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Latest Blog Posts in June 2012

Gods at War - Friday

Posted on Fri, Jun 29, 2012

Isaiah 42:8a.

I am the Lord; that is my name!  I will not give my glory to anyone else...
 
What if everyone in the world around you did exactly what you wanted when you wanted? Life would be pretty smooth, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, idols will never satisfy you. Not even the god of influence. As with most other idols, what starts as a good or beneficial gift becomes an object of worship, competing with the One True God. Influence can be used as a tool for good, but how often have you watched people who are given a position of influence eventually go overboard trying to get what they want by any means necessary? This is not what God wants for us. Our influence, used in the proper way, is not a means to push everyone to do as we wish; instead, it’s more like an invitation for others to follow us on a more desirable pathway than they're currently travelling. As we live for Christ, the favor and influence He gives us is for His glory, not ours. God will not, and should not, share His glory with anyone. Use your influence in this world for Christ.
  • Our influence is best used to lead others toward Jesus. Pray and ask God to help you become a greater reflection of Christ.
  • Ask God how He would want you to influence people around you. Then go and live accordingly.
Memorize Exodus 34:14 this week. 
You must not bow down to another god, because the LORD is passionate: the LORD’s name means "a passionate God."

Will Briggs
Care Pastor

Gods at War - Thursday

Posted on Thu, Jun 28, 2012

Matthew 6:32b-33 

...your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
 
Stuff controls us. No question. But the god of possessions will never satisfy. How does this idol take the upper hand in our lives? It happens when we need to make another purchase to feel better about ourselves. When we have to shop for more, more, more to feel secure and significant. If you compare the make, model, or year of your car to your neighbor’s and feel compelled to get something newer or more expensive than theirs, you might have bowed down at the feet of this god. What if we were to, instead, readily allow God to clarify the difference between our wants and needs? This would be a great first step down the road of killing the idol of possessions in our lives. God has committed Himself to taking care of our needs. The idol of possessions, however, tries to convince us we need to take care of ourselves. And, furthermore, whatever we may want is actually a need because, of course, we deserve it! These lies from the enemy continue to seek to draw our heart away from God to something else. Don't fall for it. 
  • Not sure if the god of possessions is owning you? Try a detox on unnecessary spending. Take a week to focus your finances only on necessities. Pay your bills, buy food at the grocery store, and fuel for your car. What do you notice about yourself in response to this spending fast?
Memorize Exodus 34:14 this week. 
You must not bow down to another god, because the LORD is passionate: the LORD’s name means "a passionate God."

Will Briggs
Care Pastor

Gods at War - Wednesday

Posted on Wed, Jun 27, 2012

Philippians 2:3

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
 
Paul reminds us in today's text that we need to focus on others and deny the demand of worship from the idol of self. The idol of self seeks to dominate. It's the root of some of the worst atrocities in history. It's also the source of strife in the smallest corners of our lives. As with every other idol, it seeks to replace God at the center of our existence. But this idol also strives to place the priority of self over every other person who would seek to move ahead of us in any manner. We've all experienced the feeling of someone else trying to get ahead of us. Part of us will never find this to be pleasant. But it's so much worse when the idol of self is worshipped in our lives. The idol of self calls us to war with the entire world around us. It's been called the rat race, keeping up with the Joneses, and a dog-eat-dog competition. Each claw mark on our back from others worshipping their own idol of self burns deeply and sometimes even scars. But Paul and other writers of scripture help us discover we can avoid this scratching competition to get to the top of the pile.
 
First, Paul tells us to consider others better than ourselves. When we do this, we can celebrate the success of others. Help them get ahead. Rejoice in their wins. Second, James encourages us to go lower. He reminds us in James 4:6 that God actually opposes the prideful pursuit of higher, faster, or better than other people. He goes on to say God shows favor to the humble. God advocates and shows preference to those who go lower. Those who don't fight for their position. Those who allow others to win. None of this means we ought to be a doormat to be walked over. Instead, it is a release of control and demonstration of trust in the God who is worthy of our worship. This humility is a confidence properly placed in the fact He says we live life best when we stop being so self-centered, when we refuse to worship the idol of self, and instead look to the needs and concerns of others.
  • Where do you need to set aside the idol of self in order to develop relationships?
  • How has the idol of self sought to replace God in your life? 
Memorize Exodus 34:14 this week. 
You must not bow down to another god, because the LORD is passionate: the LORD’s name means "a passionate God."

