DATE:6.30.04
What is the number one problem dealing with the church today? People misunderstand God. Jesus began in the book of Matthew defining Christians, giving a pretty tall order of expectations of how they would live and use His authority in ministry. Jesus was dealing with a bunch of religious folks who weren't understanding who He was…the Son of God.

Jesus gives the greatest definition of who God is in the following parables: the lost sheep, the missing coin, and the youngest son. The purpose of these parables, or stories is not evangelistic…the coin, the sheep, and the son were already owned by the father, the woman, and the shepherd. But they were lost.

Jesus was listening to the grumbling religious community, "If He was God, He wouldn't be eating with sinners…He should be more like us." Isn't that called denomination? Jesus heard the grumbling in their minds, and heard their questions. Jesus said, "I'm not like anyone, I expect people to be like me." He then taught them in parables.

The first parable: The Shepherd

Note: Jesus was so WOWED with the centurian that the first parable is a reflection of him. It was the same analogy as a shepherd having 100 sheep.

Verse 4
What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it?

He was saying to the leaders in Israel, "I have given you all these sheep, and you're not really concerned about the lost. If you are like God, you'll be concerned about everyone in the flock. The tax collectors are lost Jews."

Then Jesus nailed them, "What man amoung you if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? God isn't like you or me (speaking to the leaders), but He's like ME (Jesus). I'm concerned about the lost, and will go after them until I find them." You and I want to write them off.

When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing, and when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost! I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

When we act like God, what is our main concern as a staff? What is our greatest concern? It's so hard to be in the ministry, because we are constantly dealing with negatives. People aren't flocking to see us when they're well, but when they are sick. Jesus said, "We were sent for the sick and the lost." Jesus' ministry killed him. Why do we think people will like us and our leadership? They'll only see the negative.

God is like a shepherd with 100 sheep, concerned for the one lost, leaves the 99 to go after 1, but it's His own sheep.

God is not only like a shepherd, but also like a woman. She has 10 coins, loses one, searches, finds it and calls friends over for a party. By the time she bought the food for the party, sent invitations, had friends over, broken stuff while they're there, and cleaned up, did that cost her more than the coin was worth?

The woman didn't believe the value was in the cost of the coin, but the caring. When you care for something, someone else might think it's worthless, but it's a treasure to you. Do you think our ministry at Antioch is priceless? You know, there is a difference in a man who has 100 sheep, and shepherd with 100 sheep. There are a lot of men who have sheep, but very few shepherds. There are a lot of women in ministry with coins, but very few shepherds who are women. There are people under you regardless of your position, there are sheep under you, and you are leading sheep.

God is like a father with 2 sons, and He does what is best for both of them. I love this parable. I believe the real prodical never left the home, and he's sitting in the pew.

The youngest son knew the oldest had a bad attitude. The dad divided the inheritance to both of them when the youngest asked. Then of course the youngest went off, spent all the money, and hit bottom. Then he came to his senses, after working on a pig farm (can you imagine, a Jew working on a pig farm?). The dad let him get that low to wake up. The father saw him afar off, if you see someone a far off, you are LOOKING. He probably looked every day for him. When he came back, the dad picked him up, there was no judgment…fell upon his neck, kissed him, cleaned him, and gave him a new robe and ring. The other son saw it and was angry. The brother was lost, and now he was found.

Motivation; what keeps us going, dealing with sickness every day, negatives…what is our greatest motivation?

DATE:6.23.04
I was thinking about servanthood. It's funny what goes through our minds as we process words through the grid of our own backgrounds and culture. The word servant, or slave, is very negative historically for me. But it's really one of the greatest things to be called, biblically.

The most extraordinary example of servanthood in all the Bible is found in 2 Kings 5.

There are several servants in this story:

Namaan, the servant of the king - the captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because BY HIM the Lord had given them the victory. He was a valiant warrior, BUT he was a leper. Did you notice there are always But's to servantood? We can concentrate on the but's or on the influence.

I'm amazed at Namaan. Why didn't he give up when he got leprosy? He could either go to a leper colony, or have a lot of influence. I wonder if he had a wife who encouraged him and said, "I'll stay." He kept his family and position , he was great to the king, and used by God to defeat a sinful people.

A little girl, (we never hear her name used) who had been taken captive from the land of Israel, was Namaan's wife's servant. It's one thing to be captured, her family could be dead, or in captivity, but she is made a slave in a leper's house. She says to her mistress, "I wish my master would go see the prophet in Israel. He could cure him." She was putting her life on the line. Because of the conflict with the two kings, she was making quite a statement to say, in effect, "My god is stronger, and you should go see him."

That one statement from a no name servant girl affected two kings.

I wonder what her motivation was? If he gets healed, will he free me? No, her motivation was concern for her master, because she understood her God. This little girl had a great deal of influence over the household, because her request went all the way to the king, who responded immediately, saying, "'Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.' And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes."

My mother was a maid, and I hated her leaving each day to work for white people, to give more of herself to their children than me. Her mistress was the most prejudice person I've ever met, and loved my mother like she did her family dog. But I never really understood the tremendous power my mother had over their household. She dictated what went on in that home. My mom understood that power wasn't in the mistress of the home, but in the servant.

The first experience with horses came from this relationship. This family had a daughter with polio, who wanted a horse, and wanted "Kenny to go riding" with her. I would be picked up and taken to the stalls to ride with the "master's" daughter. One thing I remember, I never was satisfied, because I felt under their thumb. Servanthood is a bitter-sweet relationship, according to the master.

The story continues - When the King of Israel read the letter from the King of Aram, he tore his clothes, thinking that he was "seeking a quarrel against me." Elisha sent word for Namaan to come to him, so that he would "know that there is a prophet in Israel." Namaan and his horses and chariots stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha, who sent a servant (Gehazi), saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you and you shall be clean." Now this servant, Gehazi, had served 2 great prophets, Elijah and Elisha.

