Prayer Changes Things

Posted in Preaching, Worship4 Comments

In one of my recent sermons, I preached about prayer.  I began by asking the following honest questions:

  • Why is it that the average Christian makes so little progress in their Christian life?
  • Why is it that the average Christian experiences so little victory over sin?
  • Why is it that the average Christian feels so defeated in their walk with Christ?
  • Why is it that the average Christian sees so few people come to know Christ as a result of their witnessing?
  • Why is it that so many churches never experience growth?
  • Why is it that so many churches rarely see the baptismal pool stirred from activity?
  • Why is it that so many churches struggle with constant budget shortfalls?
  • Why is it that so many churches bicker and fight over the most insignificant matters?

I believe the simple answer to all of these questions can be found in one, 10-word sentence found in Jame 4:2 (NIV), “You do not have, because you do not ask God.”  Prayer is the answer.

James, the author of the book and the brother of Jesus, was a mighty man of prayer.  Tradition tells us that he prayed so often and so long that his knees became like the knees of a camel.  Because he spent so much time in prayer with Jesus, he became like Jesus.  No surprise that when he was martyred in A.D. 62, his words were the same as Jesus’ words on the cross:  “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Our words need to be the words of Christ.  Every day we encounter people who desperately need to hear from God.  God wants to speak to them through us.

How’s your prayer life?  No, really?  How is it?  God is breaking my heart in this area.  He is speaking much-needed truth to me, maybe He is saying the same thing to you as well.

Prayer:  Oh God.  Thank You for the harsh truth!  Thank You for not giving up on me.  Thank You for being patient enough to speak the same thing to me again and again until I hear it….until I get it….until I obey.  God, please teach me to pray in the way you desire for me to pray.  God, I love You….I praise You….I worship You.  Amen.

God Bless Our Military

Posted in Life Happens4 Comments

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Several years ago we took our daughter to the airport and put her on a plane headed for Hong Kong. She spent the holidays there working with students, but that’s a another story for another day.

While we were at the airport, we saw several members of the United States Military coming and going for the holidays. I am not ashamed to admit that I became all-choked-up as my heart swelled with thankfulness for the sacrificial service given by these heroes. Can I encourage you to go out of your way to be kind and appreciative to these heroes when you see them?

5 Ways to  Show Appreciation

  1. Say thanks. Stick out your hand, look them directly in the eye, and say “thank you sir or thank you ma’am for what you do.” They’ll know exactly what you mean without going into detail.
  2. Pray. Silently and secretly pray for them and their families when you see them.
  3. Pay. Pay for their meal when you see them eating out some place. Ask the waiter or waitress to say, “someone paid for your meal; they told me to tell you ‘thank you for what you do.'” Pay for anything else you can think of as well; they are not getting wealthy protecting our country.
  4. Loan. Loan them your “extra” vehicle while they’re home on leave.
  5. Invite. Invite them to your home or to your church if they are in the area and unable to go home for the holidays.

Later that night, at 11:50pm, we met our airman at the airport–we hadn’t seen him since last Christmas. Do you think I got choked-up again later that night?

Is Your Church Safe & Secure?

Posted in Church Consulting, Deacon, Leadership, Security, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Every church MUST think about church security in today’s world! Every church should have a comprehensive Church Security Plan and a Church Security Team in place! BUT, where do you begin and who can help?

We have six Kentucky Baptist Convention Regional Consultants prepared to make a presentation to your church or a group of leaders that will raise awareness for the need of a good security plan as well as cover some of the basics. They can provide first steps and help a church take next steps.

We created a Church Security page on our website with resources available for churches as well as links to several Church Security training videos filmed at one of our KBC Church Security Conferences:

For additional assistance please contact a KBC Regional Consultant directly or contact me at the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

4 Steps to Forgiving Those I Hate

Posted in Church Chat, Deacon, Discipleship, Leadership, Life Happens, Ministry, Preaching, Worship2 Comments

How can we forgive people we hate? How can we show grace to those we can’t stomach? The honest truth is that we can’t! In our own strength, we are unable to forgive those who have hurt us deeply, but with God’s help, it is possible.

4 Steps to Forgiving Those I Hate

1. Turn our hurts over to God. We should remind ourselves that nothing happens that God does not allow. As a result we should acknowledge our hurts and ask God to help us with them. He may choose to teach us through them and shape us into the person He wants us to be. God never wastes a hurt!

God never wastes a hurt!

2. Ask God to transform our hate to love. In time, God will change our hearts to match His heart if we allow Him to do so. We should pray and ask God to start the process of healing and forgiveness in our hearts.

3. Read what God’s Word says about forgiveness. The Bible is replete with verses on this topic. Reading what God says is a major part of how He moves us towards a heart of forgiveness. Here are a couple of passages on the topic:

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) 

“He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:  Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”  Luke 11:2-4 (NIV) 

4. Remember that we sinned against God. God forgave us when we didn’t deserve it, so we should forgive others when they don’t deserve it. We are never more like God than when we grant forgiveness to undeserving people.

Don’t spend the rest of your life without rest in your life!

If you’re struggling with hard feelings toward someone . . . if you’re mad, hurt, bitter, or all the above rolled into one, then let it go! Forgive! Do it for their sake! Do it for your sake! Do it for the Lord! Don’t spend the rest of your life without rest in your life. Unforgiveness can slow down or even sidetrack your spiritual growth.

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3 Types of Peace for Believers

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22-23

3 Types of Peace for Believers

1. We can have peace WITH God. Apart from Christ, none of us have this peace. The Bible clearly teaches that “none of us are righteous” (Romans 3:10) and we “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). But, Romans 5:1 assures us that we can “…have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

2. We can have the peace OF God. We will never have the peace of God unless we first have peace with God. Sadly, many believers who have experienced peace with God do not regularly experience the peace of God as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle tells us that the peace of God comes as we walk with Christ on a daily basis. In his letter to the church at Philippi, he wrote “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

3. We can have peace WITH OTHERS. The Apostle Paul encourages us to “Live in harmony with one another…If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:16, 18). There are two qualifiers in vs. 18. He says “if possible.” Sometimes, regardless of what we do, people refuse to live in harmony. Similarly, “as far as it depends on you” reminds us of our personal responsibility, but it also reminds us that we are only half the equation. We cannot make people come to table and/or live at peace with us.

We serve a God of reconciliation and the Gospel is the ultimate example of reconciliation! God is good!

    “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:10–11 (NKJV)