Pastor Bob's Blog

Reflecting on our Reflection...part 6

2012-01-13T01:13:06Z

Does my life reflect an active walk with Jesus?

Let’s take an inventory of our spiritual lives

Looking back over the last year, are you closer today than you were a year ago?

Jesus was attentive to the Holy Spirit and was a person of prayer…He knew His mission here on earth was only for a season…He never lost sight of His identity and His mission

What about us?

Here are 10 questions we can ask in an honest assessment of where we are in our spiritual walk:

What am I doing that I without the Holy Spirit’s enabling, it wouldn’t be happening?

Is my first reaction to a problem to pray, or do I usually use that as a last resort?

Is my love for people increasing?

Do I hate sin more and more?

If God wanted to get a message through to me, would I recognize His voice?

Do I take time for God?

Do I trust Him?

Do I really know Him?

Are there areas of my life that are “off limits” to God?

Do I read the Bible on a regular basis not out of duty, but out of desire?

Reflecting on our Reflection...part 5

2012-01-11T14:14:21Z

We are coming into the final stretch on reflecting on our reflection.

Area # 5 to examine…Our Physical lives

At the end of Jesus’ life He prayed to His Heavenly Father saying "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. (John 17:4)

Notice He didn’t say, “I would have finished the work You gave me to do, but I just didn’t have the energy. I guess I ate too many pizzas, spent too many hours in my recliner in front of the television and didn’t exercise enough.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 If you are a follower of Jesus, your body is the home of the Holy Spirit. "Don't you know that you're bought with a price. You're not your own. Therefore glorify God in your body."

The way we appear sends a message to others…

Do we represent a life of moderation and health or of obesity and fatigue?

Psalm 46:1does NOT say, “Food is our refuge and strength; Twinkies are a very present help in trouble.”

Several studies have shown that Christians are the most overweight people on the earth which is interesting in that self control is one of the fruits of the Spirit

Some people eat when they are stressed.

Do you glorify God in your body?

When we don't take care of our bodies, it affects everything else.

You have to ask yourself: Am I constantly complaining about being tired? "I'm so tired…Fatigue, no energy…

· Are you getting enough rest?

· Are you getting exercise?

· Are you eating healthy foods?

“Do I come across to those around me as one who is full of the joy of the Lord, or as someone who is full of fatigue and living on the edge of burnout?”

Is this how God intended His children to live?

Can you imagine an owner of a professional football team paying top dollar for a player only to have the player let his body go to pot? No exercise and no self control with his diet and very ineffective for advancing the team?

What is going to be my major physical focus for this upcoming year?

The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. We only get one shot at this…

Reflecting on our Reflection...part 4

2012-01-10T03:58:43Z

Moving along, we come to the fourth area of our lives to reflect on our reflection of Christ to those around us.

Our financial lives

Does your view of money, your pursuit of it and your interaction with it reflect the heart of God?

Sixteen out of the thirty eight parables Jesus taught had to do with money, around 15% of His total teaching dealt with the subject of money and He taught that money is the number one spiritual indicator of where our hearts devotion is.

Couple questions we each need to wrestle with:

· Do you have control of your money, or does it control you?

· What am I doing to advance the kingdom of God with the resources He has entrusted me with?

· Are you coming into this year with a financial plan or with a financial hangover?

· Do you have a budget in place?

At New Life, we’ve helped dozens of families develop a plan to get out of debt and get on the road to financial freedom using principles right out of the bible.

Some might question the connection between our approach to finances and our reflection of Christ to those around us…

I’d suggest it’s VERY connected!

What we treasure is a reflection of our hearts.

The way we talk about our money is a reflection of our attitudes. You have either convinced yourself, “I worked hard for this” or you acknowledge, “God provided this for me”. He gave me the skills to earn it. He allowed me to manage His resources.

· Have you ever wondered why God allowed you to be born into a country of incredible wealth rather than in a part of the world where surviving often times comes down to how often you get a bowl of stew?

It comes down to gratitude or pride.

Do you see your finances as a tool or an idol?

Do you really believe the promises found in (Malachi 3:10-11) (Proverbs 3:9-10) and (II Corinthians 9:6-8)?

I do…

Reflecting on our Reflection...part 3

2012-01-05T13:33:24Z

As we trek along, we approach the third area of our lives to reflect on our reflection of Christ to those around us.

Our Relational life

Does the way you interact with others reflect the way Jesus did?

