SOAP July 31, 2014

Scripture: so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:18-20 ESV)

Observation: God is not a liar!

Application: God's promises are trustworthy and true.  He is more sufficient for us than we can comprehend!

Prayer: Daddy, let us NEVER underestimate You!  Show us Your strength, Your power, Your love, and Your  grace.  Amen!

Worship multi-part-part 7

Worship principal-God knows our innermost thoughts and the scencerity of our hearts.  We should approach Him in reverence, seeking to know what He wishes to change in us.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24 ESV)

I can think of nothing more glorious or intimate than having the creator telling us what He wants us to become.  Who are we that He is mindful of us!

SOAP July 30, 2014

Scripture: For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. (Hebrews 5:12-13 ESV)

Observation: There are areas in our life that we need to revisit the very basics, for if our foundation is weak, how will we ever increase in understanding?

Application: Sometimes we need to recognize our own spiritual immaturity and seek out to learn from others the lessons that we have missed or been wrong about.

Prayer: Daddy, remove our pride and make our desires Your desires.  Make us as the potters clay, able to be molded by You.  Amen.

SOAP July 29, 2014

Scripture: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV)

Observation: God's word tells us where we stand, no facade will ever deceive The Lord.

Application: Let us not be haughty and upright, rather may we be humble and greatful for the forgiveness of sin.  We should not treat sin lightly, yet we should recognize that ALL have sinned, including us, and therefore fall short of the glory of God.  It is by faith and grace alone that we are saved.

Prayer: Daddy, You see every nano-second of our lives.  There is nothing that we do that You do not see.  Let us cling close to our faith, be thankful for the cross, and seek to abide in You for Your glory.  Amen!

SOAP July 28, 2014

Scripture: Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13 ESV)

Observation: We must not walk alone, we need other believers along side us to exhort us.

Application: S.P.E.A.K.

Speak words of life unto others

Pray for others often

Encourage and exhort others

Act, do something for others

Kindness, show others God's love, by showing you care.

Prayer: Daddy, show us how You designed us to need and serve each other and in doing so it brings glory to You. Amen.

SOAP July 27, 2014

Scripture: Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1 ESV)

Observation: When we lose focus, we drift away from the goal.

Application: Be purposeful, present, mindful in every action.  If an action does not help to achieve the goal, avoid it.

Prayer: Daddy, help us not to fall into "auto pilot".  Let us be mindful, purposeful people who passionately seek after You.  Amen.

Worship multi-part-part 6

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40 ESV)

Worship is demonstrated through a life that puts God first, others next, and ourselves last.

SOAP July 26, 2014

Scripture: He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:3 ESV)

Observation:.He is so much more than we can understand.

Application: Approach Him with humility, for we are nothing without His great love for us.

Prayer: Thank You Jesus for loving us so much that You lowered Yourself to leave the Heavens and come to Earth.  Thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross.  Amen.

SOAP July 25, 2014

Scripture: For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. (Philemon 1:7 ESV)

Observation: comfort and joy are abundantly found in others.

Application: through no intent of selfishness, bringing the gospel to others, inherently rewards us with a satisfaction in Christ.  

Prayer: Daddy, may we learn to lay ourselves aside, even to walk through the wasteland if it brings glory to Your name.  Amen!

SOAP July 24, 2014

Scripture: For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. (Titus 3:3 ESV)

Observation: we must not forget our past, for in it is the story of the transformational power of Christ.

Application: Tell of God's transformational power and the impact it has had upon your life.

Prayer:  Daddy, give us boldness and courage to speak, to share, the sometimes difficult tales of how we came to know You.  Thank You for making all things new.  Amen.

SOAP July 23, 2014

Scripture: But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1 ESV)

Observation: Sound doctrine is what we are to teach.

Application: Sound doctrine is based in God's word, therefore, let us dedicate ourselves to the study and teaching of His word.

Prayer: Daddy, give us a hunger and desire for Your word.  Give us wisdom and understanding so that we may become doers of Your word and not just readers of it.  Amen.

Worship multi-part-part5

Tonight's principle of worship, God is a personal God, He is full of goodness, and He is far more glorious than we can experience in the flesh.

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” (Exodus 33:18-23 ESV)

What a glorious God we serve, worthy of worship from all creation.  All creation exists to point to Him, the creator, for without a creator, there is no creation.

