Where All Journey's Begin

8:53 AM

0 comments


John 1:42 (NIV)

And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

And he brought him to Jesus… This is where Peter’s journey begins.

Peter wasn’t always “Peter the Apostle” that preaches to thousands, heals people, and builds the church. No. Peter wasn’t even born Peter…His name was Simon…and he made his living as a commercial fisherman. He was average, normal, and ordinary. He was also loud, boisterous, and obnoxious. Not the best qualities for leading the church into a new direction. Let’s be honest…we don’t make it a habit of following average, normal, ordinary, loud, and obnoxious people…at least not on purpose, right?

So here is Simon, normal smelling like fish Simon. His day started out normal. He got up early…probably before daylight…because that is what fisherman do. He got his sandals on…made his cup of coffee. (Ok the coffee part might be farfetched but I’m pretty sure that God made coffee and God’s people drink it. Moving on…) He gets his nets and the rest of the fishing gear ready. Another normal day in the life of Simon…you know what he did yesterday? The same thing he is doing today. The exact same things…nothing’s changed…nothing’s different…until this day…today Simon meets Jesus.

That’s how it is isn’t it? Everything changes when we meet Jesus.

This sentence is located in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. This is not coincidence. For Simon, this is where he meets Jesus. This is where Simon’s dreams ended and Peter’s dreams began. This is Peter’s first chapter… This is where his journey begins.

Listen and hear me…All life begins and ends with Jesus…the real journey to answering all your questions in life…the real journey to change…the real journey to happiness…the real journey to a more fulfilled life is found when we are brought to Jesus. You see we walk up to Jesus a Simon…but we walk away a Peter. We walk up an average ordinary person, but become a supernatural extraordinary Christ follower. That’s how it is…

Don’t get me wrong there is a process…there is always a process…It took time to produce a Peter. Peter didn’t just understand everything from the beginning. In the beginning it starts out simple…Peter watched Jesus…because that is what we do…we watch leaders before we truly follow them. So Peter watched Jesus as he healed the sick. He listened to Jesus as he taught. Slowly the relationship formed and slowly Simon was becoming Peter…so much in fact that Peter is the first one to have the revelation that Jesus was the Christ. But it’s not always like that…just because you are brought to Jesus doesn’t mean it’s going to easy…Again we need to just look into Peter’s life to see that…

Over and over Peter’s life is one of ups and downs…One day proclaiming Christ is Lord and having revelations from God…another day barely understanding what Christ is teaching…but this is normal. This is how our journey goes sometimes. Sometimes everything is right and we get it. We understand our purpose and what we are here for. The next day comes and we are wondering how we ever got this far. We wonder when the bad times will end. We fill ourselves with such shame and guilt that we barely can move on…We get frustrated about our struggle to get things right…to live right…to make right choices.

Peter isn’t any different…even after being the right hand man to the Savior of the World, Peter denied ever knowing him at all…and he didn’t just do it all nice and polite…no he cursed the name of Jesus…

Mark 14:72
Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.

Now let me tell you at this point it had been 3 years of following Jesus. His relationship was filled with ups and downs…but there was never a doubt that Jesus loved Peter. Jesus had prophesied over Peter’s life…Jesus had invested his last few years of life on this rough man that struggled with being selfish, short-sighted, and prideful…and for what…to only deny him at his final moments on earth. The scripture says that the failure of not being there for Jesus…his teacher…his friend… left Peter broken and weeping.

Can anyone relate to this?

Have you have ever been so troubled by failure that you find yourself overwhelmed with emotion. Are you like Peter? Is your heart crushed because you feel as if you are falling short of what you are supposed to be? Or maybe, you are more like Simon…stuck in the rut of life…living everyday as the same day…everything seems grey and shadows…

Listen…as I think on my life, my kids, and my church…I can’t help but think that everyone’s first chapter of their life truly starts when they are brought to Jesus. I think…”I just need to bring whatever I’m going through…whatever it is that is bothering me…whatever questions I might have…I just need to bring them to Jesus, He’ll know what to do.” Because all great beginnings are birthed in Him…and today if you have something on your mind…if life’s issues and troubles are weighing you down and it feels as if there is no way up…or maybe you have never met Jesus or have had your life touched by Jesus…then let this day be your day…let today be the first chapter to your great journey…

Drawn to the Promise

8:50 AM

0 comments

Devotion - Acts 2:39

“For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

The Holy Spirit is laboring effectually. The Great Surgeon is at work deconstructing the callous heart and making it venerable to the call that is being placed upon it. Peter says, “The promise is to you and to your children.” To understand the context of this scripture we must look back to verse 38. There are two variables to take into consideration as to the promise of God; repent, and be baptized. The promise Peter is speaking of is the prophetic promise that has been spoken by God since Genesis. That God would send a Savior to redeem us from our sins. Peter declares that all scripture has been fulfilled in the life and work of Jesus Christ our Lord. Peter declares this Promise is to you and your children. Repent and be baptized for the remission, the deliverance of sin. No longer are you bound by your nature. God has made a way.

