“Hey, That’s My Church!”

This is a series of studies into the letters to the “Seven Churches” in the Book of Revelation. The series is entitled “Hey, That’s My Church!” because the letters are addressed to churches but the fact is that churches are made up of individuals. So, we can take this series as to say “Hey That’s Me!” First we will look at the Church at Ephesus.

“Active but Hollow” Rev. 2:1-7

In v. 1 Jesus tells where the letter is addressed to and by whom. Jesus tells John that he holds 7 stars (which are the pastors) and He walks among the lamp stands (which are the churches). So in essence Jesus is telling John to write this church and to tell them the letter is from the One that truly knows them and the real issues in their lives that need attention.

In vv. 2-3 Jesus praises them for their activity. They had good deeds; they worked hard, and did not give up when times got hard. They also could not stand wicked men and tested them to see if they were really what they claimed to be. These are qualities I would hope that every church would have.

In v.4 it begins to go down hill. If Jesus told you that He had something against you, would you listen? I think so. So, here is the problem. They had “forsaken their first love.” This does not mean that they left their first love or that their first love had left them. It simply means that they got off track with their priorities. They had put the activities of religion ahead of their love for Christ.

In v.5 it gets better. Jesus not only uncovers the problem but He also gives the solution. There is a three step process in getting their priorities back in order. 1. “Remember the heights from which they have fallen”. This simply means that they needed to remember what their relationship was like when things were in the right order; when they put God first and not religious practice. 2. “Repent”. This simply means to turn away from the things that do not please God and turn towards the things that do. It is a matter of focus. Give attention to Jesus and your walk with Him first. 3. “Do the things you did a first” Do not just turn towards those things but do them. What brought you close to Christ at first will do the same now. In regards to the Ephesian Church read Acts 19. This is the beginning of this church and helps with the context of what Jesus is saying to this specific church.

But for us, the things that bring us close to Christ are simple to state but difficult to do. Things like prayer, reading the Bible, a missional lifestyle, and walking by faith will make your walk with God real and rich.

In v. 7 Jesus gives a warning, “Those that have an ear, let them hear what the Spirit says…” Is God speaking to you? My prayer is that you submit to Him and that your relationship is not “Active and Hollow” but “Full and Faithful” to Christ

Reflection

This May I will be graduating from the undergrad program at New Orleans Theological Seminary and I thought I would post some reflections.
First I could have never accomplished this without my family. Thanks to my wife Tammy and children Kalib, Morgan, and Cory. You four are a blessing and great encouragement to my life. You left everything to follow me and for that I am grateful.

To The Lord's Church for it's support and love through these years of training and learning; you are a great church.

Some lessons I have learned from this journey; 1. It feels great to finish something. This has not always been my best quality. 2. God is faithful. When we left Florida we had no idea of how we would make it but God has made a way. 3. I have learned discipline. If pastoring were easy everyone would be doing it. The fact is, this is a very hard calling but through discipline, focus, and God's leadership, It has been and (I hope will continue to be) a very rewarding experience.

"Trouble in the Hands of the King" Matthew 8:23-27

I had some technical difficulties with the message “The Expectation of the King” Matt 8 18-22. I will try and get it up on-line ASAP.


I hope you are encouraged by “Trouble in the Hands of the King” Matt. 8:23-27. Click HERE to access file.

I will be posting some things later this week that will help you help your pastor.

Achieving Balance

I don’t know about you, but I need balance in my everyday life. It seems as though so much of the day is taken up by a few thing but the reality is that there are things that are not getting the attention they need. Well, I think I have found a way to achieve that balance we are all looking for.

This past weekend Tammy and I were on a retreat in which we experienced some training in leadership. Gary Golden from “Golden Opportunities” www.goldenopportunities.us came and shared with us some valuable insight on balance.

Click HERE for my overview of Gary’s teaching.

"The Compassion of the King" Matthew 8:14-17

In this weeks message we read about the “Compassion of the King”. Matthew taught that Jesus had authority over the devil and disease and the compassion to extend that authority to others. In our text Jesus is still in Capernaum and arrives at Peter’s house. In Mark’s and Luke’s gospel they both add more detail to the story. In Mark we see that they had just left the synagogue and in Luke we read that it is the Sabbath. The Sabbath would explain why the sick and demon possessed came at night because the Jewish day was measured from sundown to sundown.

It is interesting to add that they have found Peter’s house in Capernaum and just steps from his door is a synagogue, which now gives our narrative some color. The reason Matthew does not mention this is because of his focus on Jesus. The theme of Matthew is “The King of the Kingdom and the Kingdom of the King”.

I need to make a disclaimer. I know that some of you are not in South Eastern La. I make mention of a small family that Tammy and I picked up on the side of the road. I give a description of this family and said that they are not looked on favorably. In our area, racism is very prevalent and if you add into the mix a mixed couple with a baby, then that is looked down on and in many cases they are outcast in the community. To me, they are precious and very valuable as they are to Jesus. Racisms is a sin and needs to be repented of. This is the context of my reference.

I hope this message touches you. To access the MP3 click HERE

The Authority of the King

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Click HERE for an MP3 file on "The Authority of the King" as we walk through the book of Matthew. I hope you are blessed by this teaching.

Coming soon!

As many of you have requested, I will be posting sermons here on a weekly basis beginning this Sunday. The first will post on Jan. 17,  2010 at 1 p.m. central time. A short blog with a link to an audio file will be posted.  Make sure you subscribe as a follower and pass the information on to others.