used to stress me out. Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” How can we with all our mistakes, misgivings, and failures be “the light of the world?” How could God in all his wisdom choose to use us to reveal Jesus, the only hope of eternal salvation, to a lost and dying world?

As I grow in my knowledge of God’s heart, I grow in the revelation of his desire to use me. Passages like Matthew 5:14-15 used to focus my attention on my own sin and darkness rather than God’s grace and love. But faithfully in his love, he guides my thoughts to what matters: the overwhelming reality of the Holy Spirit transforming me into the image of the God who created me.Today, let’s allow the Spirit and the word to transform the way we view ourselves and how God in his infinite wisdom would use us to change the world.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” At salvation your identity changed. You are now “created in Christ Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” You are a new creation not by your own doing, but by the powerful finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross. At salvation your sins were wiped away, cast off as far as the east is from the west. Such was the transformation that took place in your heart at salvation that you could be filled with God himself. Jesus says in John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” God himself “dwells with you” and through salvation now lives inside you.

Passages like the parable of the lamp on a stand used to stress me out because I didn’t understand what God wanted to reveal through me to the world. I used to think God wanted to reveal perfection in me, that I had to act perfectly to demonstrate Christ. What I didn’t realize is that the greatest revelation I could give a broken and needy world is that God, through the immeasurable depth of his love, meets me in my brokenness and continually makes me whole. I realized that God, only by his grace, is taking what was lost, weak, selfish, and lonely and is filling me with unimaginable love and security through restored relationship with him. God doesn’t want you to reveal perfection. He wants to reveal the fact that in your imperfection he has loved you from the beginning with an everlasting love.

Because you are weak and in need of God, you are the absolute best person to lead others to Jesus. If you act like you have everything together, as if nothing is wrong, then those distant from God will have no reason to believe God desires relationship with them. But in revealing your imperfection, in being honest and real with those around you, you will offer hope to a world that has none. You will reveal the core of the gospel: that God has incredible works prepared for those who simply come to him in need and cry out for his help. In your imperfection you are a perfect example of Jesus’ love that comes only by grace.

God desires to shine the light of his love through you today in powerful ways. He longs to reveal to others how deeply he has loved you in his grace. He has incredible plans in store for you if you will simply be real with a world that desperately needs relationship with their Creator. Have the courage to be yourself and to be honest and vulnerable. Honesty is all your heavenly Father asks of you. In your honesty, God will reveal a greater love than this world has ever known. In the reality of who you are, God will shine forth hope, guiding those who are lost to the safe shores of restored relationship with him. May you find peace in the fact that God longs to use you exactly as you are. May you find purpose in the works he has set before you to do. And may you find joy in the revelation of God’s immeasurable love poured out on you through his grace.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the depth of God’s love for you. In your sin and need of him he continually shows you grace, gives you his presence, and offers you joy for your mourning.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” Psalm 30:11

2. Now ask the Spirit to reveal God’s desire to use you today. Allow God to shift the way you see yourself. Allow him to ignite in you a passion to see those who are distant from God come to the revelation of his grace and love for them.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

3. Ask God to fill you with the grace to be courageous and honest. Ask for the strength to be real and vulnerable with others.

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” James 4:6

One of the most transformative parts of living in relationship with our heavenly Father is the freedom from having to act around others. You are fully loved, liked, and enjoyed just as you are. So great was God’s desire for relationship with you that he sent his only Son to die for you. There is a new peace available to you as you live in the freedom to be fully yourself. Rest in the fact that the Creator of the universe loves and likes you. You have no reason to act. May you find security today as the love of your heavenly Father lays a sure foundation for you to live honestly and courageously.

Extended Reading: Psalm 30

Avoiding the Comparison Trap ..... KIA STEPHENS

 Avoiding the Comparison Trap

KIA STEPHENS

“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’” Genesis 30:1 (NIV)

It began with a seemingly harmless perusal of a friend's photo on Instagram.

What a cute picture of her and her husband, I thought.

