August 10th, 2010
As Christians our hearts are heavy with grief for those whose loved ones were murdered in the hills of Afghanistan this past week. Ten families share the sorrow that grief brings when someone you love dies in an unexpected and shocking way. These families have expressed the pride they feel for the sacrifices their loved ones made in order to live in Afghanistan and use their skills and talents to minister to the needs of the poorest of poor people. The gifts of their lives speak loud and clear of the love of Jesus that lived in their hearts. Indeed they followed the command to love not merely in words, but in their deeds. When they lost their lives they were returning from one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan having treated people with eye ailments in small, remote villages in the mountains. Without the sacrifice of these ten people, most of these people would have never received care for their eyes nor seen a doctor.
One of the men on the team was named Tom Little. He was an optometrist who had spent 30 years of his life living in Afghanistan through the Russian invasion and the civil war. He was one of many Christians deported when the Taliban took over. After the Taliban were defeated, he returned to resume his ministry. Tom was from Delmar, New York. He and his wife had raised their three daughters in Afghanistan. He was fluent in Dari, one of the many dialects spoken in the country. One of the directors of IAM said that Tom’s loss was one that could not be replaced. Tom Little spent his life answering the call of Christ to love others as Christ had loved him. Through his skills, Tom was able to help people see things like they never could before.
As I reflected this weekend on the lives and deaths of these Christians, I began to realize that Tom’s work is not finished. He continues to be used by Christ to help people see things like they never have before. This time he is helping poor Christians around the world. Not the ones like he helped in Afghanistan, but some of the poorest of Christians. They live in unexpected places surrounded by great material possessions. They are poor not because they lack things, but because they lack vision. Today Tom is helping people like you and me to recapture our vision. If we allow Him, God can work through Tom Little to help us see things like God sees them. As we think of the cost of life and limb, the sorrow and grief that death has brought, the fear that the enemies of the cross have sought to instill in us; along with the anger and resentment we feel towards our enemies, it will be easy for us to excuse ourselves as we forget Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount. Do you remember?
Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” It would be easy to forget the time when Jesus gave us this command, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:11-12, 44-45a, NIV)
One religious writer asked the question he thought American Christians would be asking; should Christians continue to do missionary activity abroad or does the price- in blood and dollars really worth it?” I would disagree. The real question is do we have the vision of Tom Little, Jim Elliot, and thousands of other Christian martyrs throughout the ages. Do we see the mission of Jesus as our mission? Considering the price that Jesus paid for our salvation, do we share His vision for saving the world?
Perhaps it is time for us as American Christians to adjust our view of the world. Have the things of this world obstructed your vision? Perhaps through the sacrifices of Jim Little and the other nine Christians who gave their lives, we can renew our vision of a world in desperate need of a Savior. Perhaps we will renew our commitment and efforts to take the Gospel around the world to people who are lost and enslaved to sin no matter what it costs. Will we meet the challenge to set the captives free? Will God’s love for others be demonstrated in our actions? Will we allow God to use Tom Little and his team help us see like we’ve never seen before? Are we willing to see the world like God sees it?
In Sunday’s sermon, we talked about how the people of the town saw the poor man possessed by the demons Legion. Then we saw how Jesus saw him. That is the difference in vision.
Today we see bearded men with guns, our enemies, filled with hate and violence, ready to destroy themselves and anyone who gets in their way. But we have to ask oursevles, what does Jesus see when He looks at them? If I surrender to His will, how might Jesus change my vision of them? After all, didn’t Jesus demonstrate God’s love by dying on the cross for sinners like you and me? I don’t know about you, but the Lord has a lot of work to do in my life before I can see like that. Praise the Lord He is willing to change me and you if we will only believe.
God continues to transform us so that we see things a little more like He does every day. Perhaps Tom Little’s work in our world is continuing. Maybe his last patients are yet to be healed.
Categories: General
June 10th, 2010
Have you ever sold something you didn’t mean to sell for a price that was way below its worth? This past April, 7,500 people did that very thing.
