Elder’s Corner: Opportunities for Growth

If you and I are anything alike, you have dropped your face toward the ground, perhaps closed your eyes, maybe shook your head back and forth, and then quietly reflected on what you just did.  Perhaps you have had a thought like, “could I be that stupid,” or “did I really just do that?”

That was my feeling this week at work when I locked approximately 50 feet of drill rod down in the ground.  I am on day 6 and have not been able to move it. All of my attempts have failed.

Sometimes you feel like your life is out of control and all you can do is wait and then pick up the pieces.  The other way to look at things is this.  When I finally figure out how to remove it, the knowledge will stay with me.  I already learned what not to do.  Now I need to learn what to do.  Joseph was sold in to slavery, imprisoned, and then saved the Israelite people; thus he protected the people through whom the Messiah would come into the world (Gen. 50:20).

Peter walked on water, took his eyes off Jesus and sank (Matt. 14:22-33). But his story didn’t end there. 50 days after Jesus resurrection, Peter preached and 3,000 people got saved on that day (Acts 2).

Little David killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17), only to commit adultery with Bathsheba and murder her husband (2 Sam. 11). Yet, when he repented, he became a great king (Acts 13:22).

Junk happens, but God does not want us to except defeat.  When we mess up, just look at it as: what does God want me to learn from this situation, and how do I make sure not to make the same mistake again?  I thought for many years the day I was going to stop learning was the day I died, but I now believe the day I die will be the day I start learning the things I cannot yet understand.  God’s vision is complete, ours is limited.  Consider your struggles as opportunities for wisdom and growth. Keep your focus on Christ.  He will not lead you astray!

--Tim

P.S.  If there is anyone with experience removing stuck auger bits give me a call. :)

The Blessed Life #4: Amazing Grace

A certain man was a slave owner in the 18th century in England. He spent several years of his life in this profession, buying and selling slaves. He was likewise known as a drunk and rebellious/law breaking man. He was a man who was clearly far from God. However, God was not far from him.

On a voyage back to England from Africa, it appeared that all would be lost as the ship encountered a very severe storm. During this time, this man decided to read a book called Imitation of Christ (by Thomas Kempis). As a result of his experience and the message which he read, this man’s life was changed! This man’s name was John Newton.

John Newton realized the awesomeness of God’s grace which is exactly why he penned these words: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” Shortly before his death, John said, “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: ‘That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior!’”

John was never able to get over the fact that no matter what he had done in the past, God’s grace was greater!

The story of God’s amazing grace could be summarized with the acrostic G.R.A.C.E.: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. That is, Jesus died on the cross to pay the wages of our sins which were owed to our Righteous Judge, God the Father. Thus, Jesus bought our freedom by taking our place. We are now able to be forgiven!

Psalm 103:12 states, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Why does God tell us that He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west? He does because when one begins traveling east around the earth they will always be headed in the same direction (unlike one traveling north or south, when they reach the North or South Pole they will begin to travel in the opposite direction). The point which God is making is that our sins have been removed forever. When one fully understands this their lives will never be the same. That was clearly the case with John Newton.

Even though John was far from God for much of his life, he didn’t stay there. There was a new name written down in Glory on account of him receiving the gift of eternal life, and it was John Newton His life was transformed by God’s amazing grace. As a result of this, God gave him a new purpose. Therefore, for the rest of John’s life, he fought, year after year, to end the practice of slavery throughout the British domain. And in the same year that he passed away, his mission was completed.

I don’t know what great purpose God has in store for you personally. However, I do know that His grace is available for you. And this amazing grace will transform your life, offering purpose, peace, and prosperity. Even though the prosperity may not come in this life, it will come, when the roll is called Up yonder.

Because of God’s amazing grace,

            Matt 

God Revealed #6: Our Secret Weapon

           Look up there in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No it’s superman! Who is that in the sky? No, it’s not Clark Kent, it is the Holy Spirit. But what super powers does He have?

The Holy Spirit has 3 primary functions in our world today. Each one of these functions reveal God’s love for us.

First, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). God does not want us to experience judgment. However, to a righteous Judge, justice must be served, and any sin, regardless of what mankind may think, is deserving of eternity in hell (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, the Holy Spirit convicts us so that we might receive the cure which Jesus made available through what He did on the cross.

