The Book of John_Day 6

Do you have everything you need?

Read – John 6

Jesus feeds 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish, walks on water across stormy seas in the middle of the night, and follows that up by declaring to a crowd of people that in order to live they must eat His flesh and drink His blood.

To be honest, John 6 can be a little scary. Not because Jesus talks about eating flesh and blood, but because it is hard to accept. Many in the crowd felt the same, “from this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him” (John 6:66).

Walking on water and making bread join a long list of miracles along with raising people from the dead and opening blind eyes. Jesus’ miracles and His controversial “eat my flesh” statement all convey the same message: Jesus is the point. In this life and the next, we can never be satisfied apart from Jesus. And on the opposite end of that spectrum, if we have nothing but Jesus, we have everything.

“Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35).

It is understandable why some walked away. They didn’t want to surrender everything to Jesus. Some people probably wanted a show, to be a part of something powerful, or to have a need met. Their world was similar to our world today: looking for more money, more things, more options and more religion. More was the focus of their desires, actions and attitudes.

Jesus spoke in direct contrast, saying “I am” the answer. Jesus did not come to leave us wanting; He came to give us everything. He is everything. Like Peter, we can say with joy, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

What, if anything, are you scared to surrender to Jesus? Is anything in your life holding you back from a 100 percent commitment to Him?  Do you think you are living a full life? Why or why not? Ask God if He wants to change the way you live.

The Book of John_Day 5

Follow Jesus, not a bunch of rules

Read – John 5

Religious leaders get angry when Jesus heals a lame man on the day of rest. They get even angrier when Jesus claims to be God’s Son.

For most of John 5, Jesus speaks to the Jews who criticize Him for healing the man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. The Jews had rules upon rules about what good Jewish people could and could not do. One of those rules prohibited any kind of work on the Sabbath. Healing was work and, according to their rules, should be saved for the other six days of the week. Allow the absurdity of that to sink in. The religious Jews were essentially saying, “How dare you perform a miraculous healing in defiance of the Jewish law! How dare you change this man’s life on the Sabbath! How dare you end his 38 years of suffering! That can surely wait until tomorrow.”

Jesus continues to call them out in John 5:39–40, where He points out their diligent study of the Scriptures but their blatant disregard for believing them. The whole Bible is about Jesus. Even the Old Testament tells us about God’s plan to send His Son to save us. The Jews knew those Scriptures well, but failed to recognize Jesus as there fulfillment.

“Very truly I tell you whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). 

If we aren’t careful, we, too, can turn our relationship with Jesus into a bunch of rules we follow, a bunch of words we read, and a bunch of songs we sing. By doing so, we can completely miss Jesus and the miracles He is doing all around us.

Why is it our tendency to make our relationship with Jesus a checklist of good behaviors? What changes can you make today to break that cycle?

The Book of John_Day 4

There’s only one way to heal your pain

Read – John 4

Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and asks her for a drink. Awed by what Jesus had to say, the woman brought everyone from town to meet Him. From there, Jesus traveled to Galilee and healed a government official’s son.

Jesus wasn’t concerned about hanging with the “in” crowd. In John 4, Jesus initiates a conversation with a highly unlikely character — a Samaritan woman who had five husbands. Her gender made her culturally inferior, her race labeled her as one to be avoided and her lifestyle choices marked her as one to be condemned. But Jesus ignored all the social barriers meant to separate them because His concern wasn’t for appearances; His concern was for people. All people. Hurting people. Searching people. People who make bad choices. Empty people. Because that’s all of us, right?

In John 4:15, the woman refers to the hassle of returning to the well so often to quench her thirst. In the same way, she has repeatedly returned to the well of failed relationships to fill her emptiness.   

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

While we stuff ourselves on what the world offers — money, success, relationships, possessions, entertainment — the satisfaction is momentary at best. Jesus offers us peace, joy, love and a relationship that is fulfilling. Jesus alone satisfies our every need, quenches our every thirst, lasts forever, and never disappoints. He approaches us in our current state and offers to meet our greatest need — the need for a Savior.