In the life of Christ, we read of His interaction with 3 people groups:

His family In His final moments on the cross, Jesus was concerned about His mother’s wellbeing.

Do we have that same concern for our family members? How’s your relationship with your parents? Your spouse? (what’s their love language?) Your kids? (what’s on their minds?) Your siblings? What steps can you take to enhance these relationships? Date night? Marriage conference

His followers Think about the way Jesus interacted with His followers; His disciples in particular. He rebuked them, got in their faces, challenged them, held them accountable, encouraged them, prayed for them…didn’t hold anything back. He poured His life into His disciples through teaching, mentoring and sharing life experiences with them.

The New Testament is filled with examples of believers that make up the local church coming together to study the word, pray together, be there for each other and make a great impact in there regions together.

I just can’t seem to find any passages of scripture when Jesus instructed His followers to hunker down in there homes and stay away from the “flawed” church of the day. (Hebrews 10:25) The New Testament was written to CHURCHES and church leaders doing life together.

· It’s interesting that some will want to study a letter written to a LOCAL CHURCH COMMUNITY, but won’t plug into one themselves...

Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” Unfortunately, many isolation Christians are looking for what will bring personal benefit rather than what will exalt Jesus.

A couple indicators of our relational health with other followers of Christ:

· People call or text you and ask you to pray for situations

· You have a network of people who have a genuine concern for your spiritual health

· Others enjoy studying the bible with you because you don’t belittle them or make them feel like they are ignorant

· You have many memories of seeing God doing a work through unified efforts you were a part of

· Other Christians know you are there for them and they can count on you

· You know where you fit into the body of Christ

· You recognize God at work in others and you encourage them

There is one more group of people Jesus interacted with:

Those who weren’t His followers

Jesus was constantly surrounding Himself with the hungry, the broken, the poor, the lonely and those who didn’t have an understanding of the kingdom of God.

He found bridges to reach out to those around Him

He ministered in real practical ways and met people at their point of need.

Could this be said about you? Looking over this past year, how many times did you INTENTIONALLY interact with those far from God with the desire to get an opportunity to share Christ with them?

Do you have a genuine heart for those far from God?

In summary…

· Do others see the love in Christ in me or do they see grudges and bitterness?

· Do I purposely add value to others or am I self centered?

· Do I have a heart to build bridges to those who don’t know Jesus?

Final thought… Ask the Holy Spirit what your next step is to reflect Jesus relationally…

Your next step might be to come back to church, join a small group or get involved in serving others in the body.

Reflecting on our Reflection...part 2

2012-01-04T03:47:55Z

We continue on with reflecting on our reflection of Christ to those around us.

Here’s the 2^nd area of our lives that Jesus ought to be seen through…

Our INTELLECTUAL LIVES

Are we growing in our understanding and application of knowledge?

Luke 2:47 says, “When those around Jesus heard Him, they were astonished at His understanding and His answers.” By the way, this was when He was 12 years old.

· Jesus was a student of the scriptures and it showed.

Throughout the pages of scripture we read of men and women who APPLIED themselves (Ecc 7:25) to learning and God used them in great ways for His purposes to be fulfilled. Dan 1:20

· They grew in wisdom

· They were all coachable

· They desired to know more

· They were readers; they read a lot

What about you? Are you growing in knowledge and understanding?

Most professions require Continuing Education credits to keep practicing…

Dentists, Drs, Mechanics, Technicians, Accountants…why? To stay sharp…They represent something much bigger than themselves. Couldn’t this apply to the life of a Christian? Certainly!

As a pastor, I make a point to absorb into my head three types of books…

· The Bible

· Books on ministry

· Books and materials on leadership.

I want to stay as sharp as I can in my calling.

What are YOU reading? Who is YOUR coach? What steps are YOU taking to grow in understanding, knowledge and insight?

Whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord!!

Reflecting on our Reflection

2012-01-02T17:28:58Z

As the moon and the stars reflect the sun and provide light in the darkness, Christians reflect Christ to those around them. As followers of Christ, we ought to stop and reflect on how we are portraying the One we claim to represent.

I'd suggest there are 6 key aspects of our lives that we either reflect the light of Jesus accurately or we send a self generated light that is not of Christ at all.

Here's a list of the 6 areas of examine:

#1. My emotional life...

How are you doing emotionally?

When those around you look at you, do they see a reflection of Christ in your emotions?

Do your emotions resemble a roller coaster or a locomotive? Are you stable or all over the place?