It seems that a British firm, GameStation, made a surprising purchase for an unbelievable price. All along the sellers were not even aware of what they had given away. The retailer added the “immortal soul clause” to the signed contract before making any online purchases. The clause went something like this: “By placing an order via Web site on the first day of the month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamestation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions.” There’s more. “we reserve the right to serve such notice in 6 (six) foot high letters of fire, however we can accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by such an act. If you a) do not believe you have an immortal soul, b) have already given it to another party, or c) do not wish to grant Us such a license, please click the link below to nullify this sub-clause and proceed with your transaction.” (FOX News.com April 15, 2010)
On April Fools Day the terms were updated to make a very real point. No one reads online terms or conditions. Even though each shopper was given the chance to opt out, which would have given them a 5 pound voucher, as many as 88% of the shoppers did not read the terms and traded their immortal soul for the purchase of a video game. That translates to 7,500 people who unknowingly sold their immortal souls for nothing.
A note of thanks: the company will not be enforcing the ownership rights and planned to email customers nullifying any claim on their souls.
Wow! Can you believe so many people sold their immortal souls for nothing without even knowing it? Sadly, I do believe it. I see it happening every day. People sell their souls for almost nothing without ever being aware the transaction is being made. Jesus said it when He asked, “What does a man profit if he gains the whole world but forfeits his own soul?”
Everyday we see people race after all kinds of things they think will satisfy them. Our adversary, the devil, makes all kinds of pitches with all kinds of temporal things that can never replace one’s soul. Yet, people happily go right along with that old liar and sell something for nothing without ever even knowing it. The real tragedy is that the devil is not going to be like the retailer. He will not return your soul. He plans to keep it for eternity. And he lays claim to thousands of souls every day and they are helpless to resist him.
A big part of our mission is to help people realize the terrible deal they have made. While it may be too late to for them to get back what they lost, and they may be unable to do anything against satan’s claims, there is a Savior who can ransom what was lost. Jesus paid for lost souls a long time ago when He died on the cross. Jesus can rescue those who have lost their souls to that liar, the devil. While we may be no match for him, Jesus silenced that old liar when He shed His blood on the cross and rose from the grave. The devil is powerless against Jesus. Your soul has been paid for in full by Jesus.
Have you been taken in by the devil and his schemes? Have you sold something you can’t afford to buy back? Jesus understands and loves you. He stands ready to save you. He has already paid the price to buy you back. He is waiting on you to trust Him and let Him set you free. Will you trust Him today?
And then there are Christians who get taken in by the devil’s schemes. He tries to convince you that you’re lost and hopeless. He tells you lies about your sin and how unforgivable you are. Amy Grant has a new song out called “Better Than A Hallelujah.” The song says, “Tears of shame for what’s been done. The silence when the words won’t come, are better than a Hallelujah, sometimes. We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody. Beautiful the mess we are, the honest cries, the breaking heart, are better than a hallelujah. Better than a church bell ringing, better than a choir singing out, singing out…”
The greatness of God’s mercy is how He is always ready to run meet us the moment we set our feet on the road to repentance. God loves you and has great plans for you. Don’t ever sell Him short by selling yourself short. You can turn from your sins and God will meet you right where you are to restore and renew you. Won’t you do that today? Just bow your head in prayer and tell Jesus about where you have gone wrong. His blood takes care of the rest. I John 1:9 reminds us that “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Why not let Jesus take care of you right now? He is always ready. Are you?
Categories: General
April 12th, 2010
Last Monday evening, I was preparing for our trip to Hendrick Racing Team’s Shops and CMS. As I walked through the living room Becky asked me a funny question. She wanted to know how fast I would have to drive the church bus when I took the group for a ride on the Charlotte Motor Speedway? Somehow, Becky had heard we were going to go for a ride on the track and she assumed it would have to be in the church bus. So her question made sense from that perspective. I turned away and smiled. I then explained that I would have to maintain a 65 mile an hour speed on the curves in order to keep the bus from turning over. I might have mentioned that the pit crews would inspect the bus before our ride to make sure it was safe. Seeing that this seemed to satisfy her, I went into the bedroom to finish my preparations and laugh very softly. Until she reads this blog, Becky will still be thinking I took everyone for a ride around the speedway on our church bus, unless someone tells her otherwise. Such is the charm of our life together.
