Pastor Goforth

The Lord has led me on the Journey

November 15th, 2016

Genesis 24:27 (NIV84) Praise be to the Lord, the God of my Master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, The Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives

Oh many people find themselves in events, they never could have imagined and wonder if God is still there. A turn of an election, a report of a doctor, a whim of the boss, a swipe of a car, God what is going on?

The story of God is a story of kindness and faithfulness. It is a story of a God who never leaves even though sometimes WE leave. It is a story of a God who does not abandon. Yes, sometimes he leads us through dark shadows, the fear of death, the presence of enemies, and a path of correction; but even then he is the same Good Shepherd. He is the same good shepherd who leads by green pastures, quiet waters, prepares a table for us, and restores our souls.

This servant is on a journey to find a spouse for Abraham’s son Isaac. It is a big journey and an important journey. There are many reasons to fear. But he looks at the God of the Past, anticipates the God of the Future, and finds then he can trust the God of the Present.

1) Look at the God of the Past

God had called Abraham and led Abraham. When Abraham wandered, failed to act, failed to trust, God was still faithful and kind, he never abandoned. When he took him even past the place of promise, he never abandoned him. So, as his servant retraces those steps back to the homeland to find a bride for his Master’s son, he knows he can trust God to be with him.

So for me, I have a long heritage to look to. William and Joseph Murphy were known as the Murphy boys in the last half of the 1700s. They were baptists in Virginia when it was against the law to be anything but Anglicans. They were imprisoned for their stance for freedom of religion. They served their country in the Revolutionary War. Under their preaching Colonel Samuel Harris was converted and became the greatest Baptist Preacher of his generation. The Murphy boys had a nephew named William who gave birth to Daniel Richard Murphy in 1802. He was my Great Great Great Grandfather. He moved to Missouri. Under his ministry, over 30 years he is said to have baptized 3000 people and started between 25-30 churches in the early days of Baptist work, west of the Mississippi. God was faithful to him, he served as a Union Chaplain in Missouri, during the Civil War when the state was trying to be neutral.

My Great Grandfather Vance Patterson was a traveling preacher and Pastor and God took him through.

My Grandfather, Lester Patterson, was called to preach as a teenage boy, but was running from the call. he had served in the Army in San Francisco, far from his home in Oklahoma. He was fishing one day in the far upper part of the Northwest, it was late winter early spring and there was still ice on the river. The ice opened and my grandfather fell in and the ice closed up. It was his “Jonah moment” and he knew God was saying “are you going to preach or not.” He quickly said “yes” to God’s call on his life, the ice opened and he crawled out and began hitchhiking home. He served the Lord as a pastor the rest of his life.

My paternal grandparents, Carl and Frances Goforth had married, my grandfather a baptist but “backslidden” and my grandmother a Presbyterian faithful to the Lord. My grandfather didn’t attend church with her because he said “I’m a Baptist and not Presbyterian, and I don’t have any church clothes. So, when my father was born, my grandmother quietly prayed that night, “Lord call him to preach and I will raise him to hear you call.” My grandfather didn’t share that prayer yet, but she prayed. Well one Sunday my grandmother came home from church and announced “Carl you better get some church clothes because I joined the Baptist Church today and you are going next Sunday.” He did and got right with God and served him faithfully for 60 years. They were faithful to the Lord who was faithful and kind to them and never abandoned them.

So it has been with my family. So it has been in my life. God has never abandoned, he has always been faithful and kind. So … I can

2) Anticipate The God of the Future.

He has been good, he has been faithful, he has been true. So I can anticipate how he will continue to do what he has promised. Faith is being sure of what we have hoped for, Certain of what is not seen. God has led me this far and he didn’t lead me out here to leave me. His past performance points to future performance. I have hope. Hope is the substance we hold on to until the thing of substance shows up. Then hope is replaced with substance.

So then I can

3) Trust the God of the Present

So Abraham’s servant looked at what God had done, believed what he would do and said “as for me, he has led me on the journey” and I believe he will complete this task. And he did.

Some trust in chariots and horses but we trust the Lord.

Presidents and Potentates come and go but God is on the throne. Paul says in Romans 13 that God his hand IN it all. Oh we don’t have to get OUT of it to find God, he is IN it.

Trust doesn’t fight God, trust doesn’t stay home when God says go, trust does what God says and knows the outcome is not my responsibility.
Who To Vote For

November 5th, 2016
If you are asking who to vote for. Here is a message I prepared and preached several years ago … I thought I would put it up here if you are still deciding … or if you are worrying …

Special Election Message

Psalm 20:7

Who To Vote For

This is always an interesting season. If you are an American, we are dominated with thoughts about the coming election. If you are not an American I am sure you are interested about what can happen.

CNN Europe’s line is “It is America’s vote, but it affects us all” and I’m sure that to an extent that is true.

If the pundits are to be believed, the future of the world depends on the choice that we make in this election. But what happens if the WRONG candidate is elected?

We better get it right.

Perhaps you have already voted, did you vote for the RIGHT one?

One of the difficult things about determining for whom you will vote is that, despite what you might think, there is no party that has a monopoly on right. There is no party that’s got it all together. You may have your favorite but if you were honest there are positives and negatives.

So, Maybe I just won’t vote …

Samuel Adams said: “Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote… that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”

Well Citizens … it may be hard to do … but we have some decisions to make

“The church must take right ground in regards to politics. . . . The time has come for Christians to vote for honest men. . . . God cannot sustain this free and blessed country, which we love and pray for, unless the Church will take right ground.”- Charles Finney

“Elections belong to the people. It is their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
Abraham Lincoln

So, who are you going to vote for?

Psalm 20:7 says Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God

Read … Psalm 20:1-9
1. Some Trust in Chariots
You’ve seen enough movies to picture a chariot

It was a vehicle pulled behind horses. It was framed in wood in a semi-circle. Leather and metal were used to bind it together. The floor of the chariot was made of rope woven together which would create a springy cushioned ride. The Wheels were low to the ground for a low center of gravity and stability. There were no seats generally in a chariot, because the chariot wasn’t a pleasure vehicle. Strapped to the side of the chariot in crossed fashion were quivers and a case for bows, because this was a *war vehicle*. This vehicle wasn’t generally used for peace.

And David says … “Some trust in Chariots” Say it with me, emphasis on “SOME”

Usually there were two men in a chariot, the “charioteer” or driver and the “warrior” and occasionally a third man or captain who had charge over the other two.

