Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Pastor

I was invited to speak at the pastor's conference for our association on Monday. Being new to pastoral ministry and understanding that the majority of the pastors in our association have years more experience than I do I felt it best just to share with them a few of the things that I've learned since becoming a pastor.

Here's a brief transcript of what I shared with them.

I’ve been a pastor for almost two years now and I feel like at this point that I can tell you more things not to when it comes to leading a growing church than things to do. God has really blessed both my family and my church since July of 2005 and he has taught me a lot about myself and ministry. I would like to share with you a few of the things that I have learned.

I’ve learned not to force God into service. It’s easy to jump into any ministry situation and structure it around our dreams. The problem is that sometimes our dreams and God’s desires don’t match. When this happens we must always yield to God.

Paul experienced this in Romans chapter 1 in his desire to get to Rome.

11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

In his book “Experiencing God” Henry Blackaby reminds us that we need to find where God is working and join Him in it rather than work against Him.

I’ve learned that I can overcome circumstances. Wilma Rudolph was born the 16th of 18 children in a poor black family in middle Tennessee. She weighed just over 4 pounds. At the age of 4 she contracted polio and lost the use of her left leg. The battle with polio left her weakened and she developed chronic pneumonia and scarlet fever. She managed to survive, but spent most of her childhood as a cripple. It was only through years of therapy, and determination that Wilma was able to regain the use of her left leg. She played high school basketball setting a single season record averaging over 30 points a game. In 1960, Wilma represented the United States in the Olympics. She won gold medals in all three of the events in which she competed. She tied the world record in the 100-meters, set a new Olympic record in the 200 and in the 400-meter relay she brought her team from behind to win the gold. At the very least, we can say that Wilma Rudolph rose above her circumstances.

There always going to be things that we must overcome and being in ministry doesn’t make it any different.

I serve at a church that has tripled in size over the last two years. We have sent out mission teams twice internationally and once domestically. We have started several new ministries including one for Spanish speaking people. Even with that, last week I had a church member call me just to inform me of all the things that I’m doing wrong as a pastor.

The great news is that I don’t have to overcome anything under my own strength or power but I can rely on the one who has already overcome the world.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I’ve learned the desert can be a place of blessing. When I graduated high school I received as a gift a two week vacation up the West Coast with some family friends. I was really excited because up to that point in my life I had only been east and I had never seen the desert before. When we reached the desert of Arizona and Nevada I immediately noticed two things.

First, the desert is very dry (duh). As the wind would pick up it would send huge dust clouds racing across the landscape. Second, the desert is lonely. There weren’t quite as many places to stop for gas or to sightsee in the desert.

However the desert can be an amazing place of refreshment with the right provision. Moses spent time in the desert leading the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. David spent time in the desert during the rebellion of his son Absalom. Even Jesus had some time in the desert. When you read all three accounts you find that God provided for their needs. For Moses it was manna and quail. For David it was supplies through friends and unexpected sources. For Jesus it was immediate nourishment after forcing the Devil to flee.

When our spiritual walk dries up and gets lonely there are several books to read, places to go, or people to talk to but the true blessing of the desert is found in God’s provision.

Easter Gladness to Funeral Sadness

It really is amazing how much difference a week makes. We spent this day last week celebrating having 165 people involved in our Easter weekend services. We spent today laying to rest one of our most beloved church members.

I don’t really know that people understand the highs and lows that come with being a minister nor the emotional strain it puts on a person.

Why Pray?

We had another amazing Sunday here at Mayfair. We had 110 in attendance for our worship service and had a family join the church with the husband coming forward to give his life to Christ.

Mayfair continues to move in the right direction under the guidance of Jesus Christ. We have some wise and Godly men and women in our church, in leadership positions, who seek God’s will in everything church related.

As we continue to grow it’s vital that our congregation collectively seeks God’s will for their lives and we as a church grow in our prayer lives. Because of that I am focusing on prayer this month with my sermons. I started the series this Sunday with a look at the reasons why we should pray.

Building a Community of Prayer
Ephesians 6:18

In a small Kentucky town there were 2 churches and 1 whiskey distillery which was owned by the town atheist.

Church members complained that the distillery gave the community a bad image so they unsuccessfully tried to shut it down.

One Saturday night they held a joint prayer meeting during which a terrible storm raged for hours. Lightning struck the distillery and it burned to the ground.

The next morning both pastors preached on the ‘POWER OF PRAYER’. The insurance company decided to not pay for the damages due to the ‘act of God’ clause in the policy so the distillery owner sued both churches for conspiring with God to destroy his building.

In court both churches denied any involvement in causing the fire.

A confused judge said, ‘I find one thing about this case very perplexing: The plaintiff (an atheist) is professing belief in the power of prayer and the defendants (church members) are denying that same power.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

Prayer is the true backbone of the church. The church only functions as it’s members pray. Growing churches have active praying members and dying churches don’t. Sure there are other differences between the two but the primary difference is the act of prayer amongst the congregation.

10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, Colossians 1:10

Prayer is what allows a church to not only stand firmly but to also function properly. We live in a society where the church is attacked from every direction and sometimes backs down when it shouldn’t.

Abortion is a great example of what I’m talking about. No matter where you stand on the issue the fact remains that abortion stops life. Abortion plain and simple is murder and the church collectively didn’t stand when it should have to try to make a difference in this issue when the opportunity presented itself.

Instead of attempting to be more involved in the legislation of the laws regarding abortion the church backed down to the protesters when they said that the institution was infringing on the rights of the individuals. These are many of the same protestors who speak out against putting a convicted killer to death but are completely content to watch and allow an unborn child to die.

The church needs to pray for strength to stand in the midst of opposition and be a voice for Holiness and righteousness. I feel strongly that we have lost that voice and will not get it back until we find our way back into an active prayer life.

Prayer is also the key to success in ministry. When was the last time that you prayed for an opportunity to minister to someone? Churches grow because they are active in ministry and sometimes the words of Jesus haunt churches in regards to their ability to minister. “You have not because you ask not.”

3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Colossians 4:3

Prayer is the key to accountability. On a personal level we often don’t view ourselves as being accountable to God because we aren’t connected to Him. A greater understanding of God leads to a greater since of accountability to Him.

When we view God as being righteous and holy then have a better understanding of what we should desire to be like as followers of Christ. Sin runs rampant in our lives because we aren’t actively seeking God’s direction.

12We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:12

The only way Christ can be glorified in you is if you are actively communicating with Him and allowing Him to shape you through your prayer life.

Panama Mission Trip

I had the amazing opportunity to spend last week in Panama working with a small church in developing outreach and evangelistic programs. We took a group of eleven people from our church to a small community called Margareta which is located near the port city of Colon.

We spoke to the church on Friday night in about focusing on a vision for ministry. We were able to be more specific and watch the church members strategically plan Saturday with a men’s prayer breakfast and a ladies’ luncheon. We capped off Saturday night with an evangelistic event that featured a movie for students and a marriage enhancement conference for adults.