Will Briggs
Care Pastor

Gods at War - Tuesday

Posted on Tue, Jun 26, 2012

Philippians 3:19

They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
 
Let’s not talk about the idol of food. Please. No, really. I personally don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just stop reading now and go have a donut. Worship at this altar is unbelievably widespread. No pun intended... but we need to talk about this god which is at war for our very lives. It’s a matter of life and death. Both physically and spiritually.
 
For me, eating can be a god who convinces me to rebel against the One True God, encouraging me to say, in effect, “I don’t trust You.” Maybe you understand. Perhaps, like me, you fear the sensation of hunger. Oh, we would never say that, of course. But have you ever gone for long stretches of time without experiencing hunger? You know. Eaten more than enough at every mealtime and then snacked in between? It’s almost as though I believe I can eat enough, then eat just a little more just in case I don’t get my next meal. But then I rarely, if ever, miss that next meal. Overeating is a trust issue. The god of food eats my lunch yet again.
 
What is the answer? When any little god seeks to turn you from the One True God, turn toward Him. If you are doing battle with the god of food, take practical steps to demonstrate trust in God. God’s Word says it this way in Deuteronomy 8:3, “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” 
  • Pick a day to fast from one meal. When you feel the hunger pangs, let it be a reminder to pray. As part of your prayer, ask God to deliver you from the idol of food.
Memorize Exodus 34:14 this week. 
You must not bow down to another god, because the LORD is passionate: the LORD’s name means "a passionate God."

Will Briggs
Care Pastor

Gods at War - Monday

Posted on Mon, Jun 25, 2012

Isaiah 43:10b

You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God - there never has been, and there never will be.
 
There are gods at war within each of us. They battle for the throne of our hearts. We are talented at creating these gods for ourselves. One of the more insidious gods is the idol of idealism. Idealism can rule our lives if we allow it to do so. For the idol of idealism, the tyrannical demand of worship often comes in the form of perfectionism. The plausible could be morphs to the insistent should be. Living to please this god affects not only your life, but also the lives around you. The tyranny of the should be is often forced upon others. Our families, friends, co-workers, employees... all suffer when the idol of idealism is allowed to run rampant in our lives. The worship of the ideal, and the attempts to control the factors of our life to produce our ideal of perfection, is a losing battle. The only way to win is to release control to the One Who has a bigger perspective on your life and circumstances. He gives grace in the face of imperfection and accepts us when we fail.
  • Has the god of idealism set up camp in your life?
  • Would the way you live your life make it accurate to say you engage in the worship of control?
Memorize Exodus 34:14 this week. 
You must not bow down to another god, because the LORD is passionate: the LORD’s name means "a passionate God."

Will Briggs
Care Pastor

Majoring in the Minors: Haggai - Friday

Posted on Fri, Jun 22, 2012

Haggai 2:15-17, 19b

‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on - consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord... ‘From this day on I will bless you.’
 
The question of why a good God would allow suffering in this world has plagued a lot of people, both Christian and non-Christian. From a human perspective, I can’t always see the “silver lining” in the clouds of pain over my life. In these verses, God seems to be addressing the very heart of the reason He allowed shortages and hardships in the lives of His followers; that is, He simply wanted them to return to Him. In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis says, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” The issue in the book of Haggai is the fact the people were more concerned with their comfort than with God’s mission, so He had to use His megaphone. And yet, how does God end His rebuke? “From this day on I will bless you.” Even amidst His rebukes, His mercy triumphs over judgment. His love overcomes their sin.
  • Why do you think God decided to bless the people even though they had neglected Him for so long?
  • What situations in your life has God used to grab your attention and cause you to return to Him?

Memorize Haggai 1:5 this week. 

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.’

David Hausknecht
Middle School Director

Majoring in the Minors: Haggai - Thursday

Posted on Thu, Jun 21, 2012

Haggai 2:4

‘But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.

