Monday, July 2, 2018

Crossing Over


Have you crossed over yet?

Matthew 14 tells us of the events surrounding Peters walk upon the water.  This story has been told and retold countless times, with a variety of lessons learned through the scripture.  But I would like to present to you the events immediately following this leap of faith.

Let’s start at the beginning.  Jesus had sent the disciples ahead of Him to the next village.  Of course, to get there, they had to ride in a boat across the sea.  Jesus stayed behind to send the crowds home that He had just fed.  Plus, He wanted to take a little bit of alone time to pray.

Later that evening, Jesus began walking on the sea to meet the disciples.  Imagine the sight of a person on top of the water in the middle of the night walking toward you.  Totally unexpected, right?  They thought that He was a ghost.

Jesus then spoke to them, saying, ‘It is I.’  But Peter, being the most outspoken member of this rag-tag group of Christ followers, wasn’t convinced this was a ghost.  Peter spoke up and said, ‘Lord if that’s you, call me to come to you.’  So, Jesus obliged and called him to come.

Well, Peter then makes the crazy decision to climb out of the boat and attempt to walk on the water.  And what do you know?  He did it.  Peter was actually walking on top of the water just like it was solid ground.

But that didn’t last long because Peter became concerned about the wind and waves that were tossing all around him.  He lost sight of the Master and began looking into the water.  Since his focus was suddenly twisted, he started to sink.

We know that Jesus saved him from drowning but check out what He said when He pulled Peter up out of the water.  He said, ‘Oh ye of little faith.  Why did you doubt?’  In most messages and lessons gleaned from this story, we come to the part where we talk about Peters lack of faith.  But Peter wasn’t alone.

You see, the rest of the disciples were there also and none of them even considered getting out of the boat.  They chose to let Peter be the one to get out and try to do something so foolish as to walk on water.  Whoever heard of such a thing?

When Jesus questioned Peters faith, He was also questioning the faith of the other disciples.  Peter at least was bold enough in what faith he had to put forth the effort to try to get to Jesus.  They just sat still and waited.  No boldness.  No proof of their faith in this unusual situation.  Nothing.

So, once Jesus and Peter arrived safely in the boat, the wind and waves became totally calm.  At that moment, the other 11 disciples began to worship Jesus and declare Him to be the Son of God.  It wasn’t the water walk that convinced them of His supremacy.  No, the telling factor for them was the calming of the waves.  That sealed the deal.

They then finished the journey to the other side of the sea.  The scripture tells us in Matthew 14:34 that, ‘Once they crossed over, they came to the land at Gennesaret.’  They had to cross over the sea to arrive at the next step in the journey to their destinies.  You can’t make it to where God wants you to be if you’re not ready.

When they arrived on shore, people immediately recognized that it was Jesus and began bringing sick folks from all around town for Him to heal.  They simply wanted to touch the tassel of His robe.  Why the tassel?  They had heard of the woman with the issue of blood who had touched the same tassel and was completely healed and made whole. These folks knew that there was power in that tassel and of course, everyone who touched it was made whole.

But what about the disciples?  Their faith had to be proven on the sea in order for them to experience the Glory of God once they arrived at the shore.  No, they weren’t sick, but Jesus knew what was waiting for them at Gennesaret and He wanted their faith built up before arriving there.  In a crowd such as that, there is no room for doubt.

So, they had to cross over from unbelief to proven faith before encountering this miracle moment.  They had to cross over the sea of doubt in order to arrive at the village of victory.

Now, back to my opening question.  Have you crossed over?  Have you built up your faith through the winds and waves of doubt so that you can witness and withstand the true power of God?  Is your faith strong enough to cause you to get up in the middle of the storm and strike out walking on the water to touch Jesus? 

Or are you content to sit back and watch somebody else step out into their miracle moment?  Have you allowed the winds and waves of life to wear you down so that you don’t know what you believe? I want to encourage you to stand up in the face of every storm that dares to come your way and trust in Jesus to hold your hand as you walk right through it.  Don’t miss your miracle moment because you were afraid to step out.  Go ahead and cross on over the sea of doubt and come to rest at the village of victory.


Thursday, June 21, 2018

Wake Up, Look Up, and Get up!


