A Wretch Like Me.......

The more I seek God, the more He reveals to me about myself. It is amazing how God moves and works in the lives of His children. My study, devotion and prayer life have continued, however, I have not been attending church. In fact, I haven't been to church since April. This past Sunday my husband simply told me that I needed to get up and go to church - so I did. I had been struggling, asking the Lord to please change my heart, mind and my tongue. My prayer was for help in tuning out every voice but His so that I could learn of Him and grow. As sincere as I believe my worship is, I was beginning to wonder if God was accepting it. Was He pleased with me? I am so unworthy. A wretch. I longed for some perspective on my thoughts and feelings. He spoke to me through a preacher at Calvary Chapel. I had never attended this church before but found myself driving down the 405 freeway, south bound to Costa Mesa, California on a beautiful Sunday morning. God met me there and spoke directly to me.

The preacher preached on the intimacy in which God has relationship with His children. I needed desperately to be reminded of how perfectly He knows us, and always has each one of us on His mind. We are His creation. We are His children and nothing can separate us from His love for us. No matter who we are He loves us. When others cast us out, He extends a hand of love, grace and mercy. God has really led me to look inward. To take a good hard look at myself. I believe that in one of my earlier posts I mentioned the fact that God revealed some things that were in my heart that I did not like, and more importantly, that He did not like. There was no running from it, however, the mistake I was making was in looking at myself through my eyes and not through the eyes of God. Seeing myself in His reflection allowed me to see my error, ask for forgiveness, and then ask for His precious Holy Spirit to aid me in truly turning away from even every thought that sought or seeks to exalt itself above Him. The preacher used several scriptures in his sermon that day but Matthew 10:29-31 was what spoke to me:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  God's intimate and loving relationship with us is so very beautiful. When i am witnessing to people on the street, He was there. When I was talking badly about my neighbor, He was there. When I was in the hospital giving birth to our son, who had no heart beat and no breath in his body, He was there. When I was less than compassionate towards another child of God, He was there. The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding both the good and the evil. And so, the omnipresence of God is both comforting and convicting. A loving Father who knows every hair on my head and then assures me that He takes care of even the sparrow - so how much more then does he care for even a wretch like me.......

If you do not know God and have not accepted Jesus Christ as savior, then I invite you to accept Him and the truth of His Gospel right now. I don't know what I would do without Him. My life has meaning because of Him. You having nothing to lose but everything to gain. Ask Him with a sincere heart - Lord, if you are who you say you are, reveal yourself to me right now. When He does,  do NOT reject that revelation. He stands at the door of your heart knocking....answer.

Be blessed...................

Offer Christ.....

If I can help somebody as I travel along.  If I can help somebody with a word or song.  If I can help somebody from doing wrong.  Then my living shall not be in vain......Mahalia Jackson

My girls and I were coming home from church one evening.  I stopped for gas on the corner of Adams and Figueroa.  As I exited my vehicle to pump gas I was approached by a gentleman asking for money.  As he approached my car he assured me that he meant no harm.  I told him that I didn't think that he did.  As my gas pumped, he began to tell me his story. Charles Began to tell me his story.  I listened intently as he told me about how he was laid off the year prior and lost his apartment as a result.  He was unable to find work.  He became depressed and started to abuse alcohol and eventually ended up living on the street.  He went from being gainfully employed to homeless in the matter of a few months.  At this point my gas tank was full and the girls were looking at me as if to say "can we please go".  I was at the pump another 30 minutes - listening to Charles pour his heart out - and quite articulately I might add.

Charles had been living in the alley way in between the Mobile Gas Station and the First Lutheran Church.  He spent his days panhandling, hoping that someone would give him some change for pumping their gas or washing their windows.  One day, he approached a man to offer his services.  He explained that he was in a foul mood that day and was really feeling sorry for himself.  He had watched people go in and out of the church next door and wondered how God could be so close, yet so out of reach.  He was talking to himself, complaining about his condition and using foul language.  The man approached Charles to encourage him, and told him that he was the store manager of CVS Drug Store.  He told Charles that he would grant him an interview for a job opening and gave him a time and date.  Charles had lived in the alley way for some time and was known by the gas station employees.  One of them brought him clean clothes, allowed him to wash in the gas station bathroom, and gave him bus fare to get to CVS for his interview.  Charles interviewed and was offered the job.