How have you tried to fill your own emptiness with the things of the world? Just like the woman found herself returning to the well to try and fill her thirst, what sins do you find yourself returning to in an effort to fill the void in your heart? How have you experienced Jesus’ peace, joy or love in your own life recently?

The Book of John_Day 3

Are you afraid of the dark?

Read – John 3

Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, visits Jesus at night to avoid being seen. Jesus tells Nicodemus that only those who believe in Him will be saved. Shortly after, John the Baptist endorses Jesus as the Messiah.

Whether or not we want to admit it, we have all been afraid of the dark. But what makes darkness so scary?

For one thing, it confuses us. When we can’t see anyone or anything, we feel isolated and alone. Walking proves difficult because we can’t see the path. Although we’re usually safe, our imaginations run wild with the dangerous possibilities that could surround us.

We all lived in darkness at one point. Unable to see and believe in God, we lived with a constant sense of loneliness. Uncertain of where to walk, we did things we would probably rather not admit. As unpleasant as it is, we often prefer to stay in the darkness rather than enter the light. We think darkness helps hide the mistakes we don’t want anybody to see. We think if people knew the truth about us, they would judge us. But Jesus tells us it is safe to confess our sins. He promises that He did not come to condemn us for our sins, but to save us from them.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Because Jesus took our punishment, we receive complete forgiveness when we expose our sin to the light. In fact, God can use our mistakes for good if we are willing to confess them. When people see God doing great things through imperfect people, He looks even greater.  When people confess their sins to you, how do you respond?  Are you forgiving or do you tend to judge people?  What about your response needs to change as a result of grace Jesus has extended to you?

The Book of John_Day 2

 

Maybe God is waiting on you

Read – John 2

Jesus begins His ministry by turning water into wine at a wedding. A short time later, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Passover. When He finds a market set up in the temple, He runs the merchants out.

Have you ever felt like you were waiting on God? You feel as though you have been patient forever and just don’t know when God will come through. But maybe God is waiting on you.

John 2 tells of a wedding fiasco at Cana. As Jesus and His disciples attend the wedding, Mary realized that all of the wine that served the wedding guests was gone. Wine was an important part of weddings in that time, so not having wine was a big deal. When Mary saw Jesus, she walked up to Him and told Him about the problem. Jesus had the power to wave a hand and flood the wedding with wine, but did He? No. Instead, Jesus gave the opportunity to be a part of a miracle to the servants.

“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water,’ so they filled them to the brim” (John 2:7).

“Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then He told them, ‘Now draw some (water) out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine” (John 2:7–9).

Because of the faithful obedience of the servants, an entire group of people were blessed with a miracle. Imagine if the servants hadn’t had the faith to take a step of obedience. Jesus doesn’t just want to perform miracles in your life — He wants you to be a part of them.  Are you giving your best? What would it look like for you to fill your “water jars” to the brim?

Discipleship Moment 3/30/20

>>> Prayer: Learning to Communicate with God <<<

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
Luke 11:1-13

This part of the prayer is why most people want to pray: they want God to give them stuff, things they need, want or think they need and want. “Give us this day our daily bread” is called  petitionary praying. Simply put, this is where we go from praising to petitioning or asking God for things. There is a paradox in prayer that we see in Scripture. On the one hand, we see where we pray for God’s will to be done (Matthew 6:10) and on the other hand, we are told to ask and God will give it to us (John 15:7).

This paradox is not easily explained. But, the one thing we do know is that somehow, God, who is infinite and eternal, allows mere man to play a part in the process of his own creation. Somehow prayer does change things and God does work within His sovereignty to move mountains, change the hearts of people, miraculously heal and change the outcomes of events. As C.S. Lewis wrote: “Perhaps we do not fully realize the problem, so to call it, of enabling finite free wills to co-exist with Omnipotence. It seems to involve at every moment almost a sort of divine abdication.” Lewis means that God allows human beings to play a part of the drama of life. We are not puppets on a string but God’s very own creation. This is why we should and can pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” and know that God will move heaven and earth to make sure we have it. What do we need to get in order to pray this part of the prayer effectively?

