The Last One

Dear friends and followers of "The Open Mike",

I am setting a new course of action and resolution to blog more often in this next year. There is a certain accountability to publishing that I miss. So, for the next year, I am endeavoring to blog at least three times a week, using the Bible reading schedule, books, articles, conversations, other blogs, etc. as fodder. I am switching the focus over to the new blog, "The Pastor's TABlet" and attempting to connect with the people of Ithaca. Look for more production in 2010. I hope you will join in on the conversations and the journey! :)

Thanks, Mike

Good Mourning

(Enter weekend weary worker)

Co-worker: (obviously a morning person) Good morning!

Weary Worker: yeah I guess, whatever... is the coffee on?

When you hear this greeting, today, think "good mourning". Mourning is rarely thought of as good. (although we use the phrases "good grief" and "Good Friday") John MacArthur sparked me this am with his devotional thoughts surrounding this verse in the beattitudes:

"Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted." Matt 5:4

The fact that God does comfort his weeping, sad, grieving children is very reassuring. It is a truth very clearly communicated in other passages (see Ps 23:4, 119:50; 2 Cor. 1:3-7). God loves to wrap His arms around us and hold us like a parent.

But the truth of the beattitudes is that there is comfort following repentance. When we are broken to the point of grieving over sin, He delights in resting and repairning our spirits. He "comforts us" or "restores us". According to Jesus, He blesses us. Blessedness is a function of completion or wholeness. He puts us back together or brings us back to spiritual health. The healer (Jehovah-Rapha) has brought peace again (Jehovah-Shaloam).

John MacArthur summarized this truth well when he said "When your sins are forgiven, you are a happy person." Grief and mourning over sin comes first, then repentance, then forgiveness and then restoration. The relief that comes from being forgiven is huge! The comfort that comes from being restored to fellowship is even huger... more huge... more better!

Once we have experienced that kind of relief, we then should become ambassadors of healing -- medicine men and women that bind up the wounds of people with forgiveness. (see Isaiah 1:5-6 to see what unforgiveness looks like before God). The world around us is chasing after "life, liberty and happiness". We, who have found it, owe it to others, who have not, to show them that real blessedness -- happiness at their soul level -- comes from Christ and forgiveness of sins.

Spread some salve, bind some wounds,

find spiritual health, get/give forgiveness

Mike

Authority Brings Accountability

Ever been witnessing, proclaiming the good news of Christ to a friend, relative, neighbor or associate and have them respond violently to this claim of Christ as the Son of God? There is a good reason for this response. While the person may not articulate it in this way, it is ultimately a refusal to accept the authority of Christ on their life because of the connected and resultant accountability. They refuse to accept Jesus because He commands their obedience.

Luke 20:1-8 tells about an encounter that Jesus had like this with the "spiritual leaders" of His day. As He was teaching and preaching the gospel, they questioned His authority. In other words, they wondered, "Who does this guy think that he is? He can't tell us that we are wrong! He can't tell us that we are going to hell!" They began to ask Jesus questions about His right to say these things with authority.

The answer to these questions is obvious to us as believers. This issue of "who is Jesus" is the entry point to a relationship of discipleship that many of us have already addressed and settled. These leaders had not settled it! Jesus asks them about John, the Baptizer, and his authority. Jesus was claiming that He and John were on the same team and sent by the same authority. The leaders discussed and reasoned amongst themselves (in a huddle?) their answer to Jesus' pointed questions.

Their discussions revealed that they were more concerned about being stoned than getting the right answer. Their fear of men controlled their thinking. They were lost in their sin. They couldn't see past their own security and position. They refused to bend to a higher authority and become accountable to God (as Jesus and John had done). The threat of dying for what they believed (that John was a man on his own agenda) drove them to give an angry non-answer. They tried to refuse submitting to God's/Jesus's authority (a futile effort).

Jesus is the exact bodily representative of the Father, obediently doing the Father's business with all of the Father's authority and power. We must acknowledge and submit to the authority of God in our lives. Our lost friends need to hear and believe these truths too -- else they too will perish.

I am committed to following Christ's example,

to submitting to the authority that He has,

to obeying what He has instructed me to do,

to teaching the truth,

to preaching the good news,

to being accountable for my actions to One who higher than I.