SOAP July 22, 2014

Scripture: To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. (Titus 1:15 ESV)

Observation: things are either pure or defiled.  Theycannot be both.

Application: We must submit completely to God, for if we do not, we shall fall back into a pattern of sin.

Prayer: Daddy, keep us from the desire of our flesh and let us seek You above all.  Amen.

Worship-multi-part-part-4

Worship is on God's terms:

“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:3-11 ESV)

The 10 commandments can be divided into 2 subsections:

1. Commandments 1-4 talk about our relationship with God.

2. Commandments 6-10 talk about our relationships with people.

God sets the stage telling us exactly what His expectation of our lives (and thereby our worship) is to look like.  No other gods.  No idols (physical or ideological) for He is a jealous God!  Do not use His name in vain.  Keep the Sabbath (rest and give thanks to The Lord!).  Our worship must take into account that God commands these things and we ought be living our lives as such as a part of our worship.  

July 21, 2014

Scripture: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4 ESV)

Observation: if the messages that you routinely hear at your church do not convict or challenge you, ask this question:"Why is that?"

Application: God's word is convicting, it is challenging, and praise God for that.  I encourage everyone to find a church that teaches sound doctrine, that challenges you, and that teaches the tough passages that bring conviction, which in turn produces repentance and righteousness.

Prayer: Daddy, tonight I want to pray that You would rock the boat, that You would challenge and convict us, all for Your glory.  Amen.

SOAP July 20, 2014

Scripture: For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. (2 Timothy 3:2-5 ESV)

Observation: Look around society and pick an adjective from this passage...it's very easy to see.  This is not in reference to sharing the good news with non-believers.  This list is a list of warnings of people claiming to be Christ followers.

Application: We all have the capacity to be any of these things...yet the shed blood of Jesus ,means that we are set free from that bondage.  In that freedom, we can either embrace it or willingly put the shackles back on.

Prayer: Daddy, give us wisdom to choose goodness, to choose You, no matter the circumstance.  Amen!

July 19, 2014

Scripture: Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21 ESV)

Observation: If we are to experience the love of Christ, we must turn from sin and seek righteousness in His name.

Application: Most issues that hold us back from a true relationship with Christ mean yet another future date to pray for.

Prayer: Daddy, I pray that You alone would touch and change each of our lives.  Amen!  

SOAP July 18, 2014

Scripture: for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

Observation: Gods spirit is not one of fear, but rather of love and self control.  They are relational on the human level.

Application: overcome fear by faith in Christ, putting love and self control into practice.

Prayer: Daddy, teach us to fear nothing except You,to love as You love, and to have self control just as Jesus had self control.  Amen.

Worship-multi-part-part 3

He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2 ESV)

Worship is costly, God wants to know that He is the most important thing to us.  

He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:12-14 ESV)

God honors our true worship.

SOAP July 17, 2014

Scripture: But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. (1 Timothy 6:6-8 ESV)

Observation: The great trap is always wanting more.

Application: Live simply, not wanting more.  In many cases, seek to get rid of some of the material things that may be holding us back spiritually.

Prayer: Daddy, teach me/us to be content and that You are more than enough.  Amen.

SOAP July 16, 2014

Scripture: Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. (1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV)

Observation: The approach is about respect in relation to how the person will receive that which you have to say.  

Application: I often struggle with "delivery" in face to face communication.  Tonight's passage provides some great perspective on how to improve.  Looking at the relationship, provides guidance on the best "delivery" method.

Prayer: Daddy, thank You for Your word.  Help me to improve my "delivery" for Your glory.  Amen.

Worship -multi part-part 1

I don't know exactly how many parts this study of worship will be broken into, but I want it to be in smaller, bite size pieces in an effort to go deep, but at the same time not overwhelming.  

Tonight's 1st principle is that worship is not about the action, but the heart of the worshiper.  

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:3-7 ESV)

God knew Cain's heart, He knew that Cain was "going through the motions".  God even tells Cain that he is playing on dangerous ground with "sin crouching at the door.  It's desire is for you, but you must rule over it."  Cain's worship was not accepted because it was not sincere.  When we worship, we are saying "God, You are the most important thing in my life" and anything less than that is not worship...it's going through the motions, and that is not acceptable to God.

Principle #2 sin is always at the door, but we must rule over it.

