Self-Examination

It is a wise person who periodically examines their lives to make sure their words, actions, and motives reflect the person of Jesus Christ. There are many references in the Bible for such self-examination. When we come to participate in the Lord's Supper, the apostle Paul tells us we ought to examine ourselves before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup (I Corinthians 11:28). Other Bible references telling us to take a look at ourselves include: II Cor.13:5; Lamentations 3:40; Psalm 119:59; 139:23&24; Romans 12:3. Even Michael Jackson got it right when he said that making a difference in the world begins by taking "a look at yourself" ("Man in the Mirror"). But, it does us no good to examine ourselves if we aren't honest about what we see and disciplined in what we do, as a result.
A severe rash prompted a farmer from a very rural area to get an examination from a doctor. After taking the usual tests, the physician advised the patient that his dog was causing an allergic reaction and he would have to get rid of it. As the farmer was leaving the office, the doctor asked him whether he planned to sell the animal or give it away. "Neither," the man replied. "I'm going to get me one of them second opinions I been reading about. It's a lot easier to find a good doctor than it is to find a good bird dog."
Over the next two weeks, New Hope Christian Church is undergoing a self-examination and we need your help. Included in the bulletin is a website where you can take a test that lasts anywhere from 25-40 minutes. It's not a Bible quiz. It's more like a spiritual inventory. No one will know who gave what answers so we need you to be totally honest. Whether you attend New Hope irregularly or regularly,and whether you are a member or not, we need you to help us determine how well we are doing in making disciples of Jesus Christ and fulfilling our mission. If you don't have access to a computer or the Internet, call the office (752-1612) and we'll set up a time for you to come in and take it at the church. We'll share the overall results with you at a later time. As we continue with our sermon series for the year, entitled, "I Am Responsible.....", it is important that our church family take inventory so we know where we need to improve. In advance, thanks for your help!

Legal Hypocrisy

A young woman boarded an airplane in Pittsburgh and flew to Youngstown, Ohio, a flight of thirty-two minutes. During that time, she delivered a baby in the restroom of the airplane and left it there. She was arrested on two charges; child abandonment and attempted murder. While her action was obviously a crime worthy of prosecution, what seems hypocritical is that Planned Parenthood would have been happy to assist her in murdering the unborn baby with an abortion and she would not have been arrested or charged with any crime. What's even more schizophrenic is knowing that in some states a teenage girl does not need her parent's permission to abort a baby, but she does need her parent's permission to pierce her ears. Furthermore, an unborn baby is considered by our legal system to be a "nonperson", regardless of how developed that baby is, but when that "nonperson" is born, he/she is suddenly a person eligible for welfare benefits.
These are only a few of the dilemmas created when the U.S. Supreme Court decided on January 22, 1973 that the wording found in the United States Constitution guaranteeing every "person" the right to life, applied only to people already born. I have ministered to parents who miscarried babies after only four months of pregnancy and seen the babies. Believe me, they may be small, but they are fully developed human beings. I have seen doctors and nurses deliver a baby weighing a little over one pound after only six months of pregnancy. That little girl is still alive today! Pregnancy is a consequence of sexual intercourse. If two people do not want the responsibility of a pregnancy, then they should consider the wisdom of having sexual relations without some means of preventing that pregnancy, other than taking a human person's life after he/she has already been conceived. If Abel's blood cried out to God from the ground after Cain had murdered and buried him (Genesis 4:10), then you can be sure that every unborn baby whose life has been selfishly and senselessly murdered has the same effect on God.
Jesus Christ came to give us "life" and he demonstrated how to enjoy life "to the full" (John 10:10). God has not given us permission to play God by killing life before a baby is born. I hope you will always stand with me on the side of life. I believe that every life deserves to be born. I believe that every life which has been born deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. I also believe that mothers who have already had abortions deserve to find the love and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and God has called Christians to be that instrument. "I have set before you life and death, blessings or curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live...." (Deuteronomy 30:19).

There Is a Jesus Christ

In 1897, the New York Sun received a letter from 8 year-old Virginia O'Hanlon asking if there really was a Santa Claus. Francis Church answered her question in a famous editorial that first appeared in the newspaper on September 21, 1897. I would like to adapt Virginia's question and Church's response and share it with you in this blog.
"Dear Preacher: I am 8 years old. Some of my friends say there is no Jesus. Please tell me the truth, is there really a Jesus Christ?"
"Dear Virginia,
As surely as there is you and me, there is Jesus Christ. Your friends do not believe in Jesus because they cannot see him. It is a small mind which chooses to believe only in that which it can see. For in this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him. Regardless of the amount of intelligence we have, it takes an open mind to grasp the whole of truth and knowledge that God has blessed mankind with.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Jesus Christ. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, for it is out of him from which they spring. Alas! How dark and meaningless life would be if there were no Jesus. Our existence here would be at best tolerable, our existence in the hereafter impossible.
Not believe in Jesus Christ! You might as well not believe in life, love, or in goodness. Some of the most real things in life are those that we cannot see, or define, or understand. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
No Jesus Christ! Thank God he lives and he will live forever! A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten thousand times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the hearts of children and adults alike."