However, when the KING rode a chariot into battle … he rode alone into battle. He would tie the reins to his waist and keep his hands free to fire his bow or use other weapons.

David said “some trust in chariots”

>Who Will YOU Trust?

Some Trust in War Machines

Some Trust in a Vehicle

Some Trust in the larger Vehicle that will move them forward and place their hope …

How will you Vote?

Some … Trust in Chariots

But … then David says …
1. Some Trust In Horses
The Chariot isn’t moving anywhere without the horse.

A car isn’t moving anywhere without the engine. While chariots were pretty singularly used, horses served a lot of purposes. Chariot drivers might see an individual horse as dispensable, lose one, get another … but the horse IS indispensable

The Horse was a commodity. The Horse was mostly a nameless, entity. It served a purpose but it was foundational. As I said, it was the engine. Without the Chariot, the king and his warriors are outmaneuvered in battle. Without the horse the Chariot was a piece of furniture.

I’m sure many in David’s day had argued the value of the horse or the chariot

David said “Some Trust in Chariots and Some Trust in Horses …”

We could imagine if you will that one of our political parties was the Vehicle that can move our country. Perhaps One Candidate represented the war machine to save us in a day of need.

And perhaps we could imagine that one party was the engine to move that Vehicle. Perhaps one party represented the nameless faces that are indispensable to the success of the forward motion or defense of our country.

And thus we would argue for one over the Other

The Chariot People would say “we have to have bigger better chariots, we need to place our emphasis on the development of the best Vehicle to move our country, the best Vehicle to defend our country” …

because – “some still trust in Chariots”

The Horse people would weigh in on the debate to say “that’s all fine and dandy but without the horses, the best chariots will be nothing. Take care of the details, take care of the engine or you won’t go anywhere. If you don’t feed it and water it, if it’s not healthy and happy, then the Chariot is not going anywhere.”

… Because “some trust in horses”

We could really have a great debate between those Chariot and Horse People. There is a funny thing though about Chariots and Horses; you can and should choose a chariot and horses. I pray before I buy a car. I try and buy the car that the Lord would have me to buy.

But – the chariot may turn out to be eaten up with termites. The Wheels might fall of. Thieves might steal my chariot. A bigger or better chariot might defeat my chariot. I may have been lied to by the chariot salesman. The chariot factory workers might have been daydreaming when he put it together, and I get stuck with a bad chariot where I’ve placed all my trust.

My horse may turn out to be headstrong and unbreakable. My horse may get a disease. My horse may break a leg. My horse might get shot out from under me. My horse might just get old and die. My horse might be older or sicker than it looks or the horse salesman said it was. And I end up with troubles where I have placed my trust.

But David says,

“ some trust in chariots and some trust in horses …”

interesting Some trust in ONE party, the Chariot Party. And Some Trust in Another Party, the Horse Party …

Now I’m not saying that the Chariot Represents one of our Parties and the Horse Represents another, but folks, if you are placing your HOPE in one of our Political Parties to solve your problems, put gas in your car, a roof over your head, money in your retirement program, you MAY be Disappointed …

Oh but there’s a lot of hopeful people out there.

There are also a lot of fearful people out there

There are a lot of people who have placed all of their hope with one political party or candidate

There are a lot of people who are frightened by one party or candidate

And they will make their choices based on the hope they have placed, or the fear that grips them …

… but David offers us an alternative way of thinking …

David said “some trust in Chariots, others in Horses but WE WILL TRUST …”
1. In the Name of the Lord Our God
Folks, if claim to be a child of God, you aren’t just “SOME” folks. We don’t go with the crowd …

We shouldn’t approach that voting booth like everyone else. We don’t put our hopes in that basket … NO

We Will Trust in a NAME …

A. Name …

Chariots don’t have names … Well I know there are some of you crazy guys out there that name your car, but we are talking about a Chariot here just used for a battle, I know there are names for tanks and airplanes too … But it doesn’t really have a name, it’s an inanimate object … it is NOT a person

the kinds of horses were are talking about here were also nameless, they were just property for the purpose of driving the chariot

But a Name carries with it authority and power.

Neither one of our Candidates has a name that will still matter 500 years from now. Neither of our parties will matter at the end of all things …

But WE … Trust in A name … JESUS …

Oh Gabriel came to Mary and Joseph and said that Mary was going to conceive and bear and child and his name would be JESUS because he will save his people from there sins

Peter preached in Acts 4:12 that Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

THERE is a Name

I know a name

No other name

We Trust in the Name Of the Lord … the Authority, and the Power

B. The Lord Our God

Phil 2:10-11 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father

We don’t just believe in ANY name, we don’t just hope in ANY name, we have placed our hope our trust, our lives in the hands of the Name, Jesus. Jesus who is LORD And not just Lord, i.e. he has authority, but He is GOD … He created Heaven and Earth so he can RUN this Earth perfectly fine without us.

Jesus said in Matthew 28:18 that All Authority had been given to him in Heaven and Earth

The Sun came up just as scheduled this morning … I think he can handle our Economic Crisis.

He handled the Rebellion of Satan and 1/3 of the Angels and kicked them out with a word … I think he can handle our military challenges

As a matter of fact, he can handle it if the WRONG GUY gets it. If the WRONG PARTY has control, he can Handle it

Romans 13:1b says “there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

So that begs an interesting question.

C. How Would Jesus Vote?

Stay with me for a minute on this one … I am NOT speaking for Jesus!

I am telling you what I believe are some things that scripture teaches us about God that we can see in the issues we face.