In the post fall world, this is the perfect description of the battle of sin we face everyday.  Temptation and sin are a daily part of life, and part of our worship is ruling over sin by choosing God instead of sin (without the Holy Spirit, none of us are capable of doing this perfectly).

Principle #3 God knows our heart and chooses to accept our worship or not.

God tells Cain that if he would do well, then his offering would be acceptable.  God knows the heart, nothing short of true worship is acceptable.

Stay tuned...more to come.

Worship-multi-part-part 2

Continuing on with the multi-part "worship" study:

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:20-22 ESV)

Principle #1 Our worship is pleasing to God.

When Noah offered up the burnt offering, it pleased God.  Our act of true worship (putting God above all else) is pleasing to God.

Principle #2 Our Worship moves God to act 

Noah's burnt offering resulted in God saying in His heart "never curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth".  Our worship is impactful!

More to come...

SOAP July 15, 2014

Scripture: Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Timothy 4:13-14 ESV)

Observation: We are to use the gifts that God has blessed us with, coupling them with public scripture reading, exhortation, and teaching.

Application: Get in the game, be involved, take action, don't watch from the sidelines.

Prayer: Daddy, fill us, give us strength to get in the game.  Amen. 

SOAP July 14, 2014

Scripture: Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. (1 Timothy 3:12 ESV)

Observation: Leadership inside the church must be a model of what others are to do.  Good fruit is produced from good farming.  Learn the techniques, study the method.

Application: God puts people in our lives that we can learn from and grow in our knowledge of His kingdom.  Take full advantage of this.

Prayer: Daddy, open my eyest to see all that you are doing, so I don't miss a thing.  Amen!

The beginning of knowledge...

People used to teach their children via what are called "oral traditions".  Stories were shared, history, geneologies, etc. were passed on.  Eventually these were written down, and passed from one generation to the next.  When things are written down, something amazing happens.  You can now tie events to time, and time and events to  people.  One of the things I love about the Bible, is that many of the books are actually collections of letters or instruction.  Writing things down (notebooks, blog, etc) helps provide points of reference in our lives.  Things we can look back on, put the pieces together and see not only where we have been, but see where it lead us to and potentially where we are headed.  

Tonight's passage does  a great job of telling us to seek instruction and wisdom:  The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:1-7 ESV)

To seek to understand God, what He is like, and how He is moving in our lives, we must understand that He is not bound by time.  He has always been and will always be.  In addition to always being, God is also all knowing.  Put those 2 things together and it means that God is not surprised by future events, nor is He ignorant of the past.  Understanding this about God tells us much about who He is and what He is like, for the past shows a path to the present and we can learn from that path and apply it to our future.  Tonight's passage tells us that we must "hear and increase in learning" and that "The fear of The Lord is the beginning of knowledge".  If we do not look at that path of the past, we would have no wisdom to hear, we would have no knowledge of why we should fear God (and Love  Him).  Many people think that the "God of the Old Testament" is an angry, judgemental God, and the "God of the New Testament" is a God of love.  There is but one God and He is mighty, He is Holy, He is righteous, and He does judge...and we should fear and respect Him, be in reverance of Him.  Then realize that the Old Testament and the New Testament are simply God's story.  It's a love story, about a Father that loves His children and all the things that He did for them and what they did in return...and even after all the rejection, the Father keeps on loving...and even paid a tremendous price for ALL of His children to have a glorious inheritance, if they would simply choose Him.

SOAP July 13, 2014

Scripture: This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4 ESV)

Observation: God's desire is that all people would choose to be saved.  One of the questions that I hear frequently is "If God is so good, why is there a hell?".  The answer to that question is simply that Hell exists because God abhors sin.  God has made salvation available to all who choose Him.  Those who do not choose Him, He will not force them to spend an eternity with Him.  The choice is truly ours, yet it is His desire that we would all choose Him and be saved.

Application: No one is beyond the reach of salvation.  Speak the words of truth, let us pray continually for those who are lost, and encourage people to turn to Christ.

Prayer:  Daddy, we were all lost at some point, and then you called us out of darkness and into light.  Thank You for that.  Let us tell our story again and again so that many would come to know You, Your love, and Your mercy.  Amen!

Do not doubt or groan...trust and Go!

