In Acts 18:13 it says that the Jews brought Paul up on charges. What were those charges? “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law?” The phrase, “contrary to the law” stands out to me and makes me wonder. If you read scholars they will ask the question what law? Was it the Roman law forbade anyone from trying to convert Roman citizens to anything deemed “a cult?” Or maybe it was the Jewish law (Torah), which Paul was definitely not preaching against but was in stead preaching of its fulfillment? We know Paul was teaching the doctrine of Christianity, which was protected politically for at least another 10-12 years until Nero became Emperor.
So my concern this morning was, “what was contrary?”
Always trying to find the modern day application for the text I am convinced that many people today are persecuted because they are still persuading people to worship contrary to the law. The problem is that much of our “law” is not a law that is based on truth of scripture or even of the leading of the Holy Spirit, but most of the “laws” that exist in our churches today are traditions of men. Therefore if I can be permitted to make an alteration on the text, I pray that I am a man that persuades others to worship God contrary to tradition.
Traditions are not evil. The problem they present is that we sometimes become so willing to accept traditions that we never learn their foundation or premise. The further away we get from their foundation the further we get from their truth! I want to be as close to the truth of God as I can possibly get! Therefore I pray that God would remove every tradition from my heart and fill it with his truth. I want to worship You, Lord, contrary to my own traditions!
Category Archives: Encouragement
Goal Setting
I’m not an administrative person. One thing you need to know about guys like me who are not administrative; we don’t like lists. My wife on the other hand; she’s a list person. She has a list for almost every area of her life and I would not be surprised if she had a list of her lists somewhere. She’s is administrative. It’s a gift she has learned how to use very well. Me, I’ve learned to trust her lists.
On the other side however, I have found the need for lists. As someone that doesn’t come by this gift naturally, I have to make myself think administratively. I have to make myself begin each day with a list of things to do, then I go back over that list and prioritize them. For me the going back over them is important because if I didn’t then my day would start off with (1.) Go to lunch, (2.) Read, (3.) Get afternoon snack and drink, (4.) Go get candy out of Scott’s office.
It doesn’t seem wise to me to start my day with lunch, so I have to prioritize. (I know many of you are asking, “He puts lunch and snacks on his to do list each day?” Yes! I do!) Prioritizing my day allows me to be effective. If I don’t, things get out of sync and I am not as productive as I could have been. As a result, I go home feeling like I failed or didn’t get anything accomplished. While I don’t always like lists, I have learned the benefits of them.
The other type of list I have found a great benefit for is in goal setting. I routinely set six month goals in two categories, work and personal. While there are great benefits in setting work goals, I really want to challenge you today to set personal goals. Not just any type of random personal though, I want you to begin thinking about personal goals that will strengthen your relationship with God. If you are not in the habit of working toward goals, I would not advise you to set six month goals. Instead start with a 30-day or 60-day goal.
One of the first things you need to do in setting this goal is to ask yourself, “What’s my purpose of setting this goal?” Are you wanting to strengthen your knowledge of the Bible? Do you want to strengthen your faith? Do you want to become more bold in your faith? It’s important to set the purpose because then you have built in motivation. And goals are important because if you don’t have a plan to strengthen your faith, how do expect it to grow? You must be intentional about your process of growth.
For example, if your goal is to strengthen your knowledge of the Bible; pick a chapter and spend the summer studying that passage. Read it at least once a week in entirety. Read several verses or sections of it every day. Try to memorize the chapter. Break it into different categories you set up. Use commentaries from to learn more about. Find a good resource and look at the original language. (A good online resource with commentaries and helpful in understanding original language is www.blueletterbible.org.)
It is important to have a goal. Here is the one thing I am positive of; if you don’t have a plan; you have a real good possibility of being in the exact same place with your relationship in 60 days as you are now. As a believer, you can’t be satisfied with that!
Be blessed,
craig
Fallen Faith
This week we are looking at how Abram dealt with trials in his life. No one in Hebrews 11 is hailed for their faith as much as Abraham. Hebrews praises him for his faith. Abraham “obeyed going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out not knowing where he was going,” (Heb 11:8). He “lived as an alien in the land of promise,” (Heb. 11:9). In verse 10 we have that great proclamation that he “was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” In verse 16 it says that Abraham’s faith was not a waste because “God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”
After Abram got to Canaan Genesis 12:7 tells us that Yahweh came to Abram. In Ur Yahweh called Abram to a place that He would show him. Now in the story, The Lord shows up and presents himself to Abram. Abram’s display of faith is an example of the faith all believes should have and should strive to exemplify.
Then famine hit Canaan!
Abram may have thought God would take him to the Promised Land and roll the red carpet out for him. He may have thought once he got to the Promised Land all his worries would go away. He may reasoned in his own heart that since he showed such great faith in leaving, maybe, just maybe God owed him.
Do you ever get to a place where you feel like God owes you? “God I did this for you, where is my blessing?” It is easy to think our relationship with God is give and take. Most of our relationships are. So, when we do something for God and He doesn’t respond with the appropriate blessing; we feel cheated and we begin to question God’s love for us.