1. Get Confident

  • This is about being confident in God’s power. To truly ask God for anything and expect God to be able to deliver it, you have to believe that God is powerful enough to do it. And, you need confidence in His care for you. James 4:2 “You do not have because you do not ask.” Psalm 84:11 “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” James 1:5 says that God gives liberally to those who ask Him. God wants to shower on you everything that you need.
  • This is also about being confident in God’s care. Remember that God is described in Scripture as a Father: “Our Father, who art in heaven.” He loves to answer our prayer because He longs to give us all things out of His love for us just like a parent loves to give their children what will help them. BUT, in the context of sin, parents can begin to live their life through their children and give them things that might hurt them rather than help them.
  • HE wants to give you SO much more. Look at the Text. Luke 11:10-13. Prayer is about opening your life up to God who is the ultimate Father, the ultimate provider, the One who knows you better than you know yourself and desires to give you MORE than you could ever dream. He created everything in the universe with the power of His word. How much more does God know what you need? Therefore, you should have confidence to call on Him.

We are all guilty of this: We do not ask God for enough.
“Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and
power are such, None can ever ask too much”.
~ John Newton

2. Get Perspective

  • Praying with the right perspective takes going through the first part of the prayer. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come! Your will
    be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When you go through praise for God and a genuine desire to see His will be done and His kingdom come on earth, in your life, then you will not pray for things outside of His will or for your own glory because you want His will and His glory!
  • Your perspective on petition has to be healed. Tim Keller writes, “The very model of the prayer shows our deepest needs are inside and not outside. Our deepest problem is really a matter of perspective, not circumstances. It’s our perspective as the reason we are worried. It’s our perspective that we are anxious and upset.” This is why we need healing.

Could it be that the reason we need this healing is that our life is off center? @ Our washer gets like this when the clothes get bundled up on one side.

What happens when we worry or get anxious is that we take our focus off God and put our focus on our own wisdom or intellect to deal with issues of life, and the reality is this, whatever we turn to has become more beautiful or wonderful than God. For example, when you need to forgive someone who has hurt you or hurt your reputation, the reason you struggle to forgive them is that your real center is your reputation or your real center is your wisdom.

Until you seek the healing of a misplaced center, you will always struggle with worry and anxiety and self-centeredness and all the things that keep you from being confident in Christ, and you will not come to Him in prayer but be left deficient of His power, His perspective and His wisdom.

The best TEST to see if you have learned this….Unanswered Prayer. Why?

3. Get Humble

Prayer is often misunderstood because we think that God should give us whatever we want, whenever we want it because He has told us to ask and He will give it. However, we fail to understand that prayer is based and designed on a parent child platform. In other words, the best way to think about prayer is to think about parenting.

What do your kids think they need or want but you know it would do them harm if you gave it to them?

Why would it be awful for a child to get Aladdin’s lamp?
This is prayer without a filter, without parameters, without wisdom. There is no safety latch or safety gate so that they fall down the steps. There is no supervision to keep them from slipping away.

Prayer can never be based on what we want exclusively because it takes maturity to ask for the right things. The more mature you are the better, BUT you will NEVER get to the point that at times you are an idiot. You simply go off the rails and ask for things that you have no business asking for. No matter how old you are or how seasoned in life you become. The bible says that you are always going to be an idiot. You need the right perspective.

Why? Because people inevitably say, “But, God says, ‘Ask and I will give it to you’. What’s up with that? Is God lying or playing a trick on us?” When you think like this, prayer is like Aladdin’s lamp where God pops out to give you whatever you want, rather than thinking of prayer as from a parent’s perspective. Keller said, “Good parents always distinguish between the need and the child’s interpretation of the need, which is what the request is. Good parents do not respond to unwise proposals, but they always still discern what is underneath, what is the condition or desire of the heart.” What are they really looking for?

You see, God knows what you need even before you ask. We struggle to let go of what we have that we think is enough when God wants to give us so much more. It’s like the child is is redirected when he asks for something that may be dangerous or the wrong time but his response is that he doesn’t want anything and goes off pouting. Ot like the child who doesn’t trust that the parent truly loves her and settles for only what she can attain. @ Child who grabs the candy…

Sometimes, what we want to give up (like a pain or suffering or trial) God does not allow us to give us because the greater good is to keep it. @ Jesus in the Garden…Resurrection and Redemption.
“God always gives you what you would have asked for if you knew everything He knows.”