The Lord is finally tired of the excuses and gets direct with Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people. “Be strong... and work,” declares the Lord. In other words, it’s time to get up off the couch and get your hands dirty, Israel. No longer will God allow His people to put their comfort above His mission. I remember being in Los Angeles a few years ago and looking out into the broken city, full of both homelessness and rampant materialism.  It seemed like an insurmountable task to reach so many people with the Good News of Jesus. I remember praying, “Lord, move in this city, both the rich and the poor need you right now!” And in that moment I felt the Spirit of God replying, “I agree! So when are we going out there?” God is waiting for us to “be strong and work!” A lot of times we get the “strong” part down pretty well; we’ll have faith that God will do something. But a lot of us don’t want to actually put in the work to make it happen, through the grace of God. We hide behind the excuse that if the Lord is all-powerful, He can make anything happen. He can make anything happen, but He desires for His followers - you and me - to be His hands and feet in this world. 
  • Do you struggle more with “being strong” or “doing work” when it comes to following Jesus?
  • What areas of comfort have kept you from participating in the mission of God?

Memorize Haggai 1:5 this week.

 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.’

David Hausknecht
Middle School Director

Majoring in the Minors: Haggai - Wednesday

Posted on Wed, Jun 20, 2012

Haggai 1:9

"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house."

I love when God shows his omniscience and knows our thoughts before we can even articulate them. In this verse, the Lord knows the Israelites are upset and wondering why God keeps thwarting their human plans. And He tells them very clearly the answer: they are choosing their own comfort over God’s mission. So often people will pray and pray and pray for God to bless them. “God, help me get this job. God, change that person’s mind. God, bring me success.” And many times God withholds His blessings. Why? Because He wants us to join His mission first. Isaiah 58:9-10 has a classic if/then statement: “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” God often waits for us to spend ourselves on His mission to bring light to a dark world before He pours out His blessings! Can you imagine the impact on the city of Lexington if we hit “pause” on our current prayers until we had served the homeless, cared for the widows, and advocated for the orphan?
  • How might you start “spending yourself” in behalf of God’s mission?
  • What injustices in this world spark a fire in your soul, and what can you start doing about it?

Memorize Haggai 1:5 this week. 

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.’

David Hausknecht
Middle School Director

Majoring in the Minors: Haggai - Tuesday

Posted on Tue, Jun 19, 2012

Haggai 1:6-7

You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”
 
The Israelites have neglected to rebuild the Temple, but they are living in luxury in their “paneled” houses (1:4). At this moment in their history, they care more about the material things to which they have access than about God’s house, which is in ruin. And in His rebuke, God explains a common experience most people have at some point in their lives; that is, the “stuff” of this world will never fulfill the deepest longing in our hearts. In the New Testament, Jesus has a conversation at a well with a Samaritan woman who has made some bad choices in life. At one point Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 3:13-14) C.S. Lewis explains it like this in Mere Christianity: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
  • What artificial things are you tempted to use to try to fill the God-shaped hole in your life?
  • How are you helping your friends or family find the “Living Water” of Jesus?

Memorize Haggai 1:5 this week. 

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.’

David Hausknecht
Middle School Director

Majoring in the Minors: Haggai - Monday

Posted on Mon, Jun 18, 2012

Haggai 1:2-4 

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’” Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
 
The book of Haggai is a short, direct book. It only takes the writer four verses to reveal God’s point through a question soaked in irony. The people of Israel are at the end of their exile, and it seems as if all the right doors are being opened for them to rebuild the Temple. For years they have been unable to do anything about the Temple, but God has brought them favor. And what do they do? They decide it just isn’t the right time. How much clearer can God make it?! Unfortunately, I’m just as guilty as the Israelites at making excuses about why I should not do something. I’m too tired to witness to the guy next to me on the plane, I can’t support that missionary because I have that one bill coming due, I’m too busy to volunteer for that ministry. But do I really believe caring for God’s priorities is less important than my own petty excuses? 
  • What excuses are you giving God right now?
  • What might happen if you and I stopped making excuses about why we cannot do God’s work on earth and instead focus on saving souls for the kingdom?