Peter doesn’t close the church doors in this scripture either. Remember that at this point, Peter is speaking to the current church and/or religious system. This isn’t the “lost” as we would call it. Peter is telling the church to repent here. However, he declares that this promise is not just for Jews and Jews alone…but for all who are far away…as many as the Lord our God will call.

Let us reaffirm this great truth to ourselves…It is God that calls. He uses us as vessels to declare and proclaim…but it is God that calls.

John 6:44 (NKJV)

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Jesus declares that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him. It is God who calls men/women to repentance. It is God that, through the work of the Holy Spirit, labors down at our hearts and grabs hold of us and claims us as His own. The promise is ours. It is yours. Take hold of it “called of God”. Claim it this hour and be free from your troubles. Claim it today.

And With Many Words...

8:48 AM

0 comments

Devotion - Acts 2:40 (NKJV)

"And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation."

“And with many other words…”

It is with great distinction to know that there a many biblical roads that lead to the cross of Christ. I think it is of great importance that we take notice of the two fundamental concepts held tightly by Peter as he preached his heart out…his words testified of Christ and exhorted them to do something about the saving knowledge that they were now given. To all that would share the gospel in an evangelistic setting this is a great base for all preparation. It is wiser for us to use our words and our intelligence in a way that testifies of whom Christ is and what He has done…and then encourage, exhort, and beseech others to make a choice to who they will serve. Biblical application is great for the church and for those who’ve made commitments towards serving God…but for those who do not know God it is imperative that our message find its way back to testifying who Christ is and what He has done. Biblical principles might work in their life because Christ will rain on the just and unjust alike...still…we must give them a sure foundation for which to believe in and follow. We must share our “first love”. It is what defines us as who and what we are…

Repent!

9:05 AM

0 comments

Devotion - Acts 2:38 (KJV)

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Peter says a word that has been lost in the relevance movement over the past few years. I hear it less and less the older I get and quite frankly I am shocked. I know we are intelligent people. I know that today we have more words available to us than ever before. However, with the loss of this word comes the lack of acknowledgement of your relational position upon this earth to a holy and righteous God.

Twice Peter tells the crowd, “Christ whom you crucified”. Twice he places a bloody horrible murder of the Savior of the world into the hands of men. Twice he makes you the responsible party for the slaying of hope and love. Peter heaps the guilt and shame that is rightly deserved upon them. They are stricken in fear. The previous scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit has tore at their heart and toil and labored at making a change from within…so much that they cried out, “What shall we do?”

Repent!

[Repent means to feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken about a past action, attitude, to be disposed to change one's life for the better; be penitent.]

Repentance is the call to action. The Holy Spirit has drawn and quickened the hear t with soul conviction and revealed the true nature of a man’s heart…its wickedness, it’s enmity against the things of God. But rejoice! Jesus has made a way. In the same respect as Joseph…what you men have done as evil, God has turned it for good. This same Jesus, whom you crucified, whom you live a life at war with by your actions, your lust, your greed, your pride, and on and on…This same Jesus is Christ and Lord! So repent. Turn from your former ways. Repent and be transformed. Set your heart into action. Be baptized…be fully wet and saturated in the name of Jesus because of your forgiveness, deliverance, and freedom you have been given over your sin…and you shall receive this gift of the Holy Spirit.

Repent. This very word sums up the Acts 2 church. This is the great secret to the Acts 2 church. Repentance…it is the secret that isn’t a secret. We marvel at the Acts of the Apostles and their ministries…their message, however, is summed up in one word. Repent! Having been in church after church, denomination after denomination, sat under preacher after preacher…the greatest ministries I have been a part of all have this one thing in common. They preached an Acts 2 message. Repent and be baptized. Receive forgiveness for your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is a simple message eludes us…because of its simplicity.

Listen…I love going deep into the word. I love broadening the message out so that it is more applicable, but if we lose the word repentance as our anthem we will struggle to be effective and impacting. The Apostle Paul said it this way…

1 Corinthians 1:17 (NKJV)

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect."

