Thursday, February 12, 2015

 Today’s Topic:  7 UP

Today’s Text:  1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)  First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people… ³  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV)  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners….

What is the heart of God for all people?

A correct answer must be more than just an intellectual response – it must be a transformational truth. For if the heart of God for ALL people is that they be saved from their sin, then as possessors of the heart of God through faith in Jesus Christ for our own salvation, must not our heart for all people be the same?

Please don’t move on from that question until you have deeply and thoroughly contemplated it. Are our hearts moved by the same things that move the heart of God? Are our decisions motivated by the same compassionate love for sinners that motivates the activity of God? Are we joining God on the eternal mission He has already declared to be the singular purpose of His heart?

I have recently reviewed these questions with the Lord, and I have been humbled. I have seen the activity of my life from God’s perspective, and realize that far too many of my pursuits and passions are motivated by my mission, not Christ’s. I have come face to face with the truth that for me and everyone like me who is a born again follower of Jesus Christ there is only one mission – make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Listen, this is very serious business. We have been declared children of God and joint heirs of all things with Jesus Christ. We have been forgiven of our sins by being washed in His blood shed on Calvary’s cross as the full payment for our sin. We have been set apart as His chosen people and as such will never be judged or condemned for our sin. We have been given the Holy Spirit to reside in us – the very eternal Presence of God the Father in His fullness abiding in us. We have been granted access to the powers and provisions of God to meet every need. Yet daily we tend to choose to live by a culturally dictated and personally defined mission, rather than the mission mandated by the Master.

The last truth Jesus declared to His disciples before leaving earth was go and make disciples of all nations. It is called the Great Commission, but for so many of us it is the Great Omission. But the mission of Christ is not optional for the followers of Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit who resides in us makes every one of us a witness for Jesus Christ. Embodied in the gift of salvation is the mission to multiply. Witnessing for Christ and making disciples will happen in every one of us unless we consciously choose the only option there that hinders the mission –abstinence. The only way to avoid multiplication is to abstain from the activity that produces life. Do we recognize that the choice to abstain is a direct contradiction to the heart of God and the mission of Jesus Christ?

The Apostle Paul tells us how to get back on track with our mission.

• First, understand the heart of God for all people.
• Second, understand Christ’s purpose for coming into the world.
• Third, join the Holy Spirit in the mission of Christ, and the very first expression of partnership with Christ will be to start praying for people to be saved.

On Sunday I challenged our congregation to begin praying for people’s salvation. Everyone was asked to create a list of seven people for whom they will pray to be saved. They were also asked to pray for themselves, that they would be available to God to be the one to share the message of Jesus Christ’s love and forgiveness with those people. It’s called 7-UP. United Prayer for 7 people to be saved.

Have you made your list yet?

Pastor John

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

 Today’s Topic: For the Forgetful

 Today’s Text:  Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (NIV)  

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.

See if you can figure out who wrote this memoir of his first Valentine’s Day as a married man.

“That February 14 [the first of our marriage] I went to the USC library and spent eight or ten hours studying. At home, my wife cooked a wonderful dinner, baked a pink, heart-shaped cake with “Happy Valentine’s Day” written on top, and placed red candles, a small gift, and a love note on the table.

About 8 p.m., I got hungry and ordered a hamburger at the University Grill. Then, heading toward home, I stopped by to see my parents. Mom served up a great slice of apple pie. When I put my key in the lock about 10 p.m., the apartment was almost dark and deathly quiet.

On the table a coagulated dinner still sat in our best dishes. Half-burned candles stood cold and dark in their silver-plated holders. Then I noticed the red-and-white decorations. “Oh no!” I thought. I felt like a creep. I didn’t even have a Valentine for her, much less a thoughtful gift. I couldn’t even pretend to want the dried-out food before me.

After a brief flurry of words, and a few tears, she went to bed and pulled the covers up around her ears. Fortunately, she is not only romantic but forgiving. And I determined never to forget Valentine’s Day again!”

That story of a Valentine’s Day disaster happened to none other than Dr. James Dobson. I hope that doesn’t happen to any of you this weekend. It won’t if you use today to be prepared.

