A Jesus Encounter

Too often, when we come to know Christ, we delegate Him to just a certain aspect of our life.  He becomes the center of our “religious or spiritual” life.  We fail to involve or incorporate Him into other aspects of our life.  God is interested in every aspect of our lives.   He cares about your family life, your work life; who you date and marry.  He cares about your heartache and hardships too, and desires not only to be with you through them, but to grow you through the process of healing to be more like Him.  Yet too often, we seem to think that God is about that one area of our life.  God doesn’t really know about factory work, or politics, or nursing, or administration.  It’s as if we say, “God you’re good at what you do, but this is what I do.”  Peter had a conversation very much like that with the Lord.  Today we’re going to learn from that event as well as the subsequent events in their relationship together.  Peter makes an interesting study because in so many ways, I see myself in him.

Verse of the Week:  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.     _{Hebrews 4:15}                                    

Post Revival Thoughts

We are grateful for the messages brought by Brother Danny Fudge, Missionary to Omaha, Nebraska.  The messages from God's Word were boldly proclaimed and in time, we will see if they bring about the fruit of real revival.  What is the fruit of revival?  Restoration and a reinvigorated commitment to the Lord resulting in real life change and transformation.  The fruit is also seen by lost people coming to Christ as a result of the impact upon the church.  That is because true revival is transformational to individuals, families, churches and communities.  Real revival endures.   Bible precedents reveal that the generation that experiences genuine revival sees the impact and effect of revival throughout their life time.  In other words, real revival isn’t transitory but lasting; reaching, influencing and  impacting generations.  So what took place at LBC?  We've yet to see the lasting impact but this we do know.  We enjoyed the fellowship of God’s Spirit as well as that of His people.  We heard the Word of God boldly proclaimed, and witnessed people responding to the Spirit.  Praise God for His immeasurable goodness!

From My Heart to Yours

God has, in Christ, provided not only for our forgiveness and redemption; but also for all essential to fulfill our purpose for the Kingdom Work.  God wants to be glorified in us.  As we abide in Him and in His Word, He makes us to be fruitful so that we become a living testimony to His love and grace.  Paul prays that the church at Ephesus might come to know more fully God’s grace, love, strength and knowledge. In essence, he prays that they might come to a fullness of God that will empower and enable them to do even beyond all that they can imagine.  Could it be that we have a myopic view for what God can do here at LBC and in the Anderson area?  God’s desire is that He might receive honor and glory in us and through us as we obediently and submissively trust and follow Him.  God has provided all that is needed.  We must be willing to trust Him and obediently follow His leading.

From My Heart to Yours

We can not live a Christian life in our strength, but only in the strength of Christ who is the Vine.  All necessary for life and fruitfulness is provided through Him.  There are times that I make the attempt to do the work of God in my strength and find myself discouraged and dissuaded rather quickly.  Despondency and despair attack many believers who strive to do God’s work and fulfill God’s purpose in their own wisdom, ability and power.  Paul reminds us that it is Christ who strengthens us; that the life we now live as Christians we are to live by the faith of Christ and in the power of Christ.  Revival is a work of God and if we are to realize it, then we must position ourselves to receive it and wait upon God to deliver it in His time and for His glory and purpose.  Love, joy and peace are to epitomize the attitude and life of the believer, but sin that is not confessed, or self dependency rather than God dependency will rob us of them.  

From My Heart to Yours

Too many are living under the influence of the flesh rather than the influence of the Spirit.  But what does that mean?  We’ve been talking about the need for Revival; praying that God will graciously send it down to us.  Yet too often we look for Revival without meeting the conditions.  Those conditions are spelled out for us in the Word of God.  We use that phrase quite often, but our actions often reveal an unwillingness to heed.  We hear what God is saying, but are we really listening.  Jesus told the religious leaders of His day that they were reading but not heeding the Word of God.  Daily reading and memorization are commendable, but useless unless we take their teaching to heart and make the life application.  The Bible is God’s Holy Word, and we need to be listening to what it is saying to the intent of putting it into action in our lives.  Until we are ready to do that, revival won't be realized. 

From My Heart to Yours... Sept. 25, 2011

It’s about priorities.  In a day when each of us is so busy, we are tempted often to think that busyness is unique to this generation.  And I’m sure that with all that we today can fill our day with, it would seem that this is true.  Yet the Patriarchs had twenty-four hours, just as we do today.  It’s not a matter of needing more time; it’s a matter of management and priority.  Jesus is calling the lost to be saved, and the saved to follow Him into the fields.  Even during the time of His earthly ministry, Jesus sought those who would faithfully follow Him into the Father’s work; to go into the field of the world with the message of God’s love for all mankind.  Then as now, there were many who gave reasons as to why they could not follow at that time.  There were those that desired to follow, but the priorities in their lives were obstacles to their immediate obedience.  The offer to follow and serve is still presented to those who will hear and heed it.  We pray for Revival, but revival, if God chooses to send it, causes us to reflect and reprioritize our life and seek His will above our will.   It calls us to submissive obedience by deferring our will to His.

