Sweet Peace....

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful." John:14:27 ASV With everything that is happening in our world today, peace seems elusive. However, the peace that Jesus offers isn't dependent on our situation or the circumstances that surround us. We have to look at things through spiritual eyes, rather than natural eyes & see what God sees rather than what appears in the natural world. We live in a fallen society & under the curse of humanity. But, this life is temporary and our eternal home is Heaven. We are merely passing through this world en route to our final destination. While we are here, we need to be about the Father's work & do what we can to point others to Him. Change has to start within the church body--we've become complacent, somewhat fat & lazy, content with what we have & are. But, God has so much more! "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 ASV It is God's people, Christians, those within the church that have to take the first steps and forgo our pride. We must be humbly submissive to Him. We must repent of our sins before we can encourage others to repent of theirs. We must seek the face of God before we can show Him to others. We must ask for forgiveness and then lead others to do the same. Essentially, we can't give what we don't possess. If we've taken it upon ourselves to do things in our own power, then we've left God out of the equation altogether. We can accomplish the natural, we need God to accomplish the supernatural. He'll allow us to be part of it, but we have to have Him to complete it. Lie won't always be easy. We'll encounter troubles. Isaiah 43 tells me that God walks with me through the trials of life. Romans 8 tells me that He brings good out of all things. Psalms 23 tells me that He walks with me through the valley of the shadow of death. Psalms 91 tells me that He covers me with His wings & protects me from pestilence & disease. James 1 tells me to consider it all joy when I encounter trials because it is in times of trial that my faith grows & I draw closer to God as a result of them. Philippians 4 tells me to be content with what I have & in any situation. So, how can I know all these things, read His Word, pray for divine revelation and then not take seriously what He shows me? I have to see things from His perspective & walk in faith, denying what I see in the natural. Remember, we walk by faith, not by sight and when we walk in the Spirit, we won't fulfill the desires of the flesh. Our carnal man will always be at odds with our spiritual man. We choose which one we'll be. No fence-straddling allowed, we have to choose a side. As for me, I want the sweet peace He offers so I'm going with God. I pray you will too. Blessings! Tony

Jesus's Mission Statement...

