It’s time to be courageous, and the charge is very simple:

INVITE SOMEONE to Easter Celebration this year.

Regular church attendance is vitally important to helping each of us grow in our relationship with God, in our understanding of God’s Word, and in our ability to worship, pray, and engage with God. We learn things at church about interacting with God and with other believers. God uses our time at church, in His presence and the presence of others that believe the way we do to help us build a strong foundation and to grow us spiritually.

So, what does that mean? It means come to church. Come to church each week. Let nothing keep you from church. Plan church first, then plan everything else around church. And when we show up, we need to show up ON TIME. And when we show up on time, we need to show up READY! Ready to meet with God. Ready to hear from God. Ready to receive what God has for us.

I honestly believe one of the key reasons that regular church attendance is so difficult, and for many is non-existent, is because we come to church for the wrong reasons. We come to church with our American consumer hat on, asking “What’s in this for me?”. That is the wrong question to be asking when it comes to church. When we come to church, the right question is always “What can I give?”. Here’s the reason why… it’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s never been about you or about me. It’s about Jesus. It’s always about Jesus. It’s only about Jesus. And when we come to church, it’s no different. Jesus is why we come. And every time we come to church, ready to meet with and receive from Jesus, He will never disappoint. He will always provide for us exactly what we need from Him at the time. Because He is faithful, and He is good.

So – church attendance is not a social activity – it’s a regularly planned, scheduled, high priority event that allows you to gather with other believers and come and give yourselves in worship to God… together.

How about it? Gonna be at church?

Paul writes that the full Bible, the Word of God, was given to us for our benefit – by God, breathed by Him, for us.

Most people allow Sunday morning – one time per week – to be the only time they get the Word of God into their lives, and that comes from hearing a message at church. Hearing is an excellent way to catch hold of God’s Word, but if you are limited to one time per week, or twice per week for the super dedicated church attender, then you are limiting the power of God’s Word in your life.

Jesus called the Word of God His sustenance, that He didn’t need bread, but He needed God’s Word (Luke 4:4). If the Bible was to Jesus like a burger is to me, that must mean it’s pretty important. If I were to only eat one time per week, or maybe two times per week at the most – I would be in a pretty pathetic state. My physical body REQUIRES nourishment on a regular basis. In the same way, my spirit REQUIRES the nourishment of God’s Word on a regular basis.

So, I cannot only wait to be fed by the hearing of the Word – I must also grow in maturity to the point that I begin to feed myself. That I begin to take God’s Word into my life on my own. That I discipline myself and begin to read God’s Word regularly, daily, seeking to understand God’s heart as the scriptures are opened before me.

How do I do that? I read. I pick up the Bible, I blow off the layer of dust that has accumulated from its apparent un-use, and I open the book. I follow a reading plan, like the one New Life is going through together, and I get on track, I get in gear, and I begin to read. As I do, God is speaking. God speaks to us primarily through His Word. For us to become accustomed to hearing God speak through His Word, we must acclimate ourselves to reading His Word. We must do it and we must stick to it.

As we do that, God will begin to change us. His Word will begin to take hold in our lives, to take root in our hearts, and will begin to change who we are, how we think, how we act, and what we believe. We will become more and more like Jesus, the more that we delve into God’s Word on a regular basis.

Now, there are different activities for us to do while reading God’s Word, which I will share below. All of these point to one main activity, and that is the “applying of God’s Word to my life” – meaning this is the point where I do what it says.

For me to effectively read God’s Word, I must perform different activities to gain the most insight and understanding the scriptures. These various activities are:

1. READ: this is the most basic. This is picking up the book and reading the words. This is not, however, hurrying to try to get finished so I can do something else. This is the first step to gaining an understanding of who God is and what He’s wanting to do in your live.
2. STUDY: After we read, we can study. This is when we begin to ask questions and research the answers. Questions such as: who wrote the book, why did they write it, who did they write it to, what were the circumstances, what was the culture like? These are all valuable questions that will help you to gain insight to what God is really speaking.
3. MEMORIZE: Take those key verses that stand out to you, that mean something to you, that speak to you – and memorize them. Hold them in your heart, so that when they are needed, you can speak them into someone else. God’s Word is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). Allow God’s Word to do its job of molding and shaping you into the man or woman God has called you to be.
4. MEDITATE: Think about what God is saying. Ponder what God is saying. Wonder about what God is saying. As you meditate on God’s Word, you allow it to soak deep into your heart. You allow yourself to get comfortable with God’s Word, and to begin to take God’s Word as God’s Word for YOU, personally, powerfully.
5. And all of these point to APPLY: Apply God’s Word to your life. Use His Word, do what He says, be obedient, and God will change you and grow you into the person He created you to be.

