I knew that title would get your attention. Look at this picture and then I will tell you why I entitled this post like that.
If this is actually our President shooting this rifle, then he is sending out mixed signals since he is pushing for a ban on guns, isn't he? It's one thing to say you stand for or against something but when people see you doing the exact opposite, then you have got problems.
If you say that you are a Christian, then you have the whole world watching you closely to see if your actions match what you say. If you tell somebody they shouldn't be doing something, then why should they catch you doing the same thing you told somebody else not to do? Your character and integrity suffer greatly when your words don't match your actions.
I pray that we will follow the words that the apostle Paul gave us in 1 Corinthians...
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (ESV) Do you not know that
in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you
may obtain it. Every athlete exercises
self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an
imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do
not box as one beating the air. But I
discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I
myself should be disqualified.
If you know anything about me, you know that sometimes what I mean to say doesn't come out right and when that happens, it usually produces a laugh for those of you who are around to hear it.
For example, one Sunday at the close of our worship service at Rolling Fork Baptist Church, I felt prompted to share about how grateful that I am to God that He would allow me to serve as a pastor of His church. Not only that, but I wanted to say how blessed I was to have people around me to help me grow as a pastor and a leader. So here is what I meant to say, "I know that I have made many mistakes while serving RFBC all of these years and I wish that I had know then what I know now so that I could have done a better job. But I understand you have to start at one level and start growing from there. I am thankful that God is teaching me and developing me to be a better leader in the future." But that's not how it came out.
What I actually said (and yes, Rhonda quickly corrected me) was ""I know that I have made many mistakes while serving RFBC all of these years and I wish that I had know then what I know now so that I could have done a better job. WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TAKE WHAT YOU KNOW NOW AND START SOMEWHERE FRESH?"
Several folks began to question me about that statement and asked if I was leaving RFBC. I told them no and tried to explain what my statement was supposed sound like. I began serving as pastor at RFBC in January of 1999 and I look back and see many areas that I should have handled things differently... but you learn as you go, right?
This year, I really feel the need to look at my role as a pastor and the church as a whole and ask, 'What are we doing that is really pleasing God and what are we doing that is causing us to fall short of what God wants for us to be?'.
As a pastor, I am having to rethink a lot of things because after pastoring for the last 17 years, I see many ideas and practices in the past that have not been effective in leading people to maturity in Christ. At the time, I thought I was doing what was right, but now I look back and see that things didn't always go like I thought they would. I see some areas where I should have taken action but I didn't for whatever reason. I see some areas where I should have stayed away from something but got involved because I wanted to help someone.
SO PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AND ALL OTHER PASTORS because the day is getting closer for each one of us to leave this world and come face to face with Jesus Himself. I want to be ready. I want to hear 'Well done, My good and faithful servant.', don't you? Let us read this passage below and use it as a prayer as we live out our days in 2013...
Philippians 3:12-15 (ESV) Not
that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I
do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize of
the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let
those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think
otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
What would happen if I walked around and told everyone how perfect they were just like they were and that there is no need to ever worry about their eternity? "It doesn't matter if you do that kind of thing, it's going to be alright." "So what if it gets you into trouble later, at least you get to have fun now." "Don't worry about it... who is going to know that you act that way?"
What would happened if people had treated me like that all of my life? "Bruce, keep telling those dirty jokes, you are great at it." "It doesn't matter that you cuss like that, everybody does that." "Yes it is fun making fun of her, let's do it some more."
If we don't have people in our lives who love us enough to tell us the truth, then we will never see ourselves as we really are. We will only see ourselves as we think we are and that is totally different.
And if we don't see ourselves as we really are, then we will never see the need to repent of our sins and turn towards a holy God who loves us and wants us to live for Him. There is a common misconception going around that believes that since God loves us, He will let us do whatever we want. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Jesus died upon the cross because we did do what we wanted. If you want to go to heaven, you will not be going as you are or as you were but as you will be after God recreates you by giving you a new life. Not the life that you were living for yourself, a new life where you will be living for Him.
Sometimes it won't be easy but never give up. Some people will criticize you and call you names but it is not their opinions that need to be your top concern. You should only be concerned with what God says about you because if you are pleasing Him, He will take care of the rest.
However if you are not pleasing Him, realize that He will send people your way to help you see your sin. When they do this for you, remember to ask God if what they are saying is true and if it is, ask for forgiveness and be freed from whatever was holding you in bondage.
Psalm 32:1-2 (ESV) Blessed is
the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is
covered. Blessed is
the man against whom the LORD
counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no
deceit.
This week, I have been called 'hater', judgmental and so much more. Why? Because I use Facebook as a method of sharing God's Word and guess what? Jesus was right when He said in Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV) "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed
are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you."
If I really was a hater, I would shut up and let people face whatever they face based upon their actions but that is not what we are told to do. Look what it says in Ezekiel... Ezekiel 33:2-6 (ESV) “Son of man, speak to your
people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the
land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows
the trumpet and warns the people, then if
anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword
comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take
warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would
have saved his life. But if the watchman sees
the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not
warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away
in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.