I can be as colorful as you would like. I spent the greater part of my working life as a salesman. I know how to use words to create emotion. I can write a sermon that is far more happy and entertaining, but that would be ignoring the call of God on my life. It also wouldn’t be effectual. Sure some would come and be drawn by their emotion. But it would be only temporary…not everlasting, not effectual…because it wasn’t from God. It wasn’t God drawing and calling men to His Promise…Paul says it best here in that he declares that the reason he doesn’t use any fancy words to spice up his speech is because the Cross of Christ doesn’t need it…

Now listen…this doesn’t mean we preach one way and that there isn’t any other way to preach. What we must do as we evangelize the Gospel message is find ways of making sure that all roads lead to the Cross of Christ…because it’s there that the heart of God is. Sure there are a lot of things we need to glean from the Bible. But God’s heart is that we never stray far from the Cross.

Don’t take my word for it…

Revelation 2:4-5 (KJV)

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

What a prophetic word that can so easily be seen with the Church in America. We have long since left our first love. What is our first love? A repentive heart…a broken heart…a contrite heart. A heart God cannot despise. A heart that is broken for the things of God. A heart that is set upon the redemptive work of the Cross. A heart that is like Jesus’ own heart.

What Shall We Do?

8:58 AM

0 comments

Devotion – Acts 2:37

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Peter was lead by the Holy Spirit into the past, from Joel to the Books of Samuel, to explain what was happening in the present. The Holy Spirit has moved upon the crowd in such a way as to bring fear and uncertainty. They searched themselves for an answer…but it eluded them. However, Peter had the answer and with great boldness declared that the same Jesus whom you murdered was resurrected and is now both Christ and Lord!

How do you process that?

If you believe it, then you have to come to grips with the fact that the very Savior…the one that you have been believing was going to come and save all of you, is now dead…and at your hands no less. If you don’t believe it, then you walk away thinking the whole thing is non-sense. Fortunately for the crowd the scripture reads, “They were pricked in their heart”. The NIV says they were “Cut to the heart” and the NLT says, “Their heart was pierced”. The Greek word that seems to be so difficult to translate is defined like this; to labor down or to wear down with toil and persistent hard work.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reaches inside a man and labors at the heart. It tears at it and strips it down of all that might be hindering it from hearing what the Lord is saying. It labors and tarries until it is broken. It’s then and only then that we can see the light and folly of our depravity and say, “What shall we do?”

North Texas Worship Conference

8:57 AM

0 comments

This past weekend I made a trip north to the Church of Corinth to attend the first ever NTD Worship Conference. What a travel nightmare it turned out to be. The conference was held in Corinth which was about a 4 hour drive from Marble Falls. Now that isn’t the bad part…no…the bad part is the terrible flooding that occurred the entire drive north to the hotel. At one point, one of the towns we drove through received over 12 inches of rain! What? You heard me right. It was a weather nightmare weekend.

Moving on…

The conference was a one day conference that went from 9am to 3pm…and this is a worship conference for a Pentecostal faith denomination…which basically means that 3pm is just when things start to slow down. Having a 4 hour trip, we cut out at 3pm sharp…

The first hour was a time of worship and orientation. The worship was provided by TCOC (The Church of Corinth). They are great! Sherri Williams, (NTD Music Director and Music Director for TCOC), really has done a great job assembling a bunch of really great musicians together to form the TCOC Worship Team. She also did a great job on the conference…all things considering. It was the first of its kind. You really can’t know what to expect in those circumstances. All in all I thought it was good and would love to be a part of the next one!

I attended 3 workshops…”media”, “guitars, gadgets, and gizmos”, and “audio”…the best of the three being the “audio” workshop. I actually brought 2 of my audio guys just to attend that workshop…which delivered! Thanks TCOC! All in all it was a great conference for small to medium size churches, like mine, who are really oblivious to most of the details and ministry that surround worship.

Ok…my one critique. (You knew it was coming.)

Media…

I know this hit me probably because this is something that is dear to my heart and is a ministry that I have extensive knowledge on…so bare with me. The media workshop was more of a history lesson of how media has transformed in ministry and a 30 minute question and answer session. Now let me be honest that media isn’t the strong suit of TCOC…and that is with most churches…so I get that. However, what drove me crazy is when they showed what “environmental projection” was and the room went crazy with Q&A. It was like showing a kid this awesome toy that they can’t afford. And here is my only critique…I think a media workshop needs to be more application than information…or at least a balance of both.