My husband and I need to take some pictures together too.

I tapped the little heart on the screen and scrolled down.

Then there was a birth announcement, followed by another tap and more scrolling.

Next came a new house, a foodie picture, a birthday photo, a family pic and an endless supply of “perfect” images. Initially, I planned to simply post one picture and then jump right off of social media.

Unfortunately, one post turned into one hour of mindless tapping, scrolling and comparison of my life with the picture-perfect lives of others. I had been sucked into the social media black hole again, obsessing over people and their lives instead of focusing on the life God has given me.

I think this happened to Rachel too — a woman we meet in Genesis. She found herself in a challenging polygamous relationship with her husband Jacob and her sister Leah. Polygamous relationships were more common at that time in history than they are now, but nowhere in the Bible are they mentioned positively.

Polygamous marriages were not God’s original design for marriage, and as we see in the story of Rachel and Leah, they had unpleasant consequences. Although Jacob worked seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage, when the time came to join in holy matrimony, Laban, her father, gave him Leah instead.

When Jacob discovered he married the wrong woman, he vehemently confronted Laban about his deception. Consequently, Laban agreed to give him Rachel in exchange for seven more years of labor. This created a contentious situation where Rachel was loved and valued, and Leah was not. Out of compassion for Leah, God opened her womb. However, Rachel was unable to have children.

Rachel’s struggle with infertility was exacerbated by having a front-row seat to her sister’s pregnancies, births and eventually the pitter-patter of little feet. By examining Rachel’s comments in Genesis 30:1, we can see the toll this took on her: “When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’”

These are intense words, but jealousy, envy and comparison can produce intense emotions in all of us. While Rachel’s feelings were natural, normal and even justified, her comparison struggle ultimately robbed her.

Rachel’s words in our key verse indicate that what she fixated on impacted her attitude. Her jealousy was directly influenced by her vision. Rachel didn’t see that her focus needed to be on God instead of on Leah or Jacob.

Unfortunately, jealousy and comparison caused her to spend years competing with her sister. She lost a lot of time that could have been spent enjoying the life she had been given by God.

However, Leah’s life was far from perfect, despite how it looked from Rachel’s perspective. Leah’s children came from a loveless marriage. Though blessed with children, Leah had to live knowing she was not her husband’s first choice. In that way, she experienced life in Rachel’s shadow.

This is true for us when we fixate on the lives of other people — we are unable to see the pain that is often shielded from public view, hidden deep in someone’s heart. At some point in our lives, we will all walk through relational struggles, traumatic experiences, financial trouble and unbearable loss. Although it is human to look at other people and form assumptions about their lives, we must realize no life is without difficulty.

Jesus is our antidote for comparison and jealousy. Fixing our gaze on Him helps us surrender to the reality that our life does not belong to us. Our lives belong to God, and He uses both joy and sorrow to paint a beautiful picture of who He is to humanity. He is the God of both our picture-perfect moments and our most painful moments. Focusing on Him strengthens us to live the life we have been given rather than getting tangled up in the comparison trap.

Dear God, thank You for the life You have given me. As I experience both joy and pain, help me to fix my gaze on Jesus and not on the lives of others. Help me to trust and believe You are crafting a beautiful life for me that will magnify who You are. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Hebrews 12:2, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (NIV)

God Cares about All Our Needs (Matthew 11:28-30)..... By: Anne Peterson

 God Cares about All Our Needs (Matthew 11:28-30)

By: Anne Peterson

Today’s Bible Verse: 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30

My aunt had just asked me to move out. I felt as if the whole world was on my shoulders. Where would I move? I didn’t drive, I had no car. I’d have to find a place that was close to work in my small suburb.

When the circumstances in our lives change, sometimes things feel out of control. Life’s stresses can weigh us down, but even then, we have someone we can turn to.

And so, I asked my Bible class to pray for me. I just kept praying, knowing God was aware of my situation. I’d go to God, and even though I didn’t know how things would work out, I knew God was more than able to help me, just as he had in the past. Instead of sitting and worrying about things, I could put my trust in God and lean on him. As I learned about God’s character, I found the rest I needed.

