Category Archives: Insights

Memorial Day Service: May 28, 2012

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Yesterday Grandma and Grandpa took granddaughter Sarah to a Memorial Day Service at the Raymond Road Middle School.  Appropriately, it was in the Ranger Auditorium (my thought considered the US Army Rangers). The sixty member Indianapolis Municipal Band played beautiful patriotic and spiritual numbers for 30 minutes before the service.  We were in the gymnasium, so while it wasn’t air conditioned, it was out of the sun and a stirring remembrance of those who gave their lives for our freedom.  It was a little scary for granddaughter Sarah, because the Timpani drummer was  enthusiastic and she had not been very used to a live instrumental band.  Sarah found great comfort being together with family.

There were probably 250 people there from every age group, but mostly older vets and their families.  It was very moving to think of the young men and women who died that will never enjoy being old men and women.  They gave up their lives, so that we could grow old and see the freedom the Lord provided.
A special recognition was made for Staff Sergeant Wayne Bucy who earned the Bronze Star for actions during World War II.  He had never received his medal, so 68 years late, our nation recognized his heroic actions in the European Theater.

As much as our nation is slipping from the Truth of God’s Word, she is still the most blessed of any nation on earth.  May we never take our freedom for granted and pursue the holiness of God, lest God remove that freedom we enjoy!

Pray for Those Who Wrong You

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The tongue is a slippery tool of the heart.  The humble heart uses the tongue for blessing.  The proud heart uses the tongue for cursing.  It’s the same tongue, yet controlled by the heart.  James does a brilliant job of addressing the tongue in James 3:1-12.

 As I was reading through Scripture a couple months ago, my eyes jumped out looking at Job 42.  In the last chapter of Job, after Job recognizes his own foolishness and inability to understand God’s inscrutable purposes, God gives instructions to those involved.

 7 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.  8 “Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”  9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job. 10And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.  (Job 42:7-10) 

Did you notice Job 42:10?  It jumps out!  The “Lord restored Job’s losses whenhe prayed for his friends…”  His friends that criticized him.  His friends that misunderstood him and repeatedly put him down.   His friends that refused to listen and seek to understand Job.  Most people would walk away from people like that.  Most people would say, “Lord, can you send down a cruise missile on their homes?!”  WhenJob prayed for them, the Lord blessed him and gave Job twice as much.  Are you harboring a grievance toward those who have put you down, criticized you, or have done you wrong?  Forgive (Mark 11:25) and pray for them in a godly way.  You may miss out on God’s blessing if you don’t.

Sharp Tongues can be Stopped

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A friend recently sent me this verse.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. (Isa 54:17)  This is certainly a promise given to Israel.  Presently, Israel walks through her own valley, scattered around the world and waiting for the return of Messiah.  Yet, there is great application to those who will trust in Jehovah, El – Shaddai (the All powerful One). 

The world hates the Jews, because Satan hates the Jews.  The existence of one Jew is a sign that God will keep His unconditional covenant to Abraham, David and all of Israel.  Satan tried to destroy the line to Christ.  If he could have destroyed the line, then the Messiah could not have come to redeem Israel and the world from their sins.  Now that Messiah came, died on the cross and has returned to heaven, Satan wants to destroy Jews again.  Only now he wants to destroy them, because if he can destroy them, then God cannot fulfill his promises in the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants.  That is why anti-Semitism has been a problem in history since the time of Christ.  In recent history, the holocaust was a Satanic attack to destroy the Jewish people.  But God’s promise of protection continues for the Jewish race as a whole. 

Isaiah addresses the attacks of people who have an agenda.  They believe their agenda is right and will do what is necessary to put you down. They try to be subtle. They may sound sophisticated. They often don’t even realize how painful their words might be.  They often don’t care, because they have a burr under their saddle and you may be the target of their “tongue which rises against you.”  They are not acting like God the Father.

I used to be bothered when people criticized me.  To be slandered in public is especially painful.  But it is all part of God’s plan to grow us up and prove that His will is good, acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2).  When we trust the Lord, the judging tongue, whether from a person who is close or from an al qaeda terrorist, will strengthen your resolve to trust the Lord even more.