So, if you haven’t done so already, join us on our Bible-reading challenge, and let the adventure in God’s Word begin with and in you!

• Christians are giving at a 2.5% per capita or tithe.  During the Great Depression, they gave at a 3.3% rate.
• Today, 33-50% of church members, those who claim they have bought in at a deep level to your ministry, give nothing.
• If we were able to have our people increase their giving from 2.5% to 10% of their annual income, an additional $165 billion would flow into the Kingdom.  To show the global impact those resources could make, consider the following:
• $25 billion would relieve global hunger, starvation, and deaths from preventable diseases in 5 years.
• $12 billion would eliminate illiteracy in 5 years.
• $15 billion would solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day.
• $1 billion would fully fund the Great Commission.
• $100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion.

NOTE: the source of these statistics were provided by www.generouschurch.com.

God allows us to partner with Him to advance His Kingdom. He doesn’t need the money – it’s all His. However, we NEED to be involved with Him – and by being obedient and giving to Him FIRST – as He has directed, we are placing ourselves in His service, in His blessing, and in His favor. See the difference we could all make, together!

A quiet time is simply a time that I set aside, each day, to be alone with God to get to know Him through the Bible and through prayer.

This time is very important for a Christian – and needs to be the top priority of our daily schedule for five reasons:

1. We were CREATED to have relationship with God (Gen. 1:26). God created us in His image. He did not need relationship with us. He did not need fellowship with us. God was existing perfectly, in perfect relationship and fellowship within Himself, in the persons of the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). There was perfect unity and harmony. However, God DESIRES to have a relationship with us – so we were created.
2. Jesus died to make this relationship possible (1 Cor 1:9). It is only through the death of Jesus that the separation from sin between man and God can be removed and relationship can be restored. Without that death, without that bridge, without that payment being made, none of us would be able to be in relationship with God. It is only through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that we are able to fulfill what we were created to do – be in relationship, in fellowship, in unity with God.
3. Personal time alone with God was Jesus’ source of strength (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Luke 22:39). When Jesus began his ministry, his days would be spent pouring himself out in ministry, preaching, teaching, healing the sick, casting out spirits. When He was emptied out, He would withdraw to a quiet place to pray, to spend time with God, and to be refilled by God so He could continue in ministry. We need this in our lives also. As a Christian, we should be pouring ourselves out in ministry to others – to our family, to our friends, to our neighbors and our co-workers. It is our daily time with God that we are refilled and strengthened by Him for the work that He has ahead of us.
4. Every person that has been effective in service for God has developed this habit. As we look through the Bible, we can see examples of people that have put this habit into practice in their lives. And we can see from the example of their lives the power and the impact that this habit has had for them. Some examples from the Bible include Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Paul, and Timothy. There are other examples of this as well – and we need to use their example as reason to establish this habit in our lives.
5. The last reason listed here is that you cannot be a healthy Christian without a daily quiet time with God. We were created for relationship with God. If we are not living that out then we are not living a life with any purpose. How deep and intimate of a relationship can we possibly have with God if we spend no time with Him? I am very happily married to my best friend, and I know that I would not be able to say those words if it were not for the vast amount of time that we spend together, enjoying one another, and deepening our relationship. If this is how relationships work with us, how do they work with God? Remember – it was we that were created in HIS image – not the other way around. We develop a healthy, strong, intimate, deep relationship with God by spending time with Him, by talking with Him, by sharing with Him, and by letting Him speak back to us.

So, now that we’ve established that a daily quiet time is very important to the life of every Christian, what is the purpose of a quiet time?

1. To give devotion to God, because He deserves it! (Psa. 29:2)
2. To get direction from God. (Psa. 25:4)
3. To gain delight in God, to grow in our delight of Him. (Psa. 37:4)
4. To grow more like God. (2 Pet. 1:4)

The point here is, the better we get to know Jesus, the move that we love Him! The purpose of our time is not to grow in our knowledge ABOUT Jesus, not to STUDY Jesus – but to actually spend time with Him!