When you think about the life of Christ…not once do we read of Him stressed out over His work load or responsibilities…

He never over reacted to a situation.

· He never snapped at anyone because He was wound up tight like a rubber band.

· We don’t read of anyone being afraid of Him exploding in their face because they looked at Him wrong.

If you find yourself emotionally unstable or drained, ask yourself why?

Are you taking on more than you should?

Are you doing things that you could delegate to someone who actually enjoys doing that task?

Are you trying to control situations that are really not yours to control?

Do you doubt God’s ability to see you through a circumstance?

God will indeed enable us to carry out ALL He asks us to do. (Phil 4:13)

One of the most common phrases Jesus used when He encountered people whose emotions were being triggered was, “Peace…don’t be afraid”.

Phil 4:6-8 has been a promise I’ve stood on countless times, and God is ALWAYS faithful to His word!

If we don’t purposefully take care of our emotions, know for certain the enemy will mess with them.

Learning a new language

2011-09-19T13:26:47Z

We had another great weekend service at New Life as we continued with the Family Feud series. Looking at the life of Joseph as recorded in Genesis 37-47, we see how he had to go through an incredible shaping and maturing process to be effective in the role God had destined him to be in.

God was preparing him to be a key player in an upcoming famine, much like God is preparing His people today to be key players in our day. Yet for Joseph to be completely effective in God’s plan for provision to hungry people he would need to know their language.

Joseph had to learn a new language in this foreign land he found himself in.

I don’t know about you, but I like English

I don’t really want to learn another language.

Yet we have to realize part of God’s plan for our lives often involves learning new languages.

The language of betrayal

The language of sickness or cancer

The language of bankruptcy

The language of the pain

Physical pain

Pain of divorce

Pain of abuse

Whatever language you’ve been forced to learn…you can be assured it’s going to be a contributing factor in providing for hungry people that speak that language.

Don’t resist learning a new language…embrace it as God’s method of preparing you to relate to others going through the same.

Joseph went from a lengthy time in a prison to a place of great promotion in a matter of minutes. His learned language set the stage for provision of people crying out in desperation. You too, will be the source of nourishment to those around you if you are ready.

Family Feud

2011-09-12T13:43:57Z

We had great weekend service at New Life as we came together in unity and not only prayed for our nation, but praised our Lord and Savior through music and song. As we reflected on the wounds inflicted on our nation 10 years ago, we were reminded of how this is for many, a magnified picture of what goes on in our homes.

Through the messed up family of Jacob as recorded in Genesis 37, we see how damaging favoritism and jealousy in a family can be.

Couple points from yesterday:

If you continually crave acceptance and affirmation from others, you will be let down
If you embrace our heavenly Father’s love (1John 3:1) you will find incredible fulfillment
If you show favoritism among family members, you are fueling jealousy
If you are mourning the loss of what appears to be the death of a loved one, (holding a shredded and bloody robe) be encouraged to know you only see part of the picture. Sometimes when all seems to be crashing in, the stage is often being set for God to do a great work in them.
If you are mourning over a stained bloody robe, take it and throw that blood stained robe at the foot of a blood stained cross and become an intercessor!!

WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!

Amazed but not surprised

2011-05-16T14:33:00Z

To say we had an amazing service yesterday at New Life would be an understatement. The service began on the heels of a 24 hour period of prayer by people in the New Life family and WOW... Before the service even began you could sense a "holy anticipation" and a special anointing.

The message was focused on what FAITH is. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God" With that in mind, what evidence is there in our lives that we are walking and living by faith?

With only 1 week to go in our Building For Life campaign, I'm expecting God to speak to His people clearly, and then have His people who recognize His voice simply trust Him to follow through on His word. This deep seated confidence in God is the heart of faith.

By the way, 4 people responded to the invitation to surrender their lives to the Lordship of Christ!! That NEVER gets old! At the conclusion of the service I introduced 6 people who were about to be baptized, but then felt prompted to ask if anyone else who's received Christ and hasn't been baptized yet, wanted to. 5 more people spontaneously got out of their chairs and came forward and boldly said, "Today is their day to get baptized" Going home in wet clothes was a small price to pay for what's ahead for them. WE SERVE A GREAT GOD!!!

Building For Life

2011-05-09T02:52:00Z

What an amazing weekend with the New Life family from the beginning to the end!

I love our church!!

We are in the middle of our Building For Life campaign and it's going great. It is exciting to be a part of something so much bigger and greater than ourselves.