I have been blessed to have Becky as my wife for a little more than 34 years now. During those years we have discovered that it doesn’t take much to entertain us. While we have had our share of sorrows, our joy and laughter has probably more than tripled the number of those sorrows. If you hang around us, you’ll discover that we love to laugh and pick with each other. We enjoy the little things in life.
While some would think that my teasing of Becky about riding the bus around the speedway track is not very nice, Becky will laugh and punch me on the shoulder. And I guess that is one of the charming characteristics that I cherish so much about my wife. She is so very honest. She literally glows with integrity. It does make it easy to play jokes on her at times. And we do so love to laugh together. I know that I can trust her with anything and everything. In these times, having a spouse like that is far more valuable than a diamond or a ruby. I always know I can count on Becky and she can count on me.
Now don’t feel too sorry for Becky. She does know my weakness. She knows how to tell when I am teasing and when I am not (you will have to ask her about that one.) She just doesn’t always remember to ask. But oh how she fills my life with joy and laughter. She is so very precious to me. And I really do love her. I promise you that. And you can tell her I said so. Hope to see you Sunday!
Categories: General
April 12th, 2010
This morning we started our journey through the book of Judges, beginning with Gideon. I covered an unusually large portion of Scripture and I had to leave out some of the insights I would have told you if I had the time. So, I told you there would be some bonus information on my blog about the Midianites, so here it is!
It seems like the Bible is full of all kinds of “ites”. The Old Testament seems exceptionally “infested”. Everything from Hittites to Jebusites to Midainites; if it is an ”ite”, you can find it in the pages of the Old Testament. The Midianites present an interesting problem. The Midianites are descendants of Abraham by his wife, Keturah (Genesis 25:1). Throughout the book of Exodus we find favorable notes about them. After all, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, and his wife Zipporah were Midianites. Moses found refuge in Midian when he fled Egypt and Pharaoh’s wrath. Moses made a life for himself among the Midianites until God called him to lead the people of Israel. After God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, Moses was their Judge. When Jethro saw the great multitude of people coming before Moses, he advised Moses to set up Judges to hear the people’s disputes. The Midianites were well thought of in the book of Exodus.
But now in the days of the Judges, things have changed. The Midianites invaded the Promised Land, taking anything they desired with their flocks, herds, and fast camels. They overwhelmed the Israelites and left them almost nothing for the care of their flocks and herds, much less their own children. For seven years this went on with the people hiding in the mountains, living in caves, clefts, and holes. It is in such a hole, a wine press that God found Gideon, hiding his threshing from the Midianites. What was going on with these Midianites? What was their problem? What had caused them to treat the Israelites with such contempt and indifference? The Bible does not give us the answers to all of these questions. However there are some principles that we can learn that will help us if we ever have issues like the Israelites had with the Midianites.
First, we need to note that God was using the Midianites for the good of Israel both in Exodus and Judges. In the Exodus, God used Jethro to guide Moses in making wise decisions and in his leading of the people. In the times of the Judges, God used the Midianites as an instrument of discipline or chastisement to correct His sinful people. God was still working through the Midianites, only the people’s choices had made a difference in how God used the Midianites. The Israelites hated the Midianites for the awful things they were doing. Yet, we see in God’s plan, that the awful things the people suffered in this case were the direct results of their sins. The Midianites became God’s “rod of correction”. While their actions caused great suffering, God’s purpose was to call His people to repentance and to renew their love and devotion to Him. In this passage, we can see how God was at work in good and bad times. God used both types of circumstances to direct and correct the Israelites.