When I met Charles at the gas station that night, he had just completed his first 6 weeks of work.  He told me that being employed again gave him a sense of accomplishment and worth.  He took his first paycheck and used it all to put a deposit on a studio apartment.  "It's only one tine room.  I don't have any furniture.  But it's home".  He then pulled a single silver key out of his pocket, showed it to me and said that - that key meant everything to him.  I asked him why he was back at the gas station asking for money.  He was shaven and had slacks and a shirt on.  He explained to me that because he had spent all of his check on the apartment, he did not have any money left over for bus fare to get to work - but that he was not complaining.  He needed to make it to work one more week, at which time he would receive his check and be on track.  

I thanked him for sharing his story with me and that God had truly delivered him.  He told me that he loved God but thought God had abandoned him.  I told him that the promises of God are true, and that he could depend on them - God promised to never leave us or forsake us and that His grace was sufficient for us.  To the shock and horror of my girls, Charles reached out and gave me a hug.  I hugged him back and gave him
some money.  He was so thankful.  I told him to thank God - the provision came from Him.

This kind of interaction is what I live for.  There is nothing more beautiful than sharing Jesus Christ with someone who does not know Him.  I wish you could have seen the tears in his eyes as he showed me that key.  He was proud and accomplished.  God had restored what was lost in his life.  He thought that Jesus was just in a church - but now he knows that Jesus seeks inside of him if he believes.  Passing on that kind of truth and freedom to someone else is glorious to me.  Telling him about the omnipresent nature of God -  that no matter where he is God will be also.  God loved us enough to send His son.  Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice on Calvary - because of that we can be forgiven and walk in freedom and victory.  I encourage you to take every opportunity to offer Jesus.  The holy spirit will give you the words to say.  Change someone's life by introducing them to or reacquainting them with the great liberator - Jesus the Christ........

Rev. Bsette's E-Devotion

Then he said to me, "Son of man, look toward the north." So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.

And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing — the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable."  

Ezekiel 8:5-6 NIV

Those on my facebook page may know that I am currently reading and studying the book of Ezekiel.  Today, as I was listening to this book on my bible cd in the car, this verse screamed at me to meditate on this week, so I thought I'd share with this devotion.  Unfortunately, I don't have much insight (so don't know how much of a devotion this will be for you) but only thoughts and reflection.

Basically, this text is expressing a type of apostate worship.  This means that the people of God have turned away from God and rebelled against God.  Maybe not so much in their profession, but in their actions. Actions really say everything.  Israel's actions indicated they were guilty of idolatry.  Putting something or someone before God.  Even though people show up to worship, God see's their hearts.  As a result, in this text, the actions drove God away from His sanctuary.  I offer no suggestions on this today, but only questions where we can reflect.  Do we feel as if the acts of God's people have driven the fullness of God's presence from the church?  Have the people of God, replaced worship for some form of idolatry?  As we look at our local churches as well as our denominational churches, do we see the truth of this scripture in our culture?  Do we see the truth of this scripture in our own personal lives?

God brought this to Ezekiel in a vision and showed him the sort of idolatry that was within the house of Israel that He detested.  The specifics of what He saw or detested is not in the text.  In our places of worship, does God see anything He detests?  As our bodies are temples where the Holy Spirit dwells (thus the sanctuary of God as well), is there anything in us that God detests?  This is a wake up call for us as we examine our lives to see if there are any things or anyone that causes us to be guilty of idolatry.  We ought to want God's presence in our churches and in our lives.  As I heard and read this text, I had to reflect because I know that something is missing in today's church.  Church doesn't seem to have the same impact on people.  Don’t' get me wrong, I know people are still being saved, called, delivered, set free, etc., but even with all that, something is missing. The text ends by saying that there will be more detestable things that will be seen.  Perhaps we are living in that day……

Today, we ought to commit ourselves to letting it start with us.  Perhaps God has saved us for this purpose, to be used in restoring His church.  Lord, I'm available!  We're available!  Use us for your glory!