A While Back, I was at a conference, and one speaker suggested four things that he believes would shape Jesus’ voting
- Pro Life — Jesus Created all life, he sustains life, he is the giver of life, and is the only one who can take it away. Job 1:21 said, the Lord gives and the lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord.
- Pro Morality — we live in a world where the distinguishing marks between right and wrong has been removed in most cases. Perversion and Greed seem to run unchecked in the name of freedom and capitalism.
The glory of God not only includes love and grace, but also judgment and wrath. He is a holy God and calls us to Holiness as well
- Pro Family – the oldest ceremony in the history of humans is the ceremony of marriage. Marriage is a sacred Marriage is also a picture of Christ and the Church. When we distort the family we distort a picture of Christ and the Church, God and his Children. Distortion like that confuses and distorts the very Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Finally, this preacher also pointed out that he believed that Jesus would vote
- Pro God – We do not know what the future It seems that we are closer every day to the end of all things. However, we don’t know that, and the only thing that we know to do is call our nation to repentance and turning toward God. Jesus came with a message “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Jesus would call us to the Father
But you know folks those four things are not the only things that are important to Jesus. He would also be
- Pro Poor
- Pro Prisoner
- Pro Hunger
- Pro Thirsty
Matthew 25 Jesus said “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat … thirsty and you gave me … drink … stranger … invited me in … needed clothes … you clothed me … sick and you looked after me … in prison … came to visit me … whatever you did for one of the least of these … you did for me”
- Pro Education
Proverbs 22:6 train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it

And those issues are also important issues in every election

But you know what people, we may not be able to control the life, morality, and marriage laws ourselves which is why those issues are so very important in every election.

And while we DO need politicians who are concerned about the other issues and can move our government toward solving those issues.

But you and I, in the church, shouldn’t have to VOTE on the poor, prisoner, hungry, thirsty, and uneducated. We have been told to do those things as individual Christians and the as Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, He says that many who have called him “Lord” don’t really know him and haven’t shown their knowledge of him in their actions toward those in need.

But then …

D. How Should I Vote?

We MUST be involved in the political process

“Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.” William Penn

“The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke,

Never be afraid to stand with the minority which is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority; always be afraid to stand with the majority which is wrong, for the majority which is wrong will one day be the minority.

William Jennings Bryan

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
John Quincy Adams

THERE ARE important Issues and they SHOULD shape the way we vote …

How should I Vote?
- Prayerfully – before you are shaped by political pundits or religious leaders, I need to Seek God’s Face. Our answers must come from the throne room before we make a decision …
- Carefully – don’t just go in and vote carelessly or without purpose. I personally never vote straight ticket … I vote what I know to be true and important to me. It takes longer, but if your vote matters, you should vote carefully
- Conscientiously – that is to vote with a consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions or character with a feeling of obligatio
- Faithfully – VOTE, it is your right and your DUTY
Vote, Be concerned with the results … but

E. Who Will I Trust?

“Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world. I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; and such alone will overthrow the kingdom of Satan and build up the Kingdom of God on earth.” John Wesley

Our Hope is in God Alone. If you know him personally as your own Lord and God, then you need not Fear anything. If you have never given your heart to him, I offer you Jesus, he is our ONLY Hope. He is our ONLY Answer. He is our ONLY Reason to Life

Folks we do not have to fear the growing shadow of evil because I know who the Sun is. I know where the Light is coming from So I will not fear the shadows …

Do the dark Shadows a seem bit scary?

Helen Keller said “Keep your face toward the Sun and you cannot see the shadows”

Where is our Hope?

If you counted all the verses and found the Center Verse of Scripture in the Bible it would be Psalm 118:9 – the CENTER VERSE in the Bible …

It is Better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man

Are you afraid?

Psalm 56:3 when I am afraid, I will trust in you

Now what I have tried to do today is give you principles to challenge you on HOW to vote … BUT … I DID promise you that I would tell you WHO to vote for. …

Well let me see if I can break it down to the important things, the things that we talk about and introduce you to the right candidate
- Executive Experience?
Well … as an Entrepreneur, Creator, and Inventor, he left a lucrative position to begin a new venture. He handpicked a dozen leaders whom he developed and set them loose. They have transformed a regional venture into a multi-national organization servicing and including millions of employees and ambassadors and this endeavor has continued for nearly 2000 years. Today he continues on the tri-unified Board of Directors of every facet of the Universe
- Economics?
Well it is said he owns the cattle on a thousand years. But more than that he developed, understands and implements the principles of planting, nurturing, and harvest.

He can turn a lunch into a meal for thousands so I think he can make sure you have enough to eat. He went fishing one day and came up with the tax money needed for he and his disciples.
- Social Programs?
He has taught his followers to Feed the Hungry, Visit the Prisoner, Give water to the Thirsty, Clothes to the Naked. His followers have been known to sell their goods and give to those in need. They have been known to meet the needs of strangers and friends alike
- Retirement Plan?
In his Father’s House are many Mansions and He has gone to prepare a place for me so that where He is I can be as well
- Suffering and Sacrifice?
The word is Expiation, it means atonement. He went into the teeth storm of accusation. He went through an illegal trial. He withstood a horrific beating. Then he was sentenced to die on a cross and suffered in dignity, grace, forgiveness, love, never uttering a word in his own defense. He sacrificed himself that those who would come after him would not have to die and even if they do would be resurrected to live forever
- Provision?
His Divine Power has Given us EVERYTHING we Need for Life and Godliness

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce to you the ONLY Candidate you ever Need … Please Join me and

Vote for The Lord Jesus Christ!

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace!

Place your Trust in Him

Use Your Chariot but if it’s broken, fix it or ditch it but TRUST God

Use Your Horse, if it’s sick nurse it back to health, if it’s lame shoot it, but place your TRUST in Jesus Christ

Vote Jesus

Vote with your Heart give it to him

Vote with your Head Surrender to him

Vote with your Feet live in Obedience to Him

Love Him with Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

Jesus Is our only lasting Hope

You will never have to vote for HIM to Change because … Jesus is the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever,

YOU and I must Change and Surrender to him, Become Like Him

He IS Lord

He Is God

You might as well follow all of creation

And Vote Jesus Christ this Year and for Life
A Quick Word About Abundance

October 14th, 2016

I was chatting with someone about the idea in John 10:10 of abundance today

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you might have life to the full (abundantly)– John 10:10 (NIV84)

Abundance … what does that really mean? The NIV says “to the full” … the problem for us is that we have our definitions and experiential baggage for what these Biblical Words mean and it can be hard to get to what Christ is saying. It is like the Biblical idea of “hope”. Hope is not wishful thinking, it is a certainty based on the person, promises, and actions of Jesus Christ. So I have to see the word differently. So then this word perissos translated “abundant” or “to the full”. We think, prosperity or perfection, or freedom from troubles but of course that isn’t what is meant and it isn’t what we always experience. Put in context, Jesus is talking about sheep and predators. He says there are thieves and robbers, hired hands that don’t really care, and wolves who want to devour. And in all of that the thief STILL comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but he gives us zoe (life) and have it perissos (abundantly). When I look that definition up I find it to me extraordinary, exceptional, superfluous, unnecessary, special advantage. And I see that regardless of the fact that there are still thieves, robbers, wolves, unconcerned caregivers, in the midst of that we live something that is not necessary, not required, yet exceptional, extraordinary LIFE. The most extraordinary thing is that we LIVE through it, we live IN it, we live in spite of those attacks. When others are destroyed by the attacks, we LIVE and THAT is Extraordinary.