The church struggles now more than ever with finding the newest, greatest method of bringing souls to Christ.  The book of Acts tells us that the believers went from house to house preaching and teaching the Word of God.  For their efforts, God added souls to the church every day.
The church struggles now more than ever with finding the newest, greatest method of bringing souls to Christ.  The book of Acts tells us that the believers went from house to house preaching and teaching the Word of God.  For their efforts, God added souls to the church every day.
Years later, we had preachers called Circuit Riders, who traveled by horse from village to village, church to church, and house to house sharing the same word.  And for their efforts, souls were added to the church.
 It was simple.  Tell folks about the saving power of Jesus Christ where they are at.  Don’t perform a sideshow for them.  Don’t waste time telling funny stories that will cause them to loosen up.  Don’t try to be a mighty spiritual warrior for them.  Be real and be honest in presenting Jesus.  And it worked for them.
So, why won’t it work now?
Is it really that difficult to present a simple Gospel message to another person or group of people?  If we are truly followers of Christ, truly believing His Word, it should be a piece of cake.  But we have made it complicated.
Since the days of the Circuit Riders, the church has become preoccupied with the next best thing.  As distractions have become increasingly more prevalent, we have become increasingly uninvolved in the church.  Attendance has been on the decline for years.  The number of active church members has declined.  Holiness is eerily absent.  The church sure doesn’t look like it used to.
We have pacified folks so that we can keep them coming back.  We have compromised the Gospel in many ways, diluting its effects.  We have removed accountability from those in leadership positions.  As long as they say ‘I’m sorry’ we let them keep on doing what they do.  We have programmed our churches into a place where we are so busy, we don’t have the time to just sit down and talk about Jesus with our friends and family.  We don’t have time to spend in prayer for the lost.  We don’t have time for our own personal devotions.
And what does all that get us?  Well, I’ll tell you.  We end up with a sanctuary full of people willing to sit back and watch while a few do all the work, make all the sacrifices.  I’m not saying they don’t love the Lord.  I believe that many, not all, are born again and on their way to heaven.  They just don’t want to commit to any type of responsibilities in the church.
When the saints won’t commit to the work of Christ, they won’t be active.  As a result, they skid through church life asleep.  They are present, but not growing.  They are present, but not involved.  They are present, but not effective.  They have become unaware of the potential for His Presence.
Genesis 28 tells us a story of Jacob having a dream.  In that dream, the Lord spoke to Jacob and assured him that wherever he went, He would be with him.  He told him how his family would be blessed and multiplied on the earth.  Then Jacob woke up.
He said in Genesis 28:16 and 17 that “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”  Did you see that?  He did not know it.  Even though he had an amazing dream, he was asleep.  Then the bible says that he was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is!  This is none other than the house of God.  This is the gate of heaven.”
Jacob wasn’t being sacrilegious or disrespectful.  He realized that he had been asleep when God showed up for him.  That is how many folks enter, and exit, churches today; asleep.  They have come to the point where ‘If the Lord shows up, great, and if He doesn’t, ‘Oh well, maybe next time.’  There is no sense of expectation.  There is no urgency in doing the work of the Lord.  There is no excitement to see what God is going to do next.  When the Spirit of the Lord shows up, they don’t even realize it.
We have been sleeping too long and missed too much. It has been God’s desire to come and fellowship with His people.  But we have been sleeping and didn’t even realize He was at the door, knocking.  Well, it’s high time we wake up, look up, and get up.  There’s work to be done.  There are souls hanging in the balance between heaven and hell.  If we don’t tell them who will?
We need to look at our assigned house of worship as Jacob did when he woke up – ‘What an awesome place this is!  This is none other than the house of God.  This is the gate to heaven.’  Wouldn’t it be exciting if we all approached our churches with that same sense of awe this Sunday morning?  It would be earth-shattering.  It would be life-changing.  It would be God-exalting.
Just think about it.  Knowing that your church is the place where the Lord will come in and meet with you.  To know that your church is the place where a drug addict can come in and have a life-changing encounter with the Spirit of God.  They can be saved and set free, right there where you worship week after week.
Your church is the place where a prostitute can come in and be delivered from that life of slavery and perversion.  Your church is the place where an abused wife can hear from God that she no longer has to subject herself to that bondage.
To these folks, your church is the gate of heaven, as Jacob put it.  That means that while they are there, they can make reservations for heaven, on the spot.  They don’t have to live another day with the fear of dying and going to hell.
But in order for that to happen, we all must wake up from our sleep, look up to the Maker of heaven and earth, get up and get busy building His Kingdom.  It’s not just up to the pastor.  It’s not just up to the evangelist.  This responsibility belongs to each of us who claim Christ as Lord of our life.  So, what are you going to do?
https://www.facebook.com/pastorscott40/




Wednesday, June 13, 2018

What are we really building?