Imagine for a momment that you have a coworker who is always on time for work...actually he is always early for work.  He makes the first pot of coffee, so everyone has coffee to drink when they come in (just barely on time or a few minutes late).  He has never called in sick in all of his years at the company (and he's been there far longer than anyone can remember).  This coworker always keeps people informed when he is going out of town or on vacation and even makes certain that his duties are taken care of while he is away.  He is the dependable guy, the guy who everyone knows that if he says he will get it done, it gets done...no matter what.  If you asked this person to do something for you, my guess is that if they said "yes", you would be completely at ease about the task being completed...afterall, there is a long track record of successes that support this hypothesis.  I'm sure we all have people that popped into our minds when describing those dependable characteristics. 

The irony is that as humans, we seem to have a propensity to trusting other humans more than trusting God.  You see, the above "person" is actually an analogy for how God takes care of us...yet as humans, we tend to doubt that God will come through for us.

Tonight's Scripture: See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’ Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’ The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe. And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out. And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’ “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’ Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go. (Deuteronomy 1:21-33 ESV)

So let's get this straight, The Lord brought His people out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, destroyed Pharoah's army, Led the people with pillars of fire and smoke, gave them manna to eat...and then even after wondering the wildnerness for 40 years, the whole time God taking care of them, the time finally comes for them to enter into the promised land.  What happens...Humans trust their own intuition instead of God's word.  They even sent 12 people to go check it out and make sure it was good and they were like "This place that God is giving us is good!"...yet still they grumbled and complained, and even after being reminded of all the great things that God had done for them.  The people were still reluctant to enter into the land promised by God.  They became afraid, almost as if looking for reasons to not inherit God's promised land.

Why is it that humans find it so easy to follow after and believe in men/women, than they do to seek after God?  God has a perfect record of delivering on His promises.  God has always been, He provides, everything is His and in Him is everthing.  Here we are thousands of years later, and in many instances, it is still obvious that it is easier for us to believe the promise of a coworker than a promise of God.  Simply put, this should not be so.  When God tells us to go...it may not be easy, we may not know all the details, and it may be scary...however, based on His perfect track record, doesn't it make sense (even outside the fact that it is God) that we should listen.  Shouldn't we believe that based on all of our experiences with Him, that He knows what is best for us and that He will use whatever the situation is to not only glorify Himself, but to draw us closer to Him (a very desirable thing for those who are Christ followers).  

To put it all into perspective, try to look at trusting God like trusting your closest friend, most dependable coworker, etc.  There is no doubt.  That is what faith in Christ is all about.  It's a bit like that scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when he takes the first step out onto the invisible bridge. What is God calling me/you to do?  What step of faith is He calling us to?  If we can answer those questions right now...the clock is ticking...GO!  God is in control, step out in faith and know that the God of all the universe has got it.  He will fight for you...do not doubt, look at all that He has done for you already!

SOAP July 12, 2014

Scripture: The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. (1 Timothy 1:5-7 ESV)

Observation: Love is a byproduct of a sincere faith, good conscience, and pure heart.  Adding or subtracting from the gospel of Christ is to be avoided as are those who teach such things.  

Application: The gospel message is simply repent, put your faith in Jesus, and this brings about salvation by grace.  Anything that is different, test against scripture.  Seek it out in His word, pray about it, and ask for wisdom.

Prayer: Daddy, we live in a world where misinformation spreads like wildfire.  Teach us to hear Your voice, to trust Your word, and obey Your commands.  Give us Your words to speak to others, with boldness, kindness, and grace.  Amen.

Cry out!

Do you ever find yourself in need of help, yet too stubborn or proud to ask for it?  Often times, we get into really deep weeds and don't even know where to begin to get out.  

Tonight's scripture:  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. (Psalm 51:1-3 ESV)

The way out of sin, is not a pathway, a method, etc.  The way out of sin begins with a repentant heart that seeks to right the wrong that was done against God.  Sin will always be a part of our mortal life, yet we must continually battle against it...honoring God through our obedience.  Let us repent and seek after Christ, knowing that He alone can blot out our sins.  Cry out to Jesus, He is our helper, our deliverer, and our only reason for hope.  Amen!

SOAP July 11, 2014

Scripture: For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 ESV)

Observation: When we accept Christ, we become a new creation.  We will still sin, yet it will not be without inhabition.  

Application: Be aware of what the flesh wants and what the spirit wants and then carefully choose that which brings you closer to God.

Prayer: Daddy, give us discernment, help us to live lives honoring of You.  Amen.

