Pastor Shaun’s sermon this week was in the part of Matthew where Jesus is talking about the Pharisees and how much they were misleading the people.  While I was following his sermon in my Study Bible – the explanations about the verses at the bottom of my Bible really got my attention…
Here is the first one:
“The Pharisees’ converts were attracted to Pharisaism, not to God.  By getting caught up in the details of their additional laws and regulations, they completely missed God, to whom the law pointed.  A religion of deeds puts pressure on the people to surpass others in what they know and do.  Thus, a hypocritical teacher was likely to have students who were even more hypocritical.  We must make sure we are not creating Pharisees by emphasizing on the outward obedience at the expense of inner renewal.”
This was me in the past – I was focused on being involved/helping in everything that I could do at church.   I believed that my obedience was being extremely busy in Church and I wanted people to see my actions….  I was a really great Christian.   I missed it by doing that – I lost my relationship with Jesus by paying attention to the Law as I seen it.    It was something I even preached about and it was how I made sure that I was saved….   WOW did I miss the target.
Ryan wrote a blog recently about being free from the bondage of the law – it is a must read: https://godsmightymen.com/2014/01/20/from-chains-to-freedom
Then this was the second part of the explanation in my study Bible:
“It’s possible to obey the details of the laws but still be disobedient in our general behavior.  For example, we could be very precise and faithful about giving 10 percent of our money to God, but refuse to give one minute of our time in helping others.  Tithing is important, but giving a tithe does not exempt us from fulfilling God’s other directives.”
      It took me a very long time to realize that when Christ came – it changed everything.   He did not want a 10% tither – He wanted all of me…   That included all of my time – possessions – gifts – monies —- every part of me.  When I gave it all to him – then my obedience came easy and it became something I desired (Obedience to Christ)..
This verse was part of my morning devotional and the last part of it really explains what are actions should be….
1 Timothy 4:12     ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Bobbyg
 
 
 

I was reading the paper this morning and this article by Chuck Tabor really stood out – so I had to read it…    Chuck has some great insight on how to forward this year and making sure it is what GOD has in plan for us.  This article was a great motivator as we are called to do God’s work and allow him to work through us.    ENJOY>>
One of his suggestions is:  “May I suggest that the Word of God gives us several indicators for how we can be sure that what we are doing is in line with what God Wants us to do?  These steps are centered on who God is, what God wants and What He has equipped us to do:”

• 1.   God directs those who are already moving in the direction He has revealed in His Word.
• 2.  God’s Word enables us to differentiate between man’s thoughts and God’s thoughts, by comparing all thoughts with the teaching of the Word of God.
• 3.  God wants us to ask HIM for directions in prayer.
• 4.  God wants us to consult respected counselors for their thoughts and wisdom.

Then Chuck came up with some checks and balances to make sure we have made the right decisions in going forward.
“If I were to decide to do this thing……………..”

• 1.   Can I genuinely thank God for it?
• 2.  Will this promote a positive virtue in my life?  (Philippians: 4:8 for guidelines –  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.)
• 3.  Will taking this action cause me to glorify God?
• 4.  Will this dim my vision of Christ in any way?  That is, will I be drawn closer to Him or pushed farther away by deciding to do this?
• 5.  Will this take away my taste for studying the Bible?
• 6.  Will this affect my prayer life in any way?  Either enhancing it (that’s good!) or cramping it (that’s bad!)?
• 7.  Will this decision in any way make serving Christ easier or more difficult?

He finishes it with this Great quote: – your challenge for today….

“And I will never have it that God created any man, especially any Christian man, to be a blank, and to be a nothing.  He made you for an end. Find out what that end is; find out your niche and fill it.”

 Bobbyg

 “Radical Truth and Grace”  2014 as we go forward.”