September 18th 2011

From My Heart to Yours:  It isn’t hard to find hurting people in a world that is struggling on several levels.  Recent disasters and economic upheavals have people seeking for answers and peace.  Jesus came at a such a time.  The prophet Isaiah stated that the people that walked in darkness, in the shadow of death would see the light of the promised Messiah.  Today, people are looking for that light.  Jesus is the one who offers not only forgiveness, but love, peace and joy.  The world is crying out for answers, and Jesus is that answer.  We as a church need to be engaged in the work of the Great Commission.  We need to understand and realize all that we have in Christ, and then to be ready to share it with a world desperate to hear.  Our prayers for Revival are offered to place us in the position to receive it so that we can in turn, share it with those around us.  In a time of uncertainty, they need to hear of the unfailing, unchanging and loving God that seeks to save.  In a world that seems to be running from God, it is time that we stand in the gap and point them to Christ.  God is calling out, inviting us to look to Him; to come to Him and find peace, joy and rest.  Won’t you join Him to get the message out to a world desperate for Him?

From My Heart to Yours.  We as a nation are remembering the tragic events of ten years ago; when our nation was attacked by terrorists.  We want to commemorate the fallen.  Many of those who died were first responders, and the heroic passengers of Flight 93 who thwarted the efforts of the terrorist who had taken over control of the plane and kept them from hitting their target.  We very much want to respect their efforts and honor their lives.  Yet I find it puzzling that while we want to make effort to honor them, many have chosen to refuse clergymen and prayer to be a part of that effort.  The terrorist were acting on a misguided and mistaken faith that led them to take innocent lives in the name of their God.  Many were inspired by the cross made up of the twisted steel of what used to be the World Trade Center.  For the past ten years, our nation has been at war on various fronts.  As a church, we pray for our troops and for victory.  Our nation has also been in the midst of a serious economic downturn and as a church; we pray that things turn around so that the millions out of work and hurting will once again find their footing.  Yet our nation and some of her leaders choose to limit or restrict the people to pray in the name of Jesus.  So we as a church pray for our nation and her leaders.  We pray that they may they come to know Him and heed His Word and lead us according to His truth.

August 28 From My Heart to Yours...

We live in a day when we might just well quantify it as a mess; a moral, economic, societal mess that transcends borders to make it pandemic.  It is a pandemic mess!  And it is obvious that much of the world is antagonistic toward the message of Christ.  Why?  Because the gospel message of Christ transforms people and therefore, societies and cultures.  Those in power who embrace culture and traditions that empower them are not giving them up easily.  When the gospel turned the city upside down, the Silversmith Union rose up opposing Paul and the message.  When Peter healed the cripple and the city of Jerusalem was being turned upside down by the events of the cross and subsequent resurrection, the religious leaders opposed the apostles.  Rome opposed Christianity as well, as have countless other religions and pseudo Christian imposters who in the name of Christ or God became totalitarian and persecuted all who opposed their rule.  Yet today as then, God empowers and emboldens His people for the task to which He has called them.  As the early church prayed for boldness, so too we can pray for a fresh boldness and empowering of God’s Spirit to fulfill God’s purpose for us.

August 21 From My Heart to Yours...

Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ brings us to the place of forgiveness, salvation and eternal life. Repentance is also what is needed when we find ourselves in a desperate need for Revival and Restoration.  The problem too often is pride or selfish indulgence. Jesus in John 3:19-20 states; “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”   Some then refuse to repent and come to Christ because they embrace the sin in their life rather than turn from it.  Others refuse to admit their offence and choose to ignore it or rationalize it rather than confess it.  Salvation, restoration and revival come when we are willing to admit or confess our sin and turn to God.  Admitting our need and our guilt are necessary steps; they can’t be avoided or substituted with something religious or noble.  That places the problem in the realm of human pride.  If we truly seek to experience revival, then we must be willing to take the steps God has established in order to receive it from His hand.

August 14, 2011

Israel is God’s chosen nation.  Through this nation God has fulfilled and will fulfill His covenants.  Through Israel He has blessed and revealed Himself to all humanity in the promise of a Savior.  That promise was fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ and ratified by the blood He shed on the cross for our sin.  His death purchased our redemption and His resurrection secured our justification before God.   The Messiah has come from Israel, fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament.  Jesus was the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant that stated that his seed would be the source of blessing to all people in the entire world.


Jehovah God established the national covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai during their journey to the Land of Promise.  Israel was to be the nation God would use to reveal and preserve His Word.  It was also where He would place His throne in the capital city of Jerusalem, fulfilling the Davidic Covenant.  God promised to bless Israel and protect them.  He promised to provide for them too.  The nation of Israel would forever hold a special place and purpose in God's heart and plan.  They were and are a blessed nation indeed!