An audience of one

Have you ever found yourself altering your behaviour simply because of the people you are around?  Bowing to peer pressure?  Obsessed over what other people may think of you?  I am quite confident that we have all found ourselves in these situations in our lives.  Tonight I took my 5 year old daughter to her 2nd swimming lesson.  Her 1st swimming lesson (only a few days ago) went well...until they had her put her head under water.  She cried for several minutes afterwards.  I felt that nervous parent feeling in my stomach, thoughts raced through my mind about what the other parents were thinking, what the instructor was thinking, and then I decided to stand up, clap, yell "Great job!" and give her 2 thumbs up.  I felt awkward, I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not, but I knew that I wanted her to know that I saw her, and that I was proud of her.  After the lesson, we talked about how she didn't like going under water, and that it burned her eyes and I gave her some pointers.  Tonight, before we left for lesson #2, she said "Daddy, when I go under water, when I come up, will you give me 2 thumbs up?".  It was at this momment that I realized that she was giving her all just so she could get 2 thumbs up from dad...and that I had made an impact on her by being the wacky parent clapping, giviing thumbs up, and generally acting foolishes while his child was the only one in the pool crying.  In many people's eyes, I am confident that I was viewed as a fool, over protective, etc...and you know what...itwas worth it...and she did better tonight...still a few tears...but I stood up, clapped my hands, yelled "Great Job!", and gave her 2 thumbs up...and the tears quickly went away.  

This story has a point, and I want to tie it into tonight's scripture: And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. (2 Samuel 6:14 ESV)

If you are not familiar with this story, David dances in his undergarment in front of the Ark of the covenant, in front of everyone.  His wife get's angry with him and says he has made a fool of himself.  David replies that He will do even more things like this to celebrate in The Lord.  David wasn't putting on a show for the people, He had an audience of one...God.  He didn't care about what other people thought, He just wanted to honor and praise God.  

Tonight, after my experience with my daughter, I hope to teach her the value in seeking to please God through her efforts in life.  To teach her also not to worry about what other people think.  Dance, scream, shout, sing, cry, weap, hold nothing back and do it all for the glory of God...to live life for an audience of one (and the one is God...not me).

To complete the analogy, we are the child in the pool wanting to please Daddy (God). We get scared, and need pointers (Reading the bible), encouragement (praying and time spent in worship) to know what to do...but our Daddy (God) is standing at the side of the pool cheering us on, rooting for us, ready to give us 2 thumbs up. Forget about what anyone else might think...you have an Audience of one...and He is incredible.

SOAP July 10, 2014

Scripture: But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV)

Observation: Our foundation, our establishment, is in Christ.

Application: If God is not the foundation of our efforts, than our labor is destined for failure.

Prayer: Daddy, establish our lives in You and never stop building.  May Your name be lifted high forever.  Amen.

Suicide...from my own experience

Tonight's topic may be a bit difficult, yet I promise the outcome is positive and only available via Jesus.  

When I was a teenager, I struggled A LOT!  I felt awkward, I didn't fit in, I was a "geek", I was "smart", etc.  It got to the point where teachers stopeed calling on me in class (because I had the right answer) and/or I would ask questions that were outside the scope of the designed lesson (Apparently it is not ok to ask about how scientists were executed in their time for being heretics and there is no reason to ever question what a teacher says is true...completely unbiiblical, and naive at best).  I experienced a new kind of low, the kind where everyone knows who you are and no one wants to be associated with you.  I had not yet found Jesus, and I just wanted all the confusion and pain to end.  My father was a police officer, so easy access to a firearm was a given to say the least.  I had many faux attempts, cutting myself with knives (shallow cuts), threatening hangings, and many other type things.  It got so bad, that my parents sought professional counseling for me ( this was in the 7th grade).  I went, and spoke to a woman from Thailand who had little to no connecction with me.  She promised me that anything I told her was confidential, and then it became glaringly obvious that this was not the case.  I learned more than anything that I must watch what I say, guard my tongue, only say that which needed to be said, etc.  These sessions went on for months to no avail.  Eventually, a friend and I were talking and there were significant differences between his life and mine, and I wanted the peace that he had (especially after dealing with such animosity for so long).   It wasn't hard, it was simply about confessing my sin to Jesus and accepting Him as my Lord and Saviour.  Moving forward, I had no need for a therapist (which I praise God for to this day!).  I found strength, healing, and purpose in Jesus Christ.  Here, almost 30 years later, I still remember those feelings of despair.  There are times when they come back and I have to fight with all that I am not to give into them.  God has put me on the Earth to glorify Himself...and that alone is my sole purpose.  I may not be the smartest, best looking, most talented, etc.  yet I am able to point people towards Jesus...and that is more than enough for me.  

