More Than Amazing...

I cannot get enough of this song recently.  I hope and pray that it ministers to you as much as it does to me.  Blessings!

"Remember"

Titus 3:1-8
#1:  Remind Them What They Are To Be--vv. 1-2

• Remind Them To Be...
• submissive to rulers and authorities
• obedient
• ready for every good work
• speak evil of no one
• avoid quarreling
• gentle
• show perfect courtesy toward all people

#2:  Remind Them What They Once Were--v. 3

• We Ourselves Were Once...
• foolish
• disobedient 
• led astray
• slaves to various passions & pleasures
• passing our days in malice and envy
• hated by others and hating one another

#3:  Remind Them What God Did--vv. 4-7

• But When...
• The goodness of God our Savior appeared
• The loving kindness of God our Savior appeared
• What Happened...
• HE SAVED US!!!
• Not because of works done by us in righteousness
• According to His own mercy
• By the washing of regeneration
• By the renewal of the Holy Spirit
• Whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ 
• Why?
• So that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life

#4:  Remind Them What They Are To Insist On--v. 8

• The saying is trustworthy
• I want you to insist on these things
• Why?
• So that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works
• Because they are excellent and profitable for people.

Powerful Video...Aaron

Failed Attempts Part 1...

Jacob and Joseph are now both dead.  Before his death, Jacob (now called Israel) moved his entire clan to Egypt.  They were given the land of Goshen in Egypt and God blessed them while they inhabited the land.  Exodus 1:7 reads, "But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them."

This presented a problem.  The king who reigned during there placement in the land was no longer in power.  There was a new king.  This king knew nothing of Joseph.  This king made the following statement in Exodus 1:9, "Behold the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.  Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and in the event of war, they also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us, and depart from the land."  To put it bluntly, they were somewhat scared of the sons of Israel. 

How would they deal with this issue they were facing?  How were they going to control the sons of Israel from growing stronger and mightier?  How were they going handle this situation?  Let's take a quick look at the text.

Exodus 1:11-14--They Worked Them
They appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor (v. 11).  They made them build storage cities for Pharaoh (v. 11).  They compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously (v. 13).  They made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field (v. 14). 

What was the outcome of all of this hard labor?  Look at verse 12:

"But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, 

so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel."

In our everyday vernacular we would say it like this:  they through everything but the kitchen sink at the sons of Israel to try and control them and they only made the problem worse.  

The Egyptians failed to realize one thing.  God was working for the sons of Israel.  The harder the Egyptians pushed, the greater God grew the sons of Israel.  The more sanctions and rigorous regulations the Egyptians placed on the sons of Israel, the more God caused them to spread.  

Tomorrow we will take look at another failed attempt by the Egyptians to control the sons of Israel.

"Does Dress Matter?..."

I am not saying that I agree or disagree with everything written in this article.  However, I do think that it could generate some good discussion.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

One of the most read and shared articles in 2012 from Christianity Today is about church dress.  Click the link below to read the article.

Clothing Matters: What We Wear to Church

Why what we put on may be more important than we think.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/januaryweb-only/clothingmatters.html?order=&start=1

2013 Goals...

2013 GOALS

1. Lose 50+ pounds/become healthier.
1. Is this not just about everyone's goal?
2. Broaden the scope of what I read.
1. Read more theology.
2. Read more biographies.
3. Read more books with my wife about marriage.
1. Apply their teachings to our marriage.
4. Read more books with my wife about parenting.
1. Apply their teachings to our parenting of our 3 boys.
3. Become more missions-minded as an individual, a couple, and a family.
4. Work with the Oversight Board of Ada First to make Christ's Church more missions-minded.
1. Both locally and globally. 
5. Drink coffee.
1. Already accomplished!
6. Write more notes to people.
1. Both digitally and handwritten. 
7. Become more involved in community efforts.

These are just off the top of my head.  They might change.  They might increase.  They might decrease.  At the risk of the "cheesy police" coming after me, I will state this quote.  "If you fail to plan, you plain to fail."  I have got a plan.  Do you? 

Blessings!

"You Love Me Anyway..."

I never get tired of hearing this song.  Let it be a reminder to you today (as it was to me) that God loves you in spite of who you currently are and what you have done.  Blessings!!!

Acts 2 Thoughts...

Reading Acts 2 today in my daily Bible time, I simply took some notes. Here is what I came up with.