(I know this is not my usual writing style, so it may not make any sense or help at all.  I'm just jotting down some thoughts I had reflected upon and wanted to share.  Maybe we can turn this into a group discussion and take this further)

God our Father, we bless your name!  We ask for you to forgive us and to forgive your people for turning away from you.  We make ourselves available today for you to use us to do with us as you desire to restore your church!  Bless us with endurance, long-suffering, patience and love.  Use us to turn this around for your glory!  In Jesus name, Amen.

Shepherding or CEO Model of Leadership?

There is a power model of leadership that exists in our churches today.  But what should leadership really look like if we truly believe that Jesus is the head of the church? I heard a preacher recently that asked the question: “where did we get the idea that a CEO was an appropriate Biblical expression leadership”?  He went on to ask: “have we become a commercial enterprise where the strong survive and the weak perish?”  “Was Jesus the CEO of His followers?  Was Paul the CEO of the early church?”  All very poignant questions that deserve some discussion and examination.  I truly believe that when a business model replaces the shepherding model - the sheep are overlooked.  It is the most common complaint of those whom I’ve come in contact with who have separated from the church. The 99 stay and oftentimes work mindlessly within the programs established in the church, while the 1 sheep perishes apart from the pursuit of a loving shepherd. 

I read a blog entry published by “Backyard Missionary” that broke down this power model of leadership.  It went into great detail but here is a basic synopsis:  The pastor as the CEO, leads to the church leadership as politics, which then leads to an abuse of communication.  The Pastor as the CEO, by it’s very definition, puts the pastor in a position of boss, as opposed to that of servant leader.  Church leadership as politics leads to doing anything to push their agenda and to stay in their positions. Then the abuse of communication ensues.  This model suggests that a corporation is being run and in my opinion, that is not a legitimate way to lead a body of Christ.  The author of the blog post went on to break down the four levels of communication.  The top level was revelation from God and the lowest level was verbal communication (which most of us  heavily rely on).  I believe that verbal communication, however, is the most untrustworthy.  It is here that people are told things by the world or even those in the church that may or may not be true.  it is here where leaders manipulate information and as a result character assassination takes place.  It is here where relationship with one another is broken.  The bible tells us not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly.  This is where we have to be so careful in whom we are listening to. If we are not careful we will listen and even act on the information given.  I believe that we should ask ourselves of those who have our ear -  does scripture ever come out of their mouthes or is it all deconstructive criticism and negative talk about someone or something?  All communication should be judged by Biblical principles.  If it is not we run the risk of taking action on a lie. 

One pastor I was reading broke politics in the church down like this:

Politics is appearance. Christianity is a matter of the heart.

Politics is spin and the twisting of information. Christianity is bound to truth.

Politics is whitewashing the outside and not dealing with the heart. 

Politics makes people into liars. ("Yeah. I heard Jesus say He would destroy the temple!") Christianity does not parse words to twist meanings in order to trap other Christians. 

Politics twists Scriptures to say what the political/religious leaders wish it to say. Christianity exegetes Scripture honestly.

Politics seeks to "kill" people in any way possible for the leader’s political advantage. Christianity casts aside politics and power and enhances the other person’s ministry.

Politics is deadly to the soul. Christianity brings people alive in Christ.

My prayer is that we begin to embrace and follow the example of Jesus’ ministry.  HE alone is the model.   This is not to suggest that business is not relevant in church. We have to manage money, pay bills, maintain property, etc., however when the business model is deployed over the shepherding model - the “program” is exalted and people get lost.  Imagine if CEO Jesus had met the woman at the well, or the man at the pool at Bethesda.  Imagine Jesus had listened to the disciples (or church leadership if you will) before he fed the multitudes - when they suggested that He send the people home for them to fend for themselves:  

That evening the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves. "But Jesus said, "That isn't necessary—you feed them."  Matthew 14:15-16.