Depression, anxiety, suicidal tendancies, etc.  these all run rampant in our society today.  There is freedom to be had from all of this...and it starts with complete surrender to Jesus Christ.  If you question why you struggle with something, I would admonish you to seek The Lord and find out if you have relinquished that "thing" in your heart.  It can be hard, and I'm not saying it will be easy.  At the end of the day.  The goal is to glorify Christ in all that we do.  Focus on that, for NOTHING is too big for God.  Amen and God Bless You!   

SOAP July 9, 2014

Scripture: The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 ESV)

Observation: Believing what one wants to believe regardless of the truth...that is making a false god, worshipping it, serving it, and denying the truth of the gospel.

Application: Do not be tempted to seek after the gratification of the flesh.  Sin is pleasant for a time, and then it blossoms into it's true fruit which is death and destruction.

Prayer: Daddy, keep us from deception, deliver us from evil.  Give us discernment and teach us to seek You above all else...no matter the cost.  Amen!

We will be persecuted...and none who believe are exempt

Tonight, I had a very passionate discussion about the importance of teaching God's truth vs. teaching something that is more socially acceptable.  On the human front, I can understand the desire to conform to the world, to care about what other's think, yet from a scripture based, theological perspective I cannot justify this.

Tonight's passage: When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:19-22 ESV)

I firmly believe that God will send the Holy Spirit to testify, to give us the words to say.  There is no doubt in my mind that we will all one day be hated for our faith.  The topic that came up tonight revolved slightly around politics.  What do we teach children about world leaders and rulers that are opposed to God? I do not find any scriptural examples that say that we are to teach anything other than that the ruler is wrong and an enemy of God.  If one is not for God, He is against Him.  My fear in this argument, is that there is already a widespread epidemic of appeasement.  This cannot be allowed to continue, for we must stand our ground and point people towards Christ, calling evil evil, and righteousness righteousness.  We are called to be salt and light...

SOAP July 8, 2014

Scripture: To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 ESV)

Observation: The end goal is to glorify Jesus with our words and our actions.

Application: I/we are in such need of His grace.

Prayer: Daddy, guide my passion for You, make it productive and not destructive.  Amen.

God keeps his promises

Driving home from work tonight, I drove through 2 very powerful storms.  One of the roads I was driving down had so much water pooled up that I nearly lost control of the car when I drove through it. This may seem terrifying to some...but I love storms...I find them beautiful and love to be in them, experience them, and take in their sheer awesomeness.  I continued driving, and eventually I crossed between the two storms, where the sun was shining and there in the sky was a beautiful rainbow.

Tonight's passage: When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:14-17 ESV)

God makes promises, He keeps promises, and in the confines of that alone, it is humbling just to know how much He cares.  When I saw the rainbow tonight, I was reminded of how God never leaves us.  I was reminded how God set it in place to remind Himself of the covenant He made.  Think about that for a momment.  The Lord of all the universe created a sign to remind Himself of His promise to us...that's pretty amazing in my book...much better than just a reminder on an Outlook calendar!

God keeps His promises..Hallelujah!

SOAP July 7, 2014

Scripture: And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:14, 15 ESV)

Observation: admonish, encourage, do good.  Notice the focus on positive action.

Application: There is much more power in encouragement than in discouragement.  Do good to each other, giving encouragement to one another along the way and admonishment as needed.

Prayer: Daddy, I pray that You would teach me/us to speak life, to let our words be of value and full of grace.  Amen!

Do not withhold good

I wrote last year about a book I read called "Give and Take", by Adam Grant.  The book really resonated with me, yet as many things born in the secular world, I tend to take them at face value, testing it against scripture and making sure that it lines up before putting too much stock in it.  One of the little tips listed in the book is to never deny a reasonable request if it's only cost is five minutes or less of your time.  I must admit, this seemed so obvious to me, that I thought I was already doing it...but upon closer examination, I realized that this is true for requests I don't mind doing, and not so true for requests that I dislike...those tend to be put off or I avoid them all together.  