Herein lies an important insight for us. Many times God uses people in a variety of ways to direct and correct our lives. Sometimes God uses people to guide us. Through our friends and occasionally our enemies God will give us guidance on our journey through life. At other times, God may use our friends and enemies to discipline us. Their impact upon us may seem negative and yet as we step back to see what God is doing we discover that God is using them as a ”rod of correction” to discipline us as His children. Whenever we are “bothered by Midianites” we need to ask ourselves a question; How is God using this circmustance in my life? Is God’s purpose direction or correction? Only as we spend time with God in prayer and in His Word will we be able to discern what He is trying to do in our lives. And as God reveals to us His purpose, we will grow to appreciate both His tender guidance and the correction of His rebuke.
So whenever a relationship changes or you encounter a new relationship that seems negative, ask yourself those questions. Seek to find out what God is doing in your life. Yield to His ways and follow His guidance through others. Be ready to accept God’s discipline and correction. He only desires to draw you deeper in your relationship with Him. Remember: God disciplines His children because He loves them. When you experience His discipline, you can know that He loves you as His child.
So how about you; what is God doing in your life through your relationships with others? Will you yield to His guidance and discipline?
This Sunday (April 18) we will learn about how God can help us with our doubts and weaknesses. See you Sunday!
Categories: General
April 6th, 2010
Today (Tuesday) our children and youth travelled to the Hendrick Racing Team’s headquarters in Concord to tour the museum, store, and shops. We had 35 people go and had 22 children and young people! This is one of the biggest groups we have taken anywhere in while. This was a reward trip for everyone and their parents who participated in the R.A. Racer Program this past Winter.
We saw all kinds of race cars that have been driven by champions; Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr. and Danica Patrick. The numbers 5, 7, 24, 48, and 88 hold great meaning for fans of these drivers. Then there was the exhibit of engines, bodies, and roll cages. There were cut outs of transmissions, engines, and suspensions. You could see almost everything that goes into making a championship car. The final part of our tour was in the shops. We could see mechanics actually building the cars that one day will appear at the speedways. Everything and everybody that goes into making a championship race car was there to see.
I was reminded of how God has created the church to be that kind of place for the people of His kingdom. The church is where Christians come to become all they can be. Here the Holy Spirit is the “mechanic” who works on our “engines” to make us strong, durable, and quick. As God’s Spirit “quickens” us we become able to run our course with faith and perseverance. The parts that equip us to be champions are brought together and installed by the Holy Spirit. These spiritual gifts are used by God to accomplish His purpose in our lives. When we join together as a body of believers we can speed towards becoming all that God wants us to be.
I was very excited to see so many young people and children along with their parents. Hopefully, we can continue to encourage people to join Chirst’s team at First Baptist Church. I hope that you can see the need to be an active part of God’s team. It is essential for each of us to be committed to Christ and His church as He was committed to us and our salvation. As we finish our celebration of Easter and Christ’s resurrection, may each of us commit ourselves anew to loving God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. Let us love each other as we love ourselves. May we become wholeheartedly devoted to Christ’s church at First Baptist. Let us live like champions! As we spend the time necessary in church for the Holy Spirit to equip us for missions and ministry, we will win more and more victories in our daily lives. Through Bible study, worship, fellowship, missions, and ministry, God will transform us from mere “stock” human beings into super speedway high performance people! As He continues to equip us, we will have His power working in our lives to make an eternal difference in the lives of people we touch. See you Sunday!
Categories: General
November 30th, 2009
During the month of November we have been looking at how the Bible defines Thanksgiving. As we come to our time of family celebrations, I thought it might be good for us to review what we have discovered through our worship services.
The overall point of my sermons this month has been to redefine Thanksgiving from a Biblical perspective. I began by describing Thanksgiving as a compound word. Most people think of “thanks” as the key word. Yet grammatically speaking, thanks seems to act more like an adverb describing the action word (verb) giving. When we look at it this way thanksgiving becomes an act of giving. We give thanks to God. So our messages became a study of giving from the Scriptures.
We talked about the widow’s mite and how her giving became an expression of her faith in God. She gave everything she had even though she could have kept back some. She demonstrated her total dependence upon God. When we give thanks to God, we too are expressing our total dependence upon God. God wants our giving to reflect our faith and trust in Him. I told you that I had seen a Widow’s might. This time I meant might (as in power) not might. If we are to experience the life changing power of God then we too must totally depend upon Him.