This is why we know that God always answers!

The more a child recognizes the fact that they are a child and humbles themselves, the more you want to give. It’s the child who pouts and refuses to believe their request is foolish that is the hardest to bless. God loves our humility because we understand that when he says no or wait, we get it and understand without getting bitter.

4. Get Reconciled

God sets us up for dependence on Him. You might not like that, but that is the way God designed life. Some people see this and accept it but so many people reject it. However, when we realize that we can do nothing and really have nothing, then we finally get in touch with how God made us and will cry out to Him. You have to get reconciled to this fact or you will continually be reactive to life, bitter at disappointments, disillusioned with life’s ups and downs and dependent on things of the world that can never satisfy.

God is God and you are NOT. Be glad about that. I know I am!!

Pray As You Go 3/30/20

Windows of a Prison or a Sanctuary?

 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“After two years had passed” were the simple words Luke used in Acts 24 to describe Paul’s confinement at the hands of Felix. Reading some of the Facebook posts these last couple of weeks, the self-imposed or required quarantine may start to feel like two years too many.  We find ourselves sheltered in place because of an unknown and unseen virus. Paul finds himself in confinement as a political pawn in the game of religious power play. Falsely accused and imprisoned, he is now a tool in Felix’s political toolkit to please the Jewish leaders. Either way, confinement forces change, restricts movement and limits choices.

Paul would probably have preferred to go where he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted. The prison walls of his confinement kept him bound within walls not of his making, yet he made the most of his time. He could have worried. He could have fretted. He could have feared the unknown but he chose to spend his time preparing for the ultimate opportunity to speak before the Emperor of Rome about the true giver of life.

You may find yourself “imprisoned” in walls not of your making – You may have been exposed to the virus and find yourself self-quarantined; Your office has closed, requiring you to work from home; Your children’s schools are closed and you find yourself homeschooling; Your business has shut down and you find yourself without a job; You find yourself in a job requiring you to work in the middle of the crisis. These are walls that keep you from freely moving! Walls can be confining and restricting or freeing, depending upon whether they are walls of a prison or a sanctuary.

Prisons are lonely. In a sanctuary we find peace with Jesus; our one hope, the fulfillment of the promised one. In Luke 24 we find two disciples struggling to understand.  They had watched Jesus’ brutal death yet now hear the rumors of his resurrection. They are walking and talking when a stranger joins their conversation. So deep is their pain, so fearful of the future that they don’t bother to look into the eyes of this stranger. Hours are spent on the road with this stranger until finally they see with open eyes that the one walking with them is Jesus. They were flabbergasted and both spoke at the same time, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us!” Luke 24:32

Paul learned to stoke the fire that burned within him during his time of confinement. The two disciples learned to stoke the fire while in their imposed confinement of doubt and fear. Jesus stoked the fire that burned within him in the Garden of Gethsemane.  If you are one of those who finds yourself in confinement, take time to stoke the fires within you. Oswald Chambers write, “It is the dull, bald, dreary, commonplace day, with commonplace duties and people, that kills the burning heart unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus.”

There were others who found themselves in the same prison with Paul during those two years. Prisoners who looked at the walls and mourned their confinement. There were guards who walked the grounds of the prison and only saw the walls of confinement. Prisoners and guards alike, they only could see the world through the window of a prison. Paul looked out the same window but with a heart of prayer and confidence, instead of a prison window; his window was of a sanctuary. What window are you looking out of today?

“For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;

He will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

He will set me high on a rock.” Psalm 27:5

God is great,

Pastor Lynn Burton

The Book of John_Day 1

What if God was one of us?

Read – John 1

Jesus was with God when the world was created. He left heaven and entered the earth the way we did — through childbirth. Jesus was human, and He was an ordinary man. God sent John to announce Jesus’ arrival on earth.

The book of John records John’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry. In the beginning, we would expect to see a star, a manger, cattle, angels singing, wise men, and the like. But in the sweeping introduction to John, John doesn’t tell of Jesus’ story but ours.

“Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3).

Jesus is the initiator of everything. The universe, our lives, our salvation—all were created and thought of by Jesus. As if that wasn’t enough, in the most surprising move of all, John says Jesus entered into His creation, becoming a living, breathing human and walking among us. Don’t miss this: Jesus became flesh and moved into the neighborhood He created. He went to school and got hungry. He grew up and got a job. He had a real-life, human experience.

Why would He do such a thing? John sets out to answer this question for us. At a wedding, in a late-night debate, beside the drinking fountain, at the local hospital, with a downtrodden woman, at the funeral of a friend and in other situations — John shows us who God is. All along, Jesus risks us misunderstanding Him in order that He might initiate a relationship with us. He doesn’t initiate a relationship with us because we are worth it — He initiates a relationship with us to give us a life worth living. In light of all that Jesus has done, how should we live in response?

Pray As You Go – 2020/03/23

You Prayed – Now open the door

 

“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” Psalm 22:8

The world literally is gripped by the coronavirus pandemic. World leaders have likened the pandemic to a war situation where we are under attack and have declared war against the virus. It looks as if this crisis could go on for weeks or even months. There is a shortage of staple items, businesses are closing, schools closed, churches going online for worship, the stock market in the deepest decline since 1987 and retirement accounts struggling. I never imagined such a crisis of this magnitude. Christians are praying. But what are we praying for?

There is an interesting encounter in Acts 12 of how God intervened when God’s people began to pray. The early church finds itself under a life-threatening siege by King Herod who is out to destroy the church to please the religious leaders. He had James and other believers killed and imprisoned many others, including Peter. The day before Peter is to be executed, the church responded the way it should be responding now, “the church prayed fervently to God.”

At a time when fear and panic should have gripped Peter, you find him in the dungeon, curled up next to two guards, sleeping like a baby. Suddenly a bright light shines and an angel appears. A pretty dramatic entrance to be sure, but not enough to wake up Peter. Peter is snoring away without any thought to what is ahead for him. The angel finally walks over to Peter and hits him on the side, waking him up from his deep sleep. The angel tells Peter to get dressed, they are leaving. Walking pass two sets of guards, then out a locked gate; Peter is out. “Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod.”

Peter heads for the house where the people are praying fervently for his release. Peter gets to the house and bangs on the gate. A young lady goes to the gate and recognizes Peter’s voice but, overcome with excitement, she forgets to let him into the house. Rhoda runs into the room and interrupts the prayer meeting telling them Peter is at the gate. Instead of being met with excitement, she is told, “You are out of your mind!” They probably immediately went back to praying. Finally, after repeatedly banging on the gate, Peter is let into the house. So, have you ever prayed so fervently you didn’t know when God was at the door with the answer?

So, what are we praying for? Will we get up and answer the door? It is often a challenge to put voice to what we are asking God. Thankfully God has provided the help you need when you don’t know what to pray. Romans 8:26-27 tells us, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Each of us have lived through dark days which now should give us the confidence to be able to stay hopeful and look forward to what God will do through this situation. These days will be one of the many milestones of our life when we someday look back and tell the next generation: God is able. We will then share together, “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.” Psalm 21:13

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Names, Names, Names . . . continued

Jehovah-Sabaoth: The Lord of Hosts

As a young boy, David saw the big giant and his strong army, but he also saw something even bigger. David saw the bigness of God, who is bigger than any giant, stronger than any enemy, and greater than any army. David knew that God is Jehovah-Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts.  A “host” is an army. Jehovah-Sabaoth has a “host” of angels, armies and armies of angels. God can send this host of angels to fight for His people and for His great name. These host of angels are also fighters. They are big, strong, fierce warriors! They fight for the living God. They do what He tells them to do.

“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11

We have a choice to make, we can see and think about all the big, scary, sad, and hard things in our life, or we can see and think about Jehovah-Sabaoth our Lord of Host. It will take faith to see God as big and other things as little, but as we continue to see things that way, God will become our Jehovah-Sabaoth.

—

Theresa Dickens

Children’s Minister

 

Remember,

you are greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved 

by our Heavenly Father!