 

Below is an Article written by Timothy Johns —   if you have joined him in the 21 day fast and are not receiving his devotionals here is the one for Day Seventeen…  They have been very inspirational for me.      Bobbyg

Dear Loved of God,
It was pride and unbelief that opened the door to separation from God. Every form of suffering we experience on earth originates from these root sins.  Therefore, the exact opposite is what opens the door to God’s Presence and Grace.  Here are just a few Bible verses that teach us the importance of being broken, contrite, and humble:
This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. (Is. 66:2)
I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Is. 57:15) God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. I Pet. 5:5-6
Faith, brokenness, and humility are the keys to unlock the promises of God.
Brokenness is the shattering of our self-will. Contrite means that we are repentant and eager to give God what He wants in the way He wants it. Humility is total dependence on God. In light of this, it is crucial that we know what pride and brokenness look like, so that we can avoid the first and cultivate the latter.
Here are some indicators of either pride or brokenness. This list is found in the book “Brokenness: The Heart God Revives” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Pages 81-86)
Attitudes toward others
1.Proud people focus on the failures of others and readily point out those faults. Broken people are more conscious of their own spiritual need than of anyone else’s.
2.Proud people have a critical, faultfinding spirit. They look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but view their own with a telescope. Broken people are compassionate –they have the kind of love that overlooks a multitude of sins; they can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven.
3.Proud people are especially prone to criticize those in positions of authority – their pastor, their boss, their husband, wife or parents – and they talk to others about the faults they see. Broken people reverence, encourage, and lift up those that God has placed in positions of authority, and they talk to God in intercession, rather than gossiping about the faults they see in others.
4.Proud people are self-righteous; they think highly of themselves and look down on others. Broken people think the best of others; they esteem others better than themselves.
5.Proud people have an independent, self-sufficient spirit. Broken people have a dependent spirit; they recognize their need for God and others.
Attitudes About Rights
6.Proud people have to prove that they are right –they have to get the last word. Broken people are willing to yield the right to be right.
7.Proud people claim rights and have a demanding spirit. Broken people yield their rights and have a meek spirit.
8.Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation. Broken people are self-denying and self-sacrificing.
Attitudes About Service and Ministry:
9.Proud people desire to be served – they want life to revolve around them and their own needs. Broken people are motivated to serve others and to be sure others’ needs are met before their own.
10.Proud people desire to be known as a success. Broken people are motivated to be faithful to make others successful.
11.Proud people have a feeling – conscious or subconscious – that this ministry is priviledged to have me and my gifts. They focus on what they can do for God. Broken people have a heart attitude that says, “I don’t deserve to have any part in this ministry”; they know that they have nothing to offer God except the life of Jesus flowing through their broken lives.
Attitudes About Recognition
12.Proud people crave self-advancement. Broken people desire to promote others.
13.Proud people have a drive to be recognized and appreciated for their efforts. Broken people have a sense of their own unworthiness; they are thrilled that God would use them at all.
14.Proud people get wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked. Broken people are eager for others to get the credit, and they rejoice when others are lifted up.
15.Proud people are elated by praise and deflated by criticism. Broken people know that any praise of their accomplishments belongs to the Lord and that criticism can help them grow into spiritual maturity.
There are serious benefits to brokenness and humility. Let us contend for these heart attitudes, so we can access the grace of God.
With Love,
Timothy Johns

 