So I can be FULL of Hope, because I know that God is for me, with me, and has taken my place in the worst consequence of my sin, death. So this is why Jesus came. He came to those of us already sentenced to death, and gave us something unnecessary for him, exceptional, extraordinary, to our special advantage, LIFE, REAL Life. Why because we are sheep and he is a GOOD Shepherd.

Oh man, let me stop and shout a little …
Greatness and The Kingdom

September 19th, 2016

Luke 22:28 You are those who stood by me in my trials …

Measuring greatness seems to be a major part of the human psyche. Our standards may vary, but we all do it. We play “King of the Hil” as children. We play “Red Rover”, trying to defeat, breakthrough or be subdued. We play “Monopoly”, you name it. In sports, the conversation is often about who is the “G.O.A.T.” If you don’t know that acronym, it means the “Greatest Of All Time”. Is it Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods in golf? It is Michael Jordan or Lebron James, or someone else in basketball? Who was the greatest president, Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, or Reagan?

This discourse by Jesus follows yet another “dispute” among the disciples over which of them (v24) was considered to be the greatest. So, a dispute, that is contentious strife, arose over who had the reputation of being the greatest. They weren’t arguing over who WAS the greatest, but who was CONSIDERED the greatest.

Jesus doesn’t weigh in on the argument. He just resets the standard for consideration.

v25 – Gentile kings lord it over them … It means to dominate. Their greatness is forced through power.

v26 – But you are not to be like that … He is changing the standard, shifting their gaze. … Instead … The word means “rather, on the contrary, but, yet, certainly, by contrast.” … the greatest … the word is MEGAS – “great, large, important, full-grown, adult, deep, strong.” … among you, should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table, or the one who serves? … (then he answers with their true thoughts) …Is it not the one who is at the table? But … Oh we need to pay attention when God says “But”.

Here comes the New Standard … This is like the “Sermon on the Mount”, when Jesus says You have heard it said … but I say … So here he says v27 … But I am among you as one who serves … Jesus says “I am one who –diakoneo-” It means “serves, waits on, helps, acts as an agent, to wait at the table.”

There is the new standard for greatness … then he continues

v28 YOU are those who have STOOD BY ME in my trials … “stood by me” is –diameno- “asasociate, to continue, to endure, abide with”. If HE came as a “waiter”, then we are just “bus boys” and “dishwashers”. And we are in the worst possible places of service. We are not ser ving in the most beautiful palace with a fancy uniform and great pay. No, He and We serve in our position through TRIALS –peirasmos- “process of testing, fiery ordeal”. We are serving in often the worst of times, the worst of trials, undervalued, underappreciated, misunderstood, attacked, maligned, and mistreated.

But Fear not , fret not. Do not desire greatness or reputation, gratitude or consideration, because Jesus says, … I CONFER on you … -diatithemi- “decree, ordain, arrange, to establish a covenant”. It is Jesus saying “don’t worry about consideration here because I have a covenant with you, I have made arrangements for a kingdom.” We want a reputation, a position, and he says “I have a kingdom for you.” We always receive from him MORE than we can imagine.

v29 … Just as my Father conferred one on me …

When you stand with Christ, you get what he gets. As his “table cleaners” and “dishwashers”, when he is exalted, we are exalted. … Just As … -Kathos- “to the degree that, inasmuch as, just as, when”. When, as, to the level of, his exaltation, will be our exaltation.

v30 – … So that … your greatness will be not here but there … lift your eyes … set your affection on what is to come. …you may eat and drink at MY table, in MY Kingdom and sit on thrones … If we want greatness HERE, it will be fleeting and will ultimately be destroyed and blown as dust away. But his kingdom is FOREVER. What we eat and drink at HIS TABLE will truly satisfy us eternally. What we receive here is often hollow and empty as sugar to the body. But what he has for us is filling and nourishes our souls.

So then in context Jesus tells Peter that satan wants to sift him …

Oh the temptation to seek Greatness

But know this, as he says to Peter … Jesus

1) Has defeated our tormentor

2) Is aware of our struggles

3) is Praying for us

4) Has a ministry for us on the other side of our trials

Lord, Let me be a dishwasher behind Christ and one day I will take my seat at your table. Until then, hand me another plate. I will stand with you in any trial.
Happy 100th Birthday Helen Patterson!

September 11th, 2016

Today in Shawnee, Oklahoma, family will gather to celebrate a life. Sadly, from my office this morning in Germany, I will not be able to attend. But I will be doing what I was raised to do, preach God’s Word. My Grandmother is my last Grandparent on this earth, though the other three just have a different address, one in a Heavenly Place.

My mother’s parents committed themselves to God. They committed to raising a family of 8 children. They committed to preaching the gospel and ministering to Native Americans, mostly in Oklahoma, and she still attends a church primarily focused on Native Americans. She always showed love and a smile to any in need. She passed along a love for music as well to us all.

I am grateful to she and my Grandfather for their 72 years of marriage and the children, including my mother, that they raised.

100 Years

Seems like a long time, but I don’t guess it really is. In America 200 years is a long time, but where I live in Germany, it isn’t really.

But 100 years is a longtime to live on this earth. I was reading today about life 100 years ago. It is hard to imagine the things you seen, lived through, and experienced. From the first Boeing planes built in 1916, to the defeat of Germany twice, the rise and fall of Communism, computers, cell phones, mimiograph to copiers, to your own iPad. Wow. I read that the life expectancy for men in 1916 was only 48 years. I am almost 52. For women it was 54, and here you are 100. Well, you are an extraordinary woman. Now, here I am living in that country of Germany, now our ally. Who knows what the next 48 years will be like as I stretch for my 100th birthday. I know you don’t get there without a plan. Grandpa didn’t get there on this earth, but he certainly got there. I wonder if he preached his planned sermon that day. I plan to play golf in the morning and sing and preach in the evening on my 100th birthday.

