Encounters with God

I am really excited about preparing and bringing the messages from my new series entitled "Encounters with God".  In the months to come we will look in God's Word at Abraham's, Jacob's, Moses', Gideon's, Isaiah's, Jeremiah's, and others life changing encounters with God.  We will see that when each of these had a personal encounter with God, God revealed something of Himself and His plan for them and for those around them.

You may think that only people in the past encountered God; that God met people in the Bible, but He doesn’t do it today.  But Jesus told John on the Isle of Patmos, "I am the One Who was, Who is and Who is to come." This means Jesus will live in the future, He lives today!  Christ can meet you today; that’s why I am excited about embarking on this study.  We will spend the next 6 months in this series and we will learn and grow together as we study these extraordinary encounters with God.  Their lives were dramatically changed and so will yours when you have a real and personal encounter with God.

Burning the Koran

Pastor Terry Jones of Gainsville, FL has set Sunday, Sept 11 aside as "International Burn a Koran Day."  He claims that the purpose of this burning is to bring awareness to the dangers of Islam.  I firmly hold that the beliefs of Islam will lead those who hold to those beliefs to an eternity in hell cut off from the presence of the one true God in heaven.  Yet, I wholeheartedly agree with Chuck Colson that Pastor Jones's plan is irresponsible and dangerous.  I also believe it lacks spiritual discernment.  He has not thought through the implications of his actions.  Moreover, he will forever lose his opportunity to be an effective witness for the Lord Jesus Christ to Muslims.

Click the link to read Chuck Colson's article.

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/commentary/11637686/

How the Church Works Together

This Sunday I will continue my series on "How the Church Works Together."  We will be talking about "Fellowship: How the Body of Christ Relates to One Other."

There is a story I came across from a marvelous Baptist pastor named Ron Dunn.  Dunn suggested that once upon a time there was a body where the eyes convinced all of the other parts of the body that the gift of SIGHT was the only important gift. They admitted that there were other gifts, but they ranked all of them below SIGHT and wanted all of those in leadership positions within the church to have SIGHT.  What's more, they couldn't admit that SIGHT was only the right gift for those whom God had called to be eyes. They insisted that if all of the other body parts and organs were really, really spiritual enough and beseeched God enough, they could have the gift of SIGHT, too. They scheduled prayer meetings for the other organs and body parts to pray through for SIGHT. They scheduled training courses on "Learning to See."

Now in that same body, there were some toes which had low self-esteem. They didn't understand that God had given them the gift of BALANCE. They didn't understand that even though they were often hidden and were never given any praise, God had called them to the vital ministry of BALANCE. They felt guilty that their gift couldn't do more. They felt like they weren't spiritual enough. So, they prayed and prayed, begging God to give them the gift of SIGHT. And since this is only a story where body parts act like people, I can say that God eventually gave in. Even though God knew the toes didn't need this gift, God gave them the gift of SIGHT. And do you know what they saw? They saw the inside of a sock.

Like the toes, you may not be satisfied with or even recognize the ministry that God has given you, but if you had the same gift as somebody else, you might not like the result. God knows what is best for us and has graciously given us spiritual gifts according to our ministry--what we do, not our title. This is key.  It is precisely the variety of gifts that allows the church to function in true fellowship and ministry (I Cor. 12; Eph. 4:12-16).

Worship at the Warf

Biblical Worship

I came across this great quote on true worship by Warren Wiersbe.

True biblical worship so satisfies our total personality that we don’t have to shop around for man-made substitutes. William Temple made this clear in his masterful definition of worship: “For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”


Warren W. Wiersbe, The Integrity Crisis, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, p. 119.

Flooding in Galati, Romania

This is where we will be next week.

Romanian authorities said severe flooding was wreaking havoc across much of the country after rain-swollen rivers burst their banks and killed 22 people this week, destroying crops, bridges and hundreds of homes.

Despite protection dams, more than 2,000 people were evacuated from the eastern village of Saucesti on Friday after the River Siret broke through and inundated a hundred local homes.

In the eastern province of Galati, the Danube River passed record water levels previously attained in 2006.

Visiting one affected region on Friday, Romanian president Traian Basescu assured flood victims that they would be provided with building materials for new homes.

But northern and central parts or Romania will remain on code yellow alert for rain until Monday morning, as the possibility of further flooding continues.

Twenty-two people have died as a result of flooding in the past week.

See more and video here.

Christians Persecuted in Morrocco

Following the expulsion of more than 40 foreign Christians in March, officials of the majority-Muslim country expelled another 26 foreign Christians in May without due process. The latest incident brings the total number of deportations to 105 since early March 2010. Sources say the deportations are the result of Muslim hardliners pressuring the nation's royalty to show Islamic solidarity.

Christians and expert observers are calling this a calculated effort to purge the historically moderate country of all Christian elements - both foreign and national. Legal sources said that according to Moroccan law, foreigners who have lived in the country for more than 10 years cannot be deported unless they are accused of a crime. They have the right to appeal the deportation order within 48 hours. Still almost none of the recent deportees were able to appeal their deportation as most were forcefully escorted out of the country. (Source: Compass Direct News)

Please Pray!
Please pray for the Christians who have been unjustly deported from Morocco and their families. Many were forced to leave behind their wives, children, communities and businesses without even saying goodbye. Pray also for local Christians who have been experiencing increased persecution in recent days. Ask God to soften the hearts of the Moroccan officials toward Christians and bring them into a saving relationship with Him.

From Voice of the Martyrs.