When our difficult circumstances remain unchanged, but we’re no longer anxious, we know God is helping us trust in him. Our outward situation hasn’t changed, but our perspective has.

I thought about one of my favorite hymns, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. It was written by Helen Howarth Lemmel, inspired by a tract by Isabella Lilias Trotter. My favorite part is the chorus:
 
Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
in the light of his glory and grace.

The more I thought about how mighty God was, the smaller my problems became. Paul tells us God will meet all our needs, according to his riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).

One day at work, I thought of a friend who might be able to put me up for a while, so I called her. “It might be a little crowded,” she said. “But you’re more than welcome.”

Hanging up the phone, I glanced at the bulletin board next to it, seeing a handwritten index card:

Room for rent: for working girl or gentleman. Must have good references.

I immediately called the number listed and made an appointment to see the place. Mrs. Shannon and her husband were so nice, and the place was perfect. It was walking distance from my job and it even had a little table that I had pictured placing a pink telephone on.

After a friend helped me move, I sat on a bedside chair and decided I would rest a few minutes, freshen up and then go to Bible study. Then it hit me. I had no towels!

I turned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why didn’t you remind me about towels while I was at the store?” Just then, there was a soft rap at my door.

“I forgot to give you these,” Mrs. Shannon said, as she handed me a large stack of freshly washed, neatly folded towels.

“And when you’re finished with them, just throw them in the hamper.”

I thanked her and gently closed the door.

“Sorry Lord, I should have known you knew all about what I needed. Thank you.”

Days later, I asked Mrs. Shannon how long the room had been vacant.

“Oh, I just put up the card the very day you called,” she said.

Yes, God cares about our cares, even little ones, like towels.

His Outstretched Hand

I don’t know what tomorrow holds,
or what I’ll have to face,
But I know God is well aware
and he will give me grace.

And when I start to worry,
or I just don’t understand.
I’ll call upon my Jesus
as I take his outstretched hand.

Altar-Call Christians? ..... by Debbie Holloway

 Altar-Call Christians?

by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Contributor

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (John 14:23-24).

I’ve watched a lot of altar-calls in my day. The church in which I grew up routinely had altar-calls at the end of Sunday morning services. “If you’ve never asked Jesus into your heart, and you want to now, raise your hand. Come to the front. Pray this prayer…” Granted, not every church and every denomination does the whole altar-call thing. But it’s a pretty recognizable event in the land of “Christianese.”

And it’s not baseless. After all, Paul wrote to the Romans:

"If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

And,

"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame’" (Romans 10-11).

But I wonder sometimes if we grasp those verses a little too tightly, and forget about the kind of life that Jesus was calling us to live. Are we living like Christians – like those “belonging to Christ” or “members of Christ’s household” – or are we simply living like people who prayed the Sinner’s Prayer that one time?

Take a look at a few of these verses:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person” (Matthew 5:38-39).

Altar-Call Christians?
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Contributor

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (John 14:23-24).

I’ve watched a lot of altar-calls in my day. The church in which I grew up routinely had altar-calls at the end of Sunday morning services. “If you’ve never asked Jesus into your heart, and you want to now, raise your hand. Come to the front. Pray this prayer…” Granted, not every church and every denomination does the whole altar-call thing. But it’s a pretty recognizable event in the land of “Christianese.”

And it’s not baseless. After all, Paul wrote to the Romans:

"If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

And,

"For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame’" (Romans 10-11).

But I wonder sometimes if we grasp those verses a little too tightly, and forget about the kind of life that Jesus was calling us to live. Are we living like Christians – like those “belonging to Christ” or “members of Christ’s household” – or are we simply living like people who prayed the Sinner’s Prayer that one time?

Take a look at a few of these verses:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'  But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person” (Matthew 5:38-39

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matthew 6:25).

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (John 3:20-21).

