"Remember & Pray!"

As I sat down to write this article this week I began to think about two areas I need to focus my personal prayers on.  Ironically, as different as they are they are very similar.  

First, Memorial Day 2016 is only a few days away.  Memorial Day is a day set aside by our Federal Government to remember those who have lost their lives in service with the United States Military.  Veteran’s Day, in November, is a time to honor our Vets, but Memorial Day is a time of remembering our fallen Vets.  As a Veteran, I remember taking that oath to “protect and defend the United States of America” with my life.  So many have done that since the late 1700’s.  Following the Civil War in 1868 the day was set aside as “Decoration Day.”  That evolved into Memorial Day set to be celebrated on May 30th each year.  In 1968 a law passed moved the date to the last Monday in May of each year and is where this day remains.

Memorial Day for me is very special and a time to remember the sacrifice of those who have given their life to protect people and their freedom around the world.  If you were to just look at deaths totals in some of our wars, here is how it would look:  Civil War - 750,000, WWI - 405,399, WWII - 116,516, Vietnam - 58,209, Korean War - 54,246, American Revolutionary War - 25,000, War of 1812 - 15,000, Mexican-American War - 13,283, Afghan-Iraq War - 6,717.  The number provided by the government as a total death in wars is: 1,354,664+.  That’s a lot of souls that have given their life so that we can live free.  Say a prayer this Memorial Day thanking our Father in heaven for those who have given it ALL so that we might live.

But secondly, my mind went to another set of individuals who are also losing their lives, that being the Christians and Christian Missionaries around the world.  In the headlines I see constantly these who have died and that many, at least in my opinion, don’t seem to care about the fact that they too are giving their lives for their cause, that being the cause of Christ.   Here is a typical headline every week for the past several years: 

Persecuted Church

“ISIS Rapes, Crucifies, and Beheads Syrian Christian Missionaries, Including a 12 Year-Old Boy”  (August 15, 2015 - American Center for Law and Justice article)

I could give you headline after headline, story after story of Christians killed, in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Libya, Egypt, Philippines, Indonesia, Africa, and the list goes on.  We know the Church will be persecuted and suffering will be experienced by the faithful.

“And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem…” Acts 8:1.  We know from scripture we will suffer trials and persecution because of the name of Jesus.  From the writings of Paul, Peter, James, and John we see these truths.  “…but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” 1 Peter 4:16.  Here is an exerpt from the Headline article I mentioned above.  Yes, I know this is hard reading, but folks, this is happening everyday to Christians. 

"The other group of missionaries, including two women, was taken to a different location.  Staring down certain death, these martyrs also refused to convert to Islam.  The two Christian women prayed aloud while being publicly gang-raped, which according to reports, caused their ISIS abusers to “to beat them all the more furiously.” As relayed by the group's director:

Villagers said some were praying in the name of Jesus, others said some were praying the Lord's prayer, and others said some of them lifted their heads to commend their spirits to Jesus.  One of the women looked up and seemed to be almost smiling as she said, 'Jesus!'"

The missionaries were beheaded and their bodies hung on crosses."(August 15, 2015 - ACLJ article)

Don’t you think it’s time for the Church of Jesus Christ to begin fervent prayers for those being persecuted and killed because of their faith in Jesus Christ?  We know this persecution will continue until Christ returns, but our prayers are needed!!!

So I would ask you all as you finish reading this article to stop for a moment and Remember & Pray giving thanks for all who have given their lives for our freedom and for their faith in Jesus Christ.  Both are deserving!!!  And I would ask that you continue to pray for our US military and for our Missionaries and Christian believers around the world as we continue to face evil in this lost world.  

May God’s name be proclaimed for His glory and His purpose by all who believe in Jesus Christ!  Let it be so!  Amen!

Pastor Marty                 

Worship, Grow, Serve                      

“Church - Please Do Not Lose Your Focus”

         As many of you know I grew up on a very large farm in eastern North Carolina.  In the early 70’s my Scout Troop built a three-sided cabin about a half mile into the woods behind my house.  We used the cabin and surrounding area for campouts and training.  We had an area we had cleared for shooting bows and arrows, rifles, and hand guns.

In summer of 1975 my then brother-in-law and I were at the cabin and had taken our guns to shoot some.  I had my 22 rifle and he had his new 38 revolver with him.  We were both having a lot of fun that afternoon, well, until we lost focus.  We both knew the rules of the range.  We both knew the proper procedures to follow.  We both knew the protocol or in this article, THE DOCTRINE that had been set up for all to follow.  But we lost our focus and deviated from what we knew was right.  Here is what happened.

My brother-in-law had a holster for his 38 revolver and up until this point in our shooting, the holster was being used for just that, to holster the gun when it was not being used.  BUT, after some time of shooting, focused shooting, we decided that it would be fun, exciting to “Quick Draw” his 38 revolver from the holster like the Old West shoot outs and try to hit the targets.  What a mistake.  He was going to go first with our bright plan, which by the way was against the rules set up for the range.  He stood facing the target, feet apart, eyeing the target down range, his hand on the gun grip.  Ready!  Then it happened.  He went to “Quick draw” the 38 revolver and his finger pulled the trigger while the gun was still in his holster.  I laughed out loud at first until he said, “I think I just shot myself.”  I looked down and blood was beginning to soak his pants leg.  There was an old logging road that went back partially into that area of the woods.  I helped him walk to that area and then ran back home to get my car and drive into the woods to get him.  I then drove him to the ER of the local hospital.  Luckily, the bullet had entered the top of his calf and exited the lower part of his calf without hitting any bone.  Clean in and clean out!  The doctors patched him, told him how lucky he was that it didn’t shatter the bone, and released him to go home.