To Him be all the glory,

Mike

A House of Desolation

It has been a whole month since the last post -- sorry to those who are faithful at checking the open mike! I have been reading through the gospel of Luke at a snail's pace, just stopping and sniffing at each flower. Sometimes, I might think through a passage for days before moving on to the next one. This meditative meandering has proven very refreshing to me. In a world that demands that I run full-tilt for six days out of seven, I love the slower, more deliberate pace.

Today's rumination on the Word brought me to the spot where Jesus is lamenting about Jerusalem and its not so stellar track record with the prophets. Jesus is bummed (is that a Biblical word?) about how Jerusalem has ignored His frequent attempts to bring them close and into his protective custody. Instead of being embraced by God, they have stiff-armed Him and killed His loved ones. Jesus must now proclaim over them "desolate house". The emptiness of those who are without Christ ought to sadden us too. To continually reject and ignore the advances of a loving Christ is spiritually arrogant.

1. Do you have friends who have constantly, and sometimes violently, refused to hear truth about Jesus? Does it break your heart? Weep with Jesus over the lost ones who refuse to be found.
2. Have you made the offer of refuge under the protection of Jesus to people this week? Have you made the offer known? Or is it a secret?
3. Can we make a practice of praying over our city for Christ? Is this a passage that suggests such an action for today?

I rejoice in the fact that God has the planning all worked out for us. We must trust Him to leave us here as long as the goal is unfulfilled. We journey here today and tomorrow and the next day! After that, only God knows.

in Wyoming, working the work,
Mike

The unforgivevable sin

Is there a sin that you are dealing with today? Part of the Word of Life Quiet Time Manual suggests that this is one the possible applications that may be had from any passage.

S-sin that I need to confess, repent of
P-promise that I can embrace today
E-example that I need to follow or not follow
C-command that I need to obey
T-thanksgiving or praise that I need to give to God

Today in my QT, I read Luke 11, where Jesus tells the disciples, "You can say some pretty nasty stuff against the Son of Man (Jesus), and you will be forgiven for that; but don't talk bad about the Spirit -- that's blasphemy! because that will never be forgiven." (this is a Parisphrase)
The unforgiveable sin is blasphemy against the Spirit. That is the only one! Blasphemy against the Spirit is a rejection of His power or a disregard for His work. Part of Hs work is conviction of sin. Therefore, the only unforgiveable sin is to reject the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your life. I believe Jesus is also not talking about all of the times that we blow through HS stop signs. He is talking about the future before the angels in this passage. I believe Jesus is saying that a rejection of the HS here sets you up for judgment there. SO, do not blaspheme and if you do, confess it quickly!

Listening to the HS,
Mike

City of Refuge

Here are the review notes from the message that I preached yesterday morning from Joshua 20:

Five statements that define a "city of refuge":

1. A place established according to the Word of God. (20:1-2; cf. Num. 35:6-34)

* Our goals, purposes and agendas must be Biblical and aligned to the Word.

* Ministry to people must be our priority.

2. A place to come when there is trouble in your life. (20:3-4)

* Our church must be accessible and open to all who need to come.

* Our reputation “on the street” should be positive.

3. A place where someone will listen and give Biblical advice. (20:4-6)

* Our counsel must be Biblical.

* All sin must end with us.

* Godly resolution, reconciliation and restoration must be part of our vocabulary.

4. A place filled with people who have a “rescue” story. (20:6)

* The miracle of escape from the avenger must be proclaimed often.

* Our own rescue should make us more willing to be “bound” to this ministry.

5. A place networked with others built on the same principles. (20:7-9)

* Our congregation should be strategically located.

* Our congregation should be well named and true to its calling.

Conclusion:
Wyoming Baptist Church must be a place where broken people can find refuge and rescue from their life of running.

So,

1. What are we willing to pay to be this kind of church? It will cost us to minister to hurting people! (Think beyond finances)

2. What might happen (positively) if we gave all to this kind of position in the community?

3. How does Luke 11:41 (from the Sunday PM service) fit with this concept of "city of refuge"?

4. Are we willing to do whatever God calls us to do even if we are criticized by others? by brothers? Are we ready to embrace the socially active aspects of the faith that we claim/proclaim?

5. If you could rename our church, what would the name to live by be? Would you include the name Baptist?

I want to offer a place of refuge to a running world,

Mike

Harvest Sunday 08

We just participated in "Harvest Sunday" last night. At the invitation of my friend Jim and Central Baptist Church, I was able to bring the Biblical challenge from the book of Ezra. It was a great joy to see people respond to the truth of God's Word and to be responsive to the call of God on their lives. Many of the people that came forward last night are simply saying I am here and available. This decision is a huge step in the process. To be willing to do "whatever" for the glory of God is incredibly freeing!