Acts 2 Thoughts:
1. It is interesting that the devote Jerusalem Jews' first thoughts were not that God was doing something, but that the people were drunk.--vv. 5-13

2. Peter's direct response to their ignorant statements was to preach the Gospel to them.--vv. 13-36

3. After hearing the Gospel, they were convicted and wanted to respond to what they had heard.--v. 37

4. Peter tells them to "repent" & "be baptized." Why? For the forgiveness of sins and to receive the Holy Spirit. It is for anyone God calls to Himself.--vv. 38-39

5. Peter continued preaching. Anyone who received his message accepted it and were baptized. 3,000 people in a day.--v. 40-41

6. The large group of people devoted themselves to three things: 1) the apostles teaching & the fellowship, 2) the breaking of bread together, and 3) praying.--v. 42

7. A fearful type of awe came upon everyone and the apostles did many signs and wonders.--v. 43

8. They were all together & had all things in common. Like : selling their possessions and belongs are giving the money away to those in need, attended church everyday together, ate together everyday in their homes, received their food with glad and generous hearts, and they praised God and had favor with all people. As a result of this, God added daily to their number those being saved.--vv. 44-47

To me, this looks like a great formula for the Church to follow. What do you think?

Blessings!
DA
Note: Sorry if there are errors. Did this on my iPhone.

In or Out....

I would love for all of you to check out my friend Justin's new blog. 

He is launching a program entitled "Faith and Family." 

He, through this blog, is going to take us on a 30 day journey of deepening our faith and strengthening our families. 

Here is a link to his site.  Blessings!

Pity, Touched, Healed...

I love to read about the miracles that Jesus performed.  They leave me in awe.  For example, reading the words of Mark 1:40-41:

"And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, 'If you will, you can make me clean.'  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, 'I will, be clean.'"

Jesus displayed three actions that we need to display.  Jesus displayed three actions that we need to display when being the "salt and light of the earth."  

#1--Pity 

This is extremely difficult sometimes.  Often times people put themselves into the situations they are in and we often feel that if we help them get out of it that they won't learn anything.  I don't disagree with this.  However, Jesus displayed pity on this man who was in need.  Pity is defined has having sympathy or kindly sorrow evoked by the suffering, distress, or misfortune of another.  Do we have this definition in our dealings with the poor and afflicted in our communities?  If we are honest, the answer (most of the time) is no.  

#2--Touched

It would have been very politically and socially incorrect for Jesus to touch this man.  Why?  Lepers were considered as outcasts.  They were not allowed to mingle with the towns people.  They were not allowed to live at home with their families.  They were not allowed to touch anybody or anything.  They were considered unclean.  Leviticus 13 will tell you everything you want to know about this skin disease.  Jesus didn't care.  He knew that one of the huge needs in this man's healing was that he needed a touch.  Jesus didn't care about the social customs.  Jesus didn't care about what others would think.  He touched this man.  

#3--Healed

After showing pity and after touching the man, Jesus healed him.  Jesus told him that He could make him clean and then He did it.  It is important to understand that this wasn't a progressive healing.  It was immediate.  

Briefly, let's look at some applications.

#1--We must pray that God would give us an eye to see the needs of others and when we do see them, have pity.

#2--We must be willing to get our hands dirty.

#3--We must do everything we can do to heal.  What do I mean by this?  We must do everything we can to heal the greatest need that people have.  What is their greatest need?  Their greatest need is to enter into a right relationship with God.

Blessings!

The Fame of Jesus...

I love verse 28 of Mark 1.  Read these words and be stirred.   

"And at once his [Jesus'] fame spread everywhere throughout 

all the surrounding region of Galilee."

Did you catch it?  Jesus' fame spread.  

Question:  What are you doing and/or what is your church doing to spread the fame of Jesus? 

I don't have anything else to say about it.  

This is something that is haunting me and that I am dealing with.

YOU MUST DEAL WITH IT TOO!

Let's spread the fame of Jesus.  Blessings!

The Message of Jesus Christ...

I just started a reading plan through youversion.com.  I am going to be reading the entire New Testament over the next year.  This pretty much consists of a chapter a day.  At first I thought, "One chapter a day?  That is not very much." 

However, I am excited for the opportunity to really allow the pages of scripture to soak in.  I am excited to not have so much going on in my mind that I can really try and think through what is being taught and think through how it should be applied.  We all need to do this more.

My goal in this study is gain a nugget from scripture that I can "chew on" throughout the day, apply its truth to my life, and hopefully (as time allows) share it with others.  Below is what I want to share today.

Mark 1:14-15.