Namaan was furious, thinking that Elisha could have at least come out and do something. So he left in a rage. His servants, (no names) came to him and asked, "Had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" Look at the influence the servants had on Naaman, who responded in obedience. Was Namaan thinking, what will my servants say if this fails? I will be a fool in front of my servants. Are you going to keep on dipping until you are fully obedient to see the changes God wants to make. Some of us would only dip a couple times, some of us would quit after five or six. After the 7th time, Namaan's skin was a new baby.

Namaan came back to Elisha wanted to pay. Elisha wouldn't take anything but Gehazi, Elisha's servant, gets on his Nikes and runs after Namaan to get his cut. But it didn't get by Elisha. When he went in to serve Elisha, and elisha asked, "Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your descendants forever."

There were servants who were never named, insignificant, no freedom, but had tremendous influence on history. Another, Gehazi, had all the freedom in the world, served two great prophets, and ends up wanting it for himself.

It is better to be a no name in God's hall of fame, or to be known by the world as a failure.

DATE:6.16.04
Isaiah 50

Behold the Lord God helps Me; Who is he who condemns me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them.

Who is it among you that fears the Lord, that walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who encircle yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of YOUR fire.

Self-sufficiency. HE says, I am going to promise you something, "This you will have from my hand; and you will lie down in torment."

We often go down our path, and it slows down like it's not working. We then form our own plans, and lose the fire and passion we used to have from studying God's Word, and listening to Him speak to us. We run to groups of people, maybe even Bible studies, or books. We begin lighting our own fire. God says, "I will frustrate you."

Sometimes we keep those tidbits, those things in our lives that we think bring us peace and happiness. We hold on for dear life, when God wants us to simply let go. Remember the movie "Cat in the Hat," when the kid was holding on to his sister and she was screaming. In order to save her, he had to let go. When he finally did, everything was okay.

We need to let go. If we don't, we may be made to lay down in sorrow. This is a real dilemna, because there are some things you should NEVER turn loose, and some things that we should NEVER hold on to.

We can never let go of God's promises, but we should let go of some of our own dreams. Wisdom is knowing which is which.

In Isaiah 45:9, God says "Woe to the one who quarrels with His maker." Aren't we really quarreling with God when we hang on to things? When there is no eternal value, let go. If it's more gratifying to you than God, let go. Does it build up the body, or you?

Continuing in verse 9, "Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands?'" In other words, He's all fingers or thumbs, or doesn't know what he's doing.

In verse 12 He says, "It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out out the heavens with My hands, and I ordained all their host." God takes a clump of clay, which is totally unusable, and makes a vessel. He can make a million dollar vase or a spit jar. Either way, it's better than it used to be, a clump of clay. Better to be a spit jar for Jesus than an unhappy million dollar vase.

God said I will give you freedom, and have the city rebuilt, but I will do it my way, and you won't like it. We need to let our way go. Sometimes I believe that I'm the smartest, and I really know what's best deep down, but I have to remember, it's not about my discernment or righteousness, but holding on to God.

DATE:6.02.04
Have you ever put everything on the line, and God came through? God came through for us with Mayday. But now we're looking at coming up with 2 million people in DC, and God has given us favor to be part of that. God takes the unwise of the world to do His work. The budget for DC will be about 5 million. Why would we take that on? God wants us to trust Him.

One thing I've noticed in the last months is we forget to enjoy life as Christians. People ask why I have horses and dogs…I love them and they make me take time out. Regardless of how busy I am, I walk in the barn and love the way my horse smells, and everything goes on hold.

Let's stop striving for a while, stop worrying, be still. What does it mean?

Beginning with verse 8. "Come and behold the works of the Lord…He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire."

Psalm 46:10
Cease striving and know that I am God.

Enjoy the difficulties of ministry, because we may never have this moment again. Last year's pruning has taken place, and we're all still here. God has given us life, let's not waste it.

Let me share with you the following message dated May 21, 2004, as Kjersty S writes:

<sub>Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched "something" on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line, my hair is dirty, I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, it looks like rain." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect.

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my "seize the moment" friend, he is open to adventure and available for trips. He keeps an open mind on new ideas. His enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with him for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now…go on and have a nice day. Do something you want to…not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you," do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head, or ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow," and in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi?"

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift…thrown away…life is not a face. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Life may not be the party we hoped for…but while we are here we might as well dance!</sub>

I catch myself thinking about families and people, staff and church plans, money, kids, years in front of them, things we want, and end up saying, "Are you nuts? You may not get out of bed." If I don't, the world will keep on going. People will forget you just as quick as they meet you. Enjoy the night, the sleep, and barking of the dogs.

The car won't start, the trans goes out, the clutch is defective, someone drives by in a new car. How much we can get caught up in everything, except the moment.

Right now is the best time we've got, the best time to trust God. If we live right now long enough, it ends up being 10 years. Now is the time to quit striving, and enjoy the face of the one you love…just to look at her hand.

Yesterday, I picked Curtis up and heard that laugh. He grabbed my face and planted a kiss on my face. I looked at his hands, and thought, "That is Pat and me…together." Then I saw a mustache, and thought, you're only 6.

I got in the car and realized that I was cold out there, but now I'm warm. I can still feel. How many can't? I can say this car is ours. So many things, so many things we cease to be still and know. Concentrate on the God of the universe…He wants to have a moment with you. Praise the Lord for how magnificent He is. Look at the hands He made, and understand the voice He gave you, and the eyes to see, even if they're getting dimmer. Take time and be still, and when we go through the difficult moments, NOTHING will be too big.

Sometimes we don't ask the God of ours. He's waiting to hear His children say, "Daddy, daddy, it sure would be nice for you to come through again."

Here's my message for today…We all have life. Are we enjoying it to the fullest? We all have God, do we enjoy Him to the fullest? You can't if you don't stop and be still and quit striving.