One of the highlights of the week was teaching the kids to play American football on Sunday afternoon. After playing for about an hour and a half one of our ministers was able to present the Gospel in which 16 young men gave their lives to Christ.

Monday and Tuesday were spent out in the community meeting people and sharing information about the church. We were able to get two of our group into the schools on Monday and Tuesday to talk about what their life is like in America. Of course going to church and having a relationship with Jesus Christ is a part of that for them and they had the liberty to share that. Of the two people that we go into the schools one is a freshman in college and the other is a senior in high school.

Wednesday we took a tour day of the Panama Canal and some shopping and sites around Panama City before traveling home on Thursday.

I led our first group on a short term mission trip last spring and there were five members from Mayfair who attended. This year the group grew to eleven and each of them said that they would return next year if God opened the door.

It excites me to see how God is not only growing our church numerically but also growing the hearts of our congregation to be more outward focused instead of inward.

Ambassadors of Christ

Thursday a team of missionaries will leave from Mayfair Baptist Church for Colon Panama to work a week of ministry in a local church there and in the community around that particular church. I’m excited about the way God has provided for this trip and the way our church has supported this mission effort. I’ve often said that I wanted this trip to not just be a group of people from Mayfair going to Panama but rather Mayfair sending out a group of missionaries. However, with that said we have to understand that even though we are coming from Mayfair Baptist Church we are Ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

Webster defines an ambassador as an authorized representative or messenger.

We talked last week about the Great Commission. In that study we were sure to emphasize the authority of Christ. It’s His command that gives us the initiative to go but it is His authority that empowers, or authorizes us, to go. But here’s what we have to understand. We aren’t Ambassadors of Christ because we are going to Panama. We are going to Panama because we are Ambassadors of Christ. Paul reinforces this fact in 2 Corinthians 5:20.

20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Everyone who has entered into a relationship with Jesus is an ambassador for Him. You represent Christ in every aspect of your life. You attitude towards worship reflects Jesus Christ. You faithfulness in your tithe represents Jesus Christ. The way you treat your family literally everything you do in every aspect of your life represents your relationship with Jesus Christ, but as it is with any type of ambassador when it comes to representing Christ there are good ones and bad ones. Some of us are guilty of grossly misrepresenting what it means to have the attitude and heart of Jesus Christ and the tragic part is that some of you know you are guilty and yet you don’t care because it’s easier for you to stay the way you are than to change to the way you need to be. Which begs the question, are you pretending to be someone you are not when it comes to being a Christian?

So, here’s the question. This is what we are looking at today. Who are you and what do you represent? An Ambassador of Christ…

Represents Christ to the world.

Galatians 2:20
20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Despite the fact that many people actually feel this way we are not here on earth represent ourselves. There is a much higher calling in life.

Paul makes sure to point out that he had been crucified with Christ and that he no longer lives for himself but that Christ now lives through him. This is a concept that we often pay lip service to but fail to actually live out.

When we commitment our lives to Christ, it should be Christ in us directing our lives.

Is an Example

Luke 3:10-11
10"What should we do then?" the crowd asked.
11John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

John is simply just stating that true followers of Christ set examples of how people are supposed to live and not follow other examples that may be out there.

You are to be the example of generosity, love, peace, kindness and most of all what a person who has had a life changing experience with Jesus Christ is supposed to look like.

Instead we respond to hatred with hate and are more than willing to match wrong for wrong in a society that has no sense of morality at all. Whose example is that?
Preaches the Word

There are two schools of thought out there. One, Jesus radically changes your life is such a way that all things change to reflect the attitude of Christ and the word of God becomes your standard for living.

Two, you tell everyone that Christ has radically changed you life when in reality nothing has changed but you keep living the lie.

Now, there are many people out there who set out after number one but end up living number two. The difference?

The Word of God! An Ambassador of Christ will preach Christ at all times and stand firm in the Word of God. The world recognizes a phony when it sees one and only those who are truly reading and living the word can preach it.

Those who don’t take the truths of who Jesus is to heart will give into the pressures and voices of the crowd. The desire to please their own sense of self value and find favor among people rather than God will continue to be their driving force.

You read the story of Pilate in Mark 15. He had Jesus in his charge all night. He asked Jesus point blank who he was (recorded in John 18:35-37) and yet still armed with the knowledge of the reality of Christ he still gave into the voice of the crowd.

Mark 15:15
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

I’ll end with a statement about serving Christ and being an ambassador for him made by biblical scholar G. Campbell Morgan, he says we should “Make the must of His life, the must of our life” If a political ambassador represents his or her own country and uses every possible means to promote that countries interests. How much more should those who represent God to a lost and dying world represent God’s interests? We are called to be ambassadors to this world for the cause of Christ. In all situations we are called to be ambassadors…. Let us be diligent in that task!

Church Update

I’ve said this before and it’s very true. God is good all the time! This last week was an amazing week for me in ministry at Mayfair. It started out on Monday of last week when I made a visit to a couple who are fairly new to the church. During that visit the idea of starting up a weekly bible study in their home came up. This is something that I had been praying about for a while because it has not only has the possibility of changing the dynamic of the church but also gives us the ability to reach a demographic that we are not currently reaching, young professionals who have not yet started their families.

This couple would later send me an e-mail expressing their sincerity in the home bible study as well as mentioning some people whom they have already discussed it with and invited.

Sunday morning we had over 100 in our worship service which was a site for sore eyes after a few weeks below the century mark. However the highlight of the service was the invitation time that saw several people come to the altar to pray and one student who gave her life to Christ.

Monday night of this week I had another meeting with our retired missionary friend and some key leaders in the church about the possibility of starting a ministry to reach a minority group. It looks like we have a solid ministry plan to start a Spanish bible study this summer.

To my amazement God continues to bless Mayfair and grow us. I am so blessed by what he is doing and really don’t feel worthy to be involved such a great ministry but I’m glad that I am.

Become A Missionary

A Religion Professor named Dr. Christianson taught a required survey of Christianity course at small college. Every freshman was required to take the course regardless of his or her major. Although he tried hard to communicate the gospel, students viewed the class as nothing more than a waste of time.

One particular year Dr. Christianson had a student named Steve. Steve was the Center for the college football team and also a strong Christian who intended on going to Seminary. One day Dr. Christianson had an idea and he asked Steve to stay after class. "How many push ups can you do?" He asked. Steve said, "I do 200 every night." The professor asked Steve if he could do 300. "I have never done 300 before" Steve said, "but I think I can do it." "Good," the professor said, and he proceeded to tell his plan to Steve.

Friday came and Steve got to class early. Dr. Christianson came in with a large box of fluffy, cream filled doughnuts. The class was excited, it was Friday the last class of the day, and they could start their weekend early. Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the row and asked, "Cynthia would you like a donut?" "Yes," she said. Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?" "Sure." Steve jumped down out of his desk and counted off ten push ups. Dr. Christianson laid the donut on Cynthia’s desk. Joe was next. He asked Joe the same question and Joe said "yes." Steve did 10 more pushups and the professor laid the doughnut on Joe’s desk. And so it went all the way down the first row and half way down the second until it came to Scott. He was a basketball player and friendly to female companionship. Scott replied to the professor’s question by saying, "I want the doughnut if I can do my own push ups." Dr. Christianson said, "No Steve has to do the pushups." Then Scott said, "Well I don’t want one if I can’t do my own." Dr. Christian turned around and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push ups so Scoot can have a donut he doesn’t want." Scott said, "hey! I said I didn’t want one!" Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts, Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it." And he put the donut on Scott’s desk.