Here is the outline of the message that I shared last night:

Any great spiritual awakening results from God’s initiative:
1. He is revealing His character
trustworthiness (1:1)
sovereignty (1:2)
presence/immanence (1:3)
patience, longsuffering (1:4)
2. He is building our character (the backdrop of the exile)
3. He is equipping us to do His will (1:4-7)
4. He is stirring our spirit, inviting us to respond (1:1, 5)

All great spiritual harvests are the result of a response to God’s initiative:
1. Discover and delight in His character
a. worshiping Him
i. re-establishing the sacrificial system (3:1-7) and festivals (6:19)
ii. rejoicing over successes (3:11; 6:22)
b. proclaiming that knowledge to others –
i. Ezra made it his “job” to tell others about God (7:10)
ii. How does Cyrus know what he does about God? Perhaps by Ezra’s ministry to him? (7:27-28)
2. Appreciate His ongoing, intentional work in our lives
a. acknowledging His righteousness and justice (9:5-15)
b. growing through it (6:19-22; 10:1-3)
3. Move forward in His revealed will (both general and specific)
what He has shown us and equipped us to do (2:1; 3:8; 6:15; 7:21, 23)
4. Invite others to do the same (7:28)

So ....

1. Is God stirring your spirit today?
2. Are you awake now? How will you stay spiritually awake?
3. Will you respond to His gracious initiatives?
4. What has God uniquely outfitted and called you to do today?
5. Will you go make a difference in His field?

I am ready, here I am,

Mike

A Word from Tozer

To celebrate the dawning of the 3rd century of posts (this is #201), I went to AW Tozer's classic The Pursuit of God and thumbed through some of my underlinings. As I prepare for services tomorrow, this one is a true nugget:

"Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. Without it no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition may be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in a personal experience they are not better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge fo God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."

AW Tozer, Pursuit of God, p. 10

Enjoy your day at worship tomorrow, but not more than your enjoyment of a personal intimacy that is growing in a healthy, relevant manner with the focus of your worship, God Himself.

Pursuing God,

Mike

Changes: A potential sermon outline

This is the 200th post at the Open Mike. There is really no need to send cards of congratulations -- just post a comment! :) I trust that this short and sweet post will remind you to always be listening for great ideas and to always read for application (supported of course by good observation and interpretation).

I was listening as one of our leaders taught during the Sr Hi YG last Wednesday. It struck me that she had shared some pretty fascinating insights about the Holy Spirit and His involvement in us to bring about change. Here is the rough outline boullion for a sermon or at least a devotional:

Spiritual changes (individual or corporate) are...

a. part of God's training program --> Trust Him!

b. perfected by God's power and in His perfect timing --> Wait for it!

c. perfect God's people and "team" --> Embrace it!

These thoughts come rather roughly through the verses of Acts 1:1-8. They surround a much more major milestone than 200 blog posts; they are connected to the birth of the church. I hope that God is catching your attention through His Word, His Spirit, His people/church, and His world.

Changing, or rather being changed,

Mike

Your Lights Are On

Have you ever said this to a fellow shopper as they head off for the market: "Hey your lights are on!" You expect that they will turn and thank you for this courtesy and thoughtfulness. After all, you have just saved them the embarrassment of coming out to a dead battery and a car that is useless. However, the modern auto-maker has turned this common guesture of good will to wards your fellow man into a reverse embarrassment. They have designed cars to turn off their own lights. This causes the more sophisticated car owner to snort in reply (without so much as a glance towards you) "They turn themselves off". This slight leaves you stammering some incoherent apology and an internal promise to never warn anyone of their impending doom again!