Today, I will do the most important thing I do, I will preach about Truth in two services here in Germany, to representatives of the greatest earthly force for the cause of Freedom. Wherever freedom is provided, the gospel goes in behind it. So, pray for our heroes today. On a day that has become known for a tragedy in 2001, we celebrate a life of triumph, love, and service.

Truly you were a woman of God, a wife of Character, a mother of commitment, a grandmother with grandeur, a great grandmother who lights the way, and truly a great, great, grandmother.

Heaven is certainly to come, and 100 years there will be a drop in a bucket. We sing, “when we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing his praise than when we’ve first begun.” Oh it is that understanding and firm belief in truth, that has shaped your life, and you have passed along to us. It is that confidence that has been the urgency, certainty, and security of our lives. And so it ever will be. I don’t know how many days, months, or years on this earth the Lord has for you, the reality is that those days are shorter than what you have already experienced. The days you have are shortening like the hours and minutes of a reddening western sky in evening. Oh but an approaching dusk only means that a dawn is just a few hours away. And so a dawn is coming for all of us that will find the Lord Jesus to be the sun that lights our eternity. And truly “what a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see.”

But for this day, we are grateful and for that day we are hopeful.

Thank you for being faithful to the Lord and always convinced of Truth and committed to sharing it.

Thank you for knowing his love and sharing it with everyone who would receive your gift of love in hopes that they would know a greater love.

On this day and every day you stand on that solid rock. As you stand you have provided a foundation by which we all rise to the skies.

Thank you

Your grateful grandson, father to two of your great grandsons, and grandfather to your first great great granddaughter.
Jimmy

Jim

Pastor Jim

Pastor Goforth

However I am known I am ever your proud and grateful grandson
Did I Not Tell You

August 29th, 2016

John 11:30 “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

“If you believed” certainly Jesus is talking about faith, the word Pisteuo means to believe to be true, to be convinced. But I don’t believe that it is simple faith, or even committed faith. That is not the key to getting a God to whatever you want. Faith is based on many factors, not the least of which is the plan, purpose, and character of God. You can believe all you want, but if God is not purposed to do it, if it isn’t in his nature, he isn’t going to do it. You believe all you want but it isn’t going to happen.

Then also, faith has to be combined with action. If I believe God for rain, then I better bring an umbrella. If I am a farmer and I am believing God is sending rain, then I need to get busy planting. What good is the rain if you aren’t going to plant?

So Jesus says in v15 that the purpose behind the death of Lazarus was “so that you may believe”. In this tragedy God was at work.

So then Martha is with Jesus questioning him about the death and Jesus says “your brother will rise again”v23 then that he is the Resurrection and life. And then he asks “Do you believe this?” And Martha has an interesting answer. She says “yes Lord, I believe you are the Christ …” And I sort of hear Jesus saying “that’s not what I asked you. I asked you if you thought I could change your circumstance.”

So through the mourning and the questioning, he ends up at the tomb, with Mary and Martha and he says “take away the stone” … ” But Lord … There is a bad odor … It has been four days.”

Can I ask you, what has God told you to do? Did you do it, or did you have a list for God about why you couldn’t, or shouldn’t, why it wouldn’t work? I seem to remember a God saying “who has counciled me? Who was there when I laid out the Heavens?” It is sort of like giving Steph Curry tips on shooting a basketball or a lesson on physics to Einstein. I heard that once the King told Mozart that his music “had. Too many notes.” To which Mozart replied “how many notes is the right amount?”

Jesus says “roll the stone away” and she says “but Lord” … And so then v40 “Did I not tell you …” Listen, faith is not blind trust. It is about accepting and acting on Divine Revelation. God reveals, he instructs, and that revelation is an invitation. The equation is this

Revelation = Invitation to join him

Invitation = Expectation to respond in faith

Expectation = Provision by God of what we need

Provision = Subtraction of Excuses

Jesus didn’t ask Mary or Martha to raise Lazarus, he just asked them to believe him enough to show up and watch him work. We often miss the glory of God, not because it isn’t there, or isn’t available, but because we don’t believe and show up.

v41 “So they too the stone away”. They did the one thing he asked, an act of faith in action, obedience. And then I love the next two words, “Then Jesus” …

“Then Jesus” … MAN THAT’S THE STUFF RIGHT THERE!!

If I will believe God and show up, and act in faith, then a Jesus will take care of the “Jesus stuff”. He is the miracle worker. The Holy Spirit is the power of God. Ephesians 1:19-20 says “his incomparably great power (is) for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead …”

His is the Power

His is the Glory

We simply must listen, believe, and show up acting in obedience … Jesus will take care of the God stuff

Hallelujah Thine the glory

Hallelujah Amen

Hallelujah Thine the glory

Revive us again (W.P. Mackay-1863)
Be Born In Me Today

August 16th, 2016

You Must BE Born Again

John 3:7 do not be surprised when I say, You MUST BE Born Again

We know that. It is foundational to our faith. Being born again, doctrinally and positionally, is an event, a historical, even historic moment in the life of every believer. It is a once in a lifetime event, once for all, and yet Jesus says … if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself take up his cross daily and follow me.

There must be an every day “birth” that takes place, because every day I am potentially given to thinking worldly thoughts, feeling fleshly things. Those things hep me relate to the world, but those things are in danger of separating my focus and my ministry, even the mundane things, from the new life. Christ Jesus says to Nicodemus, “flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (V6) What IS the flesh? It is human, frail, deceitful, confused, it is dying, it is susceptible to sin, and it will, when left unchecked, give birth to the same things. So we have to daily, moment by moment, surrender to our born again spirit to let it be free to manifest itself in our lives. Being filled with the Spirit is allowing the Holy Spirit to be Himself in us.

V8 the wind blows wherever it pleases, you hear the sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from, or where it is going … so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

I cannot create the move of the Holy Spirit. I cannot summon it. I simply can throw up my sail and ride surrendered to the wind of the Spirit. Or, I can leave my sail down and flounder in the waves, or paddle under my own power. These are heavenly things Jesus tells Nicodemus. Don’t try to control it or understand it with fleshly power or reasoning. Spread out your flesh like a sail and let the Spirit be free to be Himself in you.

V13 says we have never been to Heaven so we can’t expect to comprehend it or bring it down, only Jesus, the One who came from Heaven can work it in us. The Spirit is Christ in us, and that is the hope of God’s glorious reputation being manifest in us.