Steve had begun to slow down a little and sweat had began to form on his cheeks. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?" Sternly, Jenny said, "NO!" Then Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve, would you do ten more push ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?" Steve did ten-Jenny got a doughnut.

By now a sense of uneasiness had filled the room. The students were all beginning to say "no." There were uneaten donuts on every desk. Steve was now putting forth a lot of extra effort to get the pushups done for each doughnut. A small pool of sweat was on the floor, his face was red, and you could see the sweat soaking through his shirt. Dr. Christianson asked Robert, the most vocal unbeliever in class, to watch to make sure Steve did the full ten. Dr. Christianson started down the forth row. Students from other classes had came in and were sitting along the side of the room watching on. When the professor saw them he counted and saw that there were now 34 people in the room. He was worried about Steve, "Could he do that many push ups?" Jason, a recent transfer student, didn’t know what was going on and came in to see. The class yelled, "Go away! Don’t come in!" Steve picked up his head and said, "let him come in." Jason was asked and he said "yes." "Steve will you do ten push ups so Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great struggle. Jason, confused, was handed a donut and he sat down. Dr. Christianson then finished the fourth row and began on the visitors. Steve’s arms were shaking uncontrollably with each push up. By this time sweat was pouring off of his face and arms. The very last two students were cheerleaders. "Linda, do you want a donut?" Linda cried and said, "no thank you." Professor turned to Steve, "Steve would you do ten push ups so Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push ups for Linda. The last girl was Susan. "Susan would you like a donut?" Susan was full of tears and did not answer. "Steve would you do ten push ups so Susan can have a donut?" Susan asked, "Dr. Christianson why can’t I help him?" Dr. Christianson had tears in his eyes also and replied, "I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party I looked at the grade book and found that Steve was the only person with a perfect grade. All of you had failed a test, skipped class, or turned in inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."

Steve slowly got up off the floor, he had done 350 push ups, his arms buckled beneath him as he started to get up. Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done good and faithful servant", said the professor, "not all sermons are preached in words class." Turning the the students the professor said, "My wish is that you may fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God did not spare His only Son but gave him up for all of us. Whether or not we accept His gift is our choice. The price has been paid. Wouldn’t you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?...

I’m always amazed at the number of people who won’t share their faith in Christ with others. Out of fear, stubbornness or even selfishness many Christians treat their relationship with Jesus Christ as though it was a dark nasty secret and if found out would ruin their lives.

In one of the most overlooked passages in the bible Jesus actually commands his followers to go tell people about him. I say the passage is overlooked because many people have heard and read it, they just refuse to be obedient to it.

Matthew 28:18-20
18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I don’t understand how people can read this passage and just ignore it. There’s no secret code involved. It’s not a riddle and there is nothing to try and figure out. Right there, plain as day, black and white from the mouth of Jesus you are commanded to “go” make disciples. You can’t even play it off by saying that it was something the preacher told you to do and since you don’t like the preacher you’re not going to do it.

It wasn’t the preacher who told you to do this it was Jesus Christ. By choosing not to obey this command you are choosing not to obey Jesus.

What I want to do is break Jesus’ command down into six parts that will help us understand not only the calling but also the priority in fulfilling that calling.

“All authority” – Jesus is the ultimate source of authority. He establishes that fact when he says that, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Who gave Him such authority? God did. Jesus is the most powerful being in all the universe. There is no power above Him and there are none who are not subject to him.

I cringe when I hear people call the devil the prince of the earth or the ruler of the world. The truth is that there is no ruler, no power and no authority other than Jesus Christ.

“Therefore” – Connecting word that links the two verses together. Our action is based on the understanding of the authority of Jesus Christ. You are either obedient to that authority or not but you will not be able to deny that authority.

Jesus establishes himself first as the ultimate source of authority and then connects his authority to the command.

“Go” – Verb/Action word. This word literally means what it says, go! It means to leave or not to stay. We’ve built churches and have modified our personal evangelism styles so that people can come to us on their own terms at their own comfort level.

We’ve become so concerned with offending someone and so fearful of rejection that we have stopped going and started waiting. We’ll talk to people about God only after we find out that they are believers as well. Instead of going we are satisfied with spreading the Gospel only in our bible study groups and call it good.

My friend, that is not going it is waiting and is disobedient to Christ’s command. Find a short term mission trip to be a part of, join your church’s outreach team and do more than just contact church members through it. Go to work and proclaim Christ, go to your neighbors and to your family. Go into your world and proclaim Christ. That’s what missionaries do. They go and take the Gospel wherever they are called.

You can make all the excuses that you want to try to make yourself feel better but truth is truth and failing to follow this command is a willful act of disobedience.

“Make Disciples” – Doesn’t say “find” disciples. It says make them.

A man walked up to a vending machine, put in a coin, pressed the buttons labeled, “coffee, double cream, sugar.” No cup appeared, but the nozzles went into action sending forth coffee, cream and sugar. After the proper amounts had gone down the drain, the machine turned off.
“Now that’s real automation,” said the man. “This thing even drinks it for you.” That is just how some people want their faith. They want to make a deposit, put in some money and let the rest be taken care of automatically. But, there is no such thing as automated prayers, devotion, worship in song or service.

You’ll never make any disciples by stating where you are physically and spiritually.

“Baptizing & Teaching” – The church’s responsibility is to baptize and teach. By that I mean the institution of the church. The pastor’s job is to equip the saints of God to do the work of God. It is the congregation’s responsibility to do the actual work. Without you committing to discipleship through baptism and then following through in actual discipleship the church, the body of Christ, will die.

“I am with you” – Our security is found in Christ. Do you understand what that means? Remember, he is the ultimate authority in the universe and holds all the power that comes with such a title. Not only is he on your side he is actually with you every step of the way, providing comfort, strength and security as you advance His Kingdom.

Pastor for Hire?

I got a call from a funeral home on Saturday because a family had suffered a loss and had no church home or pastor to minister to the family. I agreed to help and called the family. I met with them on Monday and performed the service yesterday morning.

Before the service the funeral director gave me a envelope with a check in it. He told me that it was compensation for my time. I certainly didn’t expect it but told them that I appreciated it.

After everything was finished and wrapped up I went to the funeral director to thank him for his help and for giving me the opportunity. Here’s how he responded, “You did a great job. Can we call you again the next time we have a need?” Nothing unusual there but when I replied with a “Sure” he said, “Great, I’ll add you to our vendor list!”

What? Add me to the vendor list? What’s that? One of the other gentlemen from the funeral home told me that was just the list of people they buy things from. “What in the world would they buy from me,” I inquired? “Your services,” he replied.