Some Great Words of Wisdom from Ryan…
A couple months ago I had a life changing conversation with two good friends.   I walked into the coffee shop with the chains of life wrapped all around me but left with these same chains shattered and the sweet aroma of God’s freedom enveloping my mind and heart.   It was truly a radical and amazing night.  But before I go into more detail about this meeting, let me first explain more of my background to better encapsulate this experience.
I was raised in a believing household.  There was brokenness just like every household but my parents truly did their best at making sure we stayed involved with the Church.  I accepted Christ as Savior at a young age but didn’t fully grasp or understand this decision (to a certain point) until my 10th grade year of high school.
I attended a youth mission trip to Juarez, Mexico in 1997.   I was more or less forced to go on this trip by my dad since I wasn’t in a good place spiritually at this time.  God surrounded me with amazing people of the Church and for the first time in my life I started to begin to understand who Jesus really was and is.   A foundation for my life was being built brick by brick through a continuous revelation of God’s love for me.
However, instead of pursuing the Freedom of Christ, I pursued an image of what kind of person I thought I needed to be to gain God’s favor (this has been my mindset literally up until 3 months ago.)  I was a people pleaser and would spread myself thin with commitments just for the sake of not disappointing people.   I was putting the chains of obligation, rules and checklists on myself.  I sought to impress other believers and ultimately impress God through my actions.
To be honest with the reader, this mindset of adding more law on top of existing law has only caused me much heartache and some broken relationships.  Much of the time I had little desire to follow Christ with a whole lot of obligation and guilt being the vehicle of my motivation.  I was a Pharisee and bad one at that since I rarely lived up to the standard I set for myself for many years.  This only amplified the insecurities of my life and minimized the freedom I may have experienced.
To wrap this up, let’s go back to the coffee shop.   Two guys (you know who you are) spoke words straight from the Holy Spirit into my life in regards to God’s Freedom.  I can write a book about what God downloaded into me that night.  All of these years of reading the Bible, attending Bible studies and church you would think that I would get it.  It only took me 17 years and unfortunately a lot of believers go through their whole life and never get the freedom part.
Here’s what God revealed to me….
My sin, past present and future, was paid for on the cross.  God DOESN’T see it anymore.   The only one who can stop God from seeing our sin is God Himself right?  Jeremiah 31:31-34 states “…their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”  Faith and desire to follow Jesus replaces a guilty conscience.  Hebrews 10:22 states, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Last year I would have told you that yes, I know this.  But I still believed that while God has forgiven me, He’s still aware of my sin and I’m constantly disappointing him.  Again, here we go with the weight of the law.  The only thing pleasing to God is our acceptance of the blood of Christ, not us!  Hebrews 10:9 states, “Then He said, “He sets aside the first to establish the second.  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
I feel so many men of the Church have this same mindset I have had for so many years.  The chains of an image to obtain or a checklist to complete will yield nothing but a prison for one’s heart and mind.   Christ came to fulfill the law and free us from it at the same time.  It’s truly a paradox as we’re set free to be slaves for Christ.
For the first time in my life I feel free.  One might say that if God truly doesn’t see your sin anymore then that gives you a free ticket to sin as much as you want.  The truth is, is that we’re always free to sin rather we’re saved or not.  But when you understand that your sin is already washed clean and God the Father has given you a clean slate forever, beginning now, you will find that sin has less power over your life.
God’s salvation for our lives is the most awesome love story ever told.  I’m truly humbled to be His servant.  I urge all of you to step into His freedom and break the chains of guilt, obligation and checklists.
Ryan S.
 

Radical Truth and Grace is our next theme for our GMM Conference – but what does that mean.  The GMM Team had an Advance this last week at the Harriman Retreat Center.  We brought up this question:   What does Radical Truth and Grace mean…. As we all have different Gifts and Personalities – it does mean something different to all of us.   But I would like to share some of what we came up with….
Truth:    The main idea of truth is that is comes from the Bible – you may get it from Reading the bible – Sermons – a talk with the guys…….    But when you hear the truth – what do you do with it…   Here comes the Radical part…   When you hear truth that requires obedience that is hard to do – we must go forward in what has been required of us.
Grace:   This is giving someone what they do not deserve……   Such as:  We do not condemn someone for their sins…     Forgiving someone for something they did that you that was so egregious that it does not deserve it forgiveness……     Tipping that bad waitress 30% instead of what they deserve…
My Pastor Shawn’s sermon this week was on the 2nd Greatest Commandment to love your neighbor as yourself….    He took this to the area of loving your enemy and what the means:    Want to here about Radical Truth and Grace….    Shawn talked about the people that you really do not like or your enemies and what does the Bible tell us to do…       Talk about having Radical Truth and Grace written all over it – He really nailed it.
The portion that really stepped on some toes is what does the Bible tell us we should to for our enemies.    Here is a shorten list of some really hard items that requires obedience on our part.

1.  Love our enemies
2. Do Good for our enemies
3. Pray for our enemies
4. Turn the other Check when our enemies strike us.
5. If they steal your shirt – give them your coat
6. Bless them in your actions
7. Lend to them with no expectations of returns
8. Do not Condemn them
9. Pardon or Forgive them
10. Care for them when they are in need.
11. Overcome their evil with your love.

He used a quote coming from Zack that was reallllly great: “If GOD loves someone and we do not – then we are in opposition with God”.   What a realistic quote to live up to…
If you would like to hear Shawn’s sermon – click here:   Sermon

I hope through all of this that you are seeing Radical is not negative but a very positive response that is required of us if we are to be Obedient to what God is calling on us to do.