The old song by the Carter Family says, "I'm workin' on a building for my Lord."  It tells how the writer is working on their own personal building, their self.  The song talks of making one's self presentable to God.

"If I was a liar, I tell you what I'd do; I would quit my lying and work on a building too."

Each of us, whether we realize it or not, are also working on our own building.  We want God to be pleased with who we are and what we have become.  But while we work on ourselves, we are also working on another building.

As saints of the Most High God, we are called to build His Kingdom.  That is a building much different than the one we visit every Sunday morning.  That is a building that we cannot pin-point to a specific, geographical location.  That is a heavenly Kingdom, very present on earth, nonetheless.

We preach sermons, teach classes, have bible studies, write books, and hold revival services focused on building the Kingdom of God.  But too often we get that confused with building our own church. 

I don't know of too many churches that don't want to grow.  New methods of church growth are presented to us on a regular basis.  Writers and teachers have so many different ideas and suggestions for growth that we can become overwhelmed by the influx of information.  When that happens, we attempt to institute many of their ideas into our church and get distracted from the reason why we are the church.

Church growth is a wonderful thing.  But when it becomes our focus, we've lost track of our real purpose - Kingdom growth.  The moment we are born again, every one of us is called to be a witness for Jesus Christ.  We aren't called to build a church.  We aren't called to fill the pews.  But we are called to be the hands, feet, and mouthpiece of God in this world.  He wants to use us to reach folks with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that they too can be born again and become a part of the Kingdom of God.  Church growth should not even be an issue when witnessing to the lost.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 16:18 that Jesus told Peter  "upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  He is not referring to a physical building with pews and a pulpit.  He is talking about the Kingdom of God, or His church.  Not the big white building on the corner with the steeple on top.  Jesus said, "I will build my church."  But for that to happen, you and I must do our part.  And what is that?

I mentioned earlier that we are here to be God's hands, feet, and mouthpiece in this world.  In other words, it's up to us to go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in.  In where?  Not the church building, but the Kingdom of God.  In order for that to happen, they must hear the gospel (from us) and see the gospel (through us).  

When we do that, lives are changed and they become citizens of the Kingdom of God.  When souls come into the Kingdom, Jesus is well pleased and in turn, directs some of those souls to our local congregations. That's how our churches are built.  Not by programs and giveaways and feel-good messages.  Not by compromising our standards so that the world will fit in.  But by simply being living, walking, talking presentations of the Gospel.

The scripture also states that, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the church)."  So, if we would focus our efforts on building the Kingdom of God, He would fill our churches with souls and cause us to be unmovable and unshakeable in the work of the Lord.  It's all about Him and His Kingdom, not ours.  If what we are building is our kingdom, we've already lost the war.  We won't be able to stand when the enemy comes calling.  But when we build His Kingdom, we are unbeatable!

So, as we continue working on our own personal building, let's not lose sight of what He has called us to do.  Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."



Wednesday, May 9, 2018

The Armor Bearer - Is He Tall Enough?


In the short-lived battle between David and Goliath, what happened to the giant's Armor Bearer? The Bible tells us that he was in front of Goliath throughout their confrontation. But we never read where he was taken down or whether he ran and hid. Up until the rock flew from David’s sling, he was in front of the giant.

Apparently, the rock bypassed the armor bearer and struck its intended target, Goliath.  But how, I wondered?  Think about this.

We read how the giant was nine feet, nine inches tall.  He wasn’t referred to as a giant for nothing.  The armor bearer was simply on par with the rest of the Philistine army, size-wise.  Now, this may sound elementary to some, but hear me out.  He just wasn’t tall enough.

I know that there are some who will disagree with this and say that it was destiny, or the anointing, or the hand of God, or any number of spiritual implications.  But sometimes we miss the obvious truths because we look so intently to find the spiritual significance in these situations.  I am not aiming to discredit or un-spiritualize (if that’s a word) this event.  Rather, I want to address this over-looked truth.

The armor bearer walked in front of the giant, carrying any necessary equipment, weapons, and defensive protection.  Before an enemy could reach the giant, they had to go through the armor bearer. The scripture never indicates that David fought or confronted this protector.  Instead, his attack against the giant either went over or around the armor bearer and struck the intended target.