As you plan your gifts and events that will reflect the true love of your heart to your spouse or fiancé, do a little heart check. Review what Solomon wrote about his lover in the Scripture above and see how much is an accurate description of what you call love.

• Can your lover trust your love? Has your heart been sealed forever, never to be tempted again by attraction to another?
• Can your lover trust your actions, so that anywhere you go and anything you do the seal of their love on your arm is visible at all times for all to see?
• Is your love until death parts you?
• Does your love for your lover hang on no matter how bad the circumstances of the relationship seem to be?
• Does your love still burn like a blazing fire?
• Is your love for your lover the most precious thing on earth to you?

Now, go plan the best Valentine’s Day ever, and then make sure the love that you show tomorrow is shown every day from now on! And as you make your plans, remember the ultimate Valentine hand-made by God.

To make a valentine God took two shafts of wood

And on that wood in love and anguish placed his Son,

Who gave his heart that mine might

Be made new.

(Eleanor Whitesides)

Pastor John

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Today’s Text: Proverbs 27:19 (ESV) As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

I dislike fakes, and yet I must admit that at times I have been one. I have said I am fine when I’m not. I have pretended to like someone I didn’t. I have presented myself as more proficient at a task than I really was. The truth is, we all are fakes in one way or another. In varying degrees of “fauxness” (I just made up that word) we choose not to be real. Fear drives are false representations: fear of nonacceptance by others, or fear of not measuring up, or fear of being seen for who we know in our heart we really are. Whatever the reason, all faking is sin, for it denies the integrity of Christ’s character in us. It is unholy.

Several years ago I found a Facebook post that stimulated my think about holiness. I saved the picture as a reminder of the pursuit of Christ’s character.

Live without pretending – that’s integrity. Every part of our lives integrated together in perfect harmony with no contradictions. Nothing fake. Nothing done to impress others. Just a life lived as a reflection of the character of God in us.

Love without depending – that’s identity. It’s knowing we have God’s approval rather than seeking the world’s approval. That means accepting God’s definition of our identity rather than seeking it from others. That’s giving to others out of security rather than to receive affirmation. True love is not the world’s love that depends on a response nor is it love that looks for a return benefit. True love is sacrificial love that originates in the heart of God and flows from a Godly heart.

Listen without defending – that’s humility. Be able to be corrected. Pride defends the value we think is being attacked. Humility listens to the possibility of improvement. Pride protects personal choice. Humility submits to anything or anyone as being God’s instrument of perfecting our lives. Pride convinces us we are right and have rights. Humility sees the right in others. Pride cannot see a reason to improve because that would require admitting a weakness or fault. Humility can admit faults because value is not found in performance but in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Speak without offending – that’s grace. Speak the truth, but do it in love, with a pure and holy motivation to truly help the person to whom you are speaking. Do not speak to be heard. Do not speak to build up self. Speak to impart God’s wisdom so that it will be heard and applied. Speak to be an instrument of God’s grace to others.

Now those are four rules by which we all should live as we pursue holiness.

Pastor John

Life Link
Monday, February 09, 2015

Today’s Topic: All Is Well, Even In the Storm
Today’s Text: 1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV) The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

We sang a song in church yesterday that deeply touched my soul. It is a contemporary song that is based on a grand old hymn named The Solid Rock. The words are still replaying in my head. They are an offering of praise and a prayer all at the same time. The lyrics are simultaneously the present reality and the desire of my heart.

My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

The traditional chorus continues like this:

On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.

The version we sang, called Cornerstone, uses this chorus:

Christ alone, Cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Savior’s love
Through the storm He is Lord, Lord of all

By the time we reached the end of that chorus I was already in tears as my Savior Jesus Christ ministered to the needs of my heart with His love and compassion. As I contemplated the real life applications of those words to my present circumstances, the second verse started.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

No matter how dark the world begins to look around me, and how severe the storms of my life become, I know I stand secure in Christ. Why, because His Word NEVER fails. His promises are ALWAYS fulfilled. In Christ our hope is secure! I began to sing the next words with greater joy.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

Then, with my heart overflowing with thanksgiving for my Savior’s grace to me, and hope and security swelling up within me, the final verse began. My tear-filled eyes were fixated on the coming of Jesus to bring me to His glory and His glory to this earth.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Because of grace through faith I will be found in Christ. God will see only the righteousness of Christ in me as I stand faultless before His throne. So let the storms rage. My ANCHOR holds. My hope is in what Christ has done, and what He has done can NEVER be undone.