Follow Jesus - the good shepherd - the ultimate model.  Do not loose heart.  Know that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.  He cares and will provide for you, just like He cared for the multitudes. If Jesus had listened to His disciples, those people’s need would not have been met.  Instead, Jesus, being the supreme shepherd, saw their need and instructed His disciples to meet that need.  The disciples could only accomplish that by full sufficiency in Christ as there was not enough food.  But God provided and all were fed.  What an impact from a loving and merciful savior.  Not only towards the multitude but toward His disciples as well.  We can have the same impact in our churches if we follow the Shepard’s model and not that of anything else.

Be blessed.......

No Gimmicks, Just Gospel.........

Acts 8:9-24

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.”  They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery.  But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.  When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.  When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said,  “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

What is truly in our heart translates into thoughts and words, and ultimately to deeds.  Simon had been practicing sorcery (the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world)  and the people believed that because of the great tricks that he performed, that he was the "great power of God". On the other hand the people came in contact with Phillip, who was preaching the good news of the kingdom, and they believed and were baptized.  Even Simon himself believed.  He joined Phillip in his preaching and followed him everywhere he went and was astonished by the great signs and miracles he witnessed. It is amazing how the authentic always exposes the fraudulent.  The people initially believed that Simon had the power of God but realized after coming in contact with the authentic Gospel of Christ through Phillip, that they had been in error - that the sorcery Simon was performing was merely an illusion and was not real.

While Simon was following Phillip and the disciples, he witnessed others being baptized in the name of the Lord, however the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them. It was only when Peter and John laid hands on them that they received the Holy Spirit. Simon wanted the power to do the same, but did not have it.  The Bible says that Simon offered them money in exchange for the power to give the Holy Spirit to the people.  Peter then says, "may your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money".  I believe that because Simon had practiced sorcery for so long, even though he had outwardly accepted the Gospel message, he had not inwardly accepted it in his heart.  He did not believe that the Holy Spirit was a gift only from God and that the power did not lie in the hands of the disciples - that is why he thought he could buy it.  His heart had not changed.  

This is why there are preachers, pastors and teachers of the word who have accepted Christ and are preaching, teaching and pastoring but they still rely on their old nature.  They rely on what they used to do.  They address situations and meet needs in the flesh and not in the spirit because their hearts have not truly changed.  Peter and John were able to lay on of hands and the people receive the Holy Spirit, solely because of the power of God - it had nothing to do with them. Once the people had truly received the Holy Spirit, they knew that God was truly real because His spirit now lived within them.  

This scripture is a reminder that we cannot use gimmicks, tricks and marketing strategies to bring people to Christ.  It may be successful to bringing people to church - but not truly to Christ.  That is why our churches are populated primarily with church members and not members of the kingdom of God.  It is a tragedy that can be remedied by teaching and preaching the full sufficiency of Jesus Christ and Christ crucified.  Do not revert back to and rely on your old nature.  You cannot meet the needs of people with anything but the word of God.  Deploying worldly tactics, techniques and systems will fail in bringing people to Christ and in building up the Kingdom.  Peter went on to tell Simon when he asked to purchase the gift of God: “... You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin”.  We should stand in agreement with Simon’s request: “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

If we have truly accepted Christ and the word of God then we cannot lean on our own power in our old nature.  We can only lead people to Christ by unadulterated Gospel of Jesus Christ - that is the power unto salvation.

Be blessed........

Pastor BSETT's E-devotion

The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."   (John 6:18-20 NRSV)
 
 
We just made it though a time of severe weather here in Kansas City.  I have been out here for almost 5 years and this is probably the closest we have been to an actual tornado touching down in the city.  In light of the unfortunate tragedy in Joplin last week, today's tornado warning was looked upon with a different level of concern.  We took all the precautions while the storm approached, but after we take those precautions, it's really out of our hands because it's in God's hands.  Now I'm not trying to make light of severe weather, or act like I have not had any concerns regarding severe weather.  But I guess I'm using this analogy to reflect on life.  In life for the believer, we should take all the precautions and prepare ourselves spiritually for the storms of life.  These precautions begin with a relationship with Christ, and a life that strives to please Him.  We worship; we pray; we study; we live obedient lives; we fast; we do all these things.  But the precautions never prevent the storms from arriving - storms still come.  And when the storms are upon us, there's really nothing we can do because we've done everything we can.  So there's nothing left to do but ride it out, because it's in God's hand. 
 