Why tell you this lengthy story (though it is a great story, don’t you think)?  I’ve been seeing a statement being shared on Facebook that has continued to stick in my mind.  It has been shared by many, so I do not know the author.  Here is the statement: “The mark of an effective church is not how many people come, BUT how many people who live differently as a result of having been there.”  How true a statement this is.

I am not, please understand, am not saying that all mega churches have lost their focus nor do a good job in equipping the saints, but I have seen and heard the rhetoric from many pastors of mega churches and their first question is how many attend your church?  Oh, I have ….. number attend mine.  In many cases I believe it has become more about the numbers and they have lost focus on the church’s responsibility to make disciples, equip disciples, to send knowledgable, faithful, doctrinally sound disciples into the world to witness to the gospel of Christ.  The question for me  is, “Are those attending the church where God has placed me as pastor being equipped to live differently in a lost world?  Am I helping them grow through my teaching and preaching, so that, the power of the Holy Spirit will flourish in them so they will be Christ’s witnesses in the world?”  

The Apostle Paul gave instruction to Timothy on how to lead.  Here are just a few verses of his instruction.  “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” 1 Tim. 4:6 “For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” 1 Tim.4:10 “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share…” 1 Tim. 6:18

On the shooting range that day, we lost focus, setting protocol aside, and decided to do our own thing.  That didn’t work out so well.  We, in the church today, cannot afford to lose focus of His call and make church about anything else, numbers or self.  As Paul states, we need to “fix our hope on the living God.”

Blessings my friends, 

Pastor Marty

Worship, Grow, Serve                      

"The View"

(This article was prompted by seeing self professing Christians yelling and screaming their agenda on TV.)

There are words that take us places in our minds eye.  All of us have them.  When someone says “Caribbean” most will have a picture in their mind, even if they have never been there.  But for those that have visited the Caribbean Islands they begin to picture actual places they have seen, beaches they have visited.  It becomes real in their minds eye and can bring a sense of joy and peace.  There are certainly many words that do this for us.  When we mention “Mountains,” “Beaches,” “France,” “Africa,” “Hawaii,” and even for me “the Farm” brings to mind a time from long ago, different than our everyday life.  This, of course, is but a short list of the words that when you hear them carry you to your happy place.

This view brings us joy and peace most often.  But there are certain words that create a different picture for us.  These words can weigh us down, bring sadness to our hearts and images of despair to our minds.  A few of these words might be “Death,” “Cancer,” “Heart-attack,” “Divorce,” Betrayal,” or simply “Loss.”  Words like these take us to a place we most often do not desire to be.  Give me those happy words.  I want them, not those that bring sadness and despair.  

Here is the thing though, everyone, the unbeliever/ unsaved person as well as the believer/saved person has the very same view when these words are spoken.  We are taken to a place of peace or a place of despair in “the view” created in our minds eye.  There is one word though, that more often than not, gives a different picture in “the view” of the believer compared to the unbeliever.  This word will create in our minds eye different feelings, different thoughts, even different reactions because of our experiences with this word.  Have I peaked your interest yet?  Want to know what this word is?  The word, wait for it, is “Christian.”  Yes! Christian!  When someone mentions the word “Christian” it brings many different feelings and emotions to the believer and the unbeliever of Jesus Christ.

Why?  Because the believer has the indwelling of HIS Spirit, the HOLY SPIRIT in them and even in the midst of a lost world, a world filled with tragedy, you have an ongoing sense of peace.  On the other hand, the unbeliever that hears the word “Christian” first thinks, “Here we go again!”  That Bible thumper is going to try to attack me and tell me I’m going to hell.  They are going to tell me how wrong I am, how sinful my life is, and all I have to do is believe in someone called Jesus.  The “view” they have of this word is much different than the believer’s.

So how can we change their “view?”  It is really very simple.  Now having said that, please understand that not everyone will change their “view” of a Christian.  But here is how we as Christians can begin to change “the view.”  We love as Christ first loved us.  Simple right?  No it is not.  We have biases and preconceived opinions about the world and sin that have controlled our attitudes.  I’m not saying to compromise the Gospel or God’s Word, not at all.  But it is how we convey the message of the Gospel that will make the view of Christianity a positive or negative one.  Here is a question for you.  How do your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, when they look at you, look at the way your live your life, the words your use, responses you make, what is their “View” of you? 

When I picture Jesus sitting and eating with the sinners and tax collectors, when I see, in my minds eye, Jesus standing with the adulteress woman waiting to be stoned, when I picture Jesus sitting at Jacob’s well and taking to the outcast Samaritan woman, I don’t picture Him condemning them. He is offering them hope and love, a different way of life, a different way of living in this lost world!!!  Can we not do the same?  Is it necessary to yell and scream hatred or condemnation?  Can’t we share the gospel in the love of Christ?

The Apostle John pinned it this way, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8

What is “the view” others have when they look at you Christian?  What do they see?  When you share the truth, stand on God’s Word, proclaim the Gospel, even confront blatant sin, how do you do it?  The “view” others have of you will absolutely affect your witness.  Let us begin to change that “view” of this word, Christian, by sharing in LOVE.

Blessings my friends,
Pastor Marty

            

                           Worship, Grow, Serve