What Do You Do When Someone Wants to Start A New Program at Church? Hebrews 10:24

Sometimes people come up with a project or a program and we are sure it misses the point or purpose of the church. How do we handle them and their proposed project?

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:24.

The first half of this verse is about us.

LET US
Life is full of choices. We must choose to be people who are focused on the wellbeing of others. The words, let us, is like an invitation, or a call to action. We can't have the attitude that it is the minister's job to encourage others to service, it is for all of us to do.

CONSIDER
We need to think about ways of encouraging others. We can't just rely upon random opportunities to encourage people. We need to make plans to, and set goals.

SPUR
A spur causes the horse to move forward. Soldiers would spur their horses into battle when the noise would cause the animal to flee another way. It is a painful goad which cannot be ignored. Some translations use the word, stir, which suggest bringing the good up to the top of the pot. We, humans, have a tendency to get settled and need frequent reminders to continue to serve Christ. Sometimes those reminders are uncomfortable.

ONE ANOTHER
We do not just spur our brothers in faith but we get to be spurred by them too. None of us are free from the need to be encouraged to serve God.

LOVE AND GOOD DEEDS
We don't do good deeds and act in love to obtain a good standing with God, but because he has made us able to stand through the blood of Christ.

Love and good deeds reflect the nature of Christ in us. We want to do them because he did them we are his hands and feet in this world.

WHAT ABOUT THAT PROJECT?
The church should not be an idle place- it should be a place of activity, good works, service, and spiritual warfare. We must give and receive encouragement if the church is to move ahead and influence this generation. No time is better than any another for encouraging. Everyone who serves should be encouraged in their efforts.

Maybe the new project someone wants to start will fall flat or misses the mark of the church's mission, but we should resolve to encourage people in whatever good work they are doing; and if they are not doing any we should all the more encourage them to take up the command to love and serve through some good work

(c)Adron Dozat 1/18/15

Where to get power to do good. Philippians 2:13

We want to do good things but can't; the power is not in us. We have had a little success at self-reform but will soon slip back. Or we come to faith in God and still can't seem to live a life of good actions. Our desires are all bent on doing selfish and shallow things.

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13, NIV.

GOD
Good is good, and all good begins in Him. Our nature is weak and seems bent on wrong, so we can't rely on ourselves. We can't do good apart from God, so we have to rely on God. If we have come to God in faith, then He is with us and partners with us in our lives as we partner with Him in His kingdom. By faith, God becomes the source in our lives that enables us to do good.

WORK
God has a purpose in our lives, and He is working in us to bring it about. For this verse to say, "He is working in us," suggests He is active in our lives. It suggests He has a purpose in this work in us. Work suggests progress is made and construction is on the way. Work is sometimes hard, uncomfortable, and inconvenient, yet it should reassure us that God is working in us.

IN US
His work is not just to build up a nice, cozy lifestyle; He is working inside of us, in our minds, and hearts, to make something new. He is changing or renovating us. He has a process that will change the very nature of who we are.

OUR WILL
God is changing our desires. He is trying to make us less selfish and more generous, less angry, and more peaceful, less haughty, and more humble and He is doing many other things in our lives. The biggest thing He is doing is to give us a willingness to do good,  He is working in our hearts to have a willingness and a willfulness to do good.

ACT
Our actions follow our thoughts. When our wills are given to God, our acts will be given to Him also. Good intentions are nice, but it is the acts that demonstrate the power of God in our lives.

HIS GOOD PLEASURE
In each of our lives, God has a good purpose and a plan that he is fulfilling within us for our good. We can be confident and rejoice in His work in our lives.

To learn more about having God in your life see my other blog, follow this link: Click Here.

(c)Adron Dozat 3/5/13

What Does the Bible Say About Giving?

We know we should be giving to God and charity. There are so many that ask for our contributions. What should we give and to who?  An ancient king may give us guidance.

"Besides in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple; three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlay of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work and all the work to be done. Now who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?"  Chronicles 29:3-5, NIV*. 