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn," Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV Jesus quoted these verses as He launched His public ministry, reading them in the Temple and stating that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy--the Messiah, The Son of God (Luke 4:18-21). I see that as Him claiming this as His personal mission statement. As Christians, or "little Christs", we are supposed to follow the example of Jesus. Therefore, if this was His mission statement, should it not also be ours? But, do we do it? Are we preaching the good news to those in need? Are we ministering to the brokenhearted? Are we sharing the message of freedom in Christ to those held enslaved by the chains of addiction, abuse & depression? Are we taking the Word to those who are imprisoned to tell them there is a better way of life? Are we telling others that Jesus is the way & that He's taken the punishment for all their sins? Are we making it known that He will return & judge the earth? Are we comforting the grieving? How well do we measure up in what we do as Christians? It's not enough to just attend church on Sunday. We don't get gold stars & smiley faces for participation--we must be people of action! James says it well. I like James because he doesn't sugarcoat things, he shoots straight & gets right to the point. Here's what he has to say, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:15-17 NKJV Wishing someone well is ineffective if we don't do something to change their situation. We have to be willing to get our hands dirty and serve others. Jesus did it--He washed the disciples' feet. If He, as the Prince of Heaven, can be a servant, can't we? I fear we are missing opportunities to share God's Love with others because we don't want to get involved or be a bother. So we stand idly by while people stagger through life & towards the gates of hell without making effort to warn them of the dangers ahead. If you knew a bridge was out, wouldn't you try to stop people traveling towards it to save them? Some years back, I heard someone speak on a verse from Proverbs. I read Proverbs daily but had never paid attention to this particular verse until this point. It was Proverbs 24:11, which reads as follows: "Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter." It's our duty as Christians to tell others about the sinless life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus--all for them. If we fail to tell them of His love for them and of the eternal torment that awaits them if they choose not to accept & follow Him, we are allowing them to wander aimlessly, stumbling towards destruction, the very gates of hell itself. I don't know about you, but I can't stand by & watch while those of my generation and in my circle of influence commit slow suicide by living a life without Christ. It's up to us--we have to be the ones to tell them! Will people think we're crazy? Probably so. Will we lose close relationships because of our zeal for God? Maybe...but Jesus warned us there was a cost to being His follower. He told us there'd be difficulties. He told us we'd be despised & persecuted. But, He also told us that it'd be worth it in the end, when the battle is over and he welcomes us into Heaven, His Kingdom of Glory and Eternal Peace, and says "Well done..." I long for that day. Don't get me wrong, I love my life & the people in it, but my soul longs for the day I see my Jesus face to face. I just want to take as many with me there as I can. Do I get tired and frustrated at times? Yes, do I ever! Do I sometimes question my calling? Yes, often... Do I wonder if it's all worth the personal sacrifice, the sometimes seemingly endless days, the lost sleep, the tiresome travels, the separation from loved ones? Yes, to all. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt that God has called me to what I do and I refuse to let anything or anyone on earth or in hell below, distract me from my purpose. Do I miss the mark sometimes? Yes, all the time. But God loves me still & knows the motives of my heart. I have to ask for forgiveness regularly, but I'm doing what He called me to. We have to be the ones to sound the alarm! All is not lost. We can still turn our country back to God. We just have to be willing to stand our ground & not let the forces of evil overtake this world. We may be but a small remnant of believers, but look what Gideon did with a small army. We cannot continue to sit in silence. Will you join with me in this battle? Will you take Jesus's mission statement as your own? Will you help proclaim Christ to the masses? Will you be a heavenly ambassador to this lost generation? Will you live a life that points others to God? Or, will you just stand there with your hands in your pockets while they march towards hell? It's your choice, but you have to live with the choice you make. Ponder and pray about that... Blessings! Tony

Loving Past the Labels

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV I fear the Christian church in America as a whole is missing the mission God called them to because we have become prideful, condescending and self-righteous. We're much like the Pharisees of old in that we call attention to ourselves, our good deeds, & our position in whatever ministry we are part of. We do things more for the fact of being seen of men than we do of pointing others to God. We point a bony finger of righteous indignation at others rather than simply loving them as we are told to. We forget who & what we were when God pulled us out of the muck & mire of the world. I'm not saying that we're not a new creation when we come to Christ & that the old is done away with (2 Corinthians 5:17), because it is and it no longer defines who we are. However, I think it's important for us to remember where we came from in order to be able to minister to others facing the same struggles (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). While it is true that the modern church has been highly influenced by the world around it, rather than the other way around like is should be, we're still supposed to love others in spite of their sin. That doesn't mean we condone sin, just that we choose to love the sinner. How can we expect to minister to them & cause them to turn to Christ if we think we're too good to associate with them? If I recall, Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount that we're supposed to love our enemies, to do good to them that persecute us because even those of the world love the ones who love them (Matthew 5:44-48). We're supposed to be different in that respect. We're supposed to love like Jesus loved & He loved and prayed for even the very ones driving the nails into Him as they placed His body on the Cross of Calvary. Now, that's love! Like Jesus, we need to look past the sin & realize that people are affected by this world, the circumstances of life, addictions, demonic oppression, etc. Regardless of all that, God still loves them & sent His Son to die for their sins. He wants a relationship with every one of them--the thief, the liar, the drunk, the junkie, the prostitute. He sees them all as lovable. Therefore, we need to look past the labels the world has placed on them & see their value through God's eyes. I recall years ago teaching teens at Eastern Valley Baptist Church, sometime in the early to mid 90s. I walked in one morning with a box of children's building blocks, the type with the ABC's on them that toddlers usually play with. I got a lot of strange looks & snarky comments from some 13-18 year old kids. I recall one saying. "Mr. Tony, we're not 3 year olds." But, I had a point to make that day & those blocks played a part in it. I asked those young folks to think about other young people who might feel they didn't fit in or wouldn't be welcome at church. I got responses like the druggie, the unwed mom, the bully, the nerd, etc. As they called them out, I used the blocks to build a pyramid on the desk. Believe me, I was still getting puzzled looks & I'm sure they wondered exactly where I was going with this demonstration. When they couldn't think of any more labels to call out, I handed a block to a young man sitting in the front row & instructed him to throw it at the stack of blocks. He did & the stack of blocks tumbled down scattering all over the desk & floor. Then I hit them with the truth bomb that we either went out of our way to reach the "bad eggs" of society and bring them in to help build the church or we judged & exiled them, destroying the church instead. It was a God moment. I can't claim credit for it, but it was impactful. They mentioned it to me for years afterwards until they moved on to College & Career or Young Marrieds classes as they aged out of the youth group. Life has taken us all on different journeys since then & I'm sure will continue to until Jesus returns or God calls us home to Heaven. The fact still remains that we either build the church by calling in the lost or we allow it to die a slow death and leave the lost to a fate of eternal hell and damnation. I have enough to answer to God for. I don't want to blood of others on my hands. I have to get outside my comfort zone & minister to people who may be much unlike myself because of life choices, ethnic backgrounds, political leanings, etc. It's my job to see them through the eyes of Jesus, rather than my own. What about you? Blessings! Tony