The Holy Spirit’s conviction is similar to that of a doctor telling a patient that they have cancer. The patient is overwhelmed with the thoughts of dying; however, the doctor reassures the patient that while the cancer is life threatening, a procedure can be done which will remove the cancer and thereby enable the patient to enjoy life for many years yet to come.  

Likewise, the Holy Spirit’s conviction is really a display of God’s grace since He does not want us to end up in the location where our sins are leading us. So through the Holy Spirit’s conviction/leading, He seeks to get us on the right path, which leads to eternal life.

Once a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit will continue to convict us of sin and righteousness, refining us into the people we were always meant to be: holy and righteous. Thus, in this first function of the Holy Spirit, we are being transformed from a sinner headed for hell to a righteous saint headed for heaven. God has great things in store for us, but it is going to take having our rough edges knocked off through the work of the Holy Spirit.  

The second primary function of the Holy Spirit is the seal of our salvation. According to Acts 2:38, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in a person’s life at baptism. This is called the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. From this point on, He in a sense becomes our conscience, guiding us as Christians, enabling us to arrive safely at our true home, heaven.

Jesus taught that when people saw Him, they saw the Father (John 14:7-11), likewise, when we have the Holy Spirit living within us, Jesus is present (Acts 1:1-2). Therefore, in this manor, Jesus explained this guidance to our heavenly home by saying, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of My Father's hand” (John 10:27-29). Thus, God’s loving hand is safely guiding through the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, as the seal of our salvation, the Holy Spirit testifies within us that we are a child of God (Rom. 8:9). It is interesting to note that the Greek word which speaks of the Holy Spirit being the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance in heaven is the same word which is used for that of an engagement ring (Eph. 1:13-14). Just think about that! We are wearing a picture of the wondrous marriage celebration which will take place one day in heaven between Jesus and the church.

The third primary function of the Holy Spirit is to empower us as Christians. This is God’s loving hand giving us the resources/spiritual gifts necessary to complete the task He places before us. These spiritual gifts vary greatly, yet everyone’s gift has a very unique and special purpose. No one’s gift is better than anyone else’s. Therefore, the Holy Spirit has gifted you in a very special way.

EQUIPPING GIFTS		KEY WORDS	DESIRES	LEADS BY
1	Pastoring	Shepherd	To care for/protect	People sensitivity
2	Leadership	Orchestrator	To give direction	Vision/team sense
3	Exhortation	Encourager	To motivate	Inspiration/practical application
4	Evangelism	Soul winner	New Christians	Strength of conviction
5	Missionary	Foundation builder	New churches	God-given authority
6	Teaching	Doctrine developer	To teach	Biblical facts
7	Wisdom	Understanding	To apply knowledge	God-given insight
SERVING GIFTS		KEY WORDS	DESIRES	SERVES BY
8	Helps	Assisting	Free others to use gifts	Helping
9	Administration	Planner	Organization	Providing the details
10	Service	Need meter	Help however, wherever	Practical support
11	Mercy	Comforter	To show compassion	Kindness
12	Giving	Liberally give away	To share resources	sharing
13	Hospitality	Hosting for God	To open home	Openness
14	Intercession	Prayer warrior	Intercede	Praying

These gifts assist us in building up others within the church in order to unite all who are following the true faith. Additionally, these gifts assist us in leading others to a saving knowledge of Christ; as all of us are enabled in our own way to reach out to those around us telling them of the great love of God. (Eph. 4:12).

A good way to recognize the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has empowered you with is to consider what bothers you in church. If you are bothered that our church does not do more outreach, you are probably gifted in evangelism. If you are bothered by a lack of caring within the church, you probably have the gift of mercy. If you are looking around and think, “This church needs to be more organized!” you are probably a gifted as an administrator.

When one considers the 3 primary functions of the Holy Spirit, they realize that He is our secret weapon. He is our secret weapon which aids us in coming to Christ, thus, receiving salvation. He is our secret weapon which gives us great assurance and confidence about where we will spend eternity. And He is our secret weapon for living the lives we were always meant to live, for He gives us the abilities and gifting to accomplish things we could never accomplish by ourselves.

Because of God’s love,

     Matt