DATE:5.12.04
Isn't it amazing how words, phrases, sentences, doctrine, can be misunderstood?

A guy wanted to go hunting, and went to outfitter to get on a horse up in the woods. He was gone about 2 hours, and the horse returned to camp without him, sweating, with the saddle upside down. They searched and searched and finally found him, stomped, mangled up, with a broken gun. They helped him up, and got him over to the horse. "I thought you could shoot off this horse," he complained. The outfitter replied, "You can, but you can't shoot on him. It was a total misunderstanding, and the results HURT!

Jesus is God of Love. I've been doing a lot of talk shows and debates recently on the gay marriage issue, and without a doubt, I've been asked the same question, "Why are you showing hate, when Jesus was a God of Love?" I say, "Well, they killed Him, didn't they?" It catches them off guard, and they don't know how to react. Evidently, you know He was a God of love, so He must have said something to get that reaction, which was a horrible death." So the message of Love is also a message that gets folks who aren't living right angry. If they hated Him, they'll hate me. So, who are the haters?

Let's look at the God of Love, and see how He could be misunderstood into being a Hater. Why are we misunderstood at Antioch, and called insensitive? You think about how many people look at that part of Christ, and don't want to admit that He made them so angry that they released a murder, and killed the God of Love.

I was recently asked to speak at an event, with the restrictions of, "Don't say this or don't talk about that." Well I don't have to be there. I'd rather not speak than be told what not to say. Christ's words were so bold and unrestricted that He was killed for them.

Luke 11:37-38
Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him, and He went in, and reclined at the table. And when the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.

Why do people associate maturity and righteousness with people's law, but not God's law? How many times do people say, "You're just trying to make a statement," when you don't behave in a way they expect you to?

Vs. 39-40 But the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platte; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also?"

A man of God loves God more than people, and loves obedience more than acceptance. What does God consider a man of love? He is the one who loves God more than the love of method or denomination, or set of laws made by man. God says, "You love ME, and you are a man or woman of Love."

Vs. 42-45 But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others…And one of the lawyers said in reply, "Teacher when you say this, You insult us too."

Here is a Pharisee and a lawyer…sn't it interesting that most of our Congressmen and Senators are lawyers? It's too bad they aren't obeying God's law. They're breaking God's law to make Man's law. We can say to government officials the same thing. And some Christians say we shouldn't get mixed up in politics! If I hurt your feelings, that's one thing, but if what I say hurts your feelings, you're the one who needs to change, not me. I just spoke the truth.

Vs. 46-54 But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. Consequently, you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. For this reason also the wisdom of God said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, in order that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation."

These are pretty harsh words spoken by the God of Love!

Vs. 53-54 And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, plotting against Him, to catch Him in something He might say.

How do we act as a church of love? God has called us to make sure we're men and women of love. There is nothing more important than loving God and His ways. We WILL be misunderstood. How many of us are understood by our mates most of the time? Or our close friends? We're not. We're not understood by our own children, and they live with us. Why should I be upset when the congregation, or the talk show hosts and listeners don't understand me? It's water on a duck's back to me.

5.05.04
Joshua 1:7
"Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go."

Dr. James Dobson's comments (aired on his daily show) following the Mayday Rally:

"It was a very exciting event…there were more than 20,000 people that came out on Mayday, when most people are thinking about getting their boats in the water, and boots on the mountain. It was so wonderful to see the pastors and churches come together, especially Pastor Ken Hutcherson and his colleagues around the city.

People were standing and cheering and there was such a great support for the institution of marriage. The protesters made a lot of noise, but as I expressed love to them, people stood up and cheered, and joined in an expression of love. It was a high moment for me.

It was a source of irritation, that the media never said there were over 20,000 people. This event was spun by the media as a protest, and from the opponents' point of view. ABC didn't mention 20,000 people, but mentioned thousands of people protesting, and marching in protest. The associated press spun it entirely toward the opposition, which was really very minor. This is the way the media controls what we see and hear. They distort things so the American people really don't know. It makes me wonder what is really happening in Iraq. It's just what the media does. I had the same problem with the pornography commission…they lied about it. I want my listeners to know what a marvelous day it was. It was a highlight for me."

What is God saying, when He's given us this type of acknowledgement (James Dobson has ¼ billion listeners)? What does He expect from us as we step up and learn how to follow God? Our expertise boils down to simply believing God…nothing better than that. We can "ABC" or "123" it to death, but organization can NEVER come before trusting God.

Verse 5 - "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you."

If God had spoke to us with that same authority, would we rest in it or still trust in our own circumstances? God gave us that same promise, that He would supply our needs. But it's hard to believe it when we go to our box for a check and nothing is there. It's good to talk about trusting god, but another thing to have to live it. God called us to live some tough times. But I smell the rain coming.

Verse 6-8 "Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

What happened to the great thinkers of the church? What happened to the great writers of the church? Is that period over? Why not us? What happened to people who put everything on the line for the church? Are we just comfort-oriented today? Why not us?

What about the most "unorganized," broke church trusting God for something beyond anyone's wildest dreams? Not only is Mayday paid for, but with the monies that were gathered at that event, we were able to give 10 per cent to Metanoia (ministry to recovering homosexuals) and AARTH (ministry to AIDS victims).

Verse 9 - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

How many times do we have to hear the same theme? "Be strong and of good courage, be VERY strong and of good courage, be strong and of good courage…"? How many times do we need to hear it to assume the responsibility of believing it?

Verse 10 - Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, 'prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, to possess it.'"

Interesting he didn't ask for a vote whether he should be the leader. The Mayday event will put us under a different kind of pressure, but a good kind. I think right now, after seeing what took place, we are convinced that God moved!