God's Eraser

"...you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." Colossians 2:12b-14 Long ago and far away in a different chapter of my life, when I was a school kid, teachers wrote their lessons & instructions for the class on a blackboard. Once those assignments were completed, she/he would simply erase the old & replace it with the new assignments & instructions for the next day. People of my age & growing up era will recall wiping down the blackboards & cleaning erasers, sometimes as a teacher's assistant or, for some of us as a form of discipline for misbehavior. God works somewhat like that too. He is able (with our cooperation & submission) to wipe away, completely erase, the old sinful person we once were. He can take a life completely riddled with sin and seemingly going nowhere, except straight to the pits of hell itself and clean it up and make it purposeful for His Work and Kingdom. You doubt my words? Paul was Saul. One day he was killing Christians & then he had an encounter with God. After a three day period of blindness, he began being used for God instead of in opposition to Him. Maybe God used that period of blindness to take away Paul's self-dependence & focus him on his dependence on God instead. David, the King, was an adulterer and murderer--but God used him. David suffered great consequences for his sin, but he was called a man after God's own heart. Jonah ran from God & spent three days in the belly of a whale before surrendering to God's call on his life and seeing a great revival in Nineveh. Moses killed an Egyptian and argued with God, but became God's vessel to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt and to the Promised Land. The fact is, God loves you & desires a relationship with you & there's nothing you can do to change that. He wants to use you in His Kingdom Work. He doesn't care what you've done or where you've been or how many times you've failed. He want to erase the old & give you something new--a new assignment for Him, instead for working for the devil. He's already done the work. He sent His Son to be the sacrifice for your sin. He nailed all your sins (along with the sins of the entire world) to the cross."For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:16-17 NKJV If you follow the life of Christ in the Gospels, He offered forgiveness to all who would believe & receive it. He didn't condemn people for their sin, but simply told them they were forgiven & to go and sin no more. I think that's where we miss it. We think we can repent & ask forgiveness and then simply go back to our sin because we know God will forgive it again. He will. However, if we are willfully sinning, we're abusing God's grace. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" Romans 6:1-2, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Galatians 5:1, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." John 8:36 So, if you're ready to experience true freedom, saved & unsaved alike, call on Him to forgive you of ALL your sins--even those little hidden, secret sins, and let Him wash the slate of your life clean and give you a fresh start. God's eraser is an awesome thing! If He can use someone like me with nothing at all to offer, He can use you. You just have to let Him erase the old & make all things new. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 (all Scripture references from the NKJV) It's up to you, God's eraser is ready & waiting... Blessings! Tony

Seasons...