Honestly, I have no idea what to think of that. I understand that as a minister it is my job to minister to people, which I certainly don’t mind doing. It is also my job in which I use to support my family so why not get paid for performing my “services”? I’ve just never thought of it as selling. As a minister I get called a lot of things, some good some bad. I just never in a million years would have expected to be called a vendor.

Loving God With All Your Heart

When Charles Schwab was 70 years old, he made the following statement. These words were spoken for the record in a court of law after he’d just won a nuisance suit. He said, “I’d like to say here in a court of law, and speaking as an old man, that 9/10ths of my troubles are traceable to my being kind to others.

Look you young people, if you want to steer away from trouble, be hard-boiled. Be quick w/a good loud “no” to anyone and everyone. If you follow this rule, you will seldom be bothered as you tread life’s pathway. Except you’ll have no friends, you’ll be lonely, and you won’t have any fun!”

We have been talking about love over the last three weeks and while we have discussed several aspects of love relationships we have yet to fully devote time to the way we are to love God.

At the height of his ministry and popularity Jesus found his greatest opposition to be from the religious leaders of the day. In fact many of them hated Jesus because he didn’t do things according to their traditions and the popularity of Jesus’ love based ministry threatened to bring imminent change.

Hoping to trap Jesus and turn the crowd against him the religious leaders asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. In typical Christ like fashion he didn’t reply the way they expected but he did give the correct answer. It is this answer that teaches us how we are to love God.

Matthew 22:37
37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

Loving God with all of your heart, soul and mind literally means loving Him with all that you are. I want to put the focus of this lesson on loving God with all your heart because your heart is the source of all your emotions.

What does it mean to love God with all your heart?

It means to love God will all of your character. Each of us at some point has been in a relationship where we didn’t show our “true colors” to the other person involved. We didn’t allow that person to see our real character. We can’t be that way with God because he created us and already knows our true nature/character. There is no fooling God and no holding anything back because he already sees and knows all. So why not love Him with all of your emotion.

Love God through your joy.

It’s easy to love God when things are going great. Even the most ungodly will stand before thousands and thank God when the win an award but loving God through your joy is more than just acknowledgment it’s a way of life! Look at what Jesus said.

John 15:10-12
10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Joy has nothing to do with material things, or with a man’s outward circumstance...A man living in the lap of luxury can be wretched, and a man in the depths of poverty can overflow with joy. - William Barclay (1907 - 1978)

There’s a huge difference between joy and excitement. Often we confuse them thinking that because we heard a good sermon, sang our favorite song, read a passage, got a promotion or experienced something else that brings about a sense of excitement that we have joy but joy is lived not experienced.

Joy stems from love and is completed in the person of Jesus Christ. Loving God with all your heart means seeking to not only live in joy but to share your joy and its source every day.

Love God through your sorrow.
Here we have the exact opposite issue than we do with joy. Sorrow is a part of life but for some reason when we experience it we want to get mad at God, the church and Christianity as a whole. Everyone experiences pain and sorrow but not everyone has learned to love God through them.

Look at Job’s complaint about the condition of his life and then his response towards his own complaint.

Job 19:7-21, 25
7 "Though I cry, 'I've been wronged!' I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.
9 He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.
10 He tears me down on every side till I am gone; he uproots my hope like a tree.
11 His anger burns against me; he counts me among his enemies.
12 His troops advance in force; they build a siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.
13 "He has alienated my brothers from me; my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.
14 My kinsmen have gone away; my friends have forgotten me.
15 My guests and my maidservants count me a stranger; they look upon me as an alien.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer, though I beg him with my own mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife; I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18 Even the little boys scorn me; when I appear, they ridicule me.
19 All my intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against me.
20 I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.
21 "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.

25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

Job got it that there was something bigger than his sorrow. To him it was never a question of control. He didn’t look to make excuses or cast blame even though there was a group of people around him begging him to do so. Instead he stated his situation for the world to hear and then proclaimed his trust in God, his redeemer, being in control.

Loving God through your sorrow means using your experiences to show others your true self and genuine faith in God because it will allow others to do the same.

Dr.Claude H. Barlow was a missionary to China and one of the most revered foreigners to work in that land. When a strange disease for which he knew no remedy was killing people Dr. Barlow sought for a way to fight it. There were no research laboratories for this disease, so Dr.Barlow conducted his own research. He studied the disease, filling a notebook with his observations. He then procured a vial of disease germs and sailed for the United States. Before he arrived, he took the germs into his own body, and then went to the John Hopkins University Hospital to be observed. Claude Barlow was very sick now. He allowed his old professors at John Hopkins to use him for experimentation. A cure was found, which a healthy Claude Barlow took back to China with him.

His efforts saved countless lives.

We would never be able to minister to others during their time of sorrow if we never experienced sorrow ourselves.

Love God with full surrender.
Here’s the problem that keeps people from living a Godly lifestyle. It’s the same problem that prevents us from experiencing true worship. I’m talking about a heart that hasn’t been surrendered to God.

There are people who will not come to faith in Christ simply because they don’t want to surrender their hearts. If they did it would mean a change in lifestyle, a change in their thinking process and a change in the way they view God.

A fully surrendered heart will say yes to God when it really doesn’t want to. We see that in the life of Jesus as he was agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was so torn between his own will and the will of God that it caused him to sweat drops of blood.

Matthew 26:38-39
38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
That’s surrender! “God, I don’t want to give up my life of immorality but not as I will, but as you will.”

If we could just learn to utter those prayers over all the areas of our lives we would see not only our lives but those around us drastically changed.

Love God by modeling Christ.
As in most everything else in life Jesus modeled for us what it looks like to love God with all your heart. All we have do then is model Christ in the way he loved God without holding back.

God is Good – All the Time!

Well, since making the statement two weeks ago that Mayfair had finally navigated beyond the beyond the 100 barrier we haven’t seen the century mark. Last week we had 90 in our worship attendance and yesterday was 93.

I have to admit that is a little discouraging but there are plenty of other areas in our church where we can see God working. Last week we finished up the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to raise money for international missions. Our goal was to raise $1,500.00 for missions and we went beyond that to $1,600.00. We have a mission team of eleven people who are leaving in just over three weeks to go to Panama for a mission trip. Mayfair has been thoroughly behind this trip by supporting our team members financially and through prayer. Wednesday night is our mission’s banquet and we have basically sold out of our tickets to attend. There is an overwhelming sense that the Spirit is moving in our church as we are reaching people and changing lives. We are constantly seeking God for new avenues and opportunities to reach people and He has been faithful to provide.

Tonight I am meeting with a retired missionary and some minorities who are members of our church about starting a non-English bible study. Our goal this year is to reach out to an ethnic group and it appears that God may be opening that door for us. Please join with us in making this a matter prayer as we are excited to see what God has in store.

The most exciting thing that God is doing in the church right now, to me, is bringing us new members. Over the last two weeks we have had four new members join the church.

Loving No Matter What

C.S. Lewis penned these powerful words about love. "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable."...