I hope you see the importance of sharing God's Word to those you come in contact with each day. Yes, we must speak it with love, but again, we must speak. What would happen if I did shut up? For that matter, what would have happened if everyone in my life had shut up instead of telling me what I needed to hear regardless of whether I wanted to or not?
I am very thankful today for everyone that God has used to speak truth to me. Though I may not have received it the right way then, I see now why I should have...
I am thankful for my mom and dad who raised in church. As far back as I can remember, I remember going to church.
I am thankful for Charlie Flenor who was the first pastor I remember and he was the one who was preaching at New Salem Baptist Church on Bethany Lane when I got saved by God. It was 'Bro. Charlie' who would sometimes call on me to pray in church even though I was just a little kid but he said he saw that God was working on me and that one day I would be a preacher.
I am thankful for all of the pastors that have taught me over the years, Bill Steeger, Gene Crowder, Greg Abercrombie, Drexel Rayford, Bob Gray, Jim Doyle and so many more.
I am thankful for the friends who warned me when I was about to mess up and for the ones who lovingly corrected me when I did mess up.
If all of those folks had been quiet, I would still be in the same sin I was back then. And so I continue to speak... praying that God will continue to use me as a voice of truth... praying thtat I will have the right motive and the right approach. What about you? Will you keep speaking?
Last night, I started a list of 'facebook peeves' on facebook in order to try a new approach to initiate some conversations this week that will help people see the difference between what we do and what we should do. These 'peeves' are not random complaints but are to be used as teaching moments. I have no idea how many peeves will be listed but last night's posts got a lot of attention so I put the first part of the list together in this post...
FACEBOOK PEEVE #1: PEOPLE WHO USE FACEBOOK TO BRAG ABOUT THEIR SINS, INSTEAD OF CONFESSING THEM TO GOD AND REPENTING OF THEM. ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY ARE CHRISTIANS BUT POST PICS AND COMMENTS THAT SHOULD NOT BE DONE BY SOMEONE WHO IS STRIVING TO FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST.
FACEBOOK PEEVE #2: PEOPLE WHO TRASH THEIR EX ON FACEBOOK. You may think your ex is a 'loser' but trashing them on facebook doesn't make you look like much of a 'winner'.
FACEBOOK PEEVE #3 (since the first two created some interesting conversations): PEOPLE WHO WHINE ABOUT MONDAYS. After ministering to five separate families in funeral homes the last six days, I am sure that those families would love to have one more Monday with their loved ones. Every day, including Mondays, is a gift from God. Don't waste it. Live for Christ.
FACEBOOK PEEVE #4: PEOPLE WHO GIVE US THE DAILY REASONS WHY THEY HATE THEIR LIVES OR THEIR JOBS OR THEIR HOMELIFE. Your attitude is a major factor in determining how your day will go. Give yourself a chance to enjoy the day by renewing your thought process. Instead of fussing about what you dont' have, realize what you have been blessed with and then tell God 'thank You'.
So as we wait for the next peeve to appear, please use this time to examine yourself to see how you are living your life. You only have one shot at life, don't waste it. Use it to make an impact in this world.
One of the worst whippings I ever got happened on Thanksgiving! Yes, that's right. The day that we are supposed to express our thankfulness to God for all that He is and all that He has done. Traditionally, it is a day of turkey and dressing... but not that Thanksgiving. Tenderloin, biscuits and gravy. If you are expecting the rest of the menu, that's it. Tenderloin, biscuits and gravy.
We were coming home from somewhere that I don't remember but I do remember repeatedly asking if we could go out for thanksgiving dinner. Mom said she didn't feel well and Dad kept saying no. No matter how hard I tried to convince them that it wasn't Thanksgiving with turkey and dressing, Dad said no. So at that moment, I had a choice to make. Either stop rebelling against them which would settle things down OR keep mouthing until I got the (one of) the worst whipping(s) I had ever had. Obviously I didn't shut up and it really caused me pain.
I REALLY remember that whipping... with the belt as usual. But more stripes on my backside than usual. I even tried to pull away and convince Dad that he had given me enough but he didn't feel the same way. [I want to emphasize my Dad was very loving. He was a great deal of fun when Brian and I were behaving but when we didn't behave, we were guaranteed to get a serious whipping with the belt. Part of being loving is using discipline when needed. If he didn't love me, he would have let me do whatever I wanted and then deal with how I turned out on my own.]
Here's where you come into the story. I am sure that my dad didn't personally whip you but maybe our Heavenly Father has whipped you and me both. If you are rebelling against God's authority, you can be sure a whipping of some sort is on the way. And you don't get to pick what it is and how long it will last. I am still getting whipped for some things I did decades ago.
So make the right choice. Obey God. Accept the fact that He has all of the authority and He has the final say. As a pastor, one of the biggest thrills in my life is preventing people from getting a whipping. OBEDIENCE EQUALS BLESSINGS. Amen?