That led us to II Corinthians and the question about giving so we can get. There are many so-called preachers who use these verses to convince people to give them money with the idea that the more you give the richer you will get. This is found no-where in an honest study of these verses. God never rewards sin and greed is always a sin. God is looking for people who happily give because they know that what they have came from God; they know that whatever they need God will provide; and so they give like everything depends upon God. As they do, they discover that everything really does depend upon God and that He is always faithful and true!
It is my hope that as you celebrate by giving thanks, you will commit yourself and your family to trusting God for everything. He loves us and has promised to supply not only our needs, but wonderful blessings that go far beyond material possessions.
Becky and I thank God for each of you. Your kindness and blessings to us during the year encourage and enable us to serve not only you, but our Lord Jesus too. We wish for you a blessed time of celebration with your family. We look forward to continue our thanksgiving as we celebrate the season of Advent. We love you.
Pastor Chuck & Becky
Categories: General
August 8th, 2009
A new program has energized the auto market across the country as people rush to trade in their clunkers for cash. The government will give up to $4500 to people willing to trade in their old clunker car and buy a new one. The advantages are many; an old car that gets poor gas mileage, pollutes the air with emissions, with all of its worn out problems is taken off the road for good. In exhange for their old clunker, the consumer gets a new car that gets great gas mileage (saving the consumer money), doesn’t pollute the air, but actually improves it (compared to the old clunker), and that actually has a warranty for up to 100,000 miles. They save money on gas and on car repairs.
So many people have taken advantage of the program, that it has run out 0f funds in only a month’s time. Now the Senate is being encouraged to join the House in extending the program with an additional $2 Billion. It could mean another 500,000 clunkers being taken off the roads and replaced with reliable energy efficient, environmentally friendly cars. Quite a chunk of change for clunkers no matter how you look at it.
I was reminded of quite a change that took place in my life at my 35th high school class reunion. One of my friends who had not seen me for 35 years asked me, “Did you ever become a preacher like you thought back in school?” Well, so much for my ambition to become a world-famous Preacher? I smiled and told my dear friend that yes, I finally became a preacher. What I didn’t say was why I smiled when I said it. For my friend, she was pleased with what she perceived as my personal achievement in my chosen profession. For me, it was a reminder of the great work God has done in my life.
Like most of you, the person I know best is me. I know all of my positive traits and characteristics. But I also know all of my negative traits and character flaws. And when I look at who I am and where I could very well have ended up, my soul is flooded with gratitude and praise to God. I am a perfect example of God making change for clunkers. For a long time I have struggled with the balance between grace, faith, and works. I grew up trying to follow all the rules and do my best to be pleasing to God and people. And yet, God has been slowly working and changing me. Like Paul, I have discovered that all of my efforts to please are nothing but rubbish or as the Scripture literally puts it “dung”. The harder I try, the more I stink things up. My efforts to please and be good simply do nothing but pollute the air and waste energy. They get me absolutely no where (Zero miles per gallon.) My life is a clunker that gets no where fast, pollutes the air, and is practically worn out before it ever gets started.
Paul says in Philippians that he has found real life through giving up all of his self-righteous works. Life for Paul is bound up in “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul goes on to say that his life’s desire is now to “know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” For today, let’s just consider the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. In my journey I have discovered Paul’s joy: knowing Christ. This is the key to the Christian life. Everything is based on knowing Jesus. So my goal in life is to go ever deeper into an intimate and loving relationship with Jesus. I want to know everything about Him. My quest leads me to worship, love, service, sacrifice, and giving myself to the One who loves me most. It ceases to be about me. It is all about Jesus.
Here is the key to God’s plan of change for clunkers like you and me. It is not about rules, disciplines, practices, or principles. It is about our relationship with Jesus. His love motivates us to do all these other things not to earn anything from God, but to express our love and devotion to Him. These are simple expressions and actions of our being in a right relationship with God through our faith in Jesus.