Every day, we should take precautions in life, but when the storms of life rage, remember what Jesus says to the disciples when going through a storm - "It is I; do not be afraid."  My wife tells the story of her nanny, when they experienced the storms when they lived in New Mexico.  She said her nanny use to say, "Be still (or be quiet) - God is riding."
 
As I sit here now, looking out the window as I'm writing this, the storm has passed; the clouds are parted somewhat, the warm breeze is lightly blowing the trees and the birds are singing.  For those of us, going through a storm, or getting ready to go through one - have you done what you should be doing with your relationship with Christ?  If so, "be still - God is riding" - this storm will pass as well!
 
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the storms of life because they help us to realize that you are in control of not only our lives, but also the storms that affect our lives.  We thank you for not allowing this actual storm to cause any damage, but we also thank you for not allowing the spiritual storms we face in life to cause any damage as well.  We give you the praise, because you are worthy.  You are Alpha and Omega, we worship you our God, you are worthy to be praised!  We ask for nothing today, but we just thank you!  In Jesus name, Amen.

More Thoughts on the Heart........

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." 

Jeremiah 17:10

About a week ago I blogged about the Issues of the heart.  As I continue to seek God about the condition of my own heart, He continues to reveal just how deceitful it truly is.  The good news, however, is that I prayed for Him to remove those things in my heart that were defiling my entire being and He has been faithful to deliver.  The issues are not removed completely - it is a process - but know that when I fall, He is right there to restore me. I am standing on God’s promise in Ezekiel.... And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.  The process of improvement has been humbling and has caused me to really examine the definition, concept and practice of Love.   

Love is the ultimate ethic.  Ethics being the moral philosophy that address questions such as good and evil, right and wrong.  We have to choose to Love.  It is  a choice.  One of the greatest gifts of God, in my opinion, is the freedom of will - freedom to choose.  Freedom to choose good over evil or evil over good.  Freedom to choose right over wrong or wrong over right.  It begs the question then what is considered good or right and what is considered wrong or evil.  God gives us a moral law.  He tells us what is right and what is wrong and then allows us to choose.  The greatest illustration of the freedom to choose is the life of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  God gave them total dominion over everything on the earth - that they could be fruitful and multiply.  God gives them that there is one thing they cannot do.  They can eat of every tree that is in the garden with the exception of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.  Adam and Eve disobey God.  They choose to listen to the devil, eat of the tree that was forbidden and ultimately fall into sin.  God wants us to choose what is right because we love Him and want to keep His commands, but He does not force us to do so.  The decision is made in the heart.  Free will is essential to love.  When we violate that love in our heart it leads to evil.  The heart must recognize the difference between good and evil and choose what is good.  When we choose evil there are consequences as a result - and oftentimes those consequences are cataclysmic.  We must choose love.  Love cannot truly be in our hearts absent of God because God is love. Whether it is the conniving, lying parishioner;  the adulterous husband or wife; the person that bears false witness against their neighbor; government officials on all levels stealing - causing financial devastation of large numbers of people. Everything from the actions of  Bernie Madoff  and Enron executives that left thousands in financial ruin and despair - to global mass murderers like Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin - and the list goes on.  All of these evil acts started and were cultivated in the heart of man.  

It is important to run a perpetual heart check so that we might always choose good over evil.  We will not be able to make these decisions on our own.  We have to ask God to help us do what He has deemed as right.  You will find his precepts and His will poured out in His word.  We must be mindful, for the Lord has said that He will search our hearts, examine our minds and reward us according to our conduct.

Be blessed......