V15 that everyone who believes in him may HAVE eternal life

Yes, this is speaking of salvation and eternal position. But also, in the day to day, it is only as we allow our new birth to be born in our thinking, doing, and living will eternal life be manifest in our mundane life.

You and I … We … must BE born again.

Could we pray today “Eternal Christ, Lord and Savior, the One who was born in me when I heard, believed, and received; the One who has given me Spirit and Life; be born in my living, fresh and new today. Be born in my thinking. Be born in my concerns. Be born in my passions. May I BE born again. May I again be reborn this moment. Amen”
The Persecuted Saint

August 2nd, 2016
I don’t usually post my weekly sermon manuscript here, though it is posted weekly on our website along with the video. I felt that perhaps this week’s sermon in our “Gospel of John” series might be timely and encourage someone who ends up randomly finding it in the blogesphere. So … here it is

That You May Believe – John #47 –

The Persecuted Saint – John 15:18-25

Growing up, we would hear stories of the persecuted church in communist countries. I read and was inspired by such stories, but they were far away in those oppressed countries, or in isolated regions where the gospel had never been proclaimed.

The Persecuted Church is a reality as much today as ever. Whether in the subtlety of a politically correct work environment; which defends the “right to believe” for the unbeliever or certain lifestyles, while squelching the “right to believe” of the Christian. Often it is an overt attack on life, liberty, and the pursuit of Christ by the atheist, the terrorist, the radical, and so the Church remains under attack.

More Christians have died for their faith in the last 100 years than 1900 years before. According to www.persecution.org, 384 Christians have been killed already in 2016 in Nigeria, more than all of 2015. The same website reports that 100,000 Christians have fled Iraq alone. Father Jacque Hamel was murdered in his church in Normandy this week. I was reading last week of nearly 2000 crosses removed from churches all over China. There is no place on the earth that is immune from the potential of persecution, because evil, like the sin which causes it, is like leaven that permeates an entire loaf of bread. But there is a geographical center if you will. 2/3^rd of the world’s population lives in 1/3^rd of the land mass, between 10`N and 40`N latitude. It is called the “1040 window”. It is the poorest, hungriest, most unchurched, and most hostile region to Christianity worldwide. And then, I remember the words of Jesus, “if you only knew today what would bring you peace”. Jesus IS the answer today for those bent on wiping away all mention of his name.

According to www.opendoorsusa.org, 322 Christians are killed every month, 214 churches and Christian properties are destroyed, and 772 acts of violence are committed against Christians.

The Pew Research Center says 75% of the world’s population lives in areas with severe religious restrictions. The U.S. State Department says that in more than 60 countries, Christians are persecuted by government or neighbors because they believe in Jesus Christ.

And the words of Jesus ring out across 2000 years, his words to his disciples the night before his death, “If the world hates you …”. In the next chapter he will say, “… in this world you will have trouble …”

READ 15:18-25

Persecution is the norm for those who follow Christ. I don’t know what you have experienced. Perhaps the ceiling at work seems to be shrinking. Perhaps the atmospheres around you is one of harassment for your faith. We may never know that we consider terrible persecution. Or, perhaps the terrorist’s hatred, even a jail cell, or funeral for your faith. Yet, no matter how it comes, it will come. So, how do we live in a world of persecution?

There are 3 realities Jesus gives … 3 things to “keep in mind”
1. You Do Not Belong To This World
If the world hates you … keep in mind …

You

A. Do Not Belong

– to this World

Our concerns are often over acceptance, adoration, love from those around us. And Jesus says “they don’t love you because you are not of, do not belong, to them.”

“not belong” “are not of” – it is a variation of eimi = “to have existence, to have an inheritance in”

Your existence is not in this world. This is not the place of your citizenship. You do not have your inheritance in this place. If we do not experience hatred, persecution, are we of the world? A.T. Robertson asks “has the world become more Christian, or the Christian more worldly?”

You do not BELONG to this world. Hebrews 11:9 says that Abraham lived in the Promised Land “in tents” v10 “for he was looking forward to the city … whose architect and builder is God”. V8 says that he was called “to a place he would LATER receive as an inheritance”. Abraham was living looking forward. Listen folks … this world IS part of your inheritance in Christ, but NOT now, a New Heaven and a New Earth … live like a resident looking forward.

You don’t belong to this world nor …

– To Your Persecutor

the terrorist, the harasser, the racist, the hatemonger is NOT your master. You do not belong to them. They can only do what God allows. Remember Job’s story. satan tormented and tested him, but he was only allowed to do what God permitted.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV84)

¹³ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Every temptation is Common, God will provide a way, because God is Faithful. He is in charge. He allows what he decides is best and you are able to handle through him.

B. You Belong

– To Christ

He made you, he chose you, he bought you. You are his creation. You are his choice. You are his costly treasured possession. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. He told them, “you did not choose me, but I have chosen you”. You are a pearl of great price that Christ gave all he had to purchase. You belong to Christ and …

– To Heaven

Philippians 3:20–21 (NIV84)

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

The tormentor can have anything of this world because it doesn’t belong to me. Everything of this world will be burned up and recreated. Nothing in this world is worth the effort of your grip. Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13, God is the One to whom we belong and the One to whom all tormentors must bow. So then, 1 Corinthians 10:14 says “therefore … flee idolatry”. When we bow to our persecutor … to our suffering … through fear, decision-making, acquiescence to their will … then we are turning our persecutor into an idol, a god in our lives to be worshiped.

But we do not belong to this earth, nor to our persecutor. We belong to Heaven, to Christ, but we have temporarily been transplanted in this world, in this place in the world. So, we are but branches of the True Vine of Heaven, for now, planted on earth. We are here so that the earth might “taste test” Heaven and say “we have never tasted anything like this.”

Keep in mind that you belong to Christ and
1. They Will Persecute You
“If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also …”

Dioko = persecute, pursue, chase, strive for

The question here is not “IF” but “WHEN”. The only “if” is “if they persecuted me” and just hours later Christ was being arrested, falsely accused, beaten, and crucified. “if they persecute …”. The YLT says “if they DID Persecute”. Did they? Yes. Then, “they WILL persecute”, future indicative … that is, this is a coming reality, they WILL persecute you

A. Because Of My Name

“they will treat you this way”

Poieo = to do, practice, perform, These are not accidents but actions with intent.

