Opportunities to Witness

God calls us to always be looking for opportunities to help people understand the urgency of turning from sin to live for Christ. Paul depicts this Christian responsibility as telling the people in our world to “wake up” (Eph.5:14) – a duty not always eagerly accepted. While the thought may be intimidating, the prospects are exciting. Especially when we realize that Ephesians also reminds us that the results don’t rest on a set of well-crafted words or a skilled apologetic. Because the problem is spiritual death (and not simply an intellectual or moral deficiency), it is ultimately a work of God. As God sovereignly uses our ambassadorship, he periodically takes the reiteration of biblical truth to immediately transform and eternally redirect the lives of lost men and women. It is an awesome transaction to witness – one we wouldn’t want to miss because we weren’t looking for it. In the words of Ephesians 5, “be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (vv.15-16).  May God use you this week to make a difference in someone’s life.

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/ 

Return of Christ

This could be the year. Perhaps on God’s eschatological calendar he chose this year as the time for the completion of his Son’s work of assembling to himself a people for God’s possession. Maybe this year the Church will reach its evangelistic consummation and Christ will be sent to meet the last generation of his Bride face to face. Remember that Jesus’ emphatic and repeated emphasis on no one knowing the date or time of his return was not given to diminish his disciples’ expectation, it was given to increase it. The strategic ambiguity was not to lull his people into inactivity, it was to motivate them work at church growth as though this could be the week! Clearly God wants us to always be ready and expectant of his return! Peter even hints that we can “hasten” the day of Christ’s return as we seek to bring just one more life to the place of repentance and faith in Jesus (2 Peter 3:9 & 12). May we embark on another great season of ministry, mindful that this could be the year.

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/

Open Door of Mercy

I remember reading of an old-time preacher who wrote of God’s “open door of mercy” in his appeal to his readers. It may sound like an antiquated phrase, but I hope it is a perspective that will never be lost for those of us who seek to talk to our friends and coworkers about Christ. So often these days Jesus is presented as a pitch for life improvement or personal fulfillment. By contrast, the Bible presents Christ and his salvation as a mercifully provided portal to escape the impending consequences of sin that are coming on a rebellious world. In the words of the Apostle Peter, as he pleaded with those who would hear him, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation” (Ac.2:40). It is a perspective clearly heard in heaven’s call to those on earth in Revelation 18—“Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (v.4). Thankfully, for now, the merciful door of escape is still open. But as Peter would later remind his generation, we should never presume upon God’s grace thinking the door will stay open forever. We must instead “count the patience of our Lord” as perhaps the last of the opportunities for any to be saved (2Pt.3:1-15). Time is obviously running out. So let us be thankful and motivated, that at least for today, God’s door of mercy is still open.

For more devotionals sermons and resources go to http://www.focalpointministries.org/

Prayer and Evangelism

Prayer and evangelism go hand in hand. Many of us hope that our lives will be used by God to lead people to the place of repentance and faith in Christ. But if we learn anything from the example of the evangelists in the New Testament, we learn that this is not likely to ever happen unless we pray! Consider the person who had to be one of the best-prepared evangelists in history – the Apostle Paul. He should have been able to rely on his knowledge of the truth, and his persuasive speaking skills, but he did not. Paul knew that prayer was the key. If people are to be saved, God has to get involved by setting up opportunities, guiding conversations, and ultimately changing hearts. To the Colossians Paul writes, “pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ… [pray] that I may make it clear” (Colossians 4:3). In Ephesians 6:19 he says, pray “for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” So today, let’s do more than hope; let’s begin to fervently pray. Let’s ask that God would use each one of us to boldly and clearly present the message of the gospel in those divinely orchestrated conversations, which end with someone repenting of their sins and placing their trust in Jesus Christ.

For more sermons and devotionals on Prayer and Evangelism, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Reaching, Teaching and Training

When Christ’s redemptive work was complete he gathered his disciples and, with “all authority in heaven and on earth”, commissioned them (and every subsequent generation) to get serious about their job of propagating the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). The central verb of this passage is straightforward and notably uncomplicated: “make disciples!” Between the two advents of Christ, his followers are to be busy “making” more Christ-followers. The three participles that surround the central verb are helpful in showing us how this gets done. Firstly, we are to be “baptizing.” Of course the “baptism” (i.e., “placing into”) that saves is when people repent of their sins, trust Christ and, by God’s grace, are “placed into” a genuine relationship with God. That transaction is then symbolized by being ceremonially “placed into” water as a rite of initiation into God’s family. Secondly, we are to be “teaching them to observe all that Christ commanded.” All the followers of Christ with whom we associate are to be continually encouraged and exhorted to “follow Christ” in their words, thoughts, and behavior. Lastly, the first century disciples had been thoroughly equipped by Christ to “get out there” and make more disciples. (“Go” translates a third Greek participle.) The preparation to their “going” included training in the message and meaning of the gospel, and a lot of time learning all that Christ commanded. In short, to “make disciples” we must be engaged in “reaching” people for Christ, “teaching” people to be like Christ, and “training” people to serve Christ. Jesus gave us a clear assignment and promises “to be with” us until it’s done. So let’s get to work today.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org 

Mindful of God

The Christian life is a life that is lived mindful of God. The crux and catalyst for sin is frequently described in the Bible as thoughtlessness or forgetfulness of God (Judges 8:34; 1 Samuel 12:9; Jeremiah 2:32; et al.). Godly living, on the other hand, is prompted and motivated by a chronic remembrance of the presence of God (Deuteronomy 8:18; Proverbs 5:21; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Peter 2:19; et al.). For us as Christians, the call to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to “be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12) provides us with a practical discipline through which we make ourselves aware of the informed, active, and involved omnipresence of God. By contrast, looking around at the bustling people of this world who give little or no thought to their Maker ought to give us a chilling and sorrowful pause. The God to whom all will give an account is entirely disregarded and forgotten by so many. “As in the days of Noah”, Jesus said, so it will be that in the last times people will be “eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage” all without thought of their Creator – his demands, his desires, his mercies, or his provisions (Luke 17:27). Such a simple observation from people who are mindful of God should provoke us to intercessory prayer and evangelism. May God use you and I this week to open the eyes of a sleeping world.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org.