Jesus told a parable in Luke 11 about a lamp. Not the car kind -- the house kind. I imagine that either the lamps were being lit nearby or that this was so common an illustration that everyone got the points He was stressing. These lamps were the kind used for lighting the houses of the neighborhood. They were not electric switched kind; they were oil burning match lit kind. Jesus made these points about leaving the lights on:

1. If the lights were lit, you wouldn't think of hiding them or their radiance. Instead you would elevate them in a prominent location so that they would help people to see as they entered your house. (v.33)
2. If your eyes are messed up, it really doesn't matter whether there is good light or not. The solution is not to curse the darkness or ignore the fact that you can't see. the solution is to cure the eye and allow the light to penetrate your body. (v.34)
3. If the lights are not on, or if you haven't allowed them inside the house, it's no use pretending that they are. (v.35)
4. If the lights are on inside, every nook and cranny of the room will be lit up for all to see. Anyone coming inside will immediately be bathed in the light. (v.36)

I believe that Jesus is picking up the illustration of the body being like a house that he employed in vv.21-26. His analogy was that the eye (I believe the spiritual eye) that allowed the light to come into the life of the everyman. Certainly Jesus had demonstrated that spiritual blindness was just as crippling as physical blindness and that He could cure both! Jesus was challenging the crowd that wanted more light (ie a sign or a signal). Jesus was contending that more light was not the issue -- their lamps were clouded, broken, and "bad". They couldn't see who Jesus was because they were blind. Some were even "blind" beacuse they had their eyes shut tightly against the truth. Jesus was not hiding the light from them -- that wouldn't make any sense. Instead He was putting the gospel on a lampstand so that everyone could see better as they entered into His sphere of influence. Here's what I think he was saying to me (and every believer):

1. Hide it under a basket? NO! "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (v.33)
2. Ask for cured, restored, renewed, or focused eyesight spiritually. Ask the Spirit to illuminate you as to the understanding of the text and truth. Allow it to penetrate your life. (v.34)
3. Forget about pretending to have spiritual insight and illumination. Go back to #2 above! (v.35)
4. Invite friends into your life (inside your house) so that they will immediately be bathed in the light. (v.36)

So, if the lights are on inside, somebody is home! Therefore, when someone says "your lights are on", turn to them and say with a smile, "yes they are, would like to come inside?" That ought to get a good response and start a very cool conversation with them about Jesus and His parable of lamps. How great would that be if a common courtesy for your negligence in the parking lot could turn into an introduction to your Lord! :)

The lights are on!

Mike

How long?: Curing the Spiritual Blues and Blahs

This question comes off of my lips too quickly, "How long do I have to go through this discomfort?" It is a bit like spiritual whining! The psalmist takes up the cry in Psalm 13:

"How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long will I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart
all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?"

There is trouble anytime we think that the only counsel that we can find is in our own soul! (v.2)And in case we try to get out of this spiritual funk, there is the enemy "rejoicing when I am shaken". (v.4) Talk about insult to injury! The psalmist realizes that his only hope lies with God. Only He can cure my misery and depression! So the psalmist concludes:

"I have trusted in Your longkindness;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me."

He either a) anticipates the rescue of God is at hand or b) realizes that the misery will last but a moment in comparison to the joy of an eternity with God. Either way, the antidote is a focus on the character and activity of God. He is able to deliver me!

1. What are you going through today? Does it seem overwhelming? Has it been going on for some time now, with no hope of rescue in sight?
2. Have you cried out to God or to your friends? Have you slumped into the "slough of despond" and given up ever getting out?
3. Have you sought to remember God's goodness to you in the past and his promises of future resurrection and salvation? Have you worshipped God in the depths of the dungeon at midnight? (see Acts 16 for this story!)
4. Have you chosen to forget about your struggles (drop them) in exchange for remembering God's hand of bounty (pick them up)?

God will make a way where there seems to be no way,
Mike

Some Good Antidote to Leadership Idolatry

Jesus was speaking to a crowd, teaching them about the power by which he was doing exorcisms. He clarified the danger involved when a man is set free from a demon but leaves the front door open for further, even worse possession. Wow! Amazing stuff of angelology/demonology! What a great authoritative teacher.

As I read this episode in the life of Jesus, I am thinking, "You are amazing Jesus" will be the next words spoken about Him. Instead, Luke records the voice of a woman from the crowd.

"Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts at which you nursed."

What?!! Where did that come from? I wrestled with the thoughts that maybe this was supposed to be a prop to his mom. We would say, "Your momma must be so proud of you". A woman would have insight into that proud feeling that a mom gets from seeing her son fulfill his life calling. There is a satisfaction that comes with his success. But then I wondered, is the enemy using this woman and her sentiments to draw attention away from the topic at hand -- Jesus' power over demons. That would be just like the enemy to twist a well-intentioned thought to fit his own agenda. This could be a well disguised demonic attack.