Pastor John

Did you notice the new look? Of course you did. And when you saw it, what were your first thoughts? For some it would have been, “OH NO! I HATE CHANGE!”

Others might have thought, “OOOH! I LIKE IT!”

Many won’t care about the change of title or look so long as the content helps them in their daily walk with Jesus Christ.

Well my friends, that will NEVER change! No matter what this blog is called, it will never stray from its purpose – to help people connect more deeply with God through a deeper study of His Word.

So don’t fret about the change. Within the next two weeks an official website for these blogs will be opened, and I will be posting 3-5 devotionals per week by which we can all grow.

Thanks for your prayers as we re-embark on this adventure of serving Jesus by spreading the Word.

Pastor John

Dear Connecting Point Followers,

Starting October 6, 2014, Connecting Points will be returning and changing. Stayed tuned and stay connected – because Jesus may be coming soon as well.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Today’s Topic: A Spiritual Work Out.

Today’s Text: 1 Timothy 4:7-8  “Exercise yourself toward godliness.  For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come”

I hurt. I know why. I used muscles that have been inactive for too long. Last Saturday and the following Monday I cut branches, trimmed bushes, raked leaves, and stomped on literally dozens of feet of mole tunnels. My legs and arms are still sore. I need more exercise.

That got me thinking about spiritual exercise, and then yesterday an email came from Daniel Henderson of Strategic Renewal. He wrote about the kind of exercise we all need – the exercise of the mind so that it is renewed according to godliness. His four step plan made perfect sense, so I share it with you today giving Pastor Henderson full credit. Thanks Dan.

 The Eternal Exercise Plan

First, I can exercise my feet, standing firm, “planted in the house of the Lord.”  I find it sad when people mature physically but shrink into spiritual pygmies because they stop choosing to plant their lives in the place of passionate worship.  I want to keep “pressing on” in my pursuit of God in my everyday practice of His presence.  Someday, I want to be that old dude who the young people laugh at (but secretly admire) because he is unrestrained and cuts loose in worship, even if he looks a little goofy.  I don’t want to stay home and watch “senior citizens’ church” as long as I can stand among the godly with my heart soaring in His presence in the courts of our God.

Second, I can exercise my tongue, “declaring that the Lord is upright.”  When this kind of praise frames the substance of my speech there is little room left to whine about the parts that don’t work and complain about my pain.

Third, I can exercise my heart, trusting fully that “He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”  Of course, energy wanes, days get lonely, and the scoreboard of significance becomes blurred – but the Lord is still my security and there is no unrighteousness in Him.  I will trust and obey these great truths – and be happy in Jesus.

Finally, I can exercise my eyes, focusing on the reality of eternal significance, not just the earthly vapor of this physical life.  Paul says it this way: “Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).  As a child I sang, “Be careful, little eyes, what you see.”  As I approach the finish line I must sing, “Be careful, little eyes, HOW you see.”

(Thanks to Daniel Henderson of Strategic Renewal for today’s Eternal Exercise Plan.)

 Now the tough part – being disciplined enough to exercise every day.

 No Pain, No Gain!

 Know Pain – Know Gain!

 Godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)

Connecting Points

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Today’s Topic: Fire Call

Today’s Text: Zechariah 13:8-9 (ESV) “In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. ⁹ And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ”

Today I have nothing but simple thoughts from the midst of a fire.

• The fire is guaranteed by God.
• The fire is designed by God.
• The fire is controlled by God.
• The fire is a test of my faith in God.
• The fire refines my faith in God.
• The fire motivates me to call upon God.
• The fire produces confidence in God.

Proverbs 17:3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts.

Psalm 66:10-12 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. ¹¹  You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; ¹²  you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

Isaiah 43:2-3 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

Isaiah 48:10-11 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. ¹¹   For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.