Jesus said those things. Jesus said to follow him. To give, make peace, feed the poor, and endlessly love.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Ask yourself… Are you walking in the footsteps of Jesus? Are you walking in the light? Or are you just someone who said the Sinner’s Prayer one time, long ago?

Further Reading

John 14

A Prayer for Those Caught in the Gossip Trap..... By Meg Bucher

 A Prayer for Those Caught in the Gossip Trap

By Meg Bucher

The fibers in my stomach began to fly off with my lunch as mud slung out of my smartphone speaker. For seven years, I had tried to find the good and lend an understanding nod, until God revealed my agreeability made me guilty of conspiracy. Afraid to come across as judgmental, I refused to weigh in directly.

Confidence at a high volume lofted a convincing argument on dishonesty’s behalf, and a strangling hold on the hand of truth that threatened to lurch out of my stomach. I always found something positive to say about the person in vocal peril, but ran the risk of being directly associated with the entirety of the conversation.

 “Stay away from ungodly babbling because it will only lead deeper into a godless lifestyle.” 2 Timothy 2:16 (VOICE)

Through the Holy Spirit abides in every Christian heart, and the uneasinesses I felt was a warning for me to evacuate that phone call. God is the protector of our hearts, alerting us to falsities that attempt to crack through the surface.

What is“ungodly babbling?” Paul warned of false teachers, whose grand assumptions illuminated a lack of knowledge. In 1 Timothy 1:4, he warns, “Tell them to turn away from fables and endless genealogies. These activities just cause more arguments and confusion.”

Gossip operates on opinion. Faith is fueled by fact.

“Once these empty voices start to speak, Timothy, they infect and spread; and soon the body is consumed with its cancer.” 2 Timothy 2:17 (VOICE)

The more we entertain gossip, the more likely we are to consider it. Aiming to operate in peace with someone by allowing them air out their opinion puts our hearts at risk for misaligned empathy.

“Instead, they should concern themselves with welcoming in and bringing about the reign of God, which is all about faith. “ 1 Timothy 1:4b

Looking back, I had made room in my schedule to take that phone call, and it cost me. No one can force an ear-full of gossip upon us, yet we often let a guilt-filled, “good friend,” status overcome our urge to hit“Ignore.” When we pray for God to redirect the way we spend our time, He is faithful to answer.

“Our teaching about this journey is intended to bring us to a single destination—a place where self-giving love reigns from a pure heart, a clean conscience, and a genuine faith. “ 1 Timothy 1:5 (VOICE)

When our minds are full of things we wish we didn’t know about people, it threatens to taint our view of them. Christian life aims to see the God-placed strand good in everyone.

Gossip is rooted in lies or twisted truths. Even honest reporting has an undermined intention to throw its victim under the bus. It’s deceitful, and one of the devil's favorite tools. Lying is his specialty, and he aims to “kill, steal, and destroy.” (John 10:10) A stolen, destroyed, or annihilated reputation can emotionally destroy a person. We are to have nothing to do with those conversations(2Timothy 3:5b).

Those who fall into a pattern of speech that isn’t rooted in the truth tend to be most convinced that they know what they are talking about. Don’t be fooled. Motivated by a need to feed insecurity, their confidence is rooted in opinions.

A conversation that is focused on negative attributes and hearsay is never worth the time it takes to entertain. A godly friend will understand why we can’t go there with them, and hold us accountable, too!

Father,

Praise You for godly friends who hold us accountable. Thank You for illuminating the deceitful power of gossip, that we all entertain within earshot daily.

Forgive us for listening to it instead of walking away. We confess that often we don’t speak up out of fear of rejection, and pray that you help us to have the courage to honor others with kind words when their character is being publicly slain.

Bless and heal those who have been mangled by gossip, and others enslaved by its addictive habit. Heal our insecurities, and help us learn to turn to you for affirmation. Make us busy serving others in love to give You glory, instead of sitting in circles of babble and participating in chatter-filled phone calls. Empower us with Your Holy Spirit to head Your warnings, and steer our conversations with Your love.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.