Sunday morning I shared from my heart about my concern for building a church to last for generations.  The American church must awaken from apathy and begin to build for the generations to come.  You can listen to the message here.

Hannah has recently picked up a phrase that Josh used when he was her age.  She will look up at you and say, “I need to hold you.”  In essence, she is wanting you to hold her but that is the only way she knows to say it.

Last night, it seems she had a rough night.  She tossed and turned.  She would cry out in her sleep as if she was having a bad dream.  This continued all night.  Early this morning I went to her crib and she said through her cries, “I need to hold you.”  Whatever she was dreaming about or upset about, she needed to be held.

In the trying days we live, we need someone to hold onto.  With an unstable economy, rocky marriages, wayward children, sickness and disease, we just sometimes need to be held.  You can see this in society because people are always seeking relationship after relationship to satisfy them.  The only One that can hold us like we need to be held is God. 

I cannot tell you how many times that I have faced struggles and cried out to God, “I need you to hold me!”  He is never too distant to be there for you, to uphold you with His right hand.  The Psalmist wrote, “23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.  24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.”

If you are stumbling through life and need someone to hold you up, call on the name of the Lord.  The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous shall run into it and be safe.

Tommorow night, we continue our Sermon on the Mount Series.  Man, was Jesus a preacher!  As I have been studying this sermon of His, I have been convicted almost every week.  This sermon is a piercing look at the heart of man and his spiritual problems. 

This week’s message deals with how to treat our enemies.  Jesus challenges us to go opposite of the way the world treat its enemies.  We are to love our enemies.  You would think Jesus didn’t have any enemies but He told His disciples, “Because the world hates me it will hate you also.”  Jesus had alot of enemies but He loved them with His abundant love.  If you have some enemies in your life, come Wednesday night.  Jesus’ sermon will hit you between the eyes.

I just finished a book that has to be one of the most convicting books I have read in a long time.  Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love , challenges the common apathy of the American Christian today.  He challenges the mind-set of the believer which seeks to take the easy road in their relationship with God.  If you are looking to become a better Christ-follower, you must get this book.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the Crazy Love:

“Can you worship a God who isn’t obligated to explain His actions to you? Could it be arrogance that makes you think God owes you an explanation? Do you really believe that compared to God, “all the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing” including you?”

“Throughout time, somewhere between forty-five billion and one hundred twenty-five billion people have lived on this earth.  That’s 125,000,000,000.  In about fifty years (give or take a couple of decades) no one will remember you.  Everyone you know will be dead.  Certainly no one will care what job you had, what car you drove, what school you attended, or what clothes you wore.  This can be terrifying or reassuring, or maybe a mix of both.”

“Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him-frequently and zealously.  Jesus didn’t command that we have a regular time with Him each day.  Rather, He tells us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind.” He called this the “first and greatest commandment”.  The results are intimate prayer and study of His word.  Our motivation changes from guilt to love.”

This book is one of the most challenging books I have read about the believer’s walk since Ravenhill or Tozer.

I read one of the most thought provoking quotes last night.  It has to do with our longing for eternity and why we long for eternity.  Often, our view of eternity is skewed.  We want it more for the benefits than anything else.  What is the most important part of eternity?

“The critical question for our generation – and for every generation – is this: If you could have Heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with Heaven, if Christ was not there?”   -John Piper, God Is The Gospel-

This question reveals our love for God and for eternity.  Are we seeking Heaven so we can have all the benefits of Heaven?  Or are we seeking Heaven because that is where the eternal Christ dwells and we will spend eternity with Him? 

Many believers are looking forward to Heaven because of what Heaven is like, but miss the part of eternity that is centered around Christ.  The reason many people do not concern themselves with Eternity with Christ is because our love for Him has grown cold.  We want Heaven because it means no more suffering, but we ought to long for Heaven because Christ is there.  If we love Christ with all we have, Heaven is our main longing because we will see Him face to face.

Yesterday, I went to the Jefferson County Courthouse to make a donation to their Judicial Department. Okay, I went down there to pay my traffic fine.  As I was waiting for the court clerk to pull my file I noticed the labels on the outside of the files.  There were files for warrants, hot checks and active criminals.  I watched as the clerk sorted through the Active Criminal file and she pulled out the file for John Cheney.  I was appalled.  I am not a criminal.  It is a speeding ticket for crying out loud!  “Why was I in the Active Criminal File?”, I asked myself.  Then I realized, because I broke the law.  I was a criminal. Criminals break laws, even if it is “only” speeding.

I began to think about how we are all Active Criminals apart from the grace of God.  We are law-breakers! Breaking the commandments of His book.  According to the Bible, murderers and those who are sinfully angry are both criminals, even if the offense seems different.  When we break God’s law we must go before the Judge.  We must enter our plea of guilty.  But wait there is a good part to this criminal case against us.  We have the best lawyer.  I John Chapter 2 reminds us that when we do sin, there is an Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous who represents us before the Judge.  In fact, it is Jesus Christ, who paid our fines at court.  The wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Christ.  God commended His love toward us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

We are considered active criminals when we sin, but thank God for someone who will represent us.  When we enter our plea of guilty (confession) God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We are no longer in the Active Criminal file…our file has been place in file 13.

“The irony is that while God doesn’t need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don’t really want Him most of the time.  He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him-and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by.”  Francis Chan from Crazy Love

There is a something exciting to me about receiving a package from CBD, my favorite online bookstore.  When I see the UPS man coming to the door with the package in hand, my heart leaps with anticipation.  You see, I am a lover of books.  When I receive the package and begin to open it, it is like Christmas morning as a child.  It is a gift waiting to be unlocked.

Every month, I receive a book allowance from our church.  I use this wisely when I purchase books because I know the importance of learning.  These last few weeks I have been on a journey to sharpen my skills as a preacher of the gospel.  In recent weeks, I have been inspired by the preaching ministries of C.J. Mahaney and Francis Chan.  Their gifts as communicators have challenged me to grow in my ministry as well.  So, this month I picked up a couple of books that I hope will help me become a better communicator of God’s Word. 

I believe it is a necessity for every one of us, whether we are pastors or other leaders, to grow in our giftings that God has given us.  We have heard that practice makes perfect and that is true.  Although you need the anointing of God on whatever you do, we are still called to grow in our leadership and respective ministries.  Especially, if we are communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the media age, it is harder to keep people’s attention.  We must learn to communicate with skill, clarity and substance.  People today are hungry for truth and as preachers of His Word, we must seek to prepare messages that help others grow in their relationship with Christ. 

If we are in ministry, we should be studying ministry, seeking wisdom from others, reading books, and listening to how others “do” their ministry.

Every week I spend my driving time, listening to podcasts of other preachers.  This helps me learn how others communicate, as well as, how they tell the truths of the Bible.  If we as Christians feel like we have arrived and do not need to learn anything, then we need to learn humility.  We should be ever learning.  What is your ministry?  Have you studied how to be better at it?  Is there anything you need to change to help you become better?  Study Hard!

Books of the Month:

Preaching That Connects by Mark Galli and Craig Brian Larsen (I read this many years ago and helped shape my style of sermons.  I am revisiting it again to polish up.)

Preaching With Passion by Alex Montoya

Paul, the Spirit and the People of God by Gordon Fee

Lecture To My Students by Charles Spurgeon