1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

James 1:12  Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵  who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷  so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸   Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹  obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

My simple goal today is to be a fire-walker.

Connecting Points

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Today’s Topic: The Cost of What He Did

Today’s Text: Isaiah 44:22-23 (ESV)  I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. ²³ Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.

 Cost and care are proportional. That which costs little gets cared for little. That which costs much gets cared for extensively.

Homeowners understand this principle. We know the cost of the home, so we invest even more in its care. I am in the process right now of preparing for a complete exterior maintenance project including soffit repair, siding repair, and new paint. It’s an investment of time and money that is necessary to maintain the value of the home. I care because I know what it cost.

Many today do not care about their spiritual condition because they don’t understand the price that was paid on their behalf so they could have their sins forgiven. Many don’t even know that they need their sins forgiven.

But the saddest condition is found in the hearts of those who claim to know their need, have asked for forgiveness, but then walk back into the ways of sin with little regard for Jesus. Equally sad are those who put on a new exterior paint job of righteousness but inside live for the pleasures of the immediate and long for the value of pleasure, power, possessions, and posterity offered by this world. If only they knew the cost of what they claim to possess in Christ.

God paid an unimaginable price for the forgiveness of our sin. We owed Him our lives, and He gave us His life. Read carefully this well-known passage of God’s Holy Word and try to imagine the emotional and physical pain God suffered as He placed Himself in our deserved position of death. Don’t skim it – it’s God’s truth! Digest it.

Isaiah 53:1-12 (ESV) 

¹   Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? ²  For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. ³   He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴   Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵   But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. ⁶   All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. ⁸  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? ⁹  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰  Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹  Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. ¹²   Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Now that we have a little more understanding of the cost of what we possess, maybe we will care about it a little more.

Connecting Points

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Today’s Topic: He Did It!

Today’s Text: Isaiah 44:22-23 (ESV)  I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. ²³ Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.

Yesterday afternoon was Liam day. Every Tuesday my wife and I take one of the school-aged grandchildren and spend some alone time with them. We play games, do projects, have fun, and eat supper together. I wish I could do it with the grandkids who live a few hours away.

Anyway, yesterday it was Liam’s turn, and after we finished the birdhouse painting, the Easter egg decorating, and the Swedish pancake supper, we sat down to play a game of attack Uno. After winning the first game, grandpa was already at Uno in the second game after playing his next to last card. Liam, whose hand was loaded with cards, was next to play. A slight smile started in the corner of his mouth as he reached for a card. The smile grew as he laid it on the discard pile. He spoke with excited enthusiasm and said, “I trade hands with grandpa!”

He couldn’t control himself any longer. He had just played a trade hands card and now only had one card in his hand while I sat there sorting through 20 of them. On the next turn around the table he played that last card and won the game. He laughed. He jumped. He showed off that contagious smile of his. His enthusiasm was abundant as he repeated the same phrase over and over again. “I did it! I did it!”

While it is a great story, it’s not a perfect analogy of what happened on the cross, but it will suffice for my heart for a while. Hanging on the cross, Jesus traded hands with us. I had a losing hand which guaranteed my eternal defeat. Jesus had the winning hand. In the game, I would never have initiated the trade, but Jesus did. He took my losing hand as His own and gave me a winning hand I didn’t deserve. My trade with Liam was forced upon me, but Jesus traded willingly. He did it!

As I thought about that trade, I was reminded of its cost from the prophetic twenty-second Psalm. Read the selected verses carefully as it describes the scene and emotions of Christ on the cross, then notice the highlighted words at the end.

Psalm 22:1-31 (ESV)
¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? ² O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest…I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. ⁷ All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; ⁸ “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”…Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; ¹³ they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; ¹⁵ my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. ¹⁶ For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— ¹⁷ I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; ¹⁸ they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. ¹⁹ But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! ²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! ²¹ Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! ²² I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: ²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! ²⁴ For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him…The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! ²⁷ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. ²⁸ For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. ²⁹ All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. ³⁰ Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; ³¹ they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

Shout it. Jump around. Laugh with unspeakable joy. Jesus did it!  Jesus did it!