What's next? October 15 in Washington DC, we're asking God for 2 million people to support traditional marriage. Then back to Antioch Bible Church's anniversary weekend to raise $2 million for Antioch's ministries. We could always try to find something NOT to believe God for. Let's step up and answer the call.

Only be strong and courageous!

4.21.04
What is the difference between a person who is merely doing "Christian things" and a Christian?

Luke 10 and John 11 give us the story of Mary and Martha - Martha the "doer" and Mary the "be-er."

Luke 10:38 - Jesus was invited to the house of "Martha and her sister Mary."
John 11:1 - Jesus went to the village of "Mary and her sister Martha."

In Luke 10:38, as Jesus enters the house, Martha is busy cooking and cleaning, and Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet. Martha tries to manipulate Jesus and Mary. "Jesus, don't you care that I'm in here, and Mary isn't helping me?"

It's Jesus' fault for not noticing she needs help, and Mary's fault that she isn't helping. Who owns the house? Martha does. In John 11, who "owns the village"? In Luke 10, Martha is mentioned first, and in John, it's Mary. As a church, do we want to own Antioch or do we want to own the city?

What was Jesus' response? He said, "Martha you're doing good things, by serving, but your sister Mary chose that what she would never lose, spending time with me." Every time Mary is mentioned in Scripture, she was sitting at Jesus' feet. It was she who anointed Jesus' feet with oil. Martha made the perfect meal for Christ, but left him out of it. Jesus said, "Martha if you don't feed me, I'll survive, but if I don't feed you, you won't."

John 11:1-3 "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, "Lord behold, the one whom You love is sick."

They were trying to manipulate him by saying, if you really love him, You'll come quickly.

Verse 5 - "Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus."Jesus was saying, "I love all of you. What I do will be best for all three, not just one. I won't be manipulated." Jesus stayed 4 more days, and let him die. The disciples had a problem because Jesus said he wouldn't die. But they didn't have the whole story...Jesus slowed down, because He wouldn't be manipulated.

Verse 6 - "When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was."

Hutcherson house rule: The more you ask, the longer it takes! Our kids have learned not to ask more than once.

Verse 7 - 11 "Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?"

What they really meant was "the Jews will stone us." Sometimes we just pretend to care for others, but we're really concerned about ourselves. When someone is in a lesson, guess who gets to join in? Lazarus' sickness wasn't really for him, but for his sisters, and the disciples, and even the whole village.

Verse 20 "Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house."

When a doer loses their way, they get busier. If you are a be-er, you sit down and cry...you get emotional. Jesus is 2 miles from the city, and Martha runs out to get him. She had to do something, so she RAN. She rebuked him, "My brother wouldn't have died if you had been here." Jesus said, "Do you believe me, that I am the resurrection, and if you believe in Me you'll never die?" She did come to the conclusion that He was God, and sent Mary to see him.

Mary followed Martha. When Martha moved, who moved? "The Jews then who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her…" When Mary moved, who moved? The village. What kind of a church do we want to be...a Martha church or a Mary church?

Notice how Mary said the same thing to Jesus that Martha said, "Lord, if You would have been here my brother wouldn't have died." Do you think they had been talking, or complaining about Jesus? When things got tough, she took on the persona of Martha and was rebuked for it.

When things get rough for us, what will we look like?

We know the rest of the story...Jesus said, "Move the stone." Martha said, "He stinketh." Then He prays, "...for the people standing around me." Jesus said, "Loosen him, and let him go." There was a crisis of belief. They would have to touch a dead body. Many Jews believed in Him. And some went away and told the Pharisees.

Who are we, Martha or Mary? When our plans fail, who do we become?

Lazarus had to die.

Mary and Martha learned not to manipulate God.

Disciples had to learn how to face death, in order to make the church what it is today.

God's love waits, weeps, but always WORKS.

3.24.04
Let me lay a biblical foundation for the Op Ed I wrote for the Seattle Times this week. Let's start with the Old Testament.

Leviticus 18:22 "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."

Genesis 19 - Some have said that Sodom was destroyed because of the sin of inhospitality. Let's read:

"Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom." ("sitting at the gate" refers to leadership, on a council) When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. And he said, 'Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.'"

That sure sounds to me like he was being hospitable!

"They said however, 'No, but we shall spend the night in the square.' Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate."

Not only did he keep them in his home for protection, but he also prepared a feast, not a meal for them. I call that hospitality!

"Before they lay down, the men of the city; the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.' But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, and said, 'Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shleter of my roof.'"

I think this is hospitality to a fault! It's a good thing that women aren't treated like that today. Lot was a leader in the city, but not in his home. Remember, only one act can separate righteousness and unrighteousness. One thing will destroy a home, or a ministry. The world is looking for that one thing!

How about the New Testament?

I Timothy 1:8-10 "But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderes and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching."

I Corinthians 6:9-10 "Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,...shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God."

Romans 1:24-27 "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

Here is the original, unedited Op Ed that I sent to the Seattle Times:

Another day brings another definition of love, marriage, religion, truth, civil rights, and the church. Can anyone remember the day when confusion over issues like this was as extinct as the dinosaur? Only in a culture bombarded with "tolerance" could these institutions be debated with any seriousness. The issue, in which I will attempt to resurrect some common sense, is that of gay marriage.

It has been said loud and proud that gay marriage is a civil rights issue. If this is the case then one must identify gays as the new African-American community. I am here to tell you now and hopefully for the last time that the gay community is not the new "African-American". Gay marriage is an issue solely because a few rebellious, headstrong judges in Massachusetts and a mayor in San Francisco openly defied state law. In California, the judges and the state attorney general were too scared to take any action I am sad to say, fearing homosexual voters. What is this world coming to when the law can be skirted allowing a minority group, 3% of the population of the U.S. at most, to control an entire state? I must agree with Thomas Sowell who said "Gay marriage is not a local issue but a national issue because maintaining the rule of law-or what is left of it-is a national issue of historic importance if we are not to see America degenerate into the world's largest banana republic, or worse. The time is long overdue to start impeaching judges who think their job is to veto laws they do not like or condone lawlessness that they agree with. An independent judiciary does not mean judges independent of the Constitution from which they derive their power or independent of the laws that they are sworn to uphold." I wish I could have said it as well as Mr. Sowell, but since he has I don't have to.