There was no defensive posture or retaliation by the armor bearer.  Rather, he quickly became insignificant.  He presented no challenge to David.  He did nothing to ensure the giant was untouched.  His presence was, essentially, a non-threatening formality.  In the end, it meant nothing because his leader, the one he was supposed to stand in the gap for, was defeated.

This armor bearer was ill-prepared to actually defend the one he was assigned to protect.  He was used to being the face that went with the champion to the battle.  No combat readiness was necessary on his part.  The armor bearer was simply not tall enough to present a challenge. What I see here has nothing to do with right or wrong, good versus evil, or prophetic destiny.  It is merely a realistic observation.

Over the last fifteen or so years, I have witnessed the relevance, and irrelevance, of the position of Armor Bearer in many churches.  I have served in that position myself, learning many lessons, both good and bad.  There are some ministry leaders who utilize their armor bearer appropriately.

But whether you recognize this position or know it by another title, the importance of the armor bearer has been reduced in many circles to be a lap dog, or a gopher (go for this, go for that).  Many leaders today reduce the relevance of this God-ordained calling by limiting it’s potential.  They enjoy the fact that having an armor bearer makes them appear super-spiritual, untouchable, and extra-anointed.  In reality, that attitude equates to high-mindedness and conceit.

Many spiritual leaders have explained that an armor bearer is in that position to not only be a protector of said leader but to be learning humility by serving them in that capacity.   Many have intentionally kept their armor bearer under their grasp so that they won’t have to feel threatened by that persons calling and anointing.  As a result, they have diminished the effectiveness of the armor bearer’s presence.

When I say that Goliaths armor bearer wasn’t tall enough, I am suggesting that he did not have the capability to actually be a protector of the giant.  He was just a gopher. Many armor bearers today are in that same place.  They haven’t grown up enough or been trained to be any more than a face associated with the leader.  They aren’t equipped with the essentials to stand side by side with their leader in battle.  If they were, the enemy would be stopped short of reaching the leader with any form of attack.  Having a protector who is comparable to your anointing, greatly diminishes the possibility of falling to the fiery darts of the enemy.  You would not only be protected, but you would be standing in a place of reinforced strength, position, and effectiveness.  Why would you not want that?

Having an ill-equipped armor bearer is just as serious as having no armor bearer.  If they can’t stand with you, defend you, fight for you, and fight with you, send them back to join the rest of the army.  How do we fix this?

We need to train our armor bearers to be more than a lap dog.  They need to be equipped with these three things:

1) discernment – Recognition of the presence and potential of the enemy is key to being prepared to go to battle on behalf of the leader.  If you can see it, you will know in which direction you should be positioned to be the most effective.

2) confidence -  The armor bearer must be confident in their ability and anointing to take the initiative to go on the attack rather than stand back and wait for something to happen.  Spiritual warfare is a much-needed teaching for anyone serving in the armor bearers position.  God says that His people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.

3) authority – A true leader will instill a level of authority in his armor bearer that will cause him to not back down or keep quiet when he witnesses a potential attack on the leader.  This does not give him the power to overrule the leader, but it does enable him to proceed with addressing the enemy without always asking for permission to do so. That permission should be pre-authorized; before any threat of attack.

Thank God for our armor bearers.  The necessity of their position is of utmost importance in the Body of Christ.  If the shepherd is knocked down, the sheep will wander aimlessly in the wilderness and eventually into enemy territory.  However, if an anointed and equipped armor bearer is on post, there is no attack that will be able to destroy his leader.   

The question, leaders, is this - Is your armor bearer tall enough to be effective?





Thursday, May 3, 2018

Clean, but Cracked


             It seems that there are so many saints in the Body of Christ living well below the level of victory that has been provided for them.  We become so focused on what God has done for us that we fail to recognize what He wants to do in us next, tomorrow or next month or next year.  At that point, we have stopped the progression of the Holy Spirit’s work in us and stunted our spiritual growth. 

            We have settled for being cleansed but not advanced to the place of wholeness.  Cleansing is good, and it is necessary.  However, if we desire sustained victory over our enemy, we cannot achieve it without being made whole.

            To be cleansed means that you have been made clean or purified.  Something, or someone, can be clean but still cracked.  Sometimes, we as Christians get dirty and stained.  But we are fortunate in that we know how to get ourselves washed up and get the stains out.  We can clean up time after time.  Eventually, though, continued washing will wear away the foundation and substance of a vessel if it remains cracked. 