Dia = because of, through, on account of

My onoma = name, person, reputation, title, authority

Jesus speaking about the evil times to come says

Luke 21:12 (NIV84)

¹² “But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.

“on account” – heneka = the marker of a participant constituting the event

Yes, as a Christian, you have a target on your back. It is the name, the person, Jesus, and his title as Lord, his reputation as the Darling of Heaven. That is what satan wanted and he hates all who have the name of Christ.

You will be persecuted intentionally because you claim Christ, or unintentionally because of the stand you take, and the values you have which are contrary to the values of this world. It is because Christ is in you.

2 Corinthians 2:14–16 (NIV84)

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. ¹⁵ For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

When you have Christ leading, affecting your decisions and actions, to those from this world, apart from Christ, opposed to Christ, they will hate what you do like a pungent odor that fills a room.

Jesus says “they have no excuse for their sin”. Don’t buy into the argument “they didn’t know”. Romans 1 and 2 say that creation and conscience testify to the truth and all men, deep down, know, they know they truth, they have heard in a witness, seen it in a sunrise, heard it in the first cry of a newborn.

Jesus says “if they hate you …”

B. They Hated Me First

Psalm 2:1-2 asks “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather against The Lord, and against his Anointed One.”

The hatred of God and his people is as old as time as we know it.

satan wanted to overthrow God’s loving rule and reign. He deceived 1/3^rd of the Angels to follow him, and they were banished from Heaven.

God created this earth and a beautiful garden, and placed his image, Adam and Eve, there. satan deceived and the result was death where God created life.

God claimed a people for Himself through which would come salvation and break sin’s hold. God took them to Egypt to deliver from famine. satan took the blessing of the people and the hatred of God’s people turned from blessing into slavery.

God set them free, led them to the Land of Promise but satan convinced them that they couldn’t succeed and they wandered for 40 years.

Haman tried to get the Persian King, Xerxes, to annihilate God’s people in exile, but God had positioned Esther to save his people.

Pharaoh, Antiochus, Herod the Great, Titus, Nero, The Ottomon Empire, Hitler, and today ISIS/ISIL and so many others have all tried to stop the plans of God through his people. They have attacked his name, his authority, his reputation, his title. Chosen People Ministries point out that perhaps one of the greatest deceptions of satan was when he has used Christians to persecute Israel, sealing for many, their hearts from seeing Jesus as Messiah.

satan hates God. satan attacked Jesus from the moment of his birth. He dogged him thoughout his life. He tried to kill him as a baby. He encouraged a suicide attempt in his great temptation. He attempted to discourage, defeat, and destroy, that is always his way.

So Jesus says … if the world hates you, keep in mind, it hated me first”

Then 70 years later, John has experienced it firsthand. All of his fellow disciples died for their faith. He had been imprisoned for his faith. And he said, in 1 John 3:13, “do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.”

That use of miseo = to hate, to detest is in the indicative tense meaning it is a real state of being. It is not something that is possible, it is just the way it is. “The world hates me”, Jesus says, “that’s just the way it is, so they hate you as well because I am in you, and you are in me, and I am in the Father.”

– Expect Nothing Better

– Desire Nothing Different

Paul says “I want to know Christ … fellowshipping in his suffering.” We can’t know the power of the resurrection without fellowship of suffering and conforming to his death.

We don’t really know life if we don’t know the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We don’t know what it is to be well, if we have not been sick. We cannot know the victory of overcoming, if we don’t know the struggles.

So, finally, what of the Oppressor, the Tormentor, Persecutor? What do we need to keep in mind?
1. They Do Not Know God
“They do not know the One who sent me”

The Persecutor does not know God. And we don’t say this as an indictment but mournfully, they do not know God.

– Not in salvation

– Not in a Relationship Walking with Him

A. Understand Their Station

It wasn’t that they hadn’t seen, heard, but they refused to know him instinctively, intuitively, they didn’t know God within. They knew about God, but if God walked into the room, they wouldn’t perceive it. So Jesus did and they didn’t know him as God.

Those who persecute you, do not know him in truth, or they have left the experiential knowledge of him, as he is never leading them in this torment, though he allows it.

Yet in all of this, we need to remember that …

– Jesus died for them

The context in 1 John 3:13 and the hatred of the world for us … is that we should LOVE. It is the evidence that we are alive in Christ, that we have LOVE for those who do not know him. So v16 says “this is how we know what love is, Jesus laid down his life for us …

– They don’t KNOW God, so they NEED God

Understanding that; then comes the hard part for some

B. Pray For Their Salvation

The response, of one bought by Christ, in the face of persecution, is to LOVE; and Love defends, but also prays for the deliverance, and salvation of the persecutor. Yes as a society, we have a duty and a right to protect the persecuted, to defend them. But as individuals we should show love and grace.

So, let me try and bring this to a close.

At www.opendoorsusa.org, there are resources on how to connect to those in persecution. They also give a list for “Standing Strong in the Storms”

a “Theology of Persecution”

… Let me give you their list

ii. Build Yourself a Cell

Psalm 46:10 (NIV84)

¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

A Chinese Church Leader after 23 years in prison said this to Christians who have not been persecuted

“I was pushed into a cell … you have to put yourself into one. You have not time to know God. You need to do for yourself, what persecution did for me. Simplify yourself and know God”

ii. God Keeps Secrets

Isaiah 55:8–9 (NIV84)

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

You may never know what God is doing, but our labor is not in vain in the Lord

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV84)

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

iii. Weakness is a Direct Path to God’s Power

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (NIV84)

⁹ … my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

An Egyptian Christian Persecuted for his Conversion said “in great suffering you discover a different Jesus than you do in normal life. Pain and suffering bring up to the surface all the weak points of your personality. In my weakest state, I had an incredible realization that Jesus loved me even right then.”

iv. Overcoming Is Better Than Deliverance

Romans 12:21 (NIV84)

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Opendoorsusa says “persecuted Christians all over the world never ask us to pray that it would end, but that they would be strong through it”

v. Extreme Hurt Requires Extreme Forgiveness

Luke 23:34 (NIV84)

³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” …

A Christian Iranian widow said “I only had hatred in my heart for my enemies who had murdered my husband. But one day a miracle happened, God taught me how I could love my enemies. I had been praying for this, even though on the deepest level, I didn’t want it to happen. Gradually through a process of ups and downs, God answered that prayer”