How about you? Has your Christian walk become a clunker? Would you like some change for your clunker? Put Jesus back at the center of your life. Begin today becoming more and more Christ focused. May our wish become that of Paul’s in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection…” Do you really want to know Christ? The cliche is old and perhaps worn out but still rings true: Know Christ; Know Change. No Christ; No Change. Are you ready for a change? I am.
Categories: General
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July 28th, 2009
Once a month I will be using my newsletter article for a post. This is one of those times. I hope it will be a source of encouragement and grace for you.
The other day I was reminded of those wonderful days of summer when as a child I would run and play without a care in the world. Summer was always a delightful time for me as it is for most children. I guess as we were preparing for VBS to begin, the memories were refreshed within me.
I only remember two summers that were not good times. The first was between my fourth and fifth grade years. I was depressed because my favorite teacher, Miss Long was leaving. She was getting married and moving away from our community. My Dad was very understanding and tried to comfort me. Miss Long was a pretty lady and had a sweet spirit about her. My Dad said he could understand why I was going to miss her.
Miss Long was loved by all her students. She was one of those gifted teachers who had answered a call to teach rather than simply taken a job. She loved her students and took time to provide important instructions that went beyond what we learned from our text books. Even today, I am still learning from some of the lessons Miss Long taught me.
One of the issues we faced as students was remembering to put our names on our tests. To remedy this problem, Miss Long told us that the next time we were tested, if we failed to put our name on our paper, we would fail the test. A pretty little girl named Myra sat behind me. As we passed our papers to the front, I noticed that she had forgotten to write her name on her paper. I turned around and pointed out her error. As I turned back to the front there was Miss Long. She looked very angry and told me that I was cheating by telling Myra to write her name on her paper. I can still remember the horror I felt as I heard her words. There were many things I might consider doing that were wrong, but cheating was the very last thing in my heart. Cheating meant that I could not be trusted. My Dad had always told us that if you protected anything always keep your word. It was the most precious thing you had. Now my “word” was being questioned. What would Miss Long think? Worse yet, what would my Dad do?
Miss Long must have seen the horror and innocence on my face because her tone quickly softened and she began to explain. Everyone was responsible for putting their name on their paper first, before they did anything else. If I helped Myra avoid the failure, the she would not learn from her mistake. Miss Long taught me that there were some things each of us must take responsibility for. There are some lessons that are only learned if we are made to face the consequences of our actions.
Today, I do not know where Miss Long is, but her lessons are still teaching me important truths. As I remembered this story, I could not help but recall the feelings I had as a fourth grade child. My dread was so great I must have physically drawn back from Miss Long. She could see how her words changed my expression. The feelings I had that day can truly be described as horror. I had let Miss Long down, but worse, I had disappointed my Dad. Recalling those feelings brought a question to my mind: in all these years that have passed, have I lost the horror I felt that day when confronted with my sin? When the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin do I draw back in horror and dread? Sadly enough, I do not always feel the dread of my sin. I have “grown up” since those days and put away childish things.
Certainly the Scriptures do not condone laying guilt trips on people about their sins. Yet the Bible takes our sins very seriously and demands that we do too. Sin is so serious that Jesus died for our sins. Sadly, as we mature and get older, we get used to our sinful condition. We almost take for granted that we are going to sin, so we are careful not to get too excited or disturbed about it. We take God’s grace for granted.
The Bible tells us that God wants His people to have a contrite heart. When we sin, we are to face our sins, confess them (own them), repent, and seek God’s forgiveness. It is my prayer that I will once again have that sense of horror when it comes to my sins. God help me to draw back from sin into repentance. I pray that you too will have a holy horror whenever you sin. We need to resist temptation and repent whenever we fail. God desires that we learn from our failures and take repsonsibility for the things we do. He wants us to learn the difficult lessons that only conviction and repentance can teach us. It is only when we see sin as a personal affront to Jesus that we will truly understand the horror of it all!
God loves you and Jesus has paid for your sins with His death and resurrection. Let us live our lives seeking to honor God with our obedience and resistence to temptation.
Categories: General