Ok, what do you need to do to get started? Here’s a few pointers to get you on track…

1. Select a specific time and schedule it. The best time for your quiet time is when you are at your best. Regardless of the time you select – be consistent. Try to stick to the same time each day – this will help you to establish the habit.
2. Choose a special place. This is not a sacred place, but just a place for you to know that this is where you have your quiet time. I, personally, have a really comfy chair that I like to sit in during this time. That’s my place. Yours may be different – maybe a deck, or a desk – whatever it is, pick a place for you.
3. Get what you need to be successful. If you are going to be spending time daily with God, a good first item would be to have your Bible. A Bible you can read. A Bible you can understand. Next might be a journal or a notebook so you can write down your thoughts, things God might be speaking to you about. Some people may want some music playing, although for me, this is a distraction. But – it’s up to you… give it a shot…
4. Start with the right attitude. You are coming to spend time getting to know God. A reverent attitude is a good place to start. Also, God will honor this time, so come expecting to hear from Him.

Sometimes, even the best of intentions are shot because of things that we allow to happen. So, for this to be successful, we must be disciplined. With discipline come some problems we must face. Here are some tips for you:

1. Go to bed on time so you can actually get OUT OF BED on time. There’s nothing that will hinder your quiet time more than sleeping right through it…
2. When it’s time to get up, GET UP. This is not the time to snooze through your quiet time with God.
3. Be aware of things that steal your time. Don’t check email or Facebook before your quiet time, or you will be sucked in and miss out on your time with God.
4. Sometimes, sitting still early in the morning causes me to be distracted – sometimes with just wanting to go back to sleep. During these times, I find that walking while I pray helps me to focus and stay awake and alert.
5. Remember, this is time you are using to DEVELOP a relationship with God. There may be times that you don’t really feel a lot happening. Please try to get past your feelings on this. Time with God, a relationship with God is not about feelings. Please do not think your quiet time was ineffective because you didn’t get goosebumps during it.
6. If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up – just get back on track tomorrow. God is not legalistic, even though some people are. God is not religious, even though some people are. Just don’t give up, and keep moving forward.

This habit is extremely important. Get this one started so you can begin to develop that relationship with God. God will honor what you are doing, and you will begin to see the fruit (the benefits) of this habit in your life!

You can do it – just get started!

Damage from Branson Leap Day Tornado, 2012

Storms come. Throughout life, there are storms that come against you. The storms of life. Sometimes they come in seasons. Sometimes they come on their own. Sometimes they are really big. Sometimes they are smaller. They are usually unexpected and unannounced. These storms can blow and howl, they can cause damage and devastation.

Regardless of what you try to do, storms come. And storms will continue to come. As discouraging as that may sound, we can either stand strong through a storm or we can be blown off course, blown off track.

Storms are not necessarily a bad thing, although we usually see them that way. Most of the time, in the midst of a storm, we want out. We want to change the circumstances. We want to get out of the storm. However – what if God is using that storm, and our response to the storm, to lead others to faith in Him.

So, how is it that we are to stand in the midst of a storm, and not be blown off course? Well, the difference is not the size of the STORM – the difference is the size of the PERSON in the storm. What do you have in your life that builds you up? What do you have in your life that holds you down? What do you have in your life that allows you to remain on your foundation during a storm? When the storms come, your life needs to be filled with something solid, something lasting, something secure. Many people fill their life with money, or the pursuit of money, or the pursuit of things. Many people fill their life with family, or friends, or entertainment. The problem with these is that they do not last. They are not secure. There is only one thing that we can fill our lives with that is able to stand, that is able to last. That one thing is not a thing at all, but a person.

Jesus is the only person that is able to keep us grounded and secure, strong and firm, throughout the storms of life that come against us. It is our relationship with Him that is able to keep us grounded. And our relationship with Him is determined by who He is to us in our lives. Who is Jesus to me? Where does He stand in my life? What place is He in my life? Is Jesus first in my life? Or does He come somewhere after my wife, my kids, my family, my friends, my church, my job, my entertainment, my hobbies, and anything and everything else that might come up?

Jesus desires to be FIRST in my life. I was created for that relationship with Him. Because I was created for that reason, I need to make sure that He is in the top place in my life. And there are habits that I can put in my life that will help to develop my relationship with Jesus. We’ll be covering some of those habits over the next few days – things that we can put in place in our life to develop our relationship with Jesus. After all, it’s ALL about Him. It’s ALWAYS about Him. And He deserves to come first in our lives!