The quote above was when King David was dedicating his fortune to building the temple in Jerusalem.

DEVOTION
David sets an example of devotion.  It was a theme that ran throughout his life, and this generous giving to the building of the temple may be the result of a lifelong attitude and practice of giving. He was faithful in little and was given much. As king he could have levied a tax, or commanded nobles to give a percentage; instead, he sets an example and gives. He did not preach giving- he practiced giving. His devotion was not a religion, creed, system, but to a personal God that he loved.

WHAT HE GAVE
There is much disagreement as to the exact sums of the treasure given, both in measure and value. What is clear is that by any calculation is it was a lot. The gold and silver were above everything else he gave already; he gave and then gave some more. The gold of Ophir was thought to be the best and finest of gold mined in the times of David. This detail suggests his attitude of giving mandates the best not second best or the leftover.

CONSECRATE
To consecrate something has come to mean it is given for service to God. The ancient word for this refers to a full hand, the image is of generous giving in an outstretched hand without reserve. To consecrate yourself is to give yourself away to serving.  David's example of giving of material goods led to the challenge of giving not only material goods but one's self.

NOT JUST A QUESTION
David asked the leaders of the people, "...who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?" He did not command it and neither does God. God is asking us if are we willing to give ourselves to him, his service, his worship, his kingdom. We may give in the offering plate at church, or to charities, or many worthy causes but the better and nobler is to give ourselves to God. Adron

To learn more about coming to God follow this link: Click Here.

*To read this verse in another translation follow this link: Online Parallel Bible.

© Adron 11/28/12

Is It Any Good To Serve God. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Does it do any good to serve God? Is it worth my time? What if, after all this work, no one comes or is blessed by it?

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm, let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know your labor in the lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15: 58, NIV*.

STAND FIRM

God does not ask us to be full of busyness but to stand firm as in the "Be still and know I am the Lord.*" statements that are repeated in scripture.  Sometimes it is the misdirected busyness that wears us out.  God does not want us to be busy for the sake of doing something; He wants us to serve and give ourselves as an act of worship.

ALWAYS

We should not let an opportunity to serve God pass us by.  We should always be willing to serve and always be ready to do the work of the Lord.

GIVE

To give yourself to the work of the Lord is a choice you must make for yourself.  We must do this as an offering of worship.  We must not give halfheartedly or just sometimes, like on the days the church meets.  We must be fully turned on for every opportunity to serve God willingly and cheerfully. Being sour-faced and complaining indicates that one is not giving themselves fully to the Lord.

WORK

So much of what we do is not the work of the Lord because our attitude is vain or selfish.  If we are doing something to be seen and receive praise or because of guilt or because we are pressured to do it, this is not the work of the Lord, no matter the mission or project.  If we do something, even an everyday household chore, with an attitude that it is given to God as an act of worship, then that becomes the work of the Lord.

LABOR

Serving the Lord is labor, and sometimes it is hard.  Sometimes you come early and leave late and serve meals without having time to eat.  Sometimes, you are up late at night preparing to serve, then getting up early to give service.  The willing, joyful heart that gladly makes these sacrifices in his name turns labor into the work of the Lord.

NOT IN VAIN

This is a promise that our labor would not be in vain.  We may not see the fruit of our efforts, but it is not in vain, nor is the effort wasted.  The results may be hidden from our eyes or may take a long time to come, but they will come.

*Psalm 46:10

To read this verse in other translations, then follow this link: Online Parallel Bible.

To learn more about coming to God, follow this link: Salvation.

Adron 8/27/12

What Is An Easy Way To Serve God? 1 Thessalonians 5:11 W

There are times when we feel like there is nothing we can do for God. We know we should be serving in church or community or some other way, but we don't seem to find our place. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 gives a good easy place to start.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV.