There are plenty of hopeful New Testament promises to those who pursue the Lord.  As a believer, you are in the Lord’s hands (John 10:28-30).  God promises to take every situation, even the slanderous tongue, and work it out for divine good (Rom. 8:28-30).  God set believers free from sin, which is the most vicious enemy of the believer (Rom. 6:22-23).  Verbal attacks are proof that we are in enemy territory and often those in your own family, blood and spiritual, will be the adversaries that the enemy uses to attack you (1 Cor. 16:9; cf. Matt. 10:34-36).  We should not fear, for Jesus became sin for us that we might be made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).  For every attack tests your metal – will you trust in yourself or in Him by faith (Phil. 3:9)?

I Shall Not Lack Anything – Psalm 23

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            David will always be known as a man after God’s own heart.  He was often the measurement for a great man and great king.  Yet, he had his own fleshly (sinful) weaknesses.  He should have been out leading his army in battle, but he stayed back and committed adultery.  He should have taken responsibility for the fruit of his adultery, but instead tried to change the circumstances by murdering Uriah.  He failed to raise his boys in godliness and  paid  for it in the Absalom revolution.  But even in fleeing from Jerusalem during the Absalom revolt, we are blessed, because David wrote one of the greatest Psalms ever recorded.

            Psalm 23 is only six verses in the English, but contains tremendous words of comfort and hope.  Even while David was on the run, out in the wilderness with the refuge of Jerusalem in his rear view mirror, David recalls at least thirteen aspects of the Lord’s sufficiency.  His first line is “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”  This last phrase could easily be translated, “I shall not lack anything.”  Following in the Psalm we see many ways God was still providing for David.  David did not want for (did not lack):

1)      Spiritual rest – He makes me lie down
2)      Spiritual nourishment – In green pastures
3)      Spiritual freshness for life – He leads me besides still waters

4)      God’s forgiveness – He restores my soul
5)      Spiritual guidance – He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake
6)      Spiritual courage – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil
7)      Divine companionship – You are with me
8)      Divine protection – Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me
9)      Divine provision – You prepare a table before me
10)  Divine calm –  In the presence of my enemies
11)  Divine blessing – You anoint my head with oil, My cup runs over flows
12)  Divine confidence – Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
13)  Divine destiny – I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

When you seem to be empty, alone and fearful of the unknown, come back to Psalm 23 and find your confidence in the Shepherd.  Focus your eyes on Jesus and He’ll provide all that you need in any and every circumstance.

Legalism Fights Against God

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Legalists try to do two things: 1) play god and 2) compete with God.  Matthew 15:1-9 is a clear example of Jesus dealing with legalistic Pharisees.  They had their toga wrapped up in a bunch around “the traditions of the elders,” while Jesus emphasized the Word of God.  Then we saw eight principles from Galatians how legalists foist themselves on grace-oriented believers.  Paul called a spade a spade and named names.  Legalists think they are trying to do something good, but they 1) play god and 2) compete with God.  Please review those principles below, because it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others. 

·         He mixes human effort with grace    Gal. 1:6-9; 2:14; 6:13
·         He bullies others spiritually    Gal. 2:1-3; 4:29
·         He secretively spies out liberty    Gal. 2:4
·         He wants to look good before others    Gal. 2:11-16
·         He is in bondage to rules    Gal. 4:8-10, 25
·         He is antagonistic to believers living grace    Gal. 4:16; 5:10,12; 6:17
·         His motivation is for personal attention    Gal. 4:17; 6:13
·         He is critical and judgmental    Gal. 5:15  

We like what “we do” and if someone else doesn’t do “it,” we have a tendency to judge them through comparison.  Paul exhorts us to quit comparing ourselves with others (2 Cor. 10:12) and hence through self-righteousness, we can easily become legalistic.