There is a lot more I could say on the subject…but I won’t. However, what I will say is that I am going to offer to teach a workshop next year in an effort to be a solution rather than a critique. I can’t stand people that complain and never offer up a solution…enough said.

So with that…I’m going to send an email to our NTD Music Director…and I hope to see you at next year’s NTD Worship Conference!

The Nines #thenines

8:43 AM

0 comments

Did you tune into The Nines?


If you didn't, I am sorry. Because you missed one of the best leadership conferences that I have ever witnessed. Giving 9 minutes to pastors, both known and unknown, to speak to leaders was genius. I loved it!

Here are the notes I was able to take as I watched it throughout my day. (Didn't get a chance to catch everybody...I had to work also.)

Mark Driscoll
Sometimes an idol gives you identity and defines who you are.
Sometimes an idol lies by telling you it can mediate between you and God. Sometimes we call that the pastor.
If you obey the first 2 commandments, you won’t violate the others – paraphrase of Martin Luther.
Most of the time we worship things that are good things and make them God things and then they become bad things.

Larry Osborne
Most of Paul's church plants were really messed up...that's how we got the Epistles.
Many of the problems of the church have been around since Acts.
We idolize the Acts 2 church but not until Acts 8 and the persecution did they start moving out.

Steve Robinson
"Worry is temporary atheism"

Skye Jethani
The doctrine states that the larger the impact of our ministry, the more legitimate we are in ministry.
Large doesn't mean legitamite...
We don’t see that in Jesus. People were leaving rather than coming.
Daisy cutter doctrine – largest intimidation weapon in arsenal.
Maybe outcomes are not accurate portrayal of my legitimacy in ministry.

Perry Noble
One thing God is drilling into me. A movement of God cannot be planned but must be prepared for.

Bryan Carter
1. Learn to live with a shadow – walk in that grace, humility, and honor for the legacy that you have been given. (Honor what God did in that era.)
2. Learn to be yourself – I was trying to emulate others instead of being myself. Be yourself.
3. Learn to be patient – I get frustrated (My timing wasn’t God’s timing. People need time. Never expect fast transition.)

I also saw a few guys that made me want to go find their podcast, blog, or books. There were a few unknown to me that really spoke to my heart. Good job, The Nines!

What Shall We Do?

8:35 AM

0 comments

Devotion – Acts 2:37

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Peter was lead by the Holy Spirit into the past, from Joel to the Books of Samuel, to explain what was happening in the present. The Holy Spirit has moved upon the crowd in such a way as to bring fear and uncertainty. They searched themselves for an answer…but it eluded them. However, Peter had the answer and with great boldness declared that the same Jesus whom you murdered was resurrected and is now both Christ and Lord!

How do you process that?

If you believe it, then you have to come to grips with the fact that the very Savior…the one that you have been believing was going to come and save all of you, is now dead…and at your hands no less. If you don’t believe it, then you walk away thinking the whole thing is non-sense. Fortunately for the crowd the scripture reads, “They were pricked in their heart”. The NIV says they were “Cut to the heart” and the NLT says, “Their heart was pierced”. The Greek word that seems to be so difficult to translate is defined like this; to labor down or to wear down with toil and persistent hard work.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reaches inside a man and labors at the heart. It tears at it and strips it down of all that might be hindering it from hearing what the Lord is saying. It labors and tarries until it is broken. It’s then and only then that we can see the light and folly of our depravity and say, “What shall we do?”

Into The Future

8:22 AM

0 comments

This past week has been a sleepless one. I try to sleep but end up tossing and turning in bed for the most part. When I do sleep I am intensely dreaming and it feels as if I am not sleeping. So, that being said...I am tired! Really tired!


However, it is often when I am tired that I am at my best in optimizing the creative side of my brain. I don't know how that works but it does and I am not complaining about it.

Couple things I have been working on via Photoshop; Starting Point and Serve Point. Starting Point is an 8-week class we are offering to new believers. It is basically a fundamental foundation type of class. Serve Point is small brochure that offers people a view of the different areas of ministry and where they might feel led to serve.

Here is some the artwork I have prepared...





