My wife and I are planning a special thanksgiving service.It is going to be a time of celebrating who we are in Christ.Because of this I took a hiatus on Matthew and am in Ephesians.
Wow chapter one is an amazing read about who we are in Christ and what he has done for us.Jesus purchased our freedom with his blood.Jesus left heaven and came to earth to purchase my freedom.Not only did he purchase my freedom.I am adopted into his family.How amazing.I am not adopted I grew up with my biological parents.They were great parents. When you get adopted you are chosen by people and then place into their family.God chose to place me into his family.Then God gives me the Holy Spirit as a down payment that I will get an inheritance.One I am not a natural born son of God. I am adopted in.I am thankful for that.Not only do I get to be a part of Gods family, I get an inheritance.I love when I get stuff I do not deserve.I get freedom.I get a new family and an inheritance. Wow, GOD IS SO GOOD TO ME!!!!
While putting my oldest daughter to bed tonight, I gave her a long hug.I felt this rush of happy emotions run through my body.I thought to myself this is how God feels when we take the time to hug him, when we take the time to sit in his presence.Then I went and read Matthew 23 where Jesus just rips the religious leaders a new one.He lights into them.I would not have wanted to be one of the guys Jesus is calling on the carpet.But then I thought to myself, am I one of them.Am I a modern day Pharisee.Am I a cup that is clean on the outside and filthy on the inside?Am I someone who expects people to do things that I am not willing to do?Do I have the same apathy that I see in some of my students?Am I a good example of who I want my students to become?I am not sure that I am.I know I am filthy on the inside.Any honest person knows that about themselves.But do I consider myself better than others when in all actuality I am not.These are great reflection questions that I think any Christian leader needs to think about.The thing that Jesus wants us to be as leaders is servants.Am I a willing servant?Would I do things even if no one noticed?I pray that I am a servant.I pray that I strive to be someone my students can look up to.I pray that I can model a relationship with Jesus that is intimate.I know I need work.I just hope that I am real and not a hypocrite.
When I prepare a lesson, I often think of what would wow my students.I want to be like Nathan when he tells David the story about the lamb and catches David off guard.Then David responds with repentance.How awesome would that be, to be able to wow people with a lesson.I want to be remembered as a good teacher.I want to be remembered as a pastor that made people think.
As I read Matthew today Jesus was astounding people left and right.People were amazed with His teaching.He even wowed the Sadducees.He made them sorry they asked a question.Then Jesus asks the Sadducees and the Pharisees a question and they could not answer it.They come to Jesus and try and trip Him up and they themselves got tripped up.Oh, what a great day that would have been.
The problem is that is not what the passage is about.Woven throughout the chapter is Jesus saying give everything that is God’s to God.Then He goes into the great commandment (Love the lord your God with all your heart soul, mind and strength and love you neighbor as yourself).
What is God’s?Everything is His.Your heart, his!Your mind, His!Your strength, His!All that you are is His.I should not want to wow people with my clever speech.I should want to wow my God with my love for Him.That should be my desire.He should be all my desire.I think to often I believe when I put a lesson together that it is my persuasive speech that is going to make a difference.Instead I should see that it is God working in me that is going to make a difference, because I am surrendering my mind, soul and strength to Him.
Have I given Him all that I am, or do I want to keep some of me for me?
My wife and I are at a pastors and wives retreat.The speaker’s main focus is on biblical success.He comes across as a storyteller with some good points.Here are some of his good points.I am going to reorder them because I think they should be in a more specific order (I listened to the sessions, but my friend Neil took the notes. These are from his notes).
In order to be biblically successful you need to:
Love God
This is the greatest commandment.
You can be a pastor of a large church and still not love God
Do you love God with all that you are or do you love the ministry more than the giver of the ministry?
Be Faithful:
We are not called to be successful but to be faithful
We need to know what faithful is so we know the new definition of success (This means knowing the word of God)
Every one can be singing your praises but that does not mean that you are a success in God's eyes (This one hit me)
Faithful is obedience in God's eyes
Serve Others:
No success without a servants heart
Jesus came to serve.
We cannot have a I deserve something mentality.
There is no success without:
Faith
Believe what you believe!!!!
God will not take pleasure in our accomplishments or the things we do, or who we become with out faith
Prayer
You must sharpen your ax!
i.We must sharpen our skills!
ii.Prayer- prayer is the key to staying sharp!
Prayer is a struggle but…
i.You can do more after you pray than you couldn’t do before you prayed.
We have an endless need for God and Prayer is what supply that need.
Like old film.The longer we exposed to God in prayer (in His presence) the more that He is impressed on us.
Prayer is surrender in cooperation with the will!
i.Prayer is a must for success because it molds us to God
ii.Prayer brings power (massive power) into ministry - prayer partners for kids
iii.We must pray because Jesus prayed
Holiness
God calls us to be Holy.This call is especially strong in the light of purity and sensuality.
When a brother falls from a lack of Holiness it is heart breaking.
Holiness is not easy at all, but it is within reach!
Attitude
Even in ministry Attitude is everything
Two extremely harmful attitudes in ministry:
i.Negativism
ii.Jealousy - I've really got to look at this one… actually I struggle with both of these
Remember to God be the glory!
Paul didn’t care how Jesus was being preached, just that he was being preached.
We are not meant to bear the worldly weight of what they call success- God's yoke is so much lighter and better.
We need to have a positive attitude
I was hit by prayer and attitude. I can be a doer without sharpening my ax.I need to focus on prayer in my life.I also need to make sure I do not have a attitude of entitlement.I need to have an attitude of a servant.This is not about me.It is about bringing glory to God!!!!!
It is funny how you get new insights when you read something that you have read many times.I am reading through Matthew now.Tonight I was reading Matthew 21.In there is the story about the two sons.The father looks at the one son and says go to work in the vineyard, and he says no.But he later goes and does the work.The other son was told to go to the vineyard and he told his dad yes, but never went.Which one of these two sons am I?When God shows me something I need to change or do, do I do it?Or, am I like the kid who says Dad I will clean my room and doesn’t do it.My wife would say that I am good at saying I am going to do something, but then I never get to it.This comes down to self control and intentionality.Two things that I need to work on.I need to be intentional about doing the things I know God wants me to do.I need to have self control in the things that God doesn’t want me to do.
I love when the bible comes alive and speaks to me.I love when I am being challenged.Most times the reason I am not is because I do not take the time to think about what I read or I just don’t spend the time I need to in the word of God.