Its amazing how often the word love is misused. We often use it in place of infatuation, a strong liking or even a desire to get to know better. Truth be told that we often have no idea what we are talking about when we tell another person that we love them. Love in its truest form is sacrificial. It gives way more than it receives even to the point of hurt.

We are designed to love and really can’t function properly without it. We are genuinely miserable without experiencing true love but on the same hand we are often brought to our highest points of frustration by the ones we love. However complete love allows us to move beyond the frustration hurt and pain that are commonly experienced in relationships to continue in the joy that God intended for that relationship bring into our lives.

The question is how, how do we continue loving no matter what? The answer is actually easier than you might think. There are two keys to growing your love relationship through difficult times. First, understanding what true love is and secondly, understanding how to truly forgive when you have been hurt.

In general we live in two types of love relationships, Eros and Philia. Its pretty easy to identify which type of love matches each of our relationships but it isn’t always easy to understand the full measure of that love.

For example, Eros is the type of love that describes our romantic/marriage relationships. We know it best as an attractive or sensual type of love but if that is our only understanding of it then we are missing out because there is so much more to it.

Eros can easily be defined as a selfish love based on the way the world understands it but in reality it is a giving love. It was Eros that not only initially attracted you to your spouse but it was also the motivating factor in your desire to be united in marriage. Think about that for just a second. Because of this kind of love you not only desired your spouse (selfish) but you also desired to give yourself to him/her in marriage. The concept of giving out of our romantic love is reinforced through the bible.

1 Corinthians 7:4: The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.

Ephesians 5:22: Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

When your romantic/attractive love fails to be sacrificial or giving then it will also fail to survive through the most difficult times of your marriage relationship.

However romantic relationships aren’t the only ones that have the potential to bring both joy and hurt in our lives. Many of us have been hurt by our closest friends and then find years later that we were hurt worse by the severing of that relationship than we were by the actual hurtful act.

Philia is the word used to describe brotherly love which is the type of love that we enjoy with our closest of friends. It is the type of love Paul uses when he referred to the church in the book of Philippians.

Philippians 4:1
1Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

There is nothing romantic or sexual stated in that text. It is just a man longing to be with his friends whom he genuinely loved as though they were his own flesh and blood.

This is also the type of love that Jesus enjoyed with Peter, James and John. Remember that John is often referred as the disciple that Jesus loved. It was these three men who not only shared in all the great moments with Jesus during his three year public ministry but also were with him during the lowest point of his life at the Garden of Gethsemane.

Keep in mind that Jesus was fully human and experienced all the emotions that came with his humanity. He enjoyed the company of his friends and understood what it took to make a friendship relationship work. Understanding that, Jesus gave us the ultimate example of what it is to be a friend.

John 15
12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Once again we find that giving and sacrifice are crucial elements to not only enjoying but also continuing a relationship that is based on brotherly love.

Now the key to loving not matter what is not just understanding Eros or Philia love but also understanding and living Agape love.

Agape love is the way that God loves us. It is unconditional love that allows us to say, “I may not like you at times but I will always love you!” That is exactly the way that God views you and me. He doesn’t like the sin in our lives but He does love us. God’s love is not based upon who we are or what we do but solely on who He is. We are God’s creation and as I said last week there is absolutely nothing we can do to cause Him to stop loving us. That is Agape love!

Understanding Agape love and living it will allow you to repair the hurt done and continue on in that relationship.

I can hear you right now, “But you don’t understand what they said or did to me.” You are right I don’t and while I acknowledge that hurt will many times sever a relationship, forgiveness always provides a way to bring it back together. Remember if your love is unconditional then it isn’t based on the other person it is based on you.

If our relationship with God was based on us then we would be in a lot of trouble because we allow sin to come between us and God on a daily basis. Some of you have been hurt more than once by your friends or your spouses and even though you desire to see that relationship continue you are at a loss as how to make it happen.

Look again at God’s example. Jesus didn’t die for the righteous he died for the wicked so that they may become righteous. He died for you and I in the midst of our rebellion against Him.

Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Look at that, while we were still sinners! We have this misconception that God only loves those who love Him but the truth is that not only does he love everyone He loves everyone in spite of their sin.

Knowing that sin would sever the lines of communication and damage the relationship God made a way for us to receive forgiveness and be restored to the full benefits of that relationship. Follow what I am saying here.

1) We are the ones who have the sin problem.
2) God loves us in the midst of that sin.
3) Our sin is direct rebellion against God
4) God is the one who paid atonement for our sin.

The power of God’s forgiveness is humbling. He offers us what we don’t deserve over and over again in spite of the fact that we are the ones hurting him.

Whether it is your spouse, child or friend they are going to hurt you at some point. The key to repairing that hurt and mending that relationship is not what they offer in retribution but what you offer in forgiveness.

Church Update

I had the opportunity to go to the national pastor’s conference last week in Jacksonville, Florida. It was an amazing time of ministry and worship and I came home eager to continue the work here at Mayfair. While I do love my job it does get taxing at times when you are working with people who have, “never done it that way before.”

Not that our church has a negative attitude, they really don’t, they are just learning to do new things and serving at my first church as pastor I am learning along with them. We have made some great strides and have experienced significant growth as a result. Frankly the people of the church deserve more credit for allowing God to use and stretch them than I do as the pastor.

Mayfair has finally reached the point where we are almost always over 100 in attendance during our worship services. We actually had a low Sunday this week, due to illness and some families traveling, but still had over 90 in attendance. We’ve come a long way since our low Sundays were in the 30’s.

I started a sermon series on love that I am really excited about. It’s only a three week series but I believe it has the potential to not only be life changing but also change the dynamic of our church. I preached the first message titled “Love the Way God Intended” Sunday and we had three people come forward and join the church. I’m sure it was God working in their lives more than it was the words coming out of my mouth.

Right Now on the Message Boards
Christians being persecuted in Mexico

Love the Way God Intended

Okay, honestly, raise your hand if you have ever said of thought any of those things you saw in the video towards your husband of wife. There have been times in my life when I have wondered why or better yet how my wife loves me as much as she does. I have rolled out of bed before, look into the mirror and said, “What was she thinking?”

I’m glad that I am confident in the fact that my wife loves me but where does that confidence come from? Part of it comes from when I look in the mirror. She is too smart to put up with a guy like me for all theses years if she didn’t really love me but the main thing that gives me confidence is my understanding of love. Not the love that we find that video, or on television and in books and magazines but love the way God intended it to be.

My goal through this lesson is to illustrate through some personal examples from my life God’s design and intention for love. Not that I have a better life than you do or that I am somehow on a pedestal above you, because I don’t think that way and if you know me then you know for certain that I’m not. However, I have to use illustrations from my life because you didn’t give me permission to use illustrations from yours.

Look for a moment at how the bible describes love in 1 Corinthians 13.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Look at the adjectives in this passage. Can you honestly say that these descriptive words are found in your love relationships? If you can’t then you do not love the way God intended.
We have to understand that love is a process. All of these characteristics don’t just pop into the picture the moment you first fall in love. Rather they are developed over a time through the process of learning how to love.