God surrounds you and I with people that WE can speak to, people that WE can make a difference to, people that WE can CHANGE THEIR WORLD.

I believe that God has placed people in YOUR life, and in MY life, that need to know Him. It is His desire that ALL would be saved, and that NONE would be lost. That means it is our responsibility to use that tool that we have, OUR STORY, and tell them about Jesus.

This is what Jesus meant when He said for us to Go and tell the good news – thesis the news that we have to share with the world. The good news of our experience with Jesus. Of who we were, and who we are – and the difference is Jesus.

So, who has God put in your life that you need to share YOUR STORY wife? Pray for God to show you those people, and begin to pray for them daily. Pray that God would open a door for you to share YOUR STORY with them. And pray that when that time comes, God would give you the boldness to share your story clearly and confidently. And then pray that God would make them receptive to your story, that your story would speak to their hearts, and that God would be able to use that see planted to produce a harvest of change in their lives.

The reality is, this story is not your story, it’s God’s story. Without God, you wouldn’t have a story at all. So your story is really the story of God working in your life and bringing you back to Him. It’s that amazing revelation that will completely change how you view your story, and will allow you to submit your story to God to be used by Him in any way that He wants.

So give your story to God and He can use it and use you for advancing His Kingdom here on the earth!

This activity, this step, helps YOU grow in your ability to share – you become clear in how you communicate your story. You think through who your story sounds as it comes out. Does it make sense? Can it be followed? Do you focus on the right things in your story? For example, does your story seem to glorify your sin and not your savior? If so, the focus is wrong, and needs to be changed.

This is how you complete your story – refining it into that tool that God has given you to share with others. As you do this, God will begin to give you opportunities to share your story with others. He will lead others to you SO THAT YOU CAN SHARE YOUR STORE WITH THEM. That’s how powerful this tool really is!

So, the first step is the confirm your story. Have you accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation? Have you made that decision in your life? If so, then you have a story. That is confirmed. If not – if you have not made the decision for Jesus, if you have not believed – then you don’t have a story to share… YET! God wants you to have a story. God wants to be your salvation. God wants to have that relationship with you. To be able to have a story, you just need to say “yes” to Jesus. Accept His gift of salvation. Put Him in the place of highest honor and value in your life.

Once you have – you have a story to share. You have a testimony to share. Who you were and who you now are – and how Jesus is the difference. This is what we share, and this is what we ARE TO SHARE with others.

The first week of this series focused on MY STORY – how my story can change the world. How YOUR STORY can change the world. Throughout this series, we will look at several Ignite Principles, found in Scripture, that will show how our lives can be used by God to make a difference in the lives of the people around us.

IGNITE PRINCIPLE #1: My testimony (my story) is the powerful tool that God WILL USE to draw others to faith in Him.

The great thing about my testimony, my story, is that it is mine. It is nobody else’s – just mine alone. When I became a Christian, Jesus gave me a story to tell. The story of my experience with Him. The story of how He changed my life. The story of how He changed my world. This is my testimony – simply my story.

My story can essentially be boiled down to who I was and who I am, and the difference is Jesus. That’s all there is to it. Who I was to who I am, and the difference is Jesus.

For me personally, I was a good kid, raised in a good home. My parents taught us what they knew about church and about God. We weren’t involved in church as a family – and didn’t really know we needed to be. My parents taught us about God, about Jesus, and about the things of God. The one thing we didn’t really know was that knowing ABOUT God wasn’t enough – we had to KNOW HIM.

As a teen, I would get more involved in church – about 3-4 weeks before summer camp to the beach. I would go to church so I could get the forms, and then I’d tag along to the beach for a week. Then, I’d follow it up with a week or two of church – and I’d do the whole thing again in a year.

In college, I went away to school. With newfound freedom and new (but not great) friends, I got involved in things I shouldn’t have. I began drinking, began smoking, began doing other things that I knew I shouldn’t. I worked at a restaurant as a server and as a bartender. I got involved with an older crowd of people that were not the best influences on me.

In the midst of all this, I show up at work on day and there is a new hostess. A cute hostess. A really cute hostess. Over the course of a few months, she and I began dating in the middle of this life that she and I were living.