I encouraged you to use the PAUSE method of approaching difficult relationships gained from the “Resolving Everyday Conflict” Peacemaker Series.  Here it is again:

P –  Prepare for the difficult conversation
A – Affirm relationships – the person and the problem situation
U – Understand interests – What motivates him/her
S –  Search for creative solutions
E –  Evaluate options objectively and reasonably

We approach Memorial Day weekend with joy to hear Dave Westin on Sunday as our newest supported missionary, but also heaviness as we remember our fallen heroes who paid the ultimate price.  All of our service men and women gave some; some gave all.  I thank God for the blood that was shed on battlegrounds all over the world, so that I might have freedom to share the gospel to open hearts.  This is a three day weekend, not just to have an extra day for fun, but an extra day to consider, reflect and ultimately give thanks to God for the price that Jesus paid on the battleground called Golgotha.  His blood was shed for you.

Beware of Empty Deception

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The miraculous life we saw in Colossians 2:8-10 is a reality for those who humble themselves to God’s will and His power. God is the potter and we are the clay; He will mold and make us while we are waiting, yielded and still. It’s better than any television entertainment or concert, because there is no explanation besides “it’s the Lord doing it.” I’ve seen it many times again and again.So we need to: Beware of empty deception. The key is we can’t fall back to the philosophies, empty deceit of the world or the traditions of men. They ruin any adventure with the Lord. And we need to: Let His fullness lead you against worldly powers. Jesus is fully God and true humanity in one person! God wants you to press forward in the completeness you have in Jesus Christ. Don’t let anyone tell you, if you are a Christian, that you don’t fit in the Body at Grace, or match up to His grace, or will ever get it right! You are complete in Christ and through God’s work of sanctification, you can experience that completeness on a daily basis. If you are a believer, you are complete in Christ and God fully indwells you to live a miraculous life!

This Sunday, Paul addresses the basis for how to deal with legalism. Legalism isn’t something that is as obvious today as it was 40 years ago, but it still exists. So how do we ensure legalism doesn’t press the wind out of you? How do you press forward with joy and anticipation of God’s work in your lives? I’ll tell you Sunday morning from Colossians 2:11-15! Can’t wait to see you. It’ll be a great morning!

It’s Faith that Matters

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It was great fun having the children on Sunday. They were so alert and Vickie and Debbie did a wonderful job in preparing and leading the children. I’m glad you invited friends and family members to see the children and come to our Resurrection Sunday service.
“When you believe, you will see spiritual” was the message I saw in the passage and first Mary, then the Disciples and finally Thomas were able to see the Lord. Then the penetrating words the Lord spoke, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” God wants us to depend solely by faith on Him. It’s not our senses, our feelings, our experiences, our intelligence that matters nearly as much as faith.
I love the last stanza of “It is Well with My Soul,” which goes:
And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend
“Even so” – it is well with my soul.
I pray that your Day of Resurrection was reflective about the Lord’s inscrutable gift of salvation. We’ll get back into Colossians this coming Sunday looking at “How do you become deeply rooted in Christ?” And we’ll need to consider, what are the consequences of not becoming deeply rooted in Him?
 Hope you can make the Youth Spaghetti dinner tomorrow night. Justin is going to be the auctioneer and rally some fun for all of us.

Celebration of Spring

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Thanks for your participation on Sunday at Pastor Dick’s Celebration of 43 years of ministry.  I know he and Pat were greatly affected by it and it’s seldom we get this kind of opportunity to honor a shepherd and his wife toward the end of their official ministry.
Pastor Gary will lead the next two services for which I’m very grateful as I work with the Website team and the Elders and Deacons on their responsibility profiles.  These will help us tighten up what we do as leadership.  Thanks for your prayers for the leadership team.
This year for Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday we’re going to look at “Divine Eyesight.”  They will be services and messages related to how we can and should look at people like Jesus does.  In between those services, we’re going to have a Good Friday service.  It will be a service of reflection, singing, communion and a devotional message from Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The service will be Good Friday, April 6, at 7pm.
It’s truly amazing the warmth that God has brought to our area.  Our crocus flowers have burst in brilliant colors and our daffodils are dazzling in their magnificent yellow!  I’m not sure what it means for the rest of summer, but I do know for sure Who is in control of summer!  May He be praised!