Tonight's scripture: Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. (Proverbs 3:27 ESV)

This passage in Proverbs lines up with this method of thinking (going even further since it is not limiting it to 5 minutes).  When it is within our power, do good for others.  Help people out, not for personal gain, simply because that is what Christ has called us to do.  There are a lot of principles inside of "Give and take" that line up with scripture, and it even provides insight into the motivation of sin, grace, and the need for redemption.  It was a good read, and opened my eyes to things in scripture that I would not have ever otherwise thought about...which is pretty cool considering it doesn't talk about religion, the Bible, etc. at all.  I love how God uses things like that to make His point.  

In closing, do good to others when it is in your power...I promise it will enhance your walk with The Lord, improve your relationships with others, enhance your own joy, and most importantly, show people the love of Christ!

SOAP July 6, 2014

Scripture: and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12 ESV)

Observation: our dependance should be upon God, not upon others.

Application: We must work and toil in this life to survive.  The Lord provides all that we need to survive, yet we must take action and put it to good use.  

Prayer: Daddy, thank You for being our provider, meeting every need, even the ones that we don't even realize that we have.  Amen!

Patience

Patience can be a difficult thing.  Even more difficult sometimes is fighting the urge for vengeance.  When we have been wronged, we feel that we are justified in seeking vengeance.  

Tonight's scripture: Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. (James 5:7-11 ESV)

Let us be patient, awaiting the return of Christ, not falling into the snares of the enemy.  Stay focussed on Christ, remain steadfast, and love one another.

SOAP July 5, 2014

Scripture: For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. (1 Thessalonians 3:4 ESV)

Observation: affliction and persecution should be expected.

Application: knowing that persecution and affliction are coming, we should strengthen our faith in preparation and increase our praise, for it is a blessing to be afflicted and persecuted for His name.  Focus not on the affliction or the persecution, but rather fix your eyes firmly upon Jesus.

Prayer: Daddy, let us fix our eyes on You at all times that we would not stumble, and stay focussed even in times of affliction and persecution. Amen.

Freedom

Today, in the USA, we celebrate freedom and independance.  Many of us take forgranted what true freedom really is.  We have never truly been a slave, subjected to  tyranny, or had even the remotest sense of what it would be like to be in a situation like that.  I can see many people agreeing with that statement, nodding their heads in agreement.  Yet we DO know what it is like to be subjected to slavery and tyranny, for we are enslaved to sin and if left unchecked, it can become a tyrancial force that destroys us from the inside out.  

The gospel is called "the good news" for a reason.  Christ came to set us free from our own enslavement.  Tonight's passage:

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:31-36 ESV)

Whether we recognize it or not, we have a propensity towards sin.  We are born into it.  If you have ever watched young children, you can completely understand this.  No one has to teach them how to lie, be dishonest, self seeking, etc.  It just happens, from day one we are "I" centered.  When we become followers of Christ, we move from "I" centered to Christ centered, putting others first, their needs, their wants, etc.  

My prayer for each of you who read this today, on "Indpendance Day", is for you to know true freedom in Christ.  Once you know that you are in bondage, it becomes obvious to seek to be Free.  The bondage is sin...and the freedom is Christ.

May today be the "Independence Day" for your soul!

SOAP July 4, 2014

Scripture: For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6 ESV)

Observation: The gospel message is not intended to flatter the speaker or the hearer.  Glory belongs to God alone.

Application: Speak His truth, expect nothing in return.  Walk humbly before God, taking joy in obedience.

Prayer: Daddy, give us hearts to serve one another for Your glory, without seeking glory for ourselves.  Amen!

Friends

Think closely about the word "friend", what comes to mind? Loyalty, love, patience, kindness, someone who is "there for you"...and probably many other things.  Friendship is a deep bond, deeper than many of us may even realize until it is tested.  Just like steel, friendship is often forged in the hottest fire.  

Tonight's scripture passage: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:12-17 ESV)

Jesus' command is to "love one another as I have loved you."  He continues on and speaks about how  there is no greater love than to lay one's life down for another and then...He calls us "Friends".  I don't know what goes through your mind when you read that, but for me, that is powerful.  Talk about having friends in high places!  When the Saviour calls you "friend", it just doestn't get any better than that.  He continues on to say that He chose us, that we would bear fruit in His name, and that we will love one another.  Take a look at the friendships that you have.  Are you loving on the people whom you call friends?  I hope so (I'm asking myself the same question, I'm not speaking as though I am exempt).  My sincere prayer and desire is that through Christ, I would be able to positively impact all who I am lucky enough to call friends...whether that is half a dozen close people or 10, 20, 100, or 1000.  Let us seek to LOVE eachother and to share in our burdens, to the glory of Christ.