The Bullroom Bonanza was an incredible amount of fun and filled with memorable moments.

Seeing people of all ages riding the mechanical bull was priceless...especially watching the faces of the little kids glow when the movement started.

New Life will always invest heavily in the next generation…and I honestly believe the Lord will use them to take His Church to places we’ve never even imagined! I am so thankful for our ministry to teenagers and children…and also thankful to those who pray for these ministries, serves in these ministries and gives so that these ministries can flourish.

And just for the record...I'd rather kiss a pig for an eternal cause than to kiss a loved one good bye because they never knew Jesus!

What to look for in a future spouse part 3

2011-03-18T02:53:00Z

Here are the last three traits I'd recommend to look for in a future spouse:

#8. Do they spend time in prayer and in God’s Word? If not, they have an attitude that says, “I don’t really need God’s input in my day” “I’m quite capable of running my own life my way” WOW… Jesus said in John 15:5 without Me you can do nothing…

#9. Where is their heart? Jesus said, Matt 6:21 “Where your treasure is, there your heart is also” It’s real easy to see where someone’s heart is…look at their bank statement. Mal 3:9 talks about a curse on those who don’t give to God what is His to begin with. I don’t want my kids marrying a person who doesn't put God first. When someone asks me if they can marry my kids, I’ll ask them to show me their checkbook.

#10. Do they walk by faith? 2 Cor 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight Not “Do they believe in God” but walk by faith. How do you know? Ask them for examples of times they took a step in a direction because they knew God directed them to…there is a huge difference between walking by faith and praying a prayer.

What to look for in a future spouse part 2

2011-03-16T03:58:00Z

#4. Do they know God’s purpose and mission for their life? 2 Cor 5:18 God has given us the ministry of reconciliation…Do they look forward to seeing Jesus one day? If they don’t care about what’s dear to the heart of Jesus (PEOPLE), it’s doubtful they will care about what is dear to your heart.

#5. Do they express their love to God? If they can’t express their gratitude to Jesus after all He did for them, what makes you think they will appreciate what you do for them?

#6. Are they independent or interdependent? Is being around other believers important to them OR do they have a “Lone Ranger” approach and they don’t “NEED” others in their lives? If they don’t understand the concept of “TEAMWORK” and being unified in efforts, how is that mindset going to play out in your marriage or family dynamics?

#7.Have they dealt with their past? Do they harbor bitterness towards someone? Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. If you are considering marrying someone who is holding onto unforgiveness and they have a list of people who’ve offended them and they refuse to let it go…it won’t be long and you’ll be on that list….they haven’t grasped the scope of grace extended to them.

What to look for in a future spouse part 1

2011-03-14T01:49:00Z

A recent message I delivered at NEW LIFE entitled "Before you say I Do" created quite a bit of conversation. One mom told me her teen age son said, "Hey mom, take notes for me please."

I can't tell you how many times someone has told me when they met their spouse they seemed like they were genuine Christians, only to later discover they were merely fond of Christ and not a follower of Christ.

In that I'm going to be the father in law to 2 young ladies and 2 young men down the road, I shared with the NEW LIFE family what I shared with my kids in determining if someone is a fully devoted follower of Christ or simply fond of Christ.

Here's what to look for:

#1. Have they been baptized since they became born again? If they don't want to publicly identify with Jesus, someone who died a horrific death on a cross for them, what makes you think they will want to publicly identify with you?

#2. Do they love other people? Why is this important? People matter a great deal to God. Do they harbor prejudice or laugh at other people? Is this who you want raising your kids?

#3. Do they have a servant's heart? If someone refuses to use their God given gifts in serving in the local church, (the body of Christ) what makes you think they will have a desire to serve you? Notice if they are in the ongoing habit of coming to church wearing a bib or an apron...think about it.

to be continued...

Recipe For Life

2010-12-20T02:58:00Z

What an incredible day it was at New Life as we came together to celebrate our Savior. The cast and crew of the production “Candy Cane Lane” did an outstanding job of presenting the simple message of God’s recipe for life!
The music, singing and acting was unbelievable. They did fabulous!! The best part of all is that lives were changed for the glory of God. THAT NEVER GETS OLD.

It was good to get the opportunity to expound on God’s Word again. That blizzard last weekend really messed me up.
By the way, sending a guy to pick up seasoning at the grocery store really is cruel and unusual punishment. And yes, I was serious about the aroma of spices at that Mexican restaurant causing salivation to occur, not to be confused with salvation. If you are a follow of Christ, you are to be a fragrance to those around you.