Our own Mayor Nichols, energized by such actions in other parts of our country, made an executive order recognizing gay marriages for city employees. My assumption is that he is willing to give up his own salary to pay what it will cost our state to benefit couples that are breaking the law. I didn't know that the budget and how to allocate it was up to the discretion of the mayor, but voters of this great state will have the last word. When the voters go to the polls next election, to cast a vote for mayor and governor we will not forget the servants who think they are above the law. What is our world coming to when the mayor and King county executive stand for what is against state law?

Homosexuals and their supporters insist that marriage is a fundamental right, and that to deprive them of this right is the most vicious form of discrimination. They also believe that to deny them this right makes them second-class citizens. As Christians we believe that homosexuality is simply a sin issue and that God does not condone it and neither will we. What is this world coming to when a church says that a women minister has not violated God's law by being a homosexual? If the church is afraid to discipline her on that issue, what about what the Bible has to say about sexual sin when the participants are not married? For the church, this is not a civil rights issue, it is a sexual behavior issue. I think the church should stop being "evangelly-fish" with no "spiritual vertebrae." "We are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ" should be our battle cry from here to eternity. Do we believe that the Bible is the word of God or not?

3.17.04
If God walked the earth today, and treated people the way He did, He could be sued for emotional abuse.

Matthew 15:21-28
There was a Canaanite woman with the daughter that was demon-possessed - she was crying out, and saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed."

How did Jesus respond? "He did not answer her a word." How insensitive was that? If a pastor did that today, he would be sued for emotional abuse. Sometimes we are expected to be the answer to a sick world. People clamor after us, and drain us emotionally, and we burn out. We need to follow His example.

Most of the time when we talk about faith - and healing - it's usually about ourselves- in the Bible having faith for healing is for someone else, it's intercessory. When we look at the four men who brought their crippled friend and tore a hole in the roof big enough to let the friend down to Jesus - Jesus said, "Your faith has made him well."

Jesus was angry when the disciples became weak in the faith that He given them back when they first believed. They lost sight of God's timing. God takes us through difficult times, we lose heart and quit…we are always trying to make God be on our time. God is simply stretching our faith.

The disciples wanted Jesus to get rid of her, because she was embarrassing them. Wrong motives. Jesus was not responding to her for the right motives, He was stretching her faith, while teaching the disciples an important lesson.

Then Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel "

He "dissed" her again. How long are you going to stick it out? How long are you going to pray? Are you getting weak in your faith?

V 27 - But she said, "Even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master's table."

Jesus said, "Wow! You passed the test. My own disciples haven't learned that yet. Your daughter is HEALED!! Do you know who was angry with her faith? The demons! They lost their home. Jealousy, envy and fear don't just move in. We give them a home in our lives.

As a church we need to learn - it is not about us.

3.10.04
Luke 9
Why didn't Jesus fire his disciples?

In chapter 9 alone, they failed every test :
* how to feed the 5,000
*the transfiguration - wanted to build 3 altars
*ability to cast out the demons out of the boy
In the average church, people want to get rid of you when you fail once…and we're not talking about sin issues.

As a staff do we understand what God has called us to do here? We often forget what this church is about. We want to put our background, color, and education into our ministry…it's not about us, it's about God.

You would think after this many failures the disciples would be careful about their thinking process…Why didn't Jesus fire all the disciples?

*Ministry did not depend on them and their professionalism

*He saw what they would be

The pastors and staff at Antioch are not hired because of who they are, but what they will be. Jesus even knew every thought, and still loved and supported them. He is our example. It's really not convenient to do things God's way. Some will say it's not good stewardship doing things God's way.

If I'm doing God's work His way and people reject me - who am I to be disliked? Moses said Ex 16 - Who am I to complain? When the world jumps on us regarding adoptions, or issues on morality, are we up to the fight?

In verse 49 John said, 'Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to hinder him because he does not follow along with us." Jesus said do not hinder him, for he who is not against you is for you. What did Jesus do? After they were arguing…he answered their thoughts…

Jesus looked at what they could be…not what they were. And Jesus realized what they would be if they didn't stay close to Him. Are we like Christ? Are people better off spending time with us? Do we look at people through His eyes, and see them for who they really are, because of who they will be?

2.18.04
I Cor. 1:20
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

God really works in the most unorthodox ways, doesn't He?

Where is the first place we as believers turn? Do we immediately go to the scholars, and the experts? Or do we run to God, and expect Him to surprise us with His methods? We cannot put our trust in the wisdom of man, but the weakness of God.

V 21
What is the weakness of God ? We would not have chosen for God to come down to earth and die the way He did. It's a simple message - and the secular world perceives Jesus as weak. What is perceived as weakness usually portrays strength.

Habakkuk thought he was weak - humility, serving, and kindness is weakness in the sight of man. It's really the opposite of our human nature. Amos was an unsophisticated man, but he had a skill as a prophet. Our God is a universal God of moral purity, not rituals.

When God chooses the foolishness of someone, is it truly foolish? We are told to put our trust in God, but we don't want to do just trust God. Sometimes having the right people around us gives us more confidence than God can. It's easier to have a day with nothing pressing in on us, no vehicle breakdowns, no disagreeable neighbors. It's must easier than trusting God for our problems.

Can we depend on God's Word enough to depend on it when there is no safety net underneath? That is foolishness to the world. If God has promised that He will take care of our needs - why don't we believe it?

I praise God where we are as a church…whether everything falls apart or goes ahead, we have only one place to run - to Jesus.