Memorize Haggai 1:5 this week. 

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways.' 

David Hausknecht
Middle School Director

Majoring in the Minors: Amos - Friday

Posted on Fri, Jun 15, 2012

Amos 5:14-15; 9:14-15

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph... 'I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.
 
Months after my sister Lauren went to be with Jesus, her husband, my parents and I all went through her clothes and shoes deciding what to keep and what to donate. What a painful process. Suddenly those socks you made fun of seem to be the things you could not bear to give away! As we sorted, we remembered and we kept remnants. Any clothing that had meaning to us or to my kids we kept in order to cut them up and use them to make a blanket for my children. The remnants of her clothes would be a reminder and a comfort for years to come.
 
God believes in remnants, too. He believes in their ability to fulfill promises. Webster’s dictionary defines remnant as a “small surviving group” or a “trace remaining”. While the numbers don’t seem very promising, the guarantee of a remnant of Israel in mulitiple books of the Old Testament ensured the promise of the Messiah. Each time God punished His people and yet preserved a remnant, He kept His old covenant with Abraham and made a way for the new covenant in Jesus Christ. 
 
Just like the remnants of my sister’s clothing, the restoration of Israel, even a “trace remaining” of them, provides comfort in the face of realities that are broken. Amos 9:11-15 describes what will come after the judgment of sin. The promise includes phrases which say, “I will restore... I will repair... and build it as it used to be... I will bring back my exiled people Israel... I will plant Israel in their own land never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them...” Destruction and judgment have endings in God’s economy. He intends our good, our restoration and our wholeness. Let’s live in such a way we do not forget God’s faithful acts, His promises, and our relationship with Him. Let’s live in a way which promotes the relationship Jesus died to restore.
  • What remnants of God's promises have you been clinging to?
  • This week, pray for God's restoration of His truth in your life. 

Memorize Amos 5:14 this week. 

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.

Amanda Carter
Worship Leader

Majoring in the Minors: Amos - Thursday

Posted on Thu, Jun 14, 2012

Amos 4:6

"I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you would not return to me,” says the LORD.
 
If you continue reading through verse 11, you'll find a great list in Amos. In chapter four, God presents all of the ways He attempted to get Israel to return to Him. Phrases like, “I gave you empty stomachs... I also withheld rain... I struck your gardens and vineyards... locusts devoured... I sent plagues... I overthrew some of you...,” fill this chapter. Why would God send all of these calamities on people He had chosen to be his family? Because God wanted them to remember. At the end of verse 13 in chapter 2 of Hosea, God ends another list of all the ways Israel has betrayed Him by saying, “but Me she forgot.” Honestly, one of the worst feelings to swallow comes when we are forgotten. Behind every emotion of being forgotten, lies the root issue of worth. The people, occassions, and things we attribute the most worth to are also the people, occassions and things we assign the most value to.
 
Way back in the history of Israel when God made a covenant with them in Genesis 15 by walking through the halves of the sacrifices with Abraham, God chose Israel. God remembered them when they were in slavery in Egypt. God asked the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel to pull out twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan river as they crossed into the Promised Land to help them build an altar and remember how God delivered them. Remembering matters to God. 
 
On the cross, what did Jesus feel as, for the first time, He suffered a break in relationship with God? He felt abandoned, forsaken... forgotten. And how do we celebrate this sacrifice? With a communion meal designed to help us remember.
  • How often do we forget what God has done and what He means to us?
  • What do you need to remember about God and His relationship with you today?

Memorize Amos 5:14 this week.

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.

Amanda Carter
Worship Leader

Majoring in the Minors: Amos - Wednesday

Posted on Wed, Jun 13, 2012

Amos 5:21-24

I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.
 
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who turn down the car radio when someone is speaking and those who do not. I fall into the first category. My brain overloads when there’s too much noise! Two separate, desirable sounds - the radio and conversation - become one annoying noise because I can no longer hear either clearly.
 