Jesus quickly puts his own spin on the statement to make sure that the crowd understands what is more important here. He crushes the enemy's attack by refocusing on the real blessings -- obedience to the Word of God. In his response he moves away from the womb that bore him (Mary's) and to the spiritual rebirth that occurs as a man or woman hears the good news and recieves the gift of new life. Nicodemus understood that analogy after his conversation one noght with Jesus! Jesus's response moved away from the breasts that nursed him to the milk of the Word that nurses the new spiritual infant and helps him to change and grow. Paul understood that analogy and rebuked the Corinthians for staying in the nursery. In Jesus' way of thinking, the true blessing was spiritual, not physical.

(Please note: I do not believe that Jesus' disliked his mother, Mary. He was simply drawing this well-intentioned woman to the real meat of the conversation -- it's all about the real, personal, life-changing God!)

We need to be careful to do as the Master did in this scenario. When we finish the sermon that moves people to conviction and confession. We may be greeted with "Great sermon, pastor" or "You are a gifted communicator". Warning! This is distraction warfare! The enemy wants to focus the attention on the messenger or the servant, not the message or the Master! Revering Mary because of her service to God is the beginning of idolatry. Focusing all of our attention on the leader is idolatry. That kinid of misdirected praise is what started the factions in Corinth! Our focus must be on the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; their work and their power make the service powerful and effective.

Refocus people's attention away from you and on to the Lord. Make sure that we ask "What have you heard? What will you be observing as a result of this message?" so that we can be blessed to be a blessing. God never intended to focus everyone's attention on Mary, she was simply the "handmaiden of the Lord". God never intends to focus everyone's attention on me, I am simply the undershepherd. When I lead by hearing and doing the Word of God, I am establishing the proper focus for blessing and growth.

Keep me humbly serving you with power,
Mike

Community of Disciples

As I may have mentioned to some of you, I have been working through the book of Luke this summer. It has been very refreshing to wander slowly and thoughtfully through some of those familiar passages. The gospels are some of my favorite spots to think Biblically about ministry. I really do want to do ministry the way that Jesus did.

As I thought through Luke 11:1-4, I wondered if this passage that we have been so familiar with (the Lord's Prayer) held another message about discipleship. Here are some things that I have been thinking about in regard to the community of disciples called the church, specifically at Wyoming.

1. A community of disciples has a praying leader (11:1); Jesus was praying ( I assume that he prayed for the disciples and their ministry, for his own strength to lead and minister, the decisions involving the next steps for his ministry) and they notice the difference.
2. A community of disciples has a hungry spirit to learn (11:1); the disciples weren't content to have the leader minister or to hear about others growing around them, they wanted to know growth first hand
3. A community of disciples are kingdom thinkers (11:2); the prayer that Jesus suggested to the disciples was one that included a "seek ye first the kingdom" attitude. Disciples are people who pray for the kingdom to come, to build, to blossom in and around their corner.
4. A community of disciples are content to allow for God's daily sustaining blessing for their ministry (11:3); they do not try to work it out themselves, co-erce others to give, manipulate the circumstances for God.
5. A community of disciples practice forgiveness as a way of life (11:4); you will know when you walk in whether this is true or not! They practice the art of forgiving because they remember how great it is to be forgiven! They do not love forgiveness enough to keep on sinning that grace may abound.

What would happen if these were all true of our ministry at Wyoming? What if we could be known as a community of disciples like the first century church? What if we would set this prayer as more than a liturgical form at the front of our philosophy and praxis for church ministry? What if.... what if.

Mike

Praising Power

Do you remember your reaction when "The Dominator" blew an engine pulling to the finish line in last weekend's tractor pull? While I admit this is definitely a Western NY summer reference, there is a certain element that I believe you can appreciate wherever you live. We love power! Especially raw, unbridled, explosive power! We are men! (insert appropriate Tim Allen-style grunting/growling here) We love "Binford Power Tools", we love stock car racing, we love tractor pulls, we love bone-jarring football; we love power.

As I read Luke 10:17-24 this morning I realized that the seventy that were sent out by Jesus came back to the debriefing circle excited. They had just seen raw power -- the kind that made demons fall flat on their backsides! Jesus was excited with them, for their ministry efforts had toppled even Satan himself! But Jesus' warning in v. 20 was what captured my attention.