The mistake that we often make is to assume that because love is a natural emotion then all the characteristics of love will come naturally with it as well. That is simply not true! Marilyn and I will celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary this coming May, Lord willing!, and I can honestly say that I am so much more in love with her now than I was almost 14 years ago when we stood at the alter and shared our vows.

Why is that? It is because over the last 13 plus years I have been learning how to love her. That’s the beauty of love the way God intended for it to be. Through the process of instilling all of these qualities into your relationship you actually see your love for another person grow.
With Oklahoma among the top five states in the nation with the highest divorce rates there aren’t as many people who will give you the testimony of their marriage that you just heard from me. There is no shortage in theories when it comes to identifying the reasons for a rising divorce rate but the problem is actually pretty simple. People just simply don’t want to adjust.
The process of love requires adjustment.

I told you earlier that Marilyn and I are close to celebrating 14 years of marriage but honestly some of you have been married for so long that you would still describe us as being in the honeymoon stage. Think about this for just a moment. How many things do you know now about your spouse that you didn’t know about them before you married them? What kind of adjustments did you have to make in order to continue loving them? What kind of adjustments did they have to make in order to continue loving you?

That’s the process that I am talking about. For you to enjoy love it has to grow and for it to do that you have to be willing to invest time and effort into the process making the required adjustments.

Failing to adjust to the process had implications on all three types of love relationships.
Eros – Romantic relationship
Philia – Friendship relationships
Agape – Godly relationship (also the way you should love your children)

Let me tell you two quick stories. Several years back the church that I was working at hired a new secretary. She was exceptional and very efficient in her work and above all else was a huge OU basketball fan. She had a grandson around my oldest son’s age and we would tell stories about the boys as well as talk sports just about every day.

One fall she asked Marilyn and I if we would like to tickets to the OU/Texas football game. Absolutely we did! It was the perfect opportunity to get away from the kids for a weekend and enjoy some alone time as well as watch our favorite football team. Going to the Cotton Bowl to watch the Red River Rivalry is the Mecca to both Oklahoma and Texas football fans and we finally had an opportunity to make the trip ourselves.

On the day of the game parking was chaos. We finally made our way to a small lot where we paid an outrageous amount of money to park our little car. After passing through the gate into the lot we were guided to a tiny spot to park. It was so crowded in that lot that after we pulled in the parking spot there wasn’t enough room for Marilyn to get out of the car. I tried to pull the car over to a lager spot so we could have enough room to actually get out and the lot attendant came sprinting over to emphatically tell me why we couldn’t do that. It was at that point when I saw my beautiful wife do something I had never seen before. She actually got out of the car and stood nose to nose with this man matching his tone of voice and body language demanding that she either get a parking spot that would allow her to get out of the car or her money back.

I was absolutely speechless. Try your best to get the mental picture of my little wife matching a rather large man in a battle of wills. I had never seen this behavior before and had no indication to ever expect to. After just a few minutes we were invited to enjoy a parking spot at the very front of the lot that left more than enough room for us to exit the vehicle to which Marilyn said, “Now, that’s more like it.”

Here’s the thing about Marilyn. She doesn’t settle for second best. It doesn’t matter if it’s a parking spot, our kid’s grades, the condition of our house or whatever. She wants the absolute best for herself and her family. Sometimes that attitude can be frustrating to me, especially when it comes to house cleaning, but it was something I needed to adjust to and here’s what I realized.

There are day when I don’t feel very confident in who I am as a person, a father or a husband. Hey, I’m just human and I am the first to admit that I am very imperfect. Its that truth in life that often causes us to feel less than we really are. Check this out, my wife doesn’t settle for second best and she chose to marry me! It is not in her nature to settle for second rate and I am the guy she fell in love with. What does that say about me? It says that I am not second rate, I am not second best. When I am having a bad day at work and feel like a miserable failure, my wife doesn’t settle for second best. When I have messed up at home and guilt makes me feel like a bad father or husband, my wife doesn’t settle for second best! Do you see the adjustment there? That is the process of love.

Here’s another angle from this story. When we returned home from the weekend I shared the parking story with our friend who gave us the tickets. She laughed and thought it was funny but guess what happened the next year? Not only did she come through with tickets again but this time she got us a parking pass that allowed us VIP parking right next to the team busses.
Now over the course of our friendship we have given her a few gifts as well on holidays and birthdays but I can honestly say that I have never given her anything like this opportunity and yet she continued to get us the tickets year after year for as long as she could. Here’s why? God’s intention for love isn’t self-focused.

How many times have you based a gift on what you received from that person? How many times have you helped out a friend only to the extent that they have helped you? Are your friendships based on you or are you truly reflecting God’s intention for love.

There is another aspect to love the way God intended and that is the Agape or unconditional love. His love for us is not based upon our actions, good or bad. His love is based solely on His love. There is absolutely nothing that you can do to make God love you any less. In fact the bible teaches that if we could then we could never again gain that measure of love back.

4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Hebrews 6:4-6

Jesus was crucified once for the forgiveness of man’s sin. It was God’s love for you that allowed Jesus to go to the cross. Many people will try to use this passage to make the point that you can actually lose your salvation but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. In fact, the warning is that if you could fall away you will never be able to come back. Why? In order for God to withdraw His salvation from you not only would that mean that the cross wasn’t enough it would also mean that He would have to actually go back on His word and quit loving you.

Do we deserve the cross and God’s offer for salvation? No! Do we get it anyway? Yes! Because God’s love for you and I isn’t based on condition.

When I was a kid there were many things my dad asked me to do or not to do. I wish I could say that I always did what I was asked but I was a child and as children do I often disobeyed. My disobedience earned me what I deserved which was punishment by my father.

I remember one particular incident when my brother had deliberately disobeyed our parents and were caught red-handed by dad. Knowing what was to come we were sent to our rooms to await our punishment. In our minds this punishment deserved spanking and when dad arrived to our room we “assumed the position.” However instead of swatting us (what we deserved) dad actually gave us some toys and candy he had bought earlier in the day for us.

It was the perfect time to explain God’s grace which is simply defined as unmerited favor or getting from God what we really don’t deserve. Dad could have easily spanked us and been justified by it but instead he chose to take the opportunity to show us favor and instill in us the confidence that even in our disobedience he still loves us.

There is a lot of talk and debate today about what is and is not sin but the simple truth is that sin is anything that is outside the will of God for your life. It is an act of rebellion against God and the bible teaches that we deserve eternal separation from Him (death) for those willful acts of rebellion. Instead of justifiably giving us what we deserve God instead offers us the gift of salvation in what is His greatest example of love the way He intended it to be.

Evidence that God Doesn’t Exist?

I initially intended for this to be a quick post to go on the forum but wound up ranting a little longer than normal. Feel free to leave a comment below or discuss it further here.