ENCOURAGE
So many people around us need encouragement. There are those struggling with silent private issues and some who are having desperate times. We have the opportunity to do more good than programs and sermons and spending expensive resources; it is simple- it is by being an encouragement. You can do this easily by cheering them on from the sidelines, or you can come alongside and bear the weight in their struggles.

We have many reasons to encourage one other. We want to encourage others because...

     * We share great salvation.
     * The Bible commands us to.
     * To be able to encourage is a gift you may have.
     * We share God's forgiveness.
     * We experience God's grace.
     * We share the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
     * We have the eternal promises in the word.
     * We are part of the blessing of the church.
     * Remember the time will come when we ourselves will need encouragement.

ONE ANOTHER

The phrase "one another" implies community; it suggests that the Christians are woven into each other's lives. We do not live life only unto ourselves, but as Christians, we are part of a living thing called the church. We must be lovingly involved in each other's lives.

BUILD UP
We build each other up by reminding each other of God's mercy, purpose, and salvation.

     * We can share our own experiences.
     * We can teach the word.
     * We can do acts of service.
     * We can reaffirm the positive.
     * We can pray together.
     * We can commit ourselves to our brothers and sisters who need encouragement.
     * We can simply communicate words of encouragement by letter, email, or phone call.

YOU ARE DOING

Paul paid attention to things. He knew his flock, and he knew what was happening in the lives of those to who he ministered. We need to pay attention to our friends and pray for God to show us when and how they need encouragement.

To encourage and build up our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we must do it on purpose. It just doesn't happen on its own; we must be committed to the fellowship of the faith and stand with our brothers and sisters in their struggles.

To learn more about knowing God personally, visit my other blog. Click here.

(c)Adron Dozat 8/14/12

Finding Acceptance : Romans 15:7

One of mankind’s deepest desires is to be accepted. Christians should champion this, but we often fail. The church should be a place of ultimate acceptance, yet the church struggled with acceptance even in ancient times.

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you to bring praise to God." Romans 15:7. NIV

AN HONEST NEED
We know acceptance is essential, and we all want approval. We grow up longing for it, and our adult lives still need it. To be accepted is to be free of criticism and judgment, to be embraced as you are without any requirement.

JESUS' EXAMPLE
We think of acceptance as tolerance glorified. Biblical acceptance not just tolerating someone without criticism, but it is to be the same way Christ ultimately accepted us. God takes us even with all the trashy stuff we bring along. We don’t need to become saints to be accepted by God; instead, we assume that we are saints and sons. We don’t need to give up eating meat, pray for an hour a day, do penance, change our hair, or perform miracles, but when we come to God through Jesus, we are accepted based on Jesus' righteousness, not our own. Biblical acceptance is an adoption where we are welcomed with all rights and privileges to a family.

GOD'S VIEW
When God sees those who have received Jesus, He does not know the garbage of our lives; when God sees us, He sees the credited righteousness of Jesus put over us. So our reaction to another who is different should not be to see them as problems or lowlifes, but ones for whom Jesus died. God accepts us only based on receiving the gospel; as debtors to Him, we should look with the same attitude of grace to others.

OUR PRACTICE
When we see someone different in our community, we should not make that mental inventory of the differences between them and us; we should only see one thing- Jesus in that person. Forget accent, custom, tradition or clothing, taste, or lifestyle- if God accepts that person the way they are, how can we not? Are we better than God? Is it possible our standards are higher than His? If God sees that person as beautiful and worthy of the death of his Son, so should we. And if God accepts that person as His child, I insult His choice when I fail to treat that person as my own brother.

God accepts you only because of Jesus, and you can give this liberty to others who call on the Name of the same Lord. It is one of the most Christ-like things you can do.

To learn more about how to be accepted by God, follow THIS LINK.

(c) Adron 8/29/10

Where Can You Find Loving Help If You Are The Most Worst Person There Is? Matthew 8:2-3.

This short post proves that no matter how bad off you are, how shameful or vile you are, there is someone where you can find compassion.

We have struggles with things that are shameful and are slowly eating us away from the inside out. Where can you go and get help without being judged and condemned?