John the Baptist has been arrested and Jesus has come to Galilee.  Once He arrived in Galilee, He began His preaching ministry.  Verse 15 of Mark 1 summarizes for us what Jesus main message was going to be throughout His earthly ministry.  Somehow I think this should be our message too.  He summarizes His message in 3 statements.

#1--"The time is fulfilled..."

• The time has come for the old system (the law) to be done away with and a new system (Christ) to be ushered in.  
• This symbolizes the beginning of God reconciling all men to Himself.
• The "once and for all" sacrifice has arrived.

#2--"...the kingdom of God is at hand..."

• Although it is going to come in stages, it has arrived.  

#3--"...repent and believe in the gospel."

• I feel like that we get sidetracked sometimes from this message.  
• This should be grafted into every sermon you and I preach.

I needed to be reminded of this today.  I needed to be reminded that in my personal life I need to repent and believe the gospel.  I needed to be reminded that this message of Christ should be the dominate theme in every message I preach, every deed that I do, and in every word that I speak. 

I am thankful for the message of Jesus Christ.  May His message become our message.  Blessings!

A New Pair Of Jeans....

Today is going to be a huge "ramble."  Some of you will not like this very much.  I don't like it, but what I am about to say is the truth.  Many of us (Big D included) don't want sin out of our lives.  I want to have a life where my sin is comfortable.  Don't get me wrong, I want God.  I want God to transform my life to make it look like Him, but I still want my sin. 

Look at it this way.  Sin is kind of like a new pair of jeans that you bought at your favorite clothing establishment without trying them on.  You get them home and try them on and they are too tight.  They are not extremely too tight, but they are tight enough to make you uncomfortable when you wear them.  If you are like me at all, you don't like to take things back to the store and exchange them.  I'll just put up with the discomfort. 

Sin is just like this.  We want the comfort of a new pair of jeans that fit just right, but we want it in the new pair of jeans that are too tight.  What we should do is take the pair of jeans back to the store and get rid of them.  We need to turn them in for a pair that fit perfectly.  Do you see the comparison?

We must (daily) exchange our sin for the righteousness of God.  We must get rid of the things in our lives that don't fit right.  We must not get to the point in our lives where we are okay with wearing things (sin) that are too tight.  If this happens, are relationship with God suffers, are relationship with others suffer, and we will suffer.  Sometimes it might seem like a hassle to take the clothing back to the store, but in the end there is nothing like a pair of jeans that fit perfectly.  At this point I am prepared to make you (and myself) a promise:  if you try on the righteousness of God, it will fit.  This is the way that God designed it.  I must end this post now.  I have some jeans in my closet that need to be returned for ones that fit perfectly.  Happy repenting. 

Blessings!

Christ is the Difference...

I don't know about you, but I don't know near enough about the book of Isaiah.  Several days ago I was seeking God's guidance about where I needed to turn next in my personal Bible reading/study.  For some reason, maybe it is because I don't know enough about it, God directed me to the book of Isaiah.  It has been challenging thus far.

My readings for today had me in Isaiah 8, 9, & 10.  I want to highlight something God revealed (not in a prophetic way) to me today.  If you have a chance, take minute and read over chapter 9. 

All done?  Great.  Here are my thoughts.

I know enough about the book of Isaiah to know that God's people were in some serious trouble with Jehovah.  God had given them chance after chance to turn their hearts back to Him.  However, much like you and I, they didn't listen.  Looking at chapter 8 of Isaiah, God uses Isaiah to warn them of the coming judgment by the Assyrians.  He also, in chapter 8, warns Isaiah not to become like all the other people.  Then, beginning in chapter 9, God gives us some prophetic words regarding the future that we all are probably failure with. 

He tells them in Isaiah 9:1 that this coming judgment isn't going to be like "the gloom of the distressed land...of the former times (HCSB)."  This time of destruction is going to be different than anything that has happened before.

Beginning in verse 2 Isaiah lays it all out for us.

1. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.
2. On those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned.
3. The nation has been enlarged and increased its joy.
4. The people are now rejoicing before You
5. God has shattered their burdensome yoke and the rod on their shoulders, and the staff of the oppressors (Assyria)

The logical question is, "How is this going to happen?"  I am glad I asked because in verses 6-7 of chapter 9, Isaiah gives us the answer.

"For a CHILD will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders, He will be named  WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, ETERNAL FATHER, PRINCE of PEACE.  The dominion will be vast and its prosperity will never end.  He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.  THE ZEAL OF THE LORD OF HOSTS WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS."--Isaiah 9:6-7 (HCSB)

CHRIST IS THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!  Oh, that Christ would be the difference in your life and my life.  I want to challenge you to live in the light of this today!!!

