What Are We Building
March 30, 2008
We have all greatly anticipated the erection of the new social hall for the last few months. It has begun. The ground is being prepared. The question that now enters my mind is what are we building? The answer seems obvious, a new social hall. Once more I ask the question: what are we building? It is a terrible tragedy indeed if we are simply erecting a new building in which to eat fried chicken.
We have a facility to accommodate between 120 and 150 people. Once Napoleon once said, “There is no greater immorality than to occupy a position you do not fill.” America needs revival. Revival always means change or death for those exposed to it. Now is not the time to take pride in our facilities and “count our stuff”. Now is the time to be real with God, repent, and seek Him. Now is the time to give God the areas of our life we have kept for ourselves. Now is the time to earnestly pray for the grace of God in our lives because it is imperative that we have it to go forward. Now is the time to beg God to save lost souls. Now is the time to pray the Lord to send workers into the harvest. Now is the time to prepare to “make disciples of all nations (people groups)”. Now is the time to become children of God who walk in the power of God. Now is the time to pray like our very existence depends on it, because it does!!! Amen!!!
My Lord and My God
March 23, 2008
Two thousand years ago a group of women went to a tomb expecting to find a dead man. They watched Jesus be crucified and sealed in a tomb. He was dead and they were powerless!!! Stop, think, and let that sink in for a moment. So many Christians search for life stumbling through the dark going to the tomb of a dead man. We pray to Jesus as if He were still in the tomb. Dead men do nothing, hear nothing, see nothing, and expect nothing from our lives.
It is a miraculous thing for a dead man to see the risen Lord in the flesh. Prior to salvation we are all dead men. When we look to the risen Lord it is a radical change that takes place as we are transformed from dry dead bones into living breathing sons and daughters that bear the image of God. Allowing the image of Christ to transform us is still the greatest miracle of all time.
Thomas was a dead man like us who had trouble believing. When the darkness of the cross surrounded Jesus and He did not understand God all faith in a living savior and a resurrection power in his own life left him. “So he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the prints of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe… Then Jesus said to Thomas, Reach your finger here, and look at my hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:25; 27). Christianity began with a demonstration of God adding His power to an impossible situation in a life that had purposed that nothing would keep Him from doing the Father’s will. It is time for God’s people to look at the risen Savior and cry with Thomas, “My Lord and My God!”
Steeple People
March 16, 2008
It used to be that every church built had a steeple on top of it. The steeple was a way of clearly identifying the location of a place where people could meet to worship God. The steeple points to heaven where true believers will one day live eternally in the presence of God. The steeple reminds us of the power of the resurrection that every believer may know today.
If you look at the front entrance of Marvin Chapel you will notice that both doors have crosses on them and the steeple is perfectly centered over the two crosses. At the crucifixion there were three crosses: one for two thieves and one for Jesus. Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). The steeple reminds us that He is now raised from the cross He endured and will return in Glory.
Jesus completed the will of the Father through the cross. We likewise, can only worship God when we enter by the door of the cross. Two thieves hung on those two crosses. One had no use for a savior who would not meet his desires. The other confessed his sin and humbly begged forgiveness from a Savior whose love he could not fathom and whose method he did not understand. Many Christians do not understand the cross because they do not understand the steeple. The cross is an incomplete symbol without the steeple. “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12)
Too Many Things to Do
March 9, 2008
Pastors only work for one hour on Sunday. If you believe that I have some ocean front property in Arizona I would like to cut you a deal on. The truth is that we all have more ”things to do” than we can possibly get around to doing. There is a secret to keeping a level head through it all. We should work less and enjoy more! How???
Once there was a woman who sat at Jesus feet while her sister griped at his feet. “And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:39-42)
There is a vast difference between working for and living for Jesus. We will not live for Him unless we spend quality time with Him daily. I make it fine as long as I guard that good part. When the good part is removed many things become a crushing work load. Some people really do not have time for God. I have been there. If that describes you, restructure your life rather than leave Christ out.
Brother Beck, Some Rednecks and Some Specs
March 2, 2008
Earlier this week we erected a two hundred and thirty two foot fence around the pool at the camp. We encountered several things that we did not expect, namely roots, excessive concrete around posts, and clay. Our goal in erecting this fence was excellence. As Christians we must always strive for excellence. However, as Christians we often break the great commandment (love your neighbor) in the name of excellence.