New Book Examines Existence of Divine Creator Using Scientific
Method

Amherst, NY – Books on God and science, religion, and nonbelief have enjoyed unprecedented popularity in recent months—a trend Time magazine called an “atheist literary wave”—demonstrating the interest of American readers in intelligent debate on these topics. The God Delusion by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins is number nine on the New York Times Best Seller List dated February 4, 2007; Sam Harris’s atheistic response to critics, Letter to a Christian Nation, sits at twenty-six. In interviews, both men have directed readers to an additional work that continues the “new atheism” trend: God: The Failed Hypothesis (Prometheus Books, January 30, 2007.)In God: The Failed Hypothesis, physicist Victor Stenger argues that science has advanced sufficiently to make a definitive statement on the existence or nonexistence of the traditional Judeo-Christian-Islamic God. He invites readers to put their minds—and the scientific method—to work to test this claim. After evaluating all the scientific evidence—the studies done by reputable institutions on the power of prayer; the writings of philosophers who have puzzled over the problem of God and of good and evil; the efforts of biblical scholars to prove the accuracy of holy scriptures; and the work of biologists, geologists, and astronomers looking for clues to a creator on Earth and in the cosmos—Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God. He convincingly shows that not only is there no evidence for the existence of God, but scientific observations actually point to his nonexistence.

I guess people will truly believe whatever they want to and honestly anyone can bend facts or create evidence to support to match their beliefs. I don’t plan on purchasing or even taking a second look at this book because it really is a “seen one seen them all” format with these types of books.

These “intellectuals” chose to ignore the evidence of an organized created universe and grasp on to theories in an attempt to refute the existence of God. Science has yet to fully explain, and provide evidence, for a universe that is self caused. It cannot explain eternity or the complexity and order of created things (DNA etc…).

They would rather explain the anthropic principle (the universe is so finely tuned as to allow life to exist on earth) as a freak accident and ignore the fact that is just makes more sense that there was a creator.

Where do morals, ethics and values come from? How do we know something is good? There has to be a standard. No one will deny the existence of evil but yet how do we know of evil. In order to have evil then you must have a standard of good (Holiness) to compare it with. However, if God does not exist then there is no standard of Holiness and therefore there is no opposite, evil.

These guys say that faith is foolish and people are blindly led astray by it but they base their existence on an unproven impossible scientific theory and stubbornly hold the position that it will someday be proven true despite mountains of evidence that point to the contrary. It really makes you wonder who is blindly being led astray.

Right now on the Message Boards:
Evidence that God Doesn’t Exist?

Arrest for Street Preaching Leads to Lawsuit

I’m Back!

I know it has been a while. So long in fact that many of you reading this are asking the question, “Who are you?”

I took a sabbatical from the blog but now I’m back with some fresh ideas and a new look. I really debated whether to just delete Abundant Living and start over or revise it because I wanted a site that focuses on religion but was also driven by the readers.

So I decided to change the look of the site, add a message board and continue on with Abundant Living. I’ll post a few times during the week but the meat of this blog, for it to work properly, will come from contributions of the readers.

You can contribute by participating in ‘Ask the Pastor’ or by posting on the message board. Ask the Pastor gives you the opportunity to ask questions about God, the bible, religion or life in general.

Send your question to Ask the Pastor!

The message board lets you discuss, ask and even debate a variety of topics. Feel free to post there as often as you like. You do have to register to become a member of the message board but that keep out comment spam.

Abundant Living is back and has the potential to be a great site! Not because of me but because of you and your continued participation. Feel free to go ahead and get started.

Why Does God Allow Evil & Suffering

One of, if not the, greatest challenges against a person’s belief in God is the existence of evil. More than once in my life I have heard the following argument:

1. If God is all good, then he would get rid of evil.
2. If God is all powerful, then he could get rid of evil.
3. Evil does exist.
4. Therefore, God must not exist.

Initially it looks like a strong argument against the existence of God. However, it is actually an argument for the existence of God.

In order for someone to call something “evil” they must assume that there is a standard of “good” by which one can compare. God is the only fixed and unchanging standard by which evil is identified.

Anytime someone says there is a way things should not be, they are implying there is a way that things should be.

The question is: where does this sense of moral obligation come from? Why ought or should anyone do anything? You can say that there is a plan that is unchanging. This can only be explained through the existence of God.

Another problem with the existence of evil is trying to identify good in it. If you have evil apart from God’s existence then it would be pure evil and nothing can be gained from it.

Think about the good things that have come from pain and suffering. At the time of our suffering we only see the pain and evil but in hindsight we can see the good that came from it.

Through evil, pain and suffering we acquire an absolute appreciation for life and the good things that are given to us. We also see a person’s character develop through an experience of pain and suffering. Finally, pain and suffering will often lead people into a closer relationship with God.

These are only three examples but none of them are possible without the existence of God.

Deciding Your Worldview

The best description that I’ve heard of a world view is that it is like a pair of glasses. If you have red lenses then you will see everything red. If you are using orange lenses then you will see everything orange, etc…

It is the same way with our beliefs. If someone is an atheist, they will view life through “atheist glasses”; if they are Buddhist, then they will see life through “Buddhist glasses”; and if someone is a Christian, then they will see life through “Christian glasses.”

Once you understand a person’s worldview it helps you understand their perspective and stance on life and religion. This is important when engaging in a conversation especially when it comes to discussing different views on religion.

There are three major worldviews that are prevalent today. Monism, Naturalism, and Theism are the most influential worldviews. Most of today’s religions funnel from one of these three perspectives. However, for a worldview to have any value it must answer four fundamental questions:

1. Where did the world and man come from?
2. Where do morals come from?
3. Is there any absolute meaning in life?
4. Where does man go after he dies?

If a worldview can’t adequately answer these four questions, it is really not worth believing in because it cannot help guide me through life. So, let’s look at these three worldviews in light of these four questions.

Monism is the belief that everything is ultimately “one.” There are absolutely no distinctions that can be made in life. Distinctions are actually just illusions that we must learn to overcome.

Where did the world and man come from? Monistic religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) generally believe that the world and the universe are eternal (has always been and will always be there.) They reject the consensus of modern science and do not mind believing in contradictory statements since logic is primarily a Western ‘invention.’

Monism provides no answer to question one.

Where do morals come from? Karma is the moral law that drives the universe forward within Monism. Within this moral system, you have both good karma and bad karma. However the big problem here is that if there are no distinctions in Monism, how can there be both good karma and bad karma? For that reason Monism fails to answer the question of morality.

Is there any absolute meaning in life? Again Monism has the same problem when it comes to finding meaning in life. If everything is ultimately one, then that means there are no true distinctions between things. If this were true, then there would be absolutely no meaning in life for individuals since individuals are a contradiction to oneness. Again no answer found.

Where does man go after he dies? The soul at death becomes part of the cosmos. The cosmos is one, eternal, and impersonal existence and your soul will become a part of the whole.

Here we find a possible answer but it doesn’t satisfy because of the unreliability of the first three answers. If your beliefs can’t provide a valid answer to questions 1-3 then it makes the answer to number 4 unreliable.

Naturalism is the belief that all that exists is the natural world. The only way we can ever know anything is through our five senses. There is no God, there are no souls, and heaven/hell does not exist.