Eventually there came a day that she decided it was time for her to graduate. After graduation, she moved back home (to Dallas). We continued to date long distance, which wasn’t nearly as fun. Over the course of our long distance dating, we began to get more and more serious. During this time, she was also living back in Dallas and going to church. Her father was a pastor, and she was feeling the pressure of getting back in church.

One day, we were talking on the phone, and she began to tell me what she was looking for in a man. She admitted that she wasn’t living it, but that she wanted a godly man. With my extensive church background, I had absolutely no idea what this meant. However, knowing her dad was a pastor, there was some concern she was looking for some type of ministry. She assured me that was not the case, that she WAS NOT going to be a pastor’s wife or in any kind of ministry. She as very adamant about that!

After a few more months of the long distance dating, I knew this was very serious. I decided to also move back to Dallas. While back in Dallas, she was feeling to pressure to attend church – and then she started to pressure me to attend church. We both would go, most Sundays, but we certainly weren’t the most committed. The littlest thing would derail our attending. That is, until her mom had a brilliant idea. Her mom somehow convinced her dad to buy us lunch – EVERY SUNDAY – if we came to church. I thought this was a huge score for us – free food. In reality, it meant we were in church every Sunday, and then had another hour or so after church to talk about the service, about the things of God, and to be mentored.

From that point, it didn’t take too long until one Sunday morning, in February, 1998 – we are sitting in service and things are different. I wasn’t just there – I was there. I was engaged. I was involved. I wasn’t just hearing – I was listening. Then, at the end of the service, “that time” came. The time for the altar call. Her dad asked those that didn’t know Jesus to raise their hands. I knew at that time that I didn’t know Him. And my hand went up. As I look back, I realize that it wasn’t my conscious decision rather it was the Holy Spirit moving through me.

That day, I accepted Jesus as the lord of my life, accepted His gift of salvation. And that day, my future wife did also!

I knew that this change was for real. I really meant it. I knew things in my life would have to be different. I knew I couldn’t live the same life any more. Now was time to change.

Some of the changes happened very easily, very quickly, almost overnight. If the Bible said it, I wanted to do it. Some of the changes took time. They took effort. They took prayer. I, like everyone else, am a work in progress – striving to conform to the image of Christ.

The amazing thing is that God has completely blessed my efforts. He has blessed me with an amazing wife who is truly my best friend, my treasure, and the crown of my life (Proverbs 12). God has blessed me with two amazing children that love me and that love Him! I love that my kids, even at 10 and 7, passionately love Jesus and want to serve and obey Him. And God has blessed the work of my hands, blessed me with a good career, and has even changed that career to a call to ministry on my life.

It amazes me that God can take the junk in my life and redeem it for His good. He can change the desire of my heart as I desire to seek Him. Now, He has placed me in a position that my life is about helping others meet Jesus, and then equipping them to help others meet Jesus. It is truly amazing that God can take someone that didn’t even know I needed to KNOW HIM – and now I am called to be His minister, to His people.

This is the power of a testimony. My testimony will be information to some people. My testimony will be a point of connection or relation to some people. And then to others, my testimony, my story will be something they can identify with. And God will use my story to ignite the faith in other people, and to draw them to Him.

Again, our first Ignite Principle is: MY TESTIMONY (my story) is the powerful tool that God will use to draw others to faith in Him.

Last night, at 12:20 AM, my wife woke me up to tell me that a smoke detector battery was starting to go out. When that happens, it makes a very annoying, high pitched chirp every 60 seconds or so. In the part of our house where this was happening (right outside the three bedrooms), the home builders were kind enough to install SIX (6) of these wondrous devices within about a 15′ area.

So, at 12:20, I crawl out of bed to attempt to locate which one of the little boogers decided to start to die in the middle of the night. With the chirp only happening every 60 seconds, and with that many in one area, it is a painful process to identify the correct one. It so happened that the smoke detector that was going out was in my son’s room. We opened his door, which woke him up (the smoke detector chirp had not…). After we told him what we doing, he was back to sleep and none the wiser about what was going on – and I was very jealous. Once we identified the right smoke detector, it was downstairs, turn off the alarm, get the ladder, get a battery, and back upstairs to change it out.

As an aside, have you ever climbed a ladder to a 10-foot ceiling after sleeping very soundly for the past two hours?… that was quite the interesting experience. I was finally able to get the cover off, the battery replaced, and the smoke detector reinstalled. This entire process only took about 10-12 minutes from beginning to end, but certainly seemed more like 2-3 hours.