In today’s passage, we see God’s relational heart reveal itself again as He describes His disgust at the offerings and songs of His people while their lives look completely opposite. Many times in Scripture, we see God reveal that the condition of the heart when we come before Him matters more than the outward actions we take to look religious. Isaiah 29:13 says, “These people come near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” Hosea 6:6 says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." The New Testament puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 13:1, “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” We see in Amos that hearts far removed from God and His ways turn two desirable acts - singing to God and giving offerings to God - into noise because God can no longer receive them clearly. They are tainted, impure, phony, and, as evidenced in today’s Scripture, annoying to God. It’s as if He’s saying, “You withhold your heart and turn my ways of relating to you into meaningless acts. It’s a double offense.” The motives of your heart matter when you interact with God.
  • Do you worship God because you have to, or because the goodness of the relationship you have with Him overflows?
Memorize Amos 5:14 this week.
Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.

Amanda Carter
Worship Leader

Majoring in the Minors: Amos - Tuesday

Posted on Tue, Jun 12, 2012

Amos 1:3,6, 9,11,13

This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth...For three sins of Gaza, even for four... Because she took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom... For three sins of Tyre, even for four... Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom... For three sins of Edom, even for four... Because he pursued his brother with a sword, stifling all compassion... For three sins of Amnon, even for four... Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders.’

 
This is what the LORD says: ‘For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed... For three sins of Israel, even for four... They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals.’
 
That’s a lot of reading to start our day! As I read through Amos, I realized what an easy list the opening chapters make. God very clearly and succinctly reveals the offenses against Him by each nation and then describes the consequence. Once we read a bit of the list, the pattern becomes clear: God takes injustice and violence personally. Even more so when injustice and violence are used for personal gain. In each scenario of mistreating others listed in these opening chapters, the offending nation made some kind of profit. Some extended borders, some made money selling captives, while others obtained goods. All of the injustice and violence was fueled by a bottom line. This sounds eerily familiar to many modern day nations and injustice crises we hear about today.
 
The bottom line for God? Mistreatment of others for personal gain will not go unnoticed or un-dealt-with by God. Justice matters to Him. In the New Testament, we see this character trait of God play out in Jesus. In Mark 11:15-17 as well as in Matthew 21:11-13, we see Jesus clear the temple of those selling overpriced sacrifices to people who have come to make atonement for their sins. Jesus says the money changers have turned the temple into a “den of robbers.” They are exploiting others for a profit in the house of God, and Jesus is offended, so He clears them out. What a treasure to know God never changes! He is the same God of the Old Testament, in Christ and today that He has always been and forever will be. Injustice and violence, exploitation and manipulation still matter to God today.
  • How do we reflect God's concern for the treatment of others in our own lives?

Memorize Amos 5:14 this week. 

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.

Amanda Carter
Worship Leader

Majoring in the Minors: Amos - Monday

Posted on Mon, Jun 11, 2012

Amos 3:2

Out of all the families on earth, I picked you. Therefore, because of your special calling, I’m holding you responsible for your sins.
 
The fact we are a chosen people of God comes with responsibility. Just as we often expect more from people we choose to be associated with than we do from others around us, so God expects much from us. For example, for those of us with families, we have expectations of how they will behave because they represent not only themselves, but us as well. At times we may have strong reactions when they misrepresent or embarrass us by their choices or conduct. God’s expectations are much like our own. 
 
As the verse for today indicates, God chose Israel as His family. His very own family. The bloodline for His son, the Messiah. God’s reasoning for being offended by the behavior of other nations in Chapters 1 and 2 of Amos is based solely on their treatment of others and neglect of the common good. Toward Israel, however, God’s offense becomes personal. He expected more from these people who were intimately acquainted with Him and yet their list of sins looked no different from the offenses of the neighboring nations. Romans 11:1-27 discusses how even Israel’s rebellion and rejection of God allowed people not originally part of the chosen family to be grafted in and become part of the people chosen by God. All of this through Christ! What I’m saying is, God not only wants you, He picked you. Because of this truth, how different should your life look from your neighbors who do not know Him?
  • What areas of your life do you need to align with the truth that "God picked you" so you represent Him accurately and faithfully? 

Memorize Amos 5:14 this week. 

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed.

Amanda Carter
Worship Leader

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