1.21.04
The Feeding of the 5,000
Why did Jesus think He should feed the 5,000? Because they were there...Because they were hungry...Because God was there. Whey should Antioch be involved with the fight for Adoptions? Because there is a need...Because there are people...Because we have God.

Luke 9 When Jesus told them to sit down and bless the food, what went through their minds? What food? (only 2 fish, and 5 barley loaves). Do we not have in Luke 9 an impossible situation? What is impossible with men is possible with God.

Question: Why did God think it was important to take up 12 full baskets after the meal? What is the significance of having that much left over? He just finished ministering to the 12 tribes of Israel? There was enough provision left over for the disciples?

How often do we forget what God has done? What is the lesson for us?

When did the disciples make their worst mistake in trusting God for amounts? The first time they fed 4,000 and took up 7 baskets and they went off and left them. When will we at Antioch get careless? When we have plenty, and don't think we need to be good stewards.

When God brings abundance to our church, what we must do, and what must we watch out for?

Exodus 15
The Israelites just saw the Red Sea close up on the Egyptians, they were singing and praising God, and 3 days later were complaining. Every problem they had dealt with water…too much, not enough, bitter, etc. Did Israel have a problem with the Living Water?

Verse 22 - "Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water."

Verse 23 - "When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah." The people grumbled against Moses.

Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. Did God create the tree? The answer is already there, if you quit concentrating on the bitter water, and concentrate on the Cross, which made our lives sweet, by the forgiveness of sin.

Then the Lord made a decree and tested them…(I thought He had already tested them)…and said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statues, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer."

What is the test you and I have to face? It's not life with difficulties. It's obedience to do what His Word says. When they came to Elim, there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

How did they get from Marah to Elim? They walked.

In the midst of our difficulty, keep walking.

When others don't think we are right, keep walking.

Don't know what you are doing? Be quiet, stay on course, and Keep Walking.

12.10.03
ESTHER 4

The Jews were facing annihilation, yet God placed Esther in the right place at the right time, "for such a time as this."

Vs 13-14
For such a time as this - you are in the position you are in…? In this time and space today for those who are walking with Him, we are in the right place…

What does God need to do to us at this particular time to mold us? Is our motivation for God's blessing the fear of failure, or obedience?

Esther sent word to Mordecai:
"Assemble all the Jews in Susa - fast and pray, and I will go to the King," even though it was against the law, and she could have been put to death. She put her life on the line. She would go to the King, and "if I perish, I perish…" Is that how we are? Are we sold out for Jesus?

When the King saw her - he was pleased. He reached out his scepter to her and she touched it. He offered her up to ½ the kingdom.

Watch out for what benefits only us and not the Body of Christ as a whole. Esther could have taken advantage of her position….as Christians we have to remind ourselves what we do - is it beneficial for us or for the whole ministry?

How many of us think that our planning really allows God to do what He wants to do? How many of us think that our talent gets us into places….how good we are…? Don't think too highly of yourself….we have been chosen by God for such a time as this.

The Jews were spared their life because of the faith of one women who answered the call, and was obedient to her mission.

There will be no single heroes - we are in this together. We are all called to be obedient to the tasks God puts in front of us, for such a time as this!

10.29.03
John 7:43

What kind of an example are you? As a parent, do you get upset when your children act like you. Children should act like their parents!

Do we think that Jesus' way of doing thing is just not popular? John 7:37
Jesus spoke with authority. Why is it when someone preaches with authority, people don't like it? Preachers tip toe around the truth even in our counseling. Jesus did not do that. He spoke the truth with conviction. The biggest problem with us is that we don't live spirit filled lives to mesmerize the unbelievers - no one is upset with us - we are humdrum - radios that no one listens to. When Jesus spoke, his critics forgot what they were there for.

How many of us can quote the verses on love - but never love anyone. The soldiers are listening to Jesus preach and are impressed. The Pharisees are asking the soldiers "are you being deceived too?"

Are we out to prove what is right or that God is right?

v. 43 "The people were divided because of Jesus."

v.38 "If anyone is thirsty"...thirsty for being righteous, not thirsty for being right… don't run to anyone but Jesus. "He who believes in me, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water…." When people leave us, are they uplifted even though they may have to be corrected? People should want to be righteous from being around you.

Let's be men and women who make a difference, because we speak with the authority of God's Word!

DATE:10.22.03
What gives you peace? Is it your circumstances? If everything is going smoothly, you are "at peace?" How can you find peace amid the circumstances of life?

Philippians 4

INSIDE: Positive
"Rejoice ALWAYS! Again I say, Rejoice!" Paul wrote this while he was in prison. None of the leadership in the church had come to his defense, yet he was rejoicing.

OUTWARD:
"Let your gentleness be known to all men." This gentleness, graciousness, meekness, forbearance cannot be just an act you put on, just to be polite. It is doing what is best for another person, regardless of how it affects you personally. Gentleness is usually the opposite of our first response to others, and it is not our natural response.

"The Lord is near." He knows our attitude and knows if we are rejoicing and treating others with grace.

"Be anxious for nothing…" This is not just pretending we aren't anxious, it's really living it. "…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Did you notice that it's the peace of GOD, and not man's peace?

Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

I am the god of no peace…do I want to continue to worship myself? Is my thought life consumed with ME? Will I continue to feed my selfish mind? Which master will I serve?

If I am anxious, I will serve the wrong god and miss the peace of God which passes all understanding.

DATE:10.15.03
Psalm 50

The more carnal we are, the more we think God is like us and understands why we do what we are doing. The more we live in the flesh, the more we think God is like us and understands why we feel the way we do.

The more we become like Christ, the less we feel we have the right to feel the way we do. The more we become like Christ, the more we realize how far we are off in righteousness. When we are carnal, we can justify and feel good about not being righteous. The more righteous we are, the more we realize God puts up less with those who should be mature in Christ, but have a bad attitude.