We noticed that Brother Beck and a co-worker were committing a cardinal sin. They nailed fence pickets to the rails and the topers were not even. We got a good laugh out of the matter. I told Brother Beck the fence looked good. He responded, “That’s not what you said a minute ago.” Brother Beck did not get his feelings hurt as a weaker brother might have. We do this in other areas of life. We are quick to notice the speck in our brother’s eye while ignoring the board in our own. Hypocrites!!! We violate the command to love our neighbor in the name of excellence. When we took the plumb line down the irregularity was not noticeable. The Fence looks great. If we had decided to sweat the small stuff the fence might not be there. In case you are wondering, yes I did put the two corner posts in the wrong place. But let’s not sweat the small stuff.
Sometimes Life is Messy
February 24, 2008
The American heritage dictionary defines messy as: Disorderly and dirty; unpleasantly difficult to settle or resolve. These situations test us because they are usually unexpected and either strain or drain our resources. Wednesday I was returning from Donalsonville when I learned that the septic system had utterly failed at a rental property. The plumber said there was no hope for a fee of $85.00. He casually told my renters that a new tank could be purchased for only $5000.00.
This is the part where I would normally run in circles and scream. This would’ve probably made me feel better but it does nothing to alleviate the problem. Knowing the options were limited I asked the Lord’s blessings as I embarked on a journey to build a new septic tank. What I discovered was worse than expected. It would not be appropriate to speak of the horrendous things I beheld. All hope seemed to have forsaken those lands.
Thursday morning began with a power rooter and a dining tent to shield us from the heavy rain as we dug a new tank. It rained heavily all day. The ground was full of roots that grew vertically. The Bible says, “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Satan offered a thousand reasons to complain. We chose not to and God blessed. We were able experience joy. Amen!!!
Put Your Stamp on Camp
February 17, 2008
Last summer God began to move in peoples hearts as it relates to Camp Mt. Pleasant in Bonifay. We had two options: Do major repair work on the camp or abandon it altogether. We chose the latter. Approximately $40,000.00 has been spent on a roof for the dining hall, and pool renovation since mid-summer. We will be putting a new fence around the pool February 26th.
Why should we do all this work now? First, it is obvious that God is in this. We saw the number of campers grow from around 30 to over 200 in Georgia during the 1990’s. It is not that we must have a camp, but that camp is a way we can honor God by investing ourselves in His work. It is staggering to know how many accept Christ or make major decisions at camp. I personally accepted the call to preach at camp. Secondly, we will not get another chance to build a camp if we drop the ball today. Due to inflation it is unlikely we could build a comparable facility from scratch at today’s prices. Thirdly, if we were renting a camp it would cost between $200 and $300 dollars per camper, eliminating the opportunity for many to attend. Finally, it gives us a chance to fellowship with other believers, giving us a greater sense of unity and purpose. Today we have the privilege of sowing seeds that will produce a bountiful harvest tomorrow.
Let Us Burn Something Together
February 10, 2008
Monday morning several members of the congregation gathered at the church to rake some leaves. During this time we removed an excessive amount of debris from the rooftop of the church facilities. We noticed that an oak tree was leaning heavily in the direction of the future social hall, so we cut it down, cut it up, and burned it. As we burned the debris, the back yard of the parsonage caught fire because it was very dry.
There is a spiritual lesson in this. All of the debris we removed would have done us great harm in the future. The leaves would eventually rot the roof while the tree would have fallen on the new building and we would pay a heavy price. How great is the price we pay when we refuse to allow God to remove the debris from our lives that will do us harm and burn it. We are continually striving to do something for God while refusing to yield to our own spiritual death (the removing of the debris that destroys the soul).
When we offer our lives a living sacrifice to God that is when the church grows. “See how great a forest a little fire kindles” (James 3:5). God moves when we pile the debris of our lives and allow Him to burn it, not when we implement a new program. The world is like a dry yard that only needs a little fire and a little wind. We start the fire and the Holy Spirit sends the wind. How long since you last told Jesus let us burn something together?
The Wednesday Night Blight
January 27, 2008
Before every great revival there was a prayer meeting. Prayer should never be made into an idol as it often is. We have books, sermons, and seminars on prayer, but we don’t pray. Oswald Chambers once said, “Prayer is not a means to prepare us for the work, it is the work.” Prayer is work. Think about that for a moment. This means that we must work at the discipline of prayer. Hudson Taylor once said, “You can work without praying, but is a bad plan; but you can not pray in earnest without working.”
Without a strong prayer meeting Marvin Chapel will not grow!!! Generally, Wednesday night services are either a blessing or a total inconvenience to people. Here are a few ideas. Perhaps it would be better to change the service time to 6:00 to accommodate those with children. Perhaps a meal @ 5:00 would make it easier for those with children to fit it into their schedule. Perhaps it would be better for the Church to provide a meal @ a nominal fee. Acts 2:42 states, “And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” The idea does seem Biblical. Put this on your refrigerator to remind you to pray about the matter of prayer meeting this week.