After putting the ladder up, resetting the alarm, and heading back upstairs, I was aware of the quiet… no more chirps every 60 seconds. As I crawled back in bed, ready to become comatose for the rest of the night, my wife thanked me for taking care of that. I realized then that, while I could have ignored it and never known, she would not have been able to. It would have bothered her all night, and probably kept her from getting any sleep. I was very happy for how I handled it – I was very uncoordinated from being asleep, but not upset, not angry.

Throughout this seemingly mundane, boring, maybe a little bit ridiculous story, it reminded me how God loves us. He loves us in the big stuff and in the little stuff. He loves us through the big, exciting, happy or not-so-happy times in our lives. But He also loves us through the little, minor, annoying, aggravating things in life. This is so freeing for me, personally, to know that I don’t have to do the big things on my own, and I don’t have to do the little things on my own either. God loves each of us enough to walk us through the little things as well as the big things in life.

Romans 8:28

I AM A SOLDIER:

I am a soldier in the army of my God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity. I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this army; but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out. I am faithful, reliable, capable and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there. He can use me because I am there! I am a soldier.

I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up or pepped up. I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me. I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom! No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around. I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit. When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead. I will win. My God has and will continue to supply all of my needs.

I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money
 cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me. And hell cannot handle me.

I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to Captain and then allow me to rule with Him.

I am a soldier in the army, and I’m marching claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier, marching heaven bound.

Here I stand!

Soldiers – together, ready for battle

To clarify – I did not write this (not even sure who the author is to give credit), it was just too good to not post again!

We will restore the “three class/three teacher” format for these sessions.  You may choose your class. All classes will be studying the same scriptural passages and principles.

Our series is called:  Truths For Christian Living.  It will cover the New Testament books of I, II, III John, and Jude.

The subject titles for the Wednesdays in January are: Fellowship With God / Living As Christ’s Disciple / Being Children of God / This You Can Know.

I believe these Bible studies will assist us with the arming and equipping for the spiritual battles ahead.

I invite and encourage you to be in attendance as much as possible!

The truth, however, could not be further from this sad misrepresentation. The Bible is full of language of war, of battle, of a great fight. In the Bible, the word WAR is used 228 times, the word BATTLE is used 179 times, and the word FIGHT is used 126 times. This does not include any other wording or language of war, such as skirmish, squabble, throw-down, beat down, or anything else of that type.

We believe that the Bible is the God-breathed, inspired, directed, protected Word of God – straight from God to man. We believe that what is written in the Bible is fact, not fiction, not conjecture, not speculation, not subject to question, not able to be refuted. By believing this, the stores that are contained within the Bible are HISTORY, not a fictional novel. This means they really happened! God really used these people to accomplish His purposes, the ways that He intended and orchestrated!

The Old Testament is filled with story after story of God using ordinary (or even less than ordinary) people to accomplish great feats through war and through battle. Samson killed 1000 men with a donkey’s jaw (Judges 15:15). David killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands as a boy, then slayed a giant that grown soldiers were afraid to fight (1 Sam 17:36, 1 Sam 17:48-51). The stories of the Israelites overcoming the Egyptians (Book of Exodus), the walls of Jericho falling (Joshua 6), Gideon and his small army (Judges 7:1-22), and David and his mighty men (2 Sam 23:8-39) are just a few of the many exciting, guy-inspiring stories found in the Bible.

The New Testament does not discontinue to use this same language of active participation in a battle, in a war, in a fight. Paul writes to the church in Corinth that “though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh…” (2 Cor 10:3), and to Timothy he writes to “fight the good fight of faith.” (1 Tim 6:12)

Old Testament warfare is a picture of spiritual warfare. It is a picture of good conquering evil. It is a picture of God defeating Satan. New Testament warfare teaches us that the battle that we fight is not flesh and blood, not in the physical. It is a spiritual battle that we fight, against unseen forces of evil in dark places (Eph 6:12).

When we become a Christian; when we accept the gift that Jesus freely gives, but paid everything for – we enlist that day for life in the Army of God. We are soldiers, and we are in battle. Make no mistake – we are in battle. If we are not actively engaged in battle, there’s a good chance we are losing the fight. (If you aren’t fighting back, what’s the likelihood you are winning?)

The battle is raging, the sides are chosen, and the lines are drawn. The question we must each ask ourselves is -

“Am I in the fight?”