Where did the world and man come from? Naturalists have to believe one of two things about the origin of the universe: 1) it has always been here (eternal) 2) it popped into existence out of literally nothing.

The problem here is that the consensus of science tells us that the universe is not eternal and that it did not pop into existence from nothing. No answer is found in either of these two options.

Where do morals come from? According to the naturalist morality is the product of evolutionary development. Since the world is purely the product of physical and biological evolution, then morals must have evolved as well.

According to the theory of natural selection only those characteristics that perpetuate a species survive. Therein lays the problem for naturalism and the evolutionary ethic because it cannot explain why we should be good. Just because something may have originated one way does not mean there is any obligation that we should have to do it.

Another point here is that evolution cannot explain such acts as the sacrificing of one’s own life for the lives of others. Evolution tells us to do whatever it takes to preserve our own life not sacrifice it for others. There is no answer for morality found here.

Is there any absolute meaning in life and where does man go after he dies? Meaning and destiny do not exist within naturalism because the physical body is all that truly exists. Once the body dies, the brain and consciousness die with it; therefore there is no ultimate purpose or end for living.

Theism believes that although the world exists and our senses can detect the world, there exists another dimension where God exists.

Where did the world and man come from? There is a definite beginning to the universe and God was the cause of it. Since the universe must have a cause and since it could not cause itself the only reasonable explanation is that something caused it. That is where Theist point to an all powerful God as the cause giving us an answer to the first question.

Where do morals come from? Because God exists and His character is unchanging, He has established certain morals that are absolute and unchanging.
If God did not exist the only reason stealing would be wrong is because society tells us so. But so what? Why is anyone obligated to listen to their societal laws?
God is the source of morality.

Is there any absolute meaning in life? Since man is made in the image of God everything he does matters to Him. Every act and every thought reflects our relationship to God and therefore every single act has meaning.

Where does man go after he dies? Heaven is described as a place where there is no sin, sickness, or death. Heaven is a reward for all of God’s children who have put their faith in Him and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.
There is also an eternal destination for those who have rejected God and His love. It is described as a place of utter darkness and eternal torment where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Not only does Theism answer the question of eternity but it is the only world view that adequately answers all four questions that guide a person through life. That makes Theism the only logical choice for a worldview.


Written with the aid of Walter Nusbaum’s “A Defense of the Faith.”

Does God Exist?

“In a quiet revolution in thought and argument that hardly anybody could have foreseen only two decades ago, God is making a comeback. Most intriguingly, this is happening not among theologians or ordinary believers, but in the crisp intellectual circles of academic philosophers where the consensus had long banished the Almighty from fruitful discourse.”
-- Time, 1998

Cover of Newsweek: "Science Finds God”

“The achievements of modern science seem to contradict religion and undermine faith. But for a growing number of scientists, the same discoveries offer support for spirituality and hints of the very nature of God…Once, science and religion were viewed as two fundamentally different, even antagonistic ways of pursuing that quest, and science stood accused of smothering faith and killing God. Now, it may strengthen belief.”
-- Newsweek 1988

“For the scientist who has lived by faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.
-- Dr. Robert Jastrow
Founder and Director of NASA’s Goddard Space Institute

Have you ever wondered why there is something rather than absolutely nothing? Why does the universe even exist? Has it always been there or did it come into existence? These are all questions in which the answers lead you to God or to absolutely nothing.

Until recently many scientists still believed that the universe was eternal, that it had always existed. The reason scientists liked this view was because if the universe has always been here, there would be no need for a God to create it.

However, the view that the universe is eternal has fallen under severe attack. There is a virtual consensus among contemporary astronomers and physicists that the universe did in fact have a beginning.

There are four options that explain the presence of the universe.
1. The universe is eternal.
2. The universe is an illusion
3. The universe came into being by nothing
4. The universe came into being by something.

Of each of these four options only one really seems to be reasonable. The first option contradicts the findings of science. The second one doesn’t make any sense. The third one accepts the fact that the universe came into being but contradicts itself in saying that something can come from nothing. The fourth one has to be the best option. The universe came into being by the power of something, God. This is called the First Cause Argument.

Walter Nusbaum brings up the following analogy. Think anbout everything that surrounds your life. Is there anything that ever happens without any sort of cause? In fact, everything we think of has some prior cause. If this is true, then it makes sense that the universe had a cause too!

A term you might want to familiarize yourself with is the Kalam Argument. It is a three part argument that says that everything that begins to exist has a cause, the universe began to exist, and therefore the universe has a cause.

There is another popular argument that is called the argument from design. It says that anything with order and complexity required a designer because nature does not produce complexity and information.

Again Nusbaum gives us the following thought. You wake up one morning and your wife had poured your alphabet cereal in your bowl. If you saw the words “Good morning, Honey” spelled out, would you think it was just a fluke chance that the cereal letters came out of the box like that or would you think your wife did that?

When you look at the complexity of our world, universe and even your own body are you going to say that it just randomly happened or that it was a designer who created it that way? Christians believe in God for many different reasons but one of the largest is because His creation screams out about his existence.

Apologetics

Have you ever been is a situation when you were asked to defend what you believed but couldn’t. We often know what we believe but we don’t know why we believe it. Learning how to explain and defend your beliefs is known as apologetics.

The word apologetics comes from the Greek work ‘apologia’, which means ‘defense.’ Anytime you are defendng your beliefs you are using apologetics.

Anyone who believes anything has an apologetic. All religions, cults and even atheists have apologetics. As Christians we need to make sure we not only know what we believe but are able to make a sound defense of our faith.

In his study book, “A Defense of the Faith” Walter Nusbaum gives us three reasons why Christians should study apologetics:

1. We are commanded.
15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

The bible is full of examples where people defended their beliefs in God. No one will believe in a God that you can’t explain how He relates to you.

2. Study increases your confidence in evangelism.

Most people don’t share their faith not because they are afraid but because they don’t know how. Paul said that he wasn’t ashamed of the Gospel. The reason why is that he fully understood it and knew how to effectively communicate it to other people.

When we study Apologetics we begin to understand not only more about God but our relationship with Him. It becomes easier to explain and we grow more confident in sharing it with others.

3. Apologetics will draw you closer to God.

There is a direct link between knowledge and love. The more you learn about God and His love for you the more your love and devotion will grow for Him.

Maybe it’s time to discover why you believe what you believe!

Church Update

I know that it has been a long, long time since my last update and I apologize for that. Things have been extremely busy here at Mayfair but extremely good at the same time.

We are three weeks into our “Developing the Mind of Christ” series and to this point God has blessed us with seven new church members over those three weeks.

Last Sunday we had 103 in our worship attendance which marks our third Sunday in a row with over 100 in worship.

On Friday myself and a handful of our church members will head out to New Orleans for a mission trip. This will be the second mission trip this year for our church (We sent a group to Panama in March).

We have also launched a church website - www.mayfairbaptist.org – check it out and let me know what you think. It’s very interactive with message boards, opinion polls and a blog. If you would like to keep up with what’s going on in New Orleans I’ll be updating the blog each night.