On a personal note, I want to say a HUGE thank you to my own friends who not only hold me accountable, but show me Jesus each and every day, minute, and second of life.  Praise The Lord for you, and know that I love you right back.  John Dunn had it right..."No man is an island unto himself".  Thank you friends!

SOAP July 3, 2014

Scripture: remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3 ESV)

Observation: the faith, love, and steadfastness of others encourages us in our own walk with Christ.

Application: Surround your life with people who will walk with you, who will labor along side of you, love you, and are steadfast in their walk with Christ.  When we do this, not only is there accountability, there is depth of human relationship that teaches us even more about how God loves us.

Prayer: Daddy, thank You for faith, friendship, love, and steadfastness.  teach us how to grow in these areas, not just as individuals, but as Your church.  Amen.

SOAP July 2, 2014

SOAP July 14, 2014

Scripture; Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:5, 6 ESV)

Observation; we must be like human arrows, pointing people towarrd Christ.  

Application: Graciousness, kindeness, and willingness to serve, speak louder than words of our commitement to Christ in the eyes of mankind.

Prayer; Daddy, use us in the circles that we operate in and let us not be silent anymore.  Amen.

Do not make your work your Idol

Hello, my name is Glenn, and I am a workaholic...many of us could make the same profession (though maybe with a different proper pronoun).  Tonight I want to talk about how Satan twists God's desire into temptation and wickedness.  

Tonight's scripture: By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19 ESV)

We most commonly hear a version of this at funerals.  Put into context, it is actually not very comforting at all.  It is almost as if God is saying "eventually, you will return to the state you were in before I created you...a ball of dust...and that is better than what you are now".  Really think about that for a momment, especially how it is used so frequently in funerals today in an effort to make the living feel better about placing the body into the ground.  I would profess to you that the flesh is nothing more than a vessel that carries our soul.  When we accept Christ as The Lord of our life, we become a new creation, bound for the glory of Christ forever.  If we do not accept Chist, yes the flesh dies, but the soul still lives on, yet it goes to a place separted from God called Hell.  I do not wish to intimidate, scare, or otherwise push people towards the Jesus, yet it is of the utmost importance that everyone understands that when they die, that is NOT the end.  

Satan has a way of manipulating God's desires and laws into ways that we seek glory for ourselves.  Sometimes it is money, prestige, power, etc.  There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things on thier own, yet if they get in the way of honoring God for who He is and what He has done for us, that is a huge problem.  We must battle against the flesh and seek to glorify God through our labor, and not trade Earthly treasure at the cost of our eternal soul.  

Honor God, work hard, and do so in the proper order...our flesh is returning to the ground...but our spirit is eternal...choose God.  Hell is a place devoid of God's pressence and therefore everything that is good does not exist there.  The Bible describes Hell as a place where there is "weaping and gnashing of teeth".  I commonly hear people say "I'll see you in Hell" or "Hell is where all my friends will be", or some other variant of that connotation.  Hell is a real place and it is far from a party.  Look around you and seek Jesus, for He alone is the way to the Father, and everlasting life.  Repent today, for who knows what tomorrow may hold... 

SOAP July 1, 2014

Scripture: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

Observation: Imagine a classroom full of eager children, anxcious to learn everything that you can teach them.  My amzing, awesome, wonderful, glorious, praise be to God for her wife, taught 2nd grade and later pre-K.  She comes alive when she is in front of those children.  Never have you seen such joy in her than when she is in that environment.  We should have that same zeal, and energy when sharing our experiences with Christ with one another.

Application: Whatever we receive is far better than that in which we deserve, therefore, let us give thanks and praise the name of The Lord forever.

Prayer: Thank You Jesus for humbling yourself, for leaving the heavenly places, putting on human flesh, and living a perfect life.  Thank You for suffering the pain and suffering of the cross, not to mention dealing continually with the closeness of sin.  Remind us each in our own way of the mighty ways that You have moved in our lives and let us stand up and give testimony to the gospel.  May Your name alone be ever praised.  Amen!