Christ in You

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Last Sunday, we looked at “Christ in you, the hope of glory” from Colossians 1 and the privilege each of us has to “warn every man and teach every man that we present every man complete in Christ.”  We just scratched the surface, so let me add a few more comments.
If Christ is in me, if Christ is in you, then He directs our thoughts, our words and our actions.  We will seek the holiness of God for the sake of the Body of Christ – His Bride.  We will see our part in helping each other get to living out God’s glory in our lives.  Let me give you three areas for additional application.  First, our attitude toward morality is sliding.  We Christians, maybe some at Grace, think it’s okay to try out the merchandise before marriage.  At least if someone is over 18 and they’re an adult, we think, “What can we do about it?”  That’s what Eli said about his sons in 1 Samuel.  God rebuked him and took his life.  Eli warned his sons, but he didn’t ensure they lived godly.  God took him (1 Samuel 3:13,14; 4:13-18).  If Christ is in you, you’ll do what is godly to ensure your family and the Bride of Christ is godly.  His glory says, I will not allow immorality to exist in my family.
Secondly, if you’re living “Christ in you” your words will be God-honoring, not earth-tolerated.  I’ve heard Christians talk the same talk as the world talks.  We hear trash so often in the media and around the world that we let our guard down. I used to be in the infantry, I accept how people talk, but I don’t want to use casual talk that I wouldn’t use from the pulpit.  If I wouldn’t there, why do it somewhere else?  If “Christ is in you,’ He rules my tongue to not allow careless or idle words come from my mouth (Matt. 12:36,37). 
And thirdly, care for the Body at Grace.  If Christ is in you, you’ll see the need Justin Williams has for the youth and maybe say, “Justin, I can help.”  There are simple, easy opportunities to serve as chaperones, transportation drivers and discipleship group leaders.  Justin has a great heart to love our young people, but he needs your help.  ‘Christ in you” means you can put aside some desires, time and even hobbies to help Justin reach the hearts of our young people who are in a spiritual battle most of us didn’t face in high school.  ALSO, over seeing our Children’s ministry, Pat Hillebrand needs your help to volunteer to serve in Sunday School and the nursery.  We have a boat load of people already involved and I’m grateful for their ministry to the children and parents of the children.  What we need is for more older people to ensure their name is on the nursery list and helper list for the Sunday School options.  These children are worth it!  “Christ in you,” the hope of glory says, “I can do this several times a quarter” to help my brothers and sisters who have children!  There are just a few ways to apply “Christ in you” the hope of glory!  THANK YOU to all who are helping to present every man complete in Christ!

A Sound Mind

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It’s hard to express how good it was to be with you in church ministering God’s Word yesterday.  It seemed every eye was engaged and responsive in spirit.  I’m looking forward to what God’s Spirit is going to do in the future through His Word.

As you meditate on the passage from Sunday and bring forth fruits of application, consider the concept of fear.  We all have fears.  That’s why it’s addressed in each of the four “announcements.”  Even when people say they don’t have fear, you can tell they often do by relationships they avoid. 

The question is what we do with our fears.  I quoted from 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  Spirit here is used as the human spirit endowed by the Holy Spirit.  In other words, God gives us a spirit of power, because of His Holy Spirit.  God gives a spirit of love, because of His Holy Spirit.  And God gives a spirit of sound mind, because of His Holy Spirit.  Meditate on each of those and you’ll have victory over fear.
 I especially like that last word “sound mind,” which is used only here in the New Testament. The word means “a regulated life demanded before God.”  That’s why it is translated, “self-control,” “self-discipline,” and “discipline” in other versions.  If God gives that way of thinking, then why is it so many are living a life that does not seem to be that way?  I’m interested in your thoughts.
Let me encourage those who have families with children that could sing with the children for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services to bring your children Wednesday night and then to our services this weekend.  That’s spiritual leadership in the family and orients your children to worship God in church.  Looking forward to worshipping God with you!