Despite all that God had done for them in choosing them, providing for them and protecting them from their enemies, the nation made the decision to replace God Him with false gods of their own making.  This happened in the days of the Old Testament prophets.  Jeremiah 2:13 states "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns,  broken cisterns, that can hold no water."  As a result, the relationship went from one of joy and fellowship, to one of grief and judgment.  When we see this nation, we shake our heads in wonder.  Yet just like the nation of Israel, there are many who through faith in Christ have entered into a personal relationship with God.  It too is a covenant relationship.  Yet it seems that there are many who forsake their love and loyalty to Christ, a relationship made possible by His death upon Calvary, to indulge themselves in other passions and pursuits; to follow after gods of their own making.  In light of Calvary’s cross, is this not also something to cause us to wonder?  Let’s examine our relationship to God and renew our commitment to Him.  Let us not repeat Israel’s error, but stay true to Him Who loved us and saved us from our sin by becoming our Substitute.  He is deserving of our love and our loyalty.  Lord send a revival!  

Called and Sent

 Nationally, we are in the grips of a battle for the soul of America; an ideological battle that is driven by passion on each side.  We see that in the fiscal debate that has taken center stage in our nation.  But what is at stake is more than just our economic well being as a nation, but our national moral and spiritual well being as well.  Adam’s race always seeks to do what they consider right in their eyes.  The problem is that we are not all wise and all knowing.  People ought to seek out God who is all of that and more.  That He has our best interest at heart is seen in the fact that He has sent prophets and teachers to show us the way; and in the end, He sent His Son to make the way.  It is His passion and purpose to save us from ourselves.  If we are to prosper, then we must seek and apply His wisdom and walk in His way.  That God is all knowing is seen in His call of Jeremiah.  It is a call we see in the lives of others in Scripture whom God chooses to use to reach the lost of humanity, and to right the course of a nation. 

Reformation or Transformation?

Reformation is not necessarily indicative of real Transformation.  You can have a semblance of a reform but it is a pseudo reformation and not real transformation.  But where you can have a semblance of reform without real transformation, you can’t have real transformation without reform.  Jesus within our hearts will always manifest outwardly through life reformation.  Too many today try to reform without the transformation that comes from knowing Christ.  They try to squeeze themselves into the norm of the Christian form but never truly succeed.  For that reason, Jesus will say to them, “Depart from me workers of iniquity for I never knew you.  (Emphasis mine)   We have all seen many that have made a profession of faith only to see them falter and quit.  Some even go so far as to renounce their faith altogether.  These were never really saved at all, but merely sought to have reformation of their life and situation apart from the real transforming power of God that comes by faith in Christ and the enabling presence of the Holy Spirit.  Are you transformed or merely reformed?

April 10th From My Heart to Yours...

What a great day to worship the Lord.  Too often we lose sight of the awe and wonder of worship.  Consider that the God of all Creation become a man and died for you and me.  He rose again, purchasing and procuring our salvation and redemption and is preparing a place for us in Heaven to be with Him.  Now that is reason to Worship; that is reason to Praise! 

This coming Sunday celebrates what was the Triumphal Entry.  As the nation heralded the coming of the Messiah the religious leaders told Jesus to command that He stop them from shouting and carrying on so.  Jesus replied that if the crowds hushed their hosanah's, that the very rocks would cry out.  Why is that?  Because this was the fulfillment of a prophecy we find in Zechariah 9:9.  It was a sign given to identify and authenticate that He was indeed that Messiah that would come.  John the Baptist proclaimed Him to be the Son that takes away the sin of the world.  The message of Easter is about the King of Kings who came to die as a sacrifice and payment for the sins of all humanity.  His resurrection is the basis for our justifcation and redemption.  This is why we sing and celebrate Easter.

We are preparing for Friend Day on April 17^th.  I hope that you are inviting all your family, friends, fellow students and coworkers to join us.  Begin even now to pray that this outreach will result in people being saved and encouraged to serve the Lord.  

Be Transformed...

We come to that time of year when we make resolutions to become better people.  We strive to be better in health, better in our mindset and attitude as well as in our relationships and citizenship.  We want to change our ways.  The problem is that we see a need for conformity to our plan of action.  But conformation, bringing the process of one thing into accord with another, isn’t what we’re to strive to achieve.  Rather it is transformation that is needed.  Conforming is outward whereas transformation is an inward process.  The caterpillar changes because of its inward makeup, not because it makes a willful decision to look like a butterfly and be the butterfly.  As Christians, we are born again, or anew.  We are a new creation and the Holy Spirit begins our transformation into Christ likeness.  That’s what real faith does.  It leads us from just outward show and conformity, to transformation; a metamorphous into something different.  We need to make sure that we aren’t getting in the way of the Spirit’s work by resisting or quenching the Spirit.  We are to submit to the transformation; this work of God in us that brings us to look, think, and act like Christ.