We have some great opportunities coming up this week in our area. The Pulaski Outreach Center is open Tuesday and many families will be blessed in real practical ways. If you want to help, give the church office a call. Last week we were able to bless area kids with over 600 articles of clothing! Together we are making a difference.

Remember to invite someone to the Christmas Eve service at 6 pm. This upcoming Sunday is going to be very memorable… you don’t want to miss it. INVITE SOMEONE WITH YOU!

Christmas Kickoff

2010-12-06T03:14:00Z

We had an awesome beginning today to our Christmas series this morning at New Life.
Super job worship team!!
How neat to see so many come to the front to pray for God's touch on one of our little ones. That's what family does...rejoice together, cry together and pray together. Eat together? Well yeah, that's a given.

A few points from this morning:
Deer hunters make drives. Talk about unselfish sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of the family.
Sometimes we do get tangled up in the thickets of thorns, but remember when wrapped up in your thicket, whether it's a thicket of worry, stress, financial or health complications, guilt or whatever that God IS with you!
God is NOT distance
Immanuel, God IS with us.
Knowing God is with us, we know "Purpose is always present in the briar patch"
And if God is with us, we are NOT powerless. "The power of God's presence is priceless"
And if God is with us WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?

What a great God we serve!!!!
Have an incredible week...Stay on mission

All In The Family

2010-11-19T02:51:00Z

The All In The Family sermon series is going great at New Life. Understanding that we are a family put together by God to serve together is impacting so many.

I can't wait until this Sunday as we discuss the mission of the church family. So many have misunderstandings of what the church stands for. Change a life, bring a friend!

Super Sunday

2010-09-20T02:00:00Z

It was another absolutely amazing Sunday at New Life today as we wrapped up our "Forgiven" series. You could have heard a pin drop as I shared some of the stories of New Lifer's incredible acts of forgiveness towards those who've hurt, violated and caused pain in their lives. Hearing of God enabling us to forgive was a great encouragement to many at the service, especially those who were convinced the wrongs done against them were beyond forgiving.

At the conclusion of the service we saw God do a powerful work in many lives as we put into practice 1 Corinthians 13:5. Love keeps no record of wrong. With God's help, many emptied out the files of people they held grudges against that were locked up in the file cabinets of their minds. We physically took them and placed them at the foot of the cross where they belong.

What a liberating day for all present!!!

I can't wait to see how the Lord blesses our church as we get rid of any and all hindrances to our spiritual lives. I'm completely convinced as we abandon our personal desires for God's purposes He is going to accomplish more than we can even think or imagine!!

Weekend Reflection

2010-09-13T03:29:00Z

We had another great service at New Life this morning as we gathered together in praise and worship of our awesome Redeemer and God! It's so good to see new faces on the worship team using their God given abilities for His glory.

As we continued on with our "Forgiven" series I heard more testimonies of God's supernatural hand of mercy working through different people in the church family. What an encouragement to see and hear of God's faithfulness in setting people free from the grips of holding onto grudges and bitterness towards others. If you'd like to, shoot me an email of how you forgave someone of an offense and by forgiving, what impact it had on you.

I can't wait to see what God does this upcoming Sunday as we wrap up the series... I'm absolutely convinced the Lord is going to show up in an amazing way!!!

Forgiveness

2010-09-02T14:52:00Z

The Lord has been downloading into me truths from His word regarding forgiveness that are absolutely liberating. I can't wait to start the sermon series beginning this upcoming Sunday dealing with this whole area of forgiveness and mercy...they do really go hand in hand.

I'm completely convinced so many people are in bondage to bitterness towards others, and God not only wants us to be free from this, but He will equip us to do so.

See you Sunday and remember to invite someone. Your invite could change their life!!!

A prayer perspective

2010-08-12T15:46:00Z

Someone recently asked me about the practice and perseverance of prayer, especially when it seems like God is silent. If you think like me, (I know I do) maybe a word picture would help us understand this.

Letting our requests be known to God is like submitting a purchase order to the management of your company. If it comes back stamped "Request Denied" accept the fact the management knows something you don't. If you know your request is clearly according to God's will, continue to submit the requests, because here's the deal...try to see God as the owner of the company.

He will equip us with what we need to complete the work he started in you. God will never ask you to do something that He won't provide the resources to bring it to completion.