“Radial Truth and Grace”

 Bobbyg

 

As I see 2014 progressing and watching the people around me – I can see that this is going to be a year of Growth through either – Persecution, Trial or Temptations.    This year several of us are going to be going through some molding periods that God has planned for us and we need to decide how we want to get through them.
How many of us have read these verses below – and really considered what we are going through as pure Joy.
James 1:2-4    Trials and Temptations    ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Diane and I really enjoy our Devotional books – and sharing them is one of the enjoyments we have in the morning and relating them to what we are going through at the present time.  We have encountered several challenges in the last several months and these words of wisdom have helped us see some of them as Joy.    Here are a few words of wisdom from Diane’s this morning:

“You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don’t be discouraged – never give up!  With My Help, you can overcome any obstacle.  Do not expect an easy path as you journey hand in hand with Me, but do remember that I, your very-present Helper, am omnipotent.”

If you have been reading some of my recent blogs – this really covers it – we must remember that we are not doing this by ourselves.
Now my Devotional started off with this scripture:

2 Kings 5:14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Some of the Authors notes were: 

“While God doesn’t always give us an easy way out, He does often give us a simple way out.  But simple involves action on our part.”  –    “So next time troubles comes your way, remember to look for the simple solution that God has for you.  It may not be easy, but it very well could be simple.”

          I was able to experience just that – as in my last blog I wrote that I was having this Moses Talk with God about a Meeting I had in Denver.  I did go and it was the simple way out of a very hard situation and there was Healing between some really damaged relationships.   So sometimes God is just asking for obedience and it may be as simple as dipping yourself 7 times in the Jordan or just going to a tough meeting.

 My challenge would be to remember God is looking for Obedience from us as we go through those Challenges this year.  You must look for the solution that he is asking you to perform.

 Bobbyg

 

I am not having that great start of 2014 that I thought I should be having…   If you have been reading some of my stuff – you know that I was out of work for @ 3 months when I had both of my knees replaced.   Well coming back to work has been a challenge and I will have to say that I am struggling with the direction that it took while I was gone.  But enough of that – my challenge at the present time is that I am having this conversation with God – somewhat like the one Moses had at the burning bush.

Exodus 3:  10 > 14

¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you^[b] will worship God on this mountain.”

¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.^[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

      The difference is that God is not calling me to save the Israelites – but to only make peace at my work place and let him do the work through me.   It has been a long couple of years with a co-worker of mine and it has finally come to a head and I have been called to a meeting in Denver on Tuesday to converse how we go forward.  At the present time I am coming up with all the reasons to keep me from going to the meeting.   So this is where I am having that Moses Conversation with God.  He is telling me to go and he will be with me – he will give me the wisdom and words to go forward with his blessings.
How many times do we have this conversation with God when he is calling us to do his work – even if it is a minor dispute at work?  God is working in all aspects of our lives and we are constantly having this Moses conversation with Him – and the bad part of it is that we normally do what we want to do.          “Our way is normally the easier way to go forward”                but as God responds to Moses in verse 14 –        “I am who I am”  –    and as I go to this meeting – I must remember:         ‘I am has sent me to you.’
               So I have to tell you – I will be going to that meeting in Denver on Tuesday – no matter how uncomfortable it is going to be.   But I will going there with a different perspective – God will be with me doing His work through me.  I want them to see Jesus in me and that this difficult time will be no more as we go forward with his blessings…                             You guys may have to do allot of praying for me – this will be difficult as I believe it was for Moses – but I must do it…    PRAY….

 So again as I give a challenge for the week – Do as Moses does when you go forward in the tough times and remember who it is that has you back:

“I AM”.

Bobbg

 
 

Well is it 2014 – are you ready for it.  Diane and I have been talking about the New Year and we believe it will be our best one yet.  Diane was telling me about this song from David Crowder that has excited her and will be a major part in 2014 for us.  The song is “I AM”   as in this verse from Exodus:      Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
     As we go into the New Year “I AM” is the one that we need to be connected to as we go forward.     David has a YouTube about the story behind the song and he talks about the song I AM:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRlmfOy1SJ4      it means the presence of being – here now and all the time – it means Hope – it means God is with us.   The verse in the song states that I am holding on to you – but “I AM” is really holding on to us even more intensely then we could ever hold onto him.   There is no better place to be – then to have “I AM” connected to us in all aspects of our lives.
As the song would say – there is no place he cannot reach or find us and his amazing Grace has no end.
Please listen to the song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqQOytpbmLY
The Words to the song:

“I Am”

(performed by Crowder)

 [Verse 1:]

There’s no space that His love can’t reach

There’s no place that we can’t find peace

There’s no end to Amazing Grace

Take me in with your arms spread wide

Take me in like an orphan child

Never let go, never leave my side.