If we could judge our attitude by percentage, 100% being good, whatever our attitude is in that percentage is equal to our perception of what we think about God. It takes a lot of faith to believe God isn't tired of the way we behave in our response, our speech, and our attitudes.

Psalm 50 is a tremendous psalm about the self-sufficiency of God. The more we understand the insignificance of our own abilities, the more we are excited about God using us. It will drive us to judgment, or drive us to grace and mercy.

Psalm 50:1 "The Mighty God, even the Lord…" (Did you notice that you and I are no where in that sentence?) "…has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down." ( He is in complete control all day long.) "…from Zion perfect in beauty God shines forth. Our God comes and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him."

How many times have we thought God was silent? According to this psalm, God is NEVER silent. We hear what our ears are in tune to. Not only is He not silent, but He rages! Even in our lack of anticipation, and in our apathy, God is still raging!

"Hear, O My people, and I will speak…and will testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me."

It's not what we are doing! God says that what we do is not important. We cannot come to God in our own name. God doesn't need our sacrifice…He owns it all! "I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine." How many of us give away the gifts of God? We give away our grace, when we don't extend it to someone. We give away our mercy and our gifting and abilities, because our attitudes prevent us from using them.

"If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world in Mine, and all its fullness." (Don't you love God's humor?)

Verse 16-21, "To the wicked he said,…(Everything He has said up to this point has been to the righteous, all of us who have accepted Him)'What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth'...You thought I was altogether just like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes."

How many times have we heard unbelievers question God, or recite what they think God should or shouldn't do. How many of us rest more in men's promises than God's? If a wealthy man promised us that he would pay all of our bills, and we would never go without, how many of us would be banging on his door every month reminding him of that promise? No, we wouldn't want to offend him by our unbelief. But we struggle to believe that God is going to come through with His promises.

"Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver;" (When have you ever heard that preached?)

"Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God."

Don't think you are special because you do what God asks you. It is only your reasonable service. God requires our praise!

DATE:10.9.03
John 3
"Unless you are born again…"
If we are born again, do we have the freedom as believers to think like we did in our first birth? Don't answer too quickly…you may be condemning yourself. We must reckon ourselves dead to the flesh, and our old way, and be afresh in our new life.

What dominates our thinking? oOur old life, or our new life? It depends on which life is being fed. How radical should our thinking change from our first birth to our second birth philosophy? Can you put down in your life when you radically changed your thinking? What brings peace, security, and happiness to you? Do we still depend on the same first birth patterns?

When Jesus and His disciples came to the Pharisee's house (Luke 14) on the Sabbath, there was a sick man. This went against all Jewish laws and traditions, and was considered unclean. Jesus asks, "Question? If your donkey falls into a pit on the Sabbath, would you get him out?" What had Jesus asked them to do with their first birth thinking?

How much have you thought about changing how you do ministry or live your life? Do you function out of tradition, or the way you've always done things? Are you still thinking the same way, doing the same things, and thinking your way is the spiritual way? I guarantee not one of the Pharisees in the house felt that Jesus' way was the better way.

Who dictates how the Church is supposed to do things? The biggest problem we have in Christianity is we really don't know what it is. We have so many traditions rule us, we have no idea how Christ wants the Church to run. We have studied and stated the simple fact that most of the things God asks us to do are not reasonable to the human process of thinking.

Question. How many of us would choose to walk around Jericho and blow horns at the wall? Another question. How many people inside Jericho laughed for 7 days? We're talking about 2nd birth thinking here.

I was looking at the life of Abraham. When God told him to take his only son Isaac, and kill him, He never looked around for an option until God told him to STOP! How many of us obey God so much that God has to say, STOP?

If God is going to do with Antioch what He wants, we must have second birth thinkers. What is impossible?? Anything that isn't traditional, or anything we don't agree with? Is it really impossible, or is it what we think, or how we've been molded.

Could we just have a couple second birth thinkers? We've got God on our side. We cannot think on the normal plain. How many disciples wanted to go back to Jerusalem? They knew their life was in danger if they did. What did they do? They went.

A lot of us can be second birth thinkers periodically…but how many can be consistent?

We must be second birth thinkers and do second birth thinking in order to accomplish what God wants us to do.

DATE:09.10.03
One thing we can agree on…and one thing we have learned is you cannot predict what God is going to do.

Judges 3:15 tells the story of Ehud, a bold, left-handed man who was chosen by God to do a job.

Lam. 3:23 "His mercies are new every morning." If God is faithful to save us from a situation, then why are we afraid to go back into the situation?

What is a faith-based ministry? It's putting yourself in the place to trust God. We all have strengths and gifts we have been given - don't judge others according to how you think your gifts should be used.

DATE:09.03.03
Is there really any change in our lives or in our thinking without extreme faith? What is extreme faith? The greatest faith in the world is to believe that a holy God will make you righteous by one simple act of faith.

The Altar (Abraham and his son) - When God asked Abraham to kill his son, how reasonable was that? How comfortable? Where was the common sense? Was it fair? Was it learned in seminary?

How comfortable was that request? The degree of what God wants us to accomplish is equal to the unreasonableness he's going to ask you to get there. Is that not right? Why have we come to the decision that God doesn't work in the New Testament the way he worked in the Old Testament?

If God can do that to Abraham, the father of the Jews, what are the unreasonable requests he's going to put on Antioch? The first unreasonable request is to have me as Senior Pastor...there is no way this church would run this way without someone as crazy as I am. It would certainly be more organized!

How about the Centurion - the only Gentile that the Jews found worthy. His faith reconciled the Jews to himself, who should have been the most hated of Gentiles.

The Dog (Syropheonician woman) - Jesus called her a dog, but she understood and her faith said, "even the dogs get scraps from the table." Most of us would be so offended, we would leave the church, and our family would remain just as sick. She understood His heart more than His words. Do we look to understand a person's heart?