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4 We go through seasons in life, similar to the seasons of nature. We grow and mature, physically, mentally and spiritually. It is all part of the process called life. We start out young, active, vibrant and always learning new things as we grow. We move into another season when we begin to mature into young adults. The season changes again when we take on the responsibilities of a home, a job and a family of our own. Then comes the Winter of life as we age, see our children grow & start families of their own and our physical bodies move into a mode of slow decay until death claims us & we return to dust once again. Mixed in along the way of the various seasons of life are seasons of happiness and pain, seasons of prosperity & loss, seasons of hope and hopelessness. I think of Job & how he responded to the great losses he suffered. I wish I had his faith! I mean, I have been through a lot in this life and for the most part, I think I've managed it all pretty well although some of it has been especially difficult. But I've also had times where I whined, moaned and complained to God and I've experienced a few complete meltdowns along the way as well. Let's face it, life can be hard at times. Don't get me wrong, it can be purely joyous at times as well but we (or at least I do anyway) tend to recall the negative experiences far more vividly than the positive ones. We grow weary of the pain, the sickness, the evil of this world. Our plans sometimes get completely wrecked & nothing seems to go right. Even when we know we're doing what God has called us to, we sometimes doubt the path He guides us on. Even though we walk with Him & talk with Him daily, we sometimes question if we're really in His Will. Sometimes, we just want to throw our hands up and quit, but we can't--our job isn't finished yet! I know that I long for the day I hear my Savior say, "Well done!" and I enter Heaven's rest. I'm ready for that place of peace and calm, where the troubles of this world vanish away into the beauty and worship of Heaven and Our Creator. Problem is, apparently God still has work for me to do here--which means I have to endure, I have to keep going, I have to keep sharing Him, until He returns or calls me home. I don't get to choose the time of His return or my homegoing. I have to work on & walk the path He has for me until my time here is done & He is ready for me to join Him in that heavenly home. I must faithfully follow Him and daily choose to trust Him as long as there is breath in my lungs. There's the reality of it all--it's my choice. I choose to listen to either the promises of God or the lies of the devil. I've followed Jesus for many years & while I haven't always understood why things happened as they did, He's always seen me through them. I've reached the season of life where I have more years behind me than I do ahead, but I'm not retiring from God's work and service. I can't say that I don't want to sometimes, but I know I can't. I must walk though each of life's seasons, no matter how badly I want to give up, and work til Jesus comes. After all, He's never left or forsaken me. He's blessed me more than I deserve. He allowed me to love & be loved and to have some wonderful life experiences along the way. He's never given up on me, so I can't give up on Him either... Blessings! Tony

It's Beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas...

"Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." Luke 2:8-12 NKJV While it's unlikely that Jesus was actually born on December 25th, that day has been chosen to celebrate His birth. Many would say that the day is a pagan ritual centered around the Winter solstice and that it has been defiled with Santa, reindeer, snowmen & the like. But they all play into the spirit of the holiday (that word is rooted in holy day as Christmas is rooted in Christ's Mass of Catholic tradition). The Winter solstice occurs, just like others & is part of the nature of this world we live in. Santa, St. Nicholas, or Father Christmas is based on a real person who lived somewhere around the 4th century & was known for his acts of kindness. While there's nothing wrong with indulging childhood fantasies, it's important that we teach the real reason that we celebrate. Can you imagine being there in those fields that night? A heavenly & royal light show began and angels appeared to announce the birth of the long-awaited Messiah! What went through the minds of those lowly shepherds? We read the story of how it happened but they we re there in the flesh, living it as it unfolded. What were they thinking as they made their way to that manger stall to see with their own eyes the fulfillment of God's Promise? What a gift! What did they expect? When one thinks of a King, you anticipate a royal home & furnishings, not a feed trough in a stable. You expect people of high stature, not peasant teenagers as parents. You expect a purple robe, not swaddling clothes & hay. You expect groomed royal stallions, not sheep & donkeys. But, were they fixated on the surroundings or were they simply in awe of the Gift they witnessed? As for me, I think they knew they were part of God's great plan to bring salvation to man, although they had no idea how it would eventually unfold. They probably thought that baby would grow to be a mighty warrior King who would overthrow the Romans & give them back their nation and identity. How could they know that tiny baby would one day sacrifice Himself for the sins of mankind? How could they know that each step He took & each breath He drew brought Him closer to the Cross? While His birth was the beginning of the plan, His death & resurrection were the culmination and completion of the plan to ransom lost mankind. The reality is that we, as recipients of God's Great Gift are now part of that plan to share Him and the gift of salvation with others who have yet to receive it. So, while we celebrate Christmas with all the worldly festivities, our goal should be to recognize the real reason we celebrate (Jesus) and share our celebration of Him with those around us. The world & it culture are constantly changing & evolving. However, God & His Word remain constant and unchanged. We are in, but not of this world (John 17:16). Our efforts should be focused on pointing others to Christ. I'm reminded of Linus in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" as he he says "Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about," and recites verses 8-14 of the second chapter of Luke before taking his blanket & walking off stage. It's child-like faith and sincerity of heart that make Christmas really CHRISTmas (emphasis mine). We celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Christ child, The One who came to rescue us in our time of need. That's what CHRISTmas is really all about. Keep Christ in your celebrations & you'll find that it's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas... Blessings! Tony

Thanksgiving and Praise...

"Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." Psalm 100 NLT It's the season of Thanksgiving...ironically, we should be thankful at all times, but somehow we choose to set aside one day to be thankful. It makes for good holiday family gatherings & hopefully acknowledging God as the Source of our blessings in this life. But, are we really grateful? I fear that in these United States of America, we take much for granted. Because we were blessed to be born here, we assume we are entitled to live the American Dream regardless of the cost. I've been to a poor country & seen poor people with my own eyes. I've worked with groups ministering to the homeless. I've helped get basic needs & holiday gifts for kids in foster care. I've visited veteran's homes, nursing homes & sick children wards at the hospital. I've witnessed hatred, prejudice & even death. I've made a lot of poor decisions through my life that not only negatively impacted me, but also those connected to me via family, friend, coworker & church member associations. Thankfully, God has seen fit to preserve my life through my stupidity & somehow found a way to use all that to minister to others. He truly uses all things & the least among us to be useful in the Kingdom! Truth is, for the most part, that Americans are spoiled, ungrateful, gluttonous people. The more they achieve & the more they possess, the more they desire. Their appetites never seem to be satisfied... How do we go about changing this? Well, the same way you eat an elephant, one bite at a time! If we stand aside & wait for someone else to do it, it may never happen. One person can make a huge difference. Any movement has to have a beginning. I grew up in the Birmingham area during the Civil Rights struggle. I remember school riots, church bombings, and the ugliness of the era. I remember watching a friendship develop between Reverend Billy Graham & Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. via television & newspapers. It was not well accepted by the white churchgoers of that time. But, over time, acceptance came & segregation became a thing of the past. We Christians need to do the same--peaceably assemble and make our voices heard, Support what is right & godly and boycott that which is not. We're a large group, but most are sitting silently waiting for someone else to be the one to make the first move. Let's turn our nation back to God! "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance." Psalm 33:12 Let's be a joyful & thankful people! "Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe." Hebrews 12:28 Let's let our praises be heard! "I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done." Psalm 9:1 We are a blessed nation & we have much to be thankful for. We, the church, have missed the mark in doing our part to point people to God, to share the gift of salvation, to help meet the basic needs of those around us who are hungry, hurting or homeless. It starts with us. We must repent of our ungrateful & gluttonous ways and begin again. "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 Then, how about we really enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise, sing praises to him and bless his name? thanksgiving & praise should be an everyday thing, part of our Christian lifestyle, and should make people want to have the joy we have in our lives. Happy Thanksgiving & blessings to you! Tony