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

The temptation was to say "WOW! lookie, lookie what I did! I am an amazing servant of God!" Jesus was suggesting that the word order was important. The word order should have been "WOW! lookie, lookie what God did! I serve an amazing God!" He said that first of all the biggest activity of power was the rescue of sinners, not casting down of demons. He said that the salvation of the servants, not the subjection of the enemies was the best cause for spiritual partying.

Then Jesus did a very important activity -- He led them in Spirit-ual worship. He was demonstrating to the seventy disciples that the power for ministry comes from a person (the Father) by His intentional ministry of revelation to the ministers first. Jesus, being in tune with the Spirit, started a praise session at the debrief time. I have seen this happen first hand a number of times -- it is awesome! But I dare not praise the power of praise/worship, as great as it is, for it is small in comparison with the fact that I can praise a personally known God at all!

May I suggest a few things that we need to do in light of this passage?:

1. Tap into the power that God has to do the best ministry; "so, forget about yourself and concentrate on him, then worship him"
2. Remember to include a time of debriefing after ministry and lead it into praise and prayer time celebrating a great God of power, not the power of our great God
3. Thank God every day for the revelations that He brings to you through His Word and His people; keep living, serving, being by that kind of power

Power-up by the All Powerful One's power for ministry of the gospel,

Mike

Vacations from the Routine

We are coming to the conclusion of our final vacation time of the summer. We have had a wild one! We have been gone every other week for about 10 weeks! We are ready to embrace the routine again! These vacations and minitry trips have stretched us and refreshed us and encouraged us beyond our wildest imaginations. We have been able to do everything from installing insulation to ministering in NYC. We have visited Atlantic beaches and finger lakes and Civil War re-enactments. We have slept on air matresses and fold-out sleeper couches. We have eaten Chinese with a group of 14 people and we have grilled hobo dinners over a campfire. We have driven a borrowed 15 passenger van and our own mini-van all over the state and have been content to stay at home too.

But the biggest challenge of the whole summer has been releasing people to do the ministry that we normally would do. I hope that those who have helped out this summer while we travelled and ministered and vacationed have caught the vision for their part in the body of Christ. May we not return to the same old same old routine of inactivity and passive church attendance. I am looking forward to many servants blossoming from this break from the routine. It has been a wild ride, but God has taught us amzaing personal lessons and shown us incredible things in the down-time, "whereof we are glad".

Ready to start in on the regular,
Mike

Back with a BANG!

Hello. My name is Mike and you have been wondering what in the world is going on with me and this blog. Thanks to the impetus of my brother Todd, I am getting back in the saddle of blogging.

I begin to blog once again with this quote, modified only slightly from a statement made by the Sr. Pastor in a message a few weeks ago,

"Indifference to the miraculous, personal revelation of God is worse than adultery, harlotry and sexual deviance."

That quote is a reference to the challenge given by Christ to Capernaum "Woe to you Capernaum! It will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah in that day (judgment day)..." (a loose paraphrase of Matthew 11:23-24).

So how has God revealed Himself to you recently? Did you make the necessary personal adjustments to realign your character with God's? Did you obey or balk?

If you saw a glimpse of God and continued to be the same as you were before, you are in a seriously bad place! I have seen some pretty amazing glimpses of my Savior this summer. I pray that I will never be the same because of them! I will blog some more about them soon, I am sure.

Hope you are being challenged to growth,

Mike

Under Attack

"The greatest threat to the church is apathy. ... The American culture [especially] is messed up. It's going to get worse. There is an attack [on the church] from the Enemy. ... We are retreating a whole lot more than we ought to."

notes from another Dr. Gary Candlish session

So now observe how helpful the Word of God is to this attack!

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Ephesians 6:13

Stand firm,

Mike

Church Growth The Way God Meant It To Be

There are many people who are selling the next best idea about how to raise up a church that excels in the areas of buildings, bodies and bucks. It has been called a "Glitz, Glamor, and Glee" gospel or the "health and wealth" gospel. But these things are no different than corporate America. So what does really make a great church?

Dr. Gary Candlish described a church that is growing God's way at a conference on prophecy that I attended a few months ago. Here are some of the points that he made from that session:

• A growing church is a congregation of people that are committed to pleasing God "no matter what". We must never allow the culture to dictate what we will or won't do in church.


• A growing church must focus on the stuff of the Scriptures, affirming that Biblical truth is not obsolete. We must think outside the box, but never outside the book.