The Lame - his friends didn't mind tearing up a roof in order to get to Jesus. Nothing would have changed if they had not had the faith that was willing to do whatever was necessary to get to Jesus, even if it meant tearing up stuff. Why did Jesus have him pick up his bed and walk? How were those 4 friends lives changed?

The Altar (Abraham and his son) - When God asked Abraham to kill his son, how reasonable was that? How comfortable? Where was the common sense? Was it fair? Was it learned in seminary?

The Servant - looking for a bride for Isaac. He was told to wait until a woman watered all the camels, and that would be Isaac's bride. How many of us would have settled for someone who watered most of the camels, but not all?

How about the Son? - what father would send a son to die for people who reject him? How reasonable was that? Is there any reason or fairness in the Gospel? Is there any common sense in the sacrifice of the Gospel? Is there such thing as a Christian life that is reasonable and sensible?

I was thinking, what part of the Christian life isn't extreme faith? If we get to the end of our life and all this isn't true, we've wasted a lot of time when we could have been feeding the flesh.

Where is the man and woman of God who lives with Him on just His word? Not on planning, understanding, what I see, what everyone else does…but where is the faith that steps beyond the zone of human understanding?

What other Father would send his son to die for people who rejected him? How reasonable was that? Is there any reason or fairness in the Gospel? Is there any common sense in the sacrifice of the Gospel? Is there such thing as a Christian life that IS reasonable and sensible?

There is no change without coming to the end of ourselves and realizing we are totally insignificant to God's way of doing things. Extreme faith says Get over yourself. Anything you count as your greatest strength is the thing you need to die to.

DATE:8.30.03
Running and Walking

Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint."

Something in this verse bothered me for years, and didn't make sense to me until I got more experience in walking with the Lord, and my head knowledge began to connect with my heart knowledge.

But let's back up to verse 28…

"Do you not know (remind us), have you not heard, that the everlasting God,…"

Everlasting is a funny word to me, it doesn't go with God, it goes with humans. Eternal is the true definition of God. Everlasting must be in the concept of man's mind and not God's character. Everlasting has a beginning, with no end. Eternal has no beginning and no end. Christians step into eternality when we are in Christ, with no way to lose our salvation. God stepped out of eternal and entered into everlasting so we could know who He is.

"…the creator of the ends of the earth…"

You must have your own foundation in order to build something to give a foundation. Our foundation includes house, family, insurance, money, community…when we look at our foundation it is very fragile, and can be changed with one thought, one action, one breath. God says, I am the eternal foundation.

"…fainteth not, neither is weary?

He will not grow tired of making me what He wants me to be. We can get weary and give in to the frivolous desires of our children. But God does not grow weary. He brings calamity on us in order to mold us for his purpose.

If you were a senior in high school, would you ask a 1st grader how to dress to be cool? God says, "I am God, and you aren't even in first grade, why should I listen to you? Not only will I not grow weary, but I will hold on to you and deal with you."

"He gives strength to the weary, and to them who have no might he increases strength."

We all want His strength, but don't want to ever grow weary. We want his comfort, but don't want to ever get uncomfortable. We want to have faith, but don't want to be put in a situation where we depend on faith.

God wants to give us stuff we don't really want, so he puts us into situations to make us want…our greatest blessings come disguised as problems, because He is all wise. You've heard the expression, "You can take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. That's a lie…just put SALT in his mouth!" God makes us hungry for the Word, then takes it away to make us thirsty, brings in difficulty, turns up the heat to drive us back to the Word, and then blocks our understanding. Then when we keep studying, we understand. Most Christians give up before that happens, and miss all the blessings God has for us.

"Even youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall;"

When I was in my first 2 years of pro football, I would prepare by running 20 miles to the YMCA, work out, and then before leaving to run back home, I would call my nephews and have them meet up with me about 2 miles from home. They would then set the pace to keep me running to the finish.

"But they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength…"

Hope is a volitional decision right now. You can't live it yesterday, and does you no good for tomorrow. It is the ever-present experience of walking with God right now. We all have enough strength to handle anything that comes our way right now.

"They will soar on wings like eagles…"

We're supposed to be soaring like eagles, but we're acting like turkeys. Do you know domestic turkeys have to be under cover, so they don't drown in the rain? We are having problems because we are not trusting God.

"They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

I would think running would make us faint (like I felt the last 2 miles running home from the YMCA)…but walking?

Running is the busy-ness of the Christian life, what we are doing in our service to others, with others.

Walking is being alone, it's the every day monotony, when no one sees you, and congratulates you for living right. It's making the right decisions when no one is watching.

God says I give you my strength and knowledge to walk. You don't need it to run, because you have other Christians to help. It's the walk of the Christian life that most Christians fail at. They faint and go by the wayside. A walk takes longer to finish than a run. We want our Christianity like McDonalds, fast and easy. God doesn't get tired, and He knows how to wait. And He's teaching us every day how to WALK.

DATE:8.7.2003
Let's dare to take God at His Word without a back-up plan! We are such logical people.
Exodus 14
If people don't like us for any other reason, they should know that they won't be served anywhere like they were here at Antioch. If it's about God, we shouldn't want to be served, but want to serve.
Being bold is not an emotion (the Israelites were marching boldly). We can be afraid, but still take steps forward.
v. 13
They camped in the worst place -- only one way in and one way out. That's what the world says -- but God can move the Red Sea for us --- like He did for them.
Moses had several million people complaining -- do we evaluate our mission because people are complaining? If we do, then we are not leading. Moses only had the promise of God. Is that enough for us? Are going to learn to trust God?
Enemies OR Obstacles --- which is worse to the believer? Obstacles are going to make us grow. God wants to do great things with us. God said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? MOVE ON!"
What does God love the most --- HIS CHURCH! If we want to be blessed, then bless His people. Let's invest in God's best -- THE CHURCH!