“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.' Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man, 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.” Matthew 8:2- 3. NIV

THE NAMELESS LEPER

Every time he saw his hands, arms, legs, or feet, he would see the loathsome sores and rotting flesh of a painful creeping death.  This dreaded disease had the stigma of sin and God’s judgment.  The leprous had to wear rags and live apart from society, and whenever another person approached, they must call out, "Unclean! Unclean!"  The response would have been curses punctuated with thrown stones.

What beauty and compassion to see Jesus speak to him with tenderness and to do the unthinkable- to touch the man with leprosy and to risk the contamination of the disease.  The touch may have meant more to the man than the healing.

WHAT THE LEPER KNEW

The beggar called Jesus Lord.  This is in contrast to the action Jesus takes moments later.  A lord or king does not touch a common person, and in first-century Jewish culture, he would not even speak to a leprous person.  The beggar knew Jesus was the Lord.

He knew that Jesus was able to cleanse him. He did not ask, "Are you are able?" believing that Jesus was able is implied when he stated that if Jesus was willing, he could heal him.

He knew his place was on his knees before Jesus. Not only since Christ as Lord but as a humble petitioner.

COMPASSION

Jesus spoke kindly and gently to the beggar.  His words, "I am willing." are among the most significant words ever written.  Amazingly, Jesus touched the untouchable man, a man who has not known a human touch for so long- and he is healed.

This Savior who touches the untouchable is Lord and Master.

If Jesus were among us today, he would not steer away from people who struggle with addictions, abuse, deformity, poverty, ignorance, and slavery to harmful lifestyles; he would reach out to touch them.

I AM WILLING

Jesus said. "I am willing." as he touched this poor soul, and on his lips, those words are golden music from heaven.  He is willing to heal and to touch.  It is not only good wishes or good intentions, but he is purposeful in healing us.  He is willing- after all, he left his place in heaven. He came to be our Savior by dying for our sins and to give us eternal life, thereby dealing with the cause of our inner darkness and beginning the process of transforming us into new creatures.

THE TOUCH OF JESUS HEALS
When we come to Jesus with our own personal leprosy, we can kneel before him and say, if you are willing, you can heal me- and we can be assured that he is willing.

(c) Adron 8/18/10

What Is The World's Only Hope?

Is there any hope for the world? 

You would think the teaching of Christ would offer a solution. We read Jesus’ words and feel they are for someone else but his words of hope and challenge are for all of us to take to heart.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13.

SALT

There is nothing to boast about in being called a mineral that comes out of brackish marshland, but it has virtues that challenge us.

To say, "You are the salt of the earth;" is to say, "You are the world's only hope." Jesus does not give you the choice. We must get radical and make his truths relevant to ourselves and others. We must fill our lives in doing good unto others.

YOU

Jesus spoke to individuals, and his words speak to each of us today. We can't say, “My church is doing something for God, so I'm OK.” Being salt is a personal mandate. It says we each must live the attitude that we are the last living Christian and the work of Jesus to the world was on your shoulders alone.

Matthew 5:13

You can't save the whole world but you can influence the five or ten people God gave you. Be salt in those lives, bring the flavor of love and joy to their lives, sting them with the challenges of righteousness, and preserve their well-being at a deep cost to yourself.

SALT-LESS

Today's world has seen salt-less Christianity and has thrown it out. Today's Christianity is often conformist and wants membership without making waves; creating a soft cuddly church culture that focuses on comfort. Like the terminal patient who receives no treatment just morphine to deaden pain while they expire.

HOW
Jesus asks, “How can it be made salty again?” It cannot so we must not let it happen that we are no longer making a positive difference in the world. Begin with repentance and prayer. Ask God to show you where you have failed to be salt to those around you. Ask Him to show you where to start. And pray for those in your own community to become “Salty” too.

Salt just is; it has no will or ability to choose, it is simply being what it is. We must be who God meant us to be- the light of Jesus to a dark world.

(c) Adron 2/11/10