The Life Recovery Bible

I do not know where you might be from but where I live the Recovery Ministry is in great demand and need. With today’s economic times getting harder and harder many of our brothers and sisters are falling victim to addiction. Turning to alcohol or drugs to escape the pain of today’s reality. Let’s face it. Life is hard and we are not in control no matter how hard we try to convince ourselves we are.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

These are not just God’s words but also His command. That is the point of being a Christian. Acknowledging and accepting that Christ is the Lord of your life that you are not in control and God is. Yes, I know it is hard at times. In this world we pride ourselves in being in control of our careers, home, family and our very lives. The truth is that we are not. Why do we fight it so?

The Life Recovery Bible is a wonderful tool to be used in the Recovery Ministry in my opinion. Many of you know that I favor the New Living Translation of the Bible. It is simple to read and understand. Easy to share God’s Word with others too. One thing this tool lacks is printing the words of Christ in red. Besides that it has wonderful features not found in other Bibles. One feature I like best is the Reflections section at the end of each book in the bible. In fact I would recommend reading the Reflection section first before reading the particular book first. The Recovery Profiles demonstrate that key characters within the bible have faced trials; temptations and persecution just like each of us. Through God was their only way to get through it.

If you know someone fighting with addiction being Christian or not this Bible would make a wonderful gift. Follow-up with them and read it with them. Be part of the solution and not just sitting on the sidelines.

I am a member of the Tyndale Blog Network. Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.

Christmas 496

There are a few unique moments in history included in Christmas. My grandparents were married on Christmas day. Though they have long passed on. Their teaching and love they shown to me influences my life to this very day.

Around the year 481 a young 15 year-old become king. After the break up of the Roman Empire King Clovis came to power of a small kingdom in the corner of Gaul. The young king quickly took over the adjoining lands and united Gaul. Later King Clovis moved his capitol city to Paris. Later he founded the nation of France. In the year 493 the king married a Christian woman. Queen Clothide wished their newborn son to be baptized and the king agreed. The child died in his baptismal robe. King Clovis blamed God. Their second child was also baptized yet grew ill shortly after. Queen Clothide was said to have prayed earnestly and the child recovered. King Clovis was said to have been impressed. When the king was now 30 years old in the midst of a loosing battle cried out to Jesus Christ on behalf of his faithful wife and queen. It is said he asked God for victory and would be baptized. Soon the battle turned to his favor. In the Cathedral of Rheims on December 25, 496 King Clovis was baptized along with 3,000 of his troops. Known in church history as one of the first great mass conversions in Europe.

It was on Christmas Eve of 2006 during the Christmas Evening service that God revealed to me the purpose that I must serve. So clear, so simple but that is a different Christmas story.

To Endure:

Going through the trials, tribulations and persecutions is hard if not heartbreaking. Satan wants us to give up hope. He wants us to turn away from God. He does this so often by making us look inward rather than to God. I admit the last few weeks have been difficult for me. Being poor as a church mouse and the holidays coming. On the surface it seems all around are celebrating and preparing a feast. For those with little or none the holidays can be the most painful times of the year.

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matt 24:13 (NLT)

God gave me this verse to focus on this week. It is one that is often taken out of context. Jesus here is really talking to his apostles about the events to come within the second coming. Many read this verse and think if they can endure that they will be saved. It sure reads that way. Author, Larry Richards says it best, “Those who endure are not saved because they endure to the end, but they endure to the end because they are saved.”

Being able to endure also follows side-by-side with Christian joy. It is easy to be joyful when financial problems are of no concern. When health matters are not an issue. When relationships with family members and friends seem ideal. It is when you are alone. When you feel as if the world is crushing down on you. Worry consumes you when you have no idea how you are going to pay your rent this month. A husband, and a father, struck with fear when your wife and kids are in need of food. It is when “hope” is just another four-letter word that joy is in very short supply. It is when we have nothing that our joy of salvation in Christ Jesus abounds. When we are stripped away of all worldly possessions and worldly views we come to see things as they really are. We finally realize our situation is hopeless and we have absolutely no control over it. Some may say we have no choice but to hand it over to God. And they are right. Who better? Does it take this kind of hard pounding to accept God’s control of our lives? For some the answer is Yes. Many filled with pride fail and continue into death ignoring God’s wonderful gift and face forever torment in a devil’s hell. This life is just a mere moment compared to what awaits us through our Lord. We are here not for ourselves but to help others achieve what Christ has already given us. The Apostle Paul tells us of his own situation in Philippians 4:12.

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
Phil 4:12 (NLT)

It is the trials, tribulations and persecutions that make us grow as a Christian. Yes it is very painful at times. If you were to buy an expense houseplant you certainly would not take it home and put it in a closet? Wanting to keep it away from the harsh sunlight. Exposing it to the unpredictable conditions of the world? It is the harsh sunlight mixed with the right amount of moisture and nutrients that make it grow. It is the harsh realities we face daily and the life giving moisture of God’s Word that makes us grow as a Christian. We need to be reminded that we are not in control. God is. There in lies our joy and our ability to endure through Christ Jesus.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Phil 4:13 (KJV)

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The Toughest Commandment:

When studying your Bible, which commandment would you say is the toughest to obey? Many would say I certainly have not killed anyone yet in 1 John 3:15 God's Word explains that if you hate someone you are guilty of murder. So when that car pulled in front of you without looking did you hate them for just an instant? That is all it takes. That is a tough lesson.

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
1 John 3:15 (HCSB)

How about loving your enemies? You know sometimes a friend betrays you. A bully at school. An unhappy neighbor. In my case recently our home was vandalized. Hard to forgive one who is bent on causing you harm. What does Jesus command us to do? Another tough lesson to learn.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Matt 5:44 (HCSB)

Here is one I know we all deal with daily. How many times do we worry? Worry about if you will have enough money. Worry about your health. Worrying about your job and career. Again Jesus is very specific on what we are to do.