"Just Do Something" by Kevin DeYoung...

I just finished a very thought provoking book on knowing and doing God's will. The book is entitled "Just Do Something" by Kevin DeYoung. Kevin has some non-traditional views on this subject. I want to share one specifically.

Often times, this is how I was taught, we are instructed that God's will is this magical, unknown phenomena that must be sought after, prayed about, and stressed over. All of those things might be true, but I don't think it has to be this way.

In Matthew 6, Jesus gives us the answer to this "God's Will" issue. We are to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.".

Did you catch the answer? I didn't either at first. The most important thing in following God's will is seeking God's kingdom first. If we strive to consistently live this way, I believe all the other pieces will fall into place.

I would highly recommend this book.

Show Us Christ...

Very powerful song that we will be doing in the near future at Ada First.  This is my prayer as a follower of Jesus Christ and as a minister of the gospel.  Blessings!

The songs is entitled Show Us Christ by Sovereign Grace Music

God Frustrate Me...

Often times, when reading scripture, I get frustrated with myself.  Why?  I feel like there is a huge disconnect in what I read and the way that I live it out. 

DISCLAIMER:  I am not saying all of this so that you will lavish me with praise and empty compliments. 

I could give probably endless examples of scriptures that make me feel this way.  I won't do that, however.  I will only list a few.

EXAMPLES:
Philippians 2:1-17--Having the Mind of Christ
1 John 3:16-18--Live in Action, Not Just Talk
Romans 12:1-21--Be Transformed
Matthew 5-7--Seek First the Kingdom of God

At the same time, I think that I would be little concerned if I read scripture and there was "nothing going on in me."  Do you know what I mean?  Let me tell you.  There have been times in my 19 years of following Jesus that I "doubted" if I was even following Jesus.  When these occasions occurred, I would seek counsel.  Some of the best advice that I ever received was when I was facing this issue.  I was told, "the very fact that you are questioning whether you are following Jesus or not, tells me that you are."  Whether you agree with this advice or not is irrelevant.  I believe it and hold to it and pass it on to others. 

Do you see how this situation applies to my frustration?

I think the very fact that I am frustrated says that God has got my attention.  I think if you are honest with who you are in Christ, you will find out one of two things:

#1-You are frustrated and feel like there is a disconnect with what you read in scripture and how you live it out.
#2--You are not frustrated and you need to be frustrated.  What I mean is that you aren't reading God's Word and you aren't allowing it to frustrate you and transform you.  Make sense?  It does.

God frustrate us!!!

Hold on for the Ride...

I want God to do something "God-like" in me.  I know that this sounds selfish, but I don't care.  Maybe He should start by removing my selfishness.  Maybe He should start with me telling Him what to do.  Anyway, this is easier said than done.  I say I want God to do something in me, but I don't know if I am going to like the process that I will have to go through to get there.  However, Psalm 24:3-6 gives me some insight about what I need to do.

#1--I must have clean hands.
#2--I must have a pure heart.
#3--I must not lift up my soul to what is false.
#4--I must not swear deceitfully.

What will this type of person receive from God?  I am glad you asked.

#1--He will receive blessing from the Lord.
#2--He will receive righteousness from the God of his salvation.
#3--He will be part of a generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

This is profoundly exciting and profoundly disturbing at the same time.  I want to "ascend the hill of the Lord."  I want to "stand in His holy place."

God, do whatever is necessary to make this true in my life.  I will hold on for the ride.

"Help Advance The Gospel..."

What is going on in your life right now?  I know.  This is may seem like a loaded question.  We could probably talk all day over coffee or diet Pepsi and still not exhaust the subject.  Do you know what was going on with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:12?  If not, let me clue you in.

Paul was in prison, literally.  There is some debate as to where he was in prison.  More than likely, it was in Rome.  Paul was thrown in jail for spreading the gospel.  He was put in prison for preaching Christ crucified, risen, and coming again.  That is what was going on in Paul's life. 

What do we do when life doesn't go "our way"?  I guarantee that most of the time we don't do things that help advance the gospel.  Sounds crazy doesn't it?  Well, that is what happened with Paul and his life circumstances.  Paul's imprisonment served to advance the gospel.  How did this happen?  I am glad you asked.

Despite the fact that Paul was under lock and key, he made sure that everybody who he encountered knew why.  Listen to what verse 13 of Philippians 1 says.  "...it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ."  All of the people who were of the special guard of the emperor of Rome knew about why Paul was there.  HE WAS THERE BECAUSE OF CHRIST.