            Now, to be whole means that you are unbroken or complete.  That doesn’t mean that we won’t pick up a little dirt from time to time.  But it does mean that the dirt will not destroy us.  It means that while we are consistently requiring a fresh cleansing, our foundation and our substance remain intact.  We are whole, complete.

            You can receive cleansing and still not be whole.  This equates to confession without repentance, the crucifixion without the resurrection. Why would you stop with something good when you can go on to something greater and end up right in the middle of God’s best?

            A fitting example of this halted progression is the story of the ten lepers found in St. Luke, chapter 17.  Upon reading the passage, it does not specify that any of the lepers were not healed or cleansed.  Indeed, all ten were healed and cleansed by the power of the spoken Word of Jesus Christ.  But, make no mistake.  There is a failure in the process here.

            You see, once Jesus had seen the lepers and acknowledged their condition, He directed them to go and show themselves to the priests as legal proof of their cleansing.  The scripture tells us that as they were going down the road, they were healed.  They were healed as they went.  He did not touch them or even wave His hand over them.  Their simple obedience to His Word caused the healing to manifest as they walked.

            As they went and were cleansed, no doubt they all shouted and celebrated.  All of them but one allowed their shout to get their focus off the source of their cleansing.  Don’t let your shout distract you from God’s purpose.  We can achieve victory and still miss God, all while shouting. 

            Here we have the separation in the process.  Nine of the lepers continued down the path to the priests as directed.  You must give them credit.  They were obedient.  Since their request for mercy had been answered, why would they do anything other than what they were told?

            So, the nine lepers went on their merry way to do as ordered.  When Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest, they did just that: they went and showed themselves. They forgot the one who made their healing possible.  Anytime we fail to recognize God as the source of anything good in our lives, we open the door for pride to come in and make a fool out of us.  No doubt, they received plenty of publicity once their cleansing was confirmed.  The story became all about them instead of being all about Jesus.

            The one leper that they left behind had the correct response.  We know that 1 Samuel 15:22 says that obedience is better than sacrifice.  So, you obey before anything else, right? 

            Don’t get this twisted.  This leper did obey the Word of the Lord.  The Bible tells us that he was healed as he went.  But when he realized that he was healed, or cleansed, his focus turned from the priests back to Jesus.  He was no longer concerned with reaching the priests.  In his heart, thanking the healer was more important than showing off his healing. 

            That same separation is prevalent in the lives of so many of us today.  We receive some sort of miracle at the hands of the Lord and we want to camp out at the memory of that miracle.  Sometimes we can allow our testimony to hold us back from the next step in God’s plan and purpose for our lives.  We can be so consumed with what he did for us, that we basically ignore what He wants to do right now.

            When the man turned back to worship the healer, Jesus asked him about the other nine lepers.  He had no response because he had decided not to follow them, instead choosing to follow his healer.  Jesus then told him that his faith had made him whole.  The man was no longer dirty, cracked, and incomplete.  He was now clean and completely whole.  He was no longer a leper, but a man of God.

            The nine lepers were cleansed but were not made whole because they did not give glory to God. Even though they were physically moving and obeying His Word, they spiritually stopped their own progression.  Once they received what they asked for, their eyes turned from Him. They were clean but still cracked.

            It is nearly impossible to maintain your cleansing without wholeness.  That’s why so many people come to church, profess Christ, go home and fall back into the sin they were just forgiven for.  Confession with no repentance.  They were cleansed but did not allow themselves to become whole.  They got the quick fix but didn’t stick around for the total transformation. Don’t allow yourself to stop just short of God’s best for you.

            Any time you obtain a victory through Jesus, don’t stop and camp out in that happy place.  Don’t get trapped in the memories of past victories, healings, and moves of God.  Instead, you should begin to look ahead to what He has in store for you next.  What victories lie ahead?  What mighty moves of God still lie ahead?  A victory doesn’t mean it’s over.  It simply means, we have made it this far by faith and we will keep on keeping on by the grace of God.  Just because He did something wonderful for you, doesn’t mean He’s finished.  The best is yet to come.  Don’t stop at the good thing.  Go for the best thing! 














  Everyone in the church is not always at the same level of reception during the preaching of the Word.   We know that everyone learns in di...