Am I actively engaging my enemy in combat? Am I preparing myself as a soldier each day to go to war for my Commander? Am I making the most of each day, taking ground from the enemy every step of the way? Am I allowing myself to be used by my Commander for the accomplishing of His purposes?

Jesus tells the crowds in Matthew 11:12 (AMP) “And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize - a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].”

This is ACTIVE. The kingdom of heaven, bringing God’s kingdom (His purposes, His plans, His desires, His will) to earth is something that we seek after with ardent zeal. It is something that we seek after with intense exertion. It is a passion!

So – Are you in the fight?

To be continued…

We want to encourage you, parents, tackle this challenge with your kids. Impart the importance of God’s Word to your children, regardless their age. Let this be a great time of family as you dig into the Bible together. Let’s God’s Word become a priority in your family life – something you all look forward to together, not something you HAVE to do…

If they are old enough, let them do some of the reading. Explain the parts they don’t understand. Put it into language that they will get. God’s Word is accessible to everyone – it doesn’t have to fly over their heads!

(One thing to note, parents – this should take about 15-20 minutes per day to stay on track with this plan. That is – unless you have your 7-yr old read an entire chapter from Genesis. That might add a little more time, so plan accordingly! Definitely worth the time investment, though – and YOU will be greatly rewarded!)

I have great faith, New Life, that God wants to, can, and will (if we allow Him) change each and every one of us more into that person that He desires us to be as we make a commitment and an continued effort to draw near to Him. It’s going to be exciting, as we begin this journey together as a family!

The service begins promptly at 6PM, and concludes at 7PM – won’t you join us as we celebrate!?!

The challenge that God has for New Life Church is one of commitment. Commitment to growth. As I said, I will share more of this at the beginning of the year, but one key area that God has for refocused commitment is in the area of Scripture reading and study. This has become very clear to me, personally, as I have been challenged by God to read the New Testament during the month of December. For the next year, though, I want to challenge each of us to commit to joining together to read and study the Bible. I will begin a one-year reading plan on January 1, 2012, and I want to challenge you to join me. I will share regular updates about the passages we’ve been reading, and give any insights God has given to me during that time. I’d like to also ask that you interact – post your comments and thoughts. This will be available on the website, so it will be accessible and easy to find. The reading plan I have selected reads the Bible in chronological order – from the oldest events to the most recent. If you have never read the Bible through, or it’s been a really long time, please let me know! I want to be able to encourage you and challenge you to stick through with us to the end.

This will be a great way for us individually and corporately to commit to growing spiritually in 2012. Let’s do this, let’s meet the challenge, and let’s please God!

While watching the New Life Kids Christmas musical today, I was reminded of the significance of the season by Captain Courage (my son, Gunnar) as he asked the question “What does Christmas mean?”. While this made me think, I think the more important question is “What does Christmas mean TO YOU?“

Many times we get so wrapped up in the busyness of the season that we lose focus and sight of what it is all about. Removing all of the traditions, all of the symbols, and all of the folklore – we are left with one thing. This time is all about a person – JESUS!

It was Jesus who laid aside his divinity to put on humanity. It was Jesus who left heaven to come to earth, to be born as a man. It was Jesus who grew up in wisdom, stature, and favor with all men. It was Jesus who was filled with the Holy Spirit upon his baptism, leading the way for us. It was Jesus who endured every temptation we will ever face, and yet never sinned. It was Jesus who lived a life of leading and example, showing us how to live a fully empowered Christian life.

And it was Jesus who was without sin, yet became sin for us. It was Jesus who was brutally crucified and died in our place, paying the price we should (but never could) pay. And it was Jesus who, on that third day, rose from the dead, overcoming sin and defeating death – giving us a hope for a future!

We also cannot forget it was Jesus who, after being raised from the dead, stayed to teach and instruct his disciples until his mission was complete. And at the completion of that mission, it was Jesus that gave us OUR MISSION – to go into all the world, telling the good news (Matt. 28:19).

As incredible, wonderful, exciting, and inspiring as that story is in its completion – it never begins without the beginning. In other words, there is no Easter (resurrection from the dead, defeat of sin and death, and forgiveness of sins by the shed blood of Jesus) without Christmas (Jesus coming to earth as a man).

So this season, let us focus on the reason that we have this season – to honor and celebrate Jesus for coming into the mess of humanity to redeem us!

Merry Christmas, from New Life Church