My good friends, Christmas is not Christmas unless Christ is in it. May you have a blessed Christmas and a Christ-filled New Year. As you gather with family and friends, find ways to honor the Christ child whose birth we celebrate and the love of the God who sent him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Isn't it amazing how powerful the two little words, "thank you" are? Regardless of what we've done, how much time it took us to do it, or what it cost us financially to help someone else, a sincere and heartfelt "thank you" means more sometimes, than material reimbursement. As a husband, I love hearing those words from my wife. As a father, I love hearing those words from my kids. As a preacher, I love hearing those words from those I serve.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Pilate asked Jesus, "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered Pilate by saying, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above" (John 19:10&11). Moses reminded the people of God before they entered into a land of wealth they had done nothing to earn or deserve; "You may say to yourself, 'my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth" (Deut. 8:17&18). "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father...." (James 1:17). Who is the source of all we have? Who is it that blesses each of us and all of us much more than we deserve? The answer is, "God!" "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). So, "what do you have that you did not receive (from God)? And if you did receive it (from God), why do you boast as though you did not?" (I Corinthians 4:7).

Thanksgiving is much more than simply saying "thanks" to one another. It is thanking God for one another. Thanksgiving is more than acknowledging we've been blessed. It is acknowl-edging the One who has blessed us. Thanksgiving is more than thanking God for being with us in the past. It is thanking God for being with us in our future. Don't be like the nine ungrateful lepers who failed to thank the One who healed them (Luke 17:17&18). Thanksgiving is more than a holiday. It is an attitude God desires for us to live in 24/7. "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thessalonians 5:17). You'd be surprised how blessed our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer is to hear you simply and sincerely say, "Thank you, God!"

Many years ago I had some church leaders who accused me of having too much power in the church. After consulting a dictionary, I discovered that "power" is defined as, "the possession of control, or authority over others." Their accusation seemed odd to me since the Lord himself said, "You know that the rulers of this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:25-28). In other words, Christ-followers are not seeking positions of power they can then use to control people's actions. But, Christ-followers should be concerned about the influence they exert because "influence" is defined as, "the capacity to effect or sway others." When Jesus said that Christ-followers are, "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:12), he was saying that true light always influences the dark (John 3:19-21). My response to them was, "all those who worship Jesus Christ should be influential. But, power is not a position Christians intentionally pursue."
Over the next three weekends, I am preaching a series of sermons entitled, "Our Amazing Influence." I don't think many of us understand just how far our influence reaches and we need to know that we are influencing other people, whether we realize it or not. The only question is, "how are we influencing people?" Are we influencing them for the good, or for the bad? Here are the titles for my sermons:
10/31 & 11/1 - - "The Amazing Influence of a Godly Man"
11/7 & 11/8 - - "The Amazing Influence of a Godly Woman"
11/14 & 11/15- - "The Amazing Influence of Godly Parents"
I hope to see you at one of our weekend worship services. For times, go to our church website at: www.newhopechristianchurch.net If you attend worship somewhere else or are unable to be present one of these weekends, you can listen to the podcast of each message by going to the same website. Let's ALL be the godly influence God has called us to be.

My Life Story

I mentioned in my sermon this past weekend (10/17&18/09), that sharing our faith with others involves knowing God's Story and knowing our story, as well (you can listen to the podcast of this message at http://www.newhopechristianchurch.net/). I Peter 3:15&16 says, "you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ." The question put to the congregation was, "How many of you know your story? How many of you can gently and respectfully share with others what your life looked like before you met Jesus Christ and what your life looks like after you met Jesus Christ?" I gave an assignment that everyone write down this week their life's story in 100 words or less and bring it next weekend to church. Our life story becomes the bridge God will use to transition from the everyday conversations we have with people, to the deeper spiritual conversations we need to have with people. If you'll also listen to the first two messages of this series (preached the first two weekends of October), you will know that we should pray and listen to God's Holy Spirit for the right time to share our life's story. Here is my life's story as an example for you in writing yours:

"I grew up with a tremendous need to please other people; to be affirmed, accepted, and appreciated by everyone. Consequently, I strove for excellence in everything I did; athletics, school, church, Boy Scouts, etc. But, no matter how many times I was affirmed by others, it never seemed to be enough. When I discovered Jesus Christ as my savior and friend, I also found the only affirmation I really need. My life now revolves around pleasing him not to earn his acceptance, but because he already loves me, forgives me, and accepts me the way I am."

I look forward to reading and hearing some of your life stories, as you prepare to always be ready to give a reason for the hope you have in Jesus Christ.

"What Am I Doing Here?" That is a question we all ask ourselves at one time or another. It is also a question that has haunted Jason ever since he heard his dad utter it just prior to his death several years ago. Fresh out of law school with an upcoming bar exam to prepare for, the highly motivated and strictly disciplined Jason returns to the small southern town he grew up in, to spend the summer studying. He reconnects with Paul (a 'shoulda been' actor who has just returned from Los Angeles) and Layla (an old friend who is engaged, but whose childhood crush on Jason suddenly reappears). But, it is a chance encounter with David (a pastor at a local church) which changes his life forever. David offers Jason a part-time summer job as a youth pastor, and Jason reluctantly accepts, caving into Layla's pressure and a need for cash. But, as Jason gets to know the youth and their struggles, he discovers a passion within that he didn't know was there. "The River Within" is a family movie shot on location along the Spring River in beautiful northeast Arkansas. The movie explores the idea that each of us has a purpose for our lives whether we know it or not.
The movie will be shown at the Plaza 9 theaters here in Marshalltown from October 23-29 and it will be the only showing in Iowa. It features Craig Luttrell, who once lived here, as Paul, the 'shoulda been' actor from LA. I'm sharing this information with you because Hollywood produces so many movies filled with either immoral sexual situations, extreme violence, demonic messages, and more that when a "family friendly" movie comes out, Christians need to support it. Our attendance at wholesome movies sends a signal to Hollywood that there are many out here who appreciate and attend movies with a good message. Grab the family and tell others to see, "The River Within".