Love is the most Christ-like response to hatred and persecution

vi. Prayer Is the Ultimate Fellowship With Persecuted Christians

Hebrews 13:3 (NIV84)

³ Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

1 Corinthians 12:26 (NIV84)

²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Every part of the body hurts when any part of the body hurts

How do we pray for the persecuted?

www.cru.com gives us some ways to pray for persecuted Christians

– Pray they would know the Hope God Gives – Ephesians 1:18

– Pray the Holy Spirit strengthen them – Ephesians 3:16

– Pray they would know how much God Loves them – Ephesians 3:17

– Pray for them to know how to share the Gospel – Ephesians 6:19

– Pray for them to fearlessly tell others about Jesus – Ephesians 6:20

– Pray for access to the Bible

– Pray for Courage to Remain

– Pray for support and family for those rejected

– Pray for God’s advocacy for women and children

– Pray for jobs and a safe place to live

Conclusion

Surviving and Thriving In Persecution …

… Is about Dying Before The Threat of Death before Persecution

Jesus survived the cross because he was slain from the foundation of the earth. He continued because his eyes were on the finish. He died in the garden. He died to self, “not my will but yours be done”

… Is about Lifting our Gaze

Psalm 121 (NIV84)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? ² My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. ³ He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; ⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; ⁶ the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; ⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

I must Fix My Eyes on Jesus

– Consider what he has DONE for you

– Consider the depth of his LOVE

– Consider the level of his SACRIFICE

Pray for those facing Persecution

Pray with Compassion for your Tormentor

When my eyes are on Jesus, my eyes are off suffering

When my heart is praying for others in persecution, I am not hurt by my trials

When I am praying for the perpetrator of my persecution, I will have the right perspective on what is the greatest priority, and away from my pain.
When Jesus Says Go … he fills the void

August 1st, 2016

When Jesus says “go” he will take care of those you leave behind.

Matthew 11:1 “After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.”

The KJV says that he “departed … to teach and preach in THEIR CITIES”

Chapter 10 is Jesus’ instructions to the disciples before sending them out on his mission. 10:5 “these twelve Jesus sent out …”

My bride and I serve far from home. We are called to a place thousands of miles, an ocean and continents away from our parents, children, grandchildren, not to mention friends and extended family. We serve a people here who live their lives separated from their friends and family to protect the freedom of others. But what about those we have left behind? Who will take care of them? Who will teach them? And I hear the soft reply of my Savior, “I will my child, trust me, serve me, and let me serve you.”

It is such a beautiful and immediate thing when Jesus sends them out and immediately fills the void of their presence with his teaching. Mark 10:29-31 “I tell you the truth … no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields FOR ME and THE GOSPEL 30 will fails to receive a hundred times as much in this present age … and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” Never did those words mean so much as when God called us to Germany in January of 2012.

Interesting that we sometimes read and think “where is my increase?” My first thought this morning is that the increase is directly connected to what we left behind. I didn’t have money when I left, so I’m probably not going to have money here either. We left family and friends and have 100-fold increase here. We left a ministry and we have an increase of 100-fold here. We dearly miss our sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, and yet, we have become “surrogate parents and grandparents” to hundreds that come through this place every year. We say “hello” and “goodbye” to so many in this ministry but that just is about increase over what we have left behind.

So then, as the Lord has sent us here … he continues to go to the places we have left behind and he fills the void with Himself. Yes, we are sacrificing for his call, but so are those we left behind. Their sacrifice of our presence is just as real. Still we have a loving Savior who goes to our cities and fills the void to overflowing. So we are not so sad when we see them doing well without us. That is just evidence of the blessing of the Savior, filling the little loss with the overflowing of his presence.

What a good good Savior.
Who Are You Lord?

July 25th, 2016

Acts 9:5 “Who are you Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Paul is about his business. He is fervant, religious, pious, a man on a mission from God, he thinks. He is defending God’s honor, he thinks, persecuting Christians on the road to Damascus. Have you ever met Jesus on the “Road to Damascus”?

“Who are you Lord?” “I am Jesus.”

Hagar was running from Sarah’s anger. She met The Angel of the Lord, Jesus, and called him, “the God who sees me”. “Wow, God knows my name, I never thought I was that important.” Jacob was on the run from Esau’s anger. He had a dream and saw God’s servants doing his work throughout the earth. He woke and said “surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Samson’s parents met a stranger with good news, birth news, but then he ascended to Heaven in the fire of their offering and they thought, “oh no, that was God, and we are going to die. Wait, no, he wouldn’t reveal himself to us just to kill us.”

So, here is Paul, pious, busy, on mission, and Jesus knocks him down and he says, “Who are you Lord?”

What are you facing that has you asking, “what is going on here?”. Have you FIRST looked into the face of God and said, “Lord is this you?” While I don’t believe that every trouble is God’s hand, nor that it is always discipline, the result of sin. I DO, however, believe that the first thing we need to do is look for God in the midst of it. “Lord, are you saying something … are you causing or allowing this? Where are you in all of this?”

As tragedy seems on every headline right now, how much would have been avoided if everyone involved would ask, “Who are you Lord? Where are you Lord? What are you doing Lord?”

When injustice rears its head, there is a time, and a way to act, but that time and way is always just. It is never vengeance, or retribution. “‘Vengeance is MINE’, says the Lord”. Why does it belong exclusively to God? He is the only one JUST enough, WISE enough, and LOVE enough to exact vengeance that is RIGHT. The terrorist isn’t asking “who are you Lord?” He is saying “I am lord.” the vengeance seeker, shrouded in a false understanding of justice isn’t asking “who are you Lord?” They are believing that they have God’s wisdom, and all the while stirring the pot that will not heal festering wounds, and will not bring justice but only cause more pain.

Hagar, Jacob, Samson’s parents, and Paul found out what Jesus knew in the garden and experienced on the cross, “your will and not mine be done.” That’s why on the cross, under an unjustice sentence, he could say, “Father, forgive them …” Sometimes pain brings healing. Sometimes death brings life. Sometimes injustice brings justice. Sometimes failure brings triumph. If we can look up and see the face of Christ, realize that he is here, he is on the throne, and hear him say, “I will tell you what to do, I am in this”, then we can get through it and trust him.

So often, we are busy fighting for “right” only to find that God is at work, and he will always bring RIGHT. Could it be the thing you are fighting the hardest right now, is God at work, you just don’t know it?

Look up and ask

Listen and live