Christ Is Lord

4:35 PM

0 comments

Devotion - Acts 2:36

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

“Christ is Lord!” Peter proclaims…and so should you. It should be the anthem of the church. Have you ever pondered possibly the reason why the church is failing to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus is because we lost the fact that Christ is Lord? How is that even possible? We have place the name of Jesus on T-shirts…the same name that men of the Old Testament were too scared to even write. We have created different advertising pitches like “what would Jesus do”. We have packaged and bundled just about everything we can and put a Jesus stamp on it. Ultimately we have reduced Jesus to be nothing more than an object. He is like a special diet pill now that will change your life forever without you having to do any exercise…

And here is the thing…Jesus will stay that way unless you realize your part to play in His life.

What is your part?

Peter reminds them now for the second time…”Jesus, whom you crucified”.

I know I am speaking tough on this subject…but I love you enough to tell you the truth. Jesus wasn’t just a great teacher. He wasn’t just a great prophet. He isn’t a name brand clothing apparel…He is Christ our Lord!

I am standing with Peter pleading to you that…

“I am a guilty. I am guilty of being a sinner. My sins put Jesus on that cross. Jesus made atonement for my sins and yours on that cross. By the shedding of His blood He paid the ultimate price and purchased our redemption. I was a slave to sin…but Christ set me free. I screamed “crucify him” by my actions and yet He still loves me. He still loves me…a sinner saved by grace. Don’t you realize that I would still be doing the same sinful things and possibly worse if it wasn’t for Jesus? The only thing that separates me from any other sinner is the fact of what Jesus has done for me at Calvary?”

I met Jesus Christ in a small church a little over 10 years ago…and I have never been the same. It hasn’t been always easy…but I can honestly tell you it has been the best thing to ever happen to me. Someone loved me enough to tell me about Jesus. It was crude evangelism at best…but they gave it their best effort.

Here is a great lesson…

When you combine the Holy Spirit with your best effort…it’s a deadly combination for life change…

Prayer

4:33 PM

0 comments

Devotion - Acts 2:25-28 (NKJV)

“For David spoke concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because You will not leave my soul in hell, neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You shall make me full of joy with thy countenance.”

The first two verses are the culmination of David’s first two proclamations. Verse 25 explains how David can know and prophetically proclaim a future event. David says that the Lord was “always before my face”. Listen there are always people wanting to know the future. They look here and there for signs. They read. They listen to popular preachers. They consult all forms of media…but they do not seek the Lord “always before their face”. One of the greatest tragedies in the American Church today is the lack of prayer, the lack of zeal for the prayer meeting, and the lack of prayer in our personal lives. We will never be entrusted with the supernatural things of God until we find ourselves continually before our face. Prayer is not a request…it is a requirement. You cannot move one verse forward, to verse 26, before you have a supernatural experience with the God of the Universe. I am in the same agreement with EM Bounds, that it is of wonder and question to me if a man can be saved and never pray. How is it even possible? How can one confess Jesus Christ as friend, Lord, and Savior…and yet never speak to Him?

It is in prayer, as we see with King David, that God reveals himself in never before ways…life changing ways…ways that leave your heart rejoicing, your tongue glad, and your soul at rest upon a given hope.

Life transformation…life change…happens when you are always before your face. We give a lot of lip service to art of prayer…but few pay its price. We can think of many things we need to do in a day rather than pray…and yet more now than ever are we wanting something from God. We want days of revival, we want to gather in the lost, we want to be able to disciple better, we want visibly clear direction, we want God to do this…and we want God to do that…and yet most of us will never yield another minute to the prayer closet. God desires communion with you and yet we make no time for him.

I know I talk about prayer a lot. I know I beat this drum constantly. However, what else can change your life as much as prayer can? It is the prayer of understanding how sinful you are and how Jesus made atonement for your sins at the cross that ushers in salvation. It is the mustard seed prayer of faith that moves mountains and heals the sick. It is the prayer of direction that leads the church to where it has never gone before. From the beginning of the book to the end…it is covered up with people whose commonality is prayer!

It's About Jesus

4:32 PM

0 comments

Devotion - Acts 2:22 (KJV)

" You men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know…”

God performed miracles, wonders, and signs through Jesus…and nothing has changed even unto this day. God is still changing the world through Christ Jesus! That is the power of Jesus Christ. God is still using the gospel message to transform hearts to be like that of His beloved Son! God is still using the Holy Spirit today to empower His people for ministry! The most relevant message today we can preach and evangelize to the world is the message of a God who loved the world so much that He took his only Son and sacrificed him on a cross for all of mankind…that there might be a way to a heavenly life…an eternal life…and an immortal life…for there is only one way in which a man might be a saved and that is by the power of Jesus Christ.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)