When life circumstances catch up with us we don't usually use it as a platform to help advance the gospel and when I say we that includes me.  Instead, we complain, go into denial, blame others, etc.  The very faith that we proclaim when life circumstance ares good seems to disappear. When others look at our lives when life stinks would see no trace of Christ.  However, this is exactly the opposite of what happened when others viewed Paul's life. 

"...most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, ARE MUCH MORE BOLD TO SPEAK THE WORD WITHOUT FEAR."--Philippians 1:14

Did you catch it?  The example of Paul, when faced with a life threatening situation, actually made speaking up for the cause of Christ easier.  I don't know about you, but telling others about Christ and what He has done on their behalf is scary sometimes.  Can you imagine doing it knowing that it could cost you your life?  Most of us wouldn't do it.  We would stay quiet.  We would run away and hide.  Not Paul.  When the Christians in Rome saw Paul's boldness, his example inspired them to be more courageous.  Paul's stance actually caused them to be much more bold in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. 

There are two different groups of people represented in this section of scripture that we can learn from. 
First of all, Paul.  Here is a simple fact that we must ask God to help us with.  Whether life's circumstances are good or bad, we must speak the good new of Jesus Christ to others. 
Second, the Christians watching Paul.  We must ask God to help us become more courageous and bold for Him.  He might chose to do this by helping us be more aware of people who are speaking for Christ in every situation of their lives. 

HERE IS MY PRAYER:

God do something in my life, whether good or bad, that will help advance the gospel.  God help me to be aware of those people around me who are living for Christ in all circumstances of life and use them to inspire me to boldness for you.  

Blessings!

"I Am Speaking From Experience..."

I am simply blown away.  I don't say what I am about to say with a prideful spirit.  Please know that!  I have chosen to become more faithful in my personal study of scripture.  I know what your thinking.  You are thinking, "Derek calls himself a christian, but he doesn't personally study scripture?"  You are right.  I am not always as faithful as I should be with regards to studying scripture.  Granted, I study for 3 lessons a week at church, but none of that is specifically geared for my personal walk with Christ.  I have got news for you, my friend.  YOU DON'T STUDY SCRIPTURE FOR "YOU" LIKE YOU SHOULD EITHER!!!  (If you do, well, ignore the "all caps" statement.)

Lately God has been challenging me, kicking me, slapping me, convicting me, breaking me, forming me, and speaking to me from the book of Philippians.  I think over the last several weeks I have read the book 5 times or more.  I can't get enough of it (remember what I said about being prideful above).  I am actually thinking of writing a short book on it (sounds crazy doesn't it?). 

When Jennifer and I got married in May of 2005, we recited a section of verses from the book of Philippians at our wedding.  I didn't really even think about what I was reciting.  I was just wanting the ceremony to be over.  I know that sounds harsh, but you know what I mean.  Well, at least the men reading this do. 

Anyway, God is using that section of verses in my life as of late.  As I write this post, it is Friday afternoon and I have little to do.  If you are from my church reading this post, ignore that last statement.  I decided to get my ESV Study Bible out and begin the process of really tearing the book of Philippians apart.  The following information in this post is where I have stopped and camped out today. 

Here is what Philippians 1:9-11 says, "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Let's break this down some.

1. It is my prayer.
1. What is my prayer?
1. That love may abound more and more.
1. How?
1. With knowledge
2. With all discernment
2. Why?
1. So that I can approve what is excellent.
2. So that I can be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
3. So that I can be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ
4. So that GOD WOULD BE GLORIFIED AND PRAISED!!!

THIS IS MY PRAYER.  

I desire that my love for God and for others would continually, day after day, increase.  That I would couple love with knowledge (wisdom) and discernment (good judgment).  Why do I want to do this?  Great question.  I want to do this so that I can approve and practice those things that are excellent in the eyes of God.  I want to do this so that when Christ returns He will find a joyful obedience in me.  I want to do this so that I can be filled with all those things that come from being a righteous person, knowing that those things only come through Christ.  The main reason that I want to do this is so that my God would be glorified and praised.

I want to challenge you to read and study scripture.  If you are anything like me, and I think you are, you are not as faithful to scripture as you once were or as you "once said or tricked yourself into thinking" you were.  Blessing to you and I can't wait to see what God is going to do in your life once you decide to devote yourself to His Word.  He will do something in you.  Trust me.  I am speaking from experience.