This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matt 6:25 (HCSB)

Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matt 6:34 (HCSB)

In fact all of Matthew 6:25-34 is devoted to teaching us the cure for anxiety. It is a hard lesson to learn and to put into practice.

Witnessing is the life blood of a church and of a fellow Christian. Yet few of us including myself obey our Lord's commandment in doing so.

And then he told them, Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16 (NLT)

What is your toughest commandment to obey? Leave a comment.

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A Quest for Vengeance:

Just last night our house was Rolled. What that means is the trees rain down with toilet paper usually just harmless fun. Here in the South it is deemed a compliment. I do not know why.

This time it was different. Not a compliment but a vicious attack. Using spray paint they painted the words, "Hail Satan" along with other vulgar words and satanic symbols across the cement driveway and on the front lawn. It was a malicious attack against our family and our God. Upon seeing the damage I was expectantly angry. Why would one do such a thing? To be such a coward to attack in the middle of the night hiding their faces and their wicked deeds. What do you do? The cowards have left. They have no dignity to come to you face to face. Then the anger quickly turns into a thirst for vengeance. A natural reaction you are attacked and you want to strike back.

Just a few weeks ago in our Sunday School class we studied Psalm 56, which I would like to point out verse 7.

Don’t let them get away with their wickedness; in your anger, O God, bring them down.
Psalms 56:7 (NLT)

What we learned in the lesson is that David was not asking for vengeance, which we would expect one would ask for. Instead we learn how David gave it up to God asking for justice from the Lord upon the wicked who seek to destroy His children.

I pray for those who attacked our home the other night. They will face the Throne of Judgment. They face God’s wrath. If I am to expect my Lord to forgive me then I must forgive those who seek to persecute me. For I know their fate unless they repent and accept Christ as the Lord of their life they will endure for all eternity pain and suffering the likes of which we cannot possibly imagine.

One thing is for sure by this attack. They realize that we are Christians. Confirming that they see Christ in us even though it offends them. Pray we serve Christ and not ourselves.

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The House Church Book

I just finished reading Wolfgang Simson’s new book entitled, “The House Church Book.” Right from the start is does a great job in pointing out what is wrong with our modern congregational church model that was established in the later part of the 3rd century. He defines the congregational system as, “plot plus building plus pastor plus salary plus programs.” Which in a nutshell does describe the modern church of today.

If you are looking for a “How To” book on establishing your own House Church this is not the book and Simson is the first to tell you that. He does a great job in telling of the history of the church and how we have moved away from the first church in the Book of Acts. Before we were known as Christians we were know as, “The Way.” It was living the way Christ had instructed us. Thousands if not hundreds of thousands paved the way for us with their very lives. Today would we be so willing?

The author spends much time comparing the differences between cell groups and house churches. While cell groups are part of a larger congregation house churches are fully independent and operate without a hierarchy. It is this lack of hierarchy that confuses such as me who knows nothing different than the established congregational church model.

Here in the South when you mention House Church we think foreign missionaries getting together in a home to avoid persecution from an anti-Christian government. Has America become any different? Surveys show that people in the USA are interested in God but not church. House church as Wolfgang shows is a growing outreach truly based on Christ’s teachings the church going out to the people instead of the people coming to the church.

The author points out that when a house church reaches 20 members it is time to establish a second house church and so on. Unlike the congregational church model that focuses on ever expanding its flock. House Church is a lateral expansion as we see in the Book of Acts. Planting of churches within the communities. Working and serving those communities in a way today’s modern church cannot or has forgotten how too.

Can someone like me establish a house church? One who has been brought up in the modern congregational church model? The author points out that would be difficult since there is no established hierarchy within a House Church. In other words a regular church member might have too much baggage with them for such a ministry. Yet House Church does not always mean in one’s house. Church can be in an office, restaurant or meeting hall. Is there a difference between a bible study group and House Church? Yes, and the author does go into great detail about it.

Being established in the congregational church model and a recent graduate of seminary I had my predispositions before reading this book. It was hard during the first few chapters but I highly recommend reading this book. It does not take a lot of head scratching to realize the congregational church model is broken. Fewer souls are being won for Christ and it appears the evil one has the upper hand. House Church is a growing movement around the world and here in America. There might be a house church in your neighborhood and you do not even know it. House Churches run below the radar same as in foreign missionary work. Focusing on Christ and engaged in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15 (NLT)

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Me and My Broken Wagon

If you were to see the car I drive then you would agree the name “Broken Wagon” sure fits. You have heard of walking by faith but driving this vehicle is truly driving by faith. It is not much but it is all I have.

The other day I was driving to work and had to stop at a light. I had to keep my foot on the gas just to keep it running. Praying to God for help so I can just make it to work. Then along side of me a guy in a brand new Dodge pulls up besides me. Talking on his cell phone not a care in the world. You would think he has it made. I started thinking that I sure would like to own a car not having to worry about making it to the next stoplight. Looking back just a few years my life was once like that. Seemed like everything I touched turned to gold. Success was the norm and business was the game. But wait! Back then like that guy in the car next to me. God was the last thing on my mind.

How blessed I am for my “Broken Wagon” of a car. Each day is a struggle. Asking God for help to carry me through yet another day. Only now do I truly realize that there is no way I can make it on my own. Without God I cannot even breathe let alone make it through to the next day. Sure there are times when I ask Him to let this day be the one He takes me home. I thank Him for all the blessings He has given my family and I. Might not be the success and riches the world has us believe as accomplishments. I am just a visitor to this world. That is why I must always have God first on my mind and in my heart.

Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? James 2:5 (NLT)