Christian Outreach

I recently read in the paper about a “successful Christian outreach” where many “accepted Jesus as their savior”. The problem, as with most of our modern culture’s take on “salvation”, is that there is little clarity about what these folks are acquiring “salvation from”. The article described the “celebration” as giving some people “a new process in life”, others as “feeling refreshed”, and still others who were “struggling” as receiving “hope”. The article’s last line stated that the event left attendees with “a good vibe”. Such secular reporting would hardly be worth noting, were it not that most “Christians” provide similar descriptions of these types of “successful” events. It appears Christianity is being redefined. Biblical warnings of God’s coming judgment are being replaced with concerns about emotional hurts. The Spirit’s stinging conviction regarding guilt and sin are being exchanged for heartwarming stories about rejuvenation and optimism. The Bible’s call to repentance and self-denial are being surreptitiously switched for appeals that leave people with a good vibe. We cannot allow such shifts to be imperceptible among God’s people. Such redefinitions must set off alarms in our hearts and minds. Temporal “salvation” from bad feelings does not square with Scripture and must never pass for “success.”

Being Separate

There are many who use the statement that Jesus was “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19) to rationalize their social alliances and “after-work” camaraderie with immoral and ungodly people. They do this without any concern or attempt to harmonize the clear statements of Scripture which warn that “bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33), rhetorical questions like, “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14), or God’s admonition for Christians to “go out from their midst and be separate from them” (2 Corinthians 6:17). Jesus did of course dine with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:9-10), but what many seem to purposefully overlook is that Christ’s agenda in those settings was clearly stated – “I came to call sinners to repentance” (Mt.9:12-13; Luke 5:32). Christ’s enemies tried to make him out to be a companion of evildoers, along with calling him “a glutton and a drunkard” (Matthew 11:19), which also was not true. Obviously, all Christians will have necessary interaction with ungodly people in this world (1 Corinthians 5:9-10), and like Christ, we should periodically plan strategic times with immoral people, not to “take part in” their lifestyle, but rather to “expose it” and to plead with them saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:6-14). But when it comes to “down time”, “hanging out” or social interaction, the Scripture is consistently clear: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

Real Missions

The Book of Acts is a story about first century Christians who, by today’s popular standards, would be considered brash, judgmental, narrow-minded zealots who were fueled by some sort of spiritual imperialism devoid of any real empathy, care or compassion. That theoretical assessment comes largely from today’s redefinition of “care and compassion”, as well as our monumental misunderstanding of what “biblical missions” is and isn’t. Today we like to talk about “respectfully reaching out in love” or “extending compassion in the name of Christ”; proclamation has given way to “polite conversation” and “preaching” is considered a bad word. A certain modern “evangelical missionary” sought to help me understand missions when she said, “It doesn’t matter what we say to the people, it’s just being there that counts.” These sentiments may sound “gracious”, but they have nothing to do with the grace we are called to herald regarding a crucified and resurrected King of kings. The Acts of the Apostles tell us of Christ’s Ambassadors boldly moving from city to city, resolutely calling people to repudiate their gods, their idols and their self-interests, instructing them to repent and turn to Jesus Christ so that they by faith might be graciously exempted from the coming wrath of God. Understandably this did not “go over well” in many cities. The Acts missionary teams were forcefully ejected from several cities – a response that with today’s mindset would require a “modern care extender” to retool her approach, not to mention her message. But much like firefighters attempting to rouse sleeping tenants in a burning building, true love and real compassion isn’t measured by pleasant inter-ethnic dialogue, amiable “moments” and feel-good photo ops, it is biblically measured by the clarity and urgency with which we proclaim our message of eternal life and death.

-- Pastor Mike

Spiritual Endeavors

To the sympathetic reader, the last scene in Acts 15:36-41 appears to be an event brimming with high personal drama and raw emotions. Certainly language such as “sharp disagreement” (Acts 15:39) leads our hearts in that direction. But besides that single phrase, all the other words and phrases in the passage that describe Paul and Barnabas’ parting of ways are calm, thoughtful, dispassionate and strategic. It is impossible for us to know now how much “heat” was actually involved in this serious team breakdown, but the end result should show us that no matter how much there may have been, it didn’t impede their tactical thinking and the God-empowered results that followed. You see, God has always been training his people to approach any important task, not as an “individual conqueror” but as a person with a team (Genesis 2:18; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Proverbs 27:17; et al.). Paul clearly demonstrated this principle when he hit this impasse. Concluding that if God’s important work was to be done, he wouldn’t simply dump his previous ministry partners Barnabas and John-Mark and proceed on his own, rather he would choose a new team to work with him side-by-side. Silas was picked first, and on their first stop in Derbe and Lystra their “third strand” for the work of ministry was added, the young Timothy. So whether it’s a prayer ministry or a missions endeavor, a Sunday School class or leading a church youth program, don’t go it alone. Build a team. If things change and teams collapse over a reasoned yet “sharp” disagreement, then rebuild. Don’t wallow or live in the past. Get your team together and get going. Our time is running out.

-- Pastor Mike