• A growing church cannot be built on a diet of spiritual cake and ice cream. We must place a premium on doctrine and serve spiritual broccoli and spinach with great regularity.


• A growing church does not use pragmatism as the reason for doing anything in the church. We must never allow faith to be become less important than finances, family, friends, fun, freedom.


• A growing church takes the focus off of their own sufficiency and comes humbly to worship and wait before the Lord. We must not draw our approval from the world's criteria for success.

So are we really ready to redefine church growth in Biblical terms? Are we ready to do the stuff of ministry with a focus on discipleship? Are we ready to move beyond surface level results and get God's heartbeat on the matter?

If there's something sickly or dying in our churches, what better place to go for wisdom than to its founder, God. We, as leaders of WyBC, have arranged our focus around a Biblical model of discipleship. We desire to see people built up in Christ through a process of "Come In, Put Off, Put On and Go Out". This construction of God's church through intentional discipleship is our mission.

We, therefore, are committed to pleasing God in every aspect of this growth cycle. We will endeavor to use the Scriptures as our standard of faith and practice at every phase of this cycle. We desire church growth to occur at God's speed and according to God's parameters. We understand that God, and God alone, is able to convict the hearts of men and bring about true heart change and life results. We are building an environment that is designed to offer every person that enters it a chance to begin or build his/her personal relationship with God. With God's help, I look forward to seeing many lives changed into the image of Jesus -- beginning with me!

Changing and growing for the glory of God,

Mike

Isaiah 6 -- When the Music Fades

I have always enjoyed hearing messages preached on Isaiah 6. This chapter contains a very yielded servant of God responding to the call. This chapter contains an awesome worship event complete with the smoking glory of God, angelic beings and an undone worshipper. But yesterday morning as I sat under some teaching in Sunday School, I saw something else. There was way more to Isaiah 6 than first met my eye. There were a ton of references and connections that began to pop for me from that passage.

1. "In the year that King Uzziah died" the throne was vacant or at least in transition. The establishment of order to the throne room would have seemed to be a high priority. Yet in that same timeframe, Isaiah saw a vision of God on His throne. I believe that God was sending Isaiah a message -- the throne is not empty! I am still in control. I am still sovereign even in these difficult political days. That is a great message for us as we face a transition of leadership nationally!

2. King Uzziah died. Do you remember what he died of? I didn't. In the second book of Chronicles, Uzziah was struck with leprosy as a judgment. This judgment with its consequential uncleanness was the result of Uzziah trying to offer incense before God. That was off limits for him, and people tried to stand in his way, but He insisted on blowing past God's servants, the priests, and offering the incense anyway. It cost him his life! The leprosy that he contracted (supernaturally) eliminated him from even entering the temple from that day forward. That is a great message to anyone who wants to blow past their pastor's proper spiritual leadership!

3. King Uzziah got leprosy from a proud attitude. In 2 Chron 29, it says that he had gained strength and became proud. How easy it is to get sucked into the vortex of power and accomplishment. His sin of pride and arrogance cost him all that he had been entrusted with. His response must come up against Isaiah's response in Isa 6. Isaiah bows in humbleness before God. He anticipated that he would probably die since he was so unworthy to see such a vision of God. He was humble. God, the exalted and high lifted one, reached down to the lowly Isaiah and cast down the haughty Uzziah! That is a great message for leaders who think that this great kingdom (whatever God has blest most recently) is of their own making. There was another king (Nebuchadnezzar) who had a similar mindset and he ended up out in the field like a beast! (see Dan 4 to read about Nebby's vision)

These are just a couple of aha! moments that I gleaned from Sunday School. What a refreshment to hear and apply God's Word. You don't have to be a kid to get something from SS! :) I hope that your study of God's Word yields similar insights and applicable lessons for your world. Drop me a note and let me rejoice with you!

True worship is bowing in humble adoration before my Sovereign who has brought me success and showered me with His favor.

I bow in humble adoration,
Mike

Struggling with Unbelief

Want another test? :) This time it is your faith!

Whenever doubts creep into your world, check your faith level in these three areas:

• God's wisdom
• God's love
• God's power

When you figure which area(s) that you are struggling to keep focused in, read Scriptures to reinforce these truths and shore up the area of unbelief. Pray and ask God to help your unbelief and to build the faith that you have. With faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains!

growing in my own faith,
Mike