[Chorus: (2X)]

I am,  Holding on to You.

I am,  Holding on to You.

In the middle of the storm,

I am Holding on,  I am!

[Verse 2:]

Love like this, Oh my God to find!

I am overwhelmed what a joy divine!

Love like this sets our hearts on fire!

 [Chorus: (2X)]

[Verse 3:]

This is my Resurrection Song

This is my Hallelujah Come

This is why to You I run

This is my Resurrection Song

This is my Hallelujah Come

This is why to You I run

There’s no space that His love can’t reach

There’s no place that we can’t find peace

There’s no end to Amazing Grace

 So as you are making a New Year’s resolution – It must include “I AM” – May you have a great 2014 as Diane and I are going to have.

Bobbyg

I hope your Christmas went well – I was really blessed this year with my 3 boys and their families – it was great to be around family and enjoy the reason for the season.
Well somewhere in the back of my mind this question came up – it seemed to be lost back there – but I know that I read it somewhere or heard it.   The question was:   “Have you prayed to have God put someone in your life to help you from falling”.   I have always been a Promise Keeper at Heart and this is one of the areas that has come out of their ministry.   Guys seem to take on their problems all alone and refuse to seek help from someone else to help get them through the hard times but we need help.   A couple of verses come to mind when I think about this.
Ecclesiastes 4:12   though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
 Proverbs 27:17    Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
 There is allot of wisdom in these verses – it is so much easier to overpower what is taking you down when you have a couple of other brothers to help you through battle.   I have prayed this prayer a couple of times this year and God has blessed me with some great brothers to come to my rescue….  (It is an awesome experience to have a brother come along side you through the battle)

**In the Book The Barbarian Way there is a section about men fighting the battle together as they are going forward –     “Although the force of one person fully committed to God is tremendous, it pales in comparison to the force of God’s people moving together.  One barbarian wandering through civilization can be discarded as nothing more than an oddity.  But when members of the barbarian tribe line up across the battlefield side by side, something amazing begins to happen;  Dark kingdoms tremble; the dungeons and prisons that hold men, women, and children captive crumble; prison doors open; chains unlock; and multitudes come to freedom.  Whenever the barbarians of Christ pass through civilization, the oppressed and forgotten are soon found dancing in the streets.”

    Now here comes the next questions — you may have that group of guys who you fight the battle with (I call them my 2am guys) – but what if you are the answer to the prayer someone is praying.    We all have opportunities to help someone get through hard times and we either do not find the time – or just plain miss the promptings of God when he is pointing you in that direction.

 “My challenge to you this next year (2014) is either to find someone to help you through the battles – or to be that answer to someone’s prayer who is need of a brother to help him fight the Battle”.

Bobbyg

 

My daily devotional scripture today hit me on what are attitude should be during Christmas:
(Romans 12:9-13 –      Love in Action        ⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.)
This is truly a time that we need to show why Jesus came to this earth to become Human and the message he brought.   I have become a Mall Walker recently to keep my new knees in shape and I get to see allot of people during these walks.   I really enjoy seeing the joy coming out of all of them – there are always the Scrooges (and I use to be one of them) so those are the ones where that faithful Prayer comes into effect.
I ran across this you tube from Jefferson Bethke: “What Does It Mean to Be Truly Human?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEcvRKsmeoE
This is a scary aspect to be truly Human – it opens you up to be hurt and makes us vulnerable.  This is what Christ did so many years ago and we celebrate that during this time of year.  He came to earth and to become totally human as you and I and experienced all that we go through on a daily basis.  But as Christ Lived – so must we……………….   Love in Action requires us to become uncomfortable and hospitable.   This takes practice and for most of us it does not come easy and when we encounter the hurt because of it –  it is hard to do it again.   We must keep on going forward because that is what Jesus did when he came down to this earth and fulfilled this verse.
“So during this Christmas season – remember that Love is an Action” 
 Bobbyg