Abram left everything and walked into a land that was experiencing a famine. So he did the obvious, he went to where there was food – Egypt! The problem was he didn’t ask God what he needed to do. He just assumed God “had his back” and did the reasonable thing. He didn’t deny God, he just chose to forget about Him.
God will always test our faith with trials. It is a guarantee. Even Jesus was tested, why should we different? Abram was tested and this great man of faith; showed none! He did not trust God and he missed out on what God had for him. We will never know how God wanted to deliver Abram from the famine because Abram did not show enough faith in God to simply call out to Him.
How about you? How many blessings are you missing because you have not trusted God for His deliverance? Prior to this Abram’s life was defined by the altars he built for God and faithful calling on the name of Yahweh.
Trials are going to come, when they do… learn from Abram’s mistake and remember your call. Build altars and worship the only Savior who has the power to save. Faith only happens when it is lived!
Be blessed,
Craig
Utter Amen!
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20
Have you stopped to think about the promises of God? The promises of God are the covenants of God. Covenant is not a word we use much in today’s language. However, for Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and the disciples, it was a word they clung to with their whole heart and soul. God’s covenants (or as we like to refer to them today, his promises), will endure until they are fulfilled. How do we know that? Because the promises of God find their answer in Christ!
Christ’s life, death and resurrection provides the faith we need to trust God for His promises. His promise in general is to give us life in abundance. Abundance just means more. Life in Christ is not going to keep you from heartbreak or confusion, but rest assured that His promises find their Yes in HIM!
“That is why through Him we utter our Amen.” The church knows the word Amen today as the word that is added at the end of our prayers to signify we are done. Mostly we just listen for the Amen because that is how we know someone is finished praying. However, the word actually means “verily.” (Kind of a let down for you?) It is used in the Psalms at the end of prayers and songs to mean “so be it.” (Is that a more dramatic definition for you?) While the literal definition here may not provide much insight, let me try to explain the intention behind “Amen.”
Jesus used it in His prayers and His teaching. You may have read it this way in your KJV, “Verily, verily I say to you…” Jesus was saying, “Amen, amen I say to you…” In other words, Jesus was saying, this is the truthfulness of which you can trust. My words are true and everlasting. They do not change and they will not lose their power. The “Amen” of God is trustworthy in ways we may never understand. They will not fail, they will not fall, they will not quit and they will not weaken! God’s promises unlike the promises we hear today are true and are verified with the Amen of God. Now look at 2 Cor. 1:20 again, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” It is a double promise of God’s faithfulness. Paul was emphasizing to the church in Corinth the complete promise of God to be their God and to hold their salvation as sure as Christ. He ends this chapter with these words, “for by faith you stand.” Not your faith, but the faith that God’s promises are true. We don’t have the ability to stand on our own faith. Too many times we fail in our faith, but God’s promises are “Yes.” His faith is strong, His desire for you is great and His promise to you is “AMEN!”
Be blessed,
Craig
The Power of God
While the Jewish Leaders were questioning Jesus during the five days leading up to the Passover, the Bible tells us that some Sadducees came to Jesus and questioned Him. Under the Jewish law, if a man dies without children, his brother must marry his widow. In this way he can raise a son and heir for his dead brother. This is called levirate marriage, and enables a man’s name to live on after his death and is recorded in Deut. 25:5-6.
Let me give you a little background of the Sadducees; The Sadducees are the Jewish ruling class. They are an elite group with an intellectual and sceptical faith. Their breeding, marriages, religion and politics are all geared to keep them in power. While the Pharisees avoid all contact with Gentiles, the Sadducees are prepared to compromise with the Romans in order to have some influence in government. While the Pharisees believe in the resurrection of the dead and a future life, the Sadducees live for this life only. In addition, they only accepted the five books of Moses as inspired from God. They would often challenge the Pharisees to prove the doctrine of resurrection, but the Pharisees were rarely successful.
Now if you are like me, you may have wondered what this type of question had to do with whether or not Jesus is the Messiah and how a question like this would cause Jesus to stumble. The Sadducees hope to show that resurrection is ridiculous and impossible. Supposing a woman has a number of levirate marriages. To which of the brothers will she be married in heaven?
While the line of questioning from the Sadducees may not have been a very strong line in our opinion, for them it was one of their most critical. Therefore, Jesus response must have been a very tough pill to swallow. Jesus said, ” “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not heard I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
Once again Jesus words are so direct and to the point that His accusers have no rebuttal. But to His words, the portion that challenges me the most is the first part. “You do not understand the scriptures or the power of God.” While I will admit that I do not understand all the scriptures, I can honestly tell you that I am studying. I am learning new things each day and while I may never be able to understand them on this side of heaven, I press on! However, it is the second portion of this statement that haunts me. “You do not understand the power of God.”
The only way we as believers on earth can understand the power of God is that we must see it work in our lives and in the lives of people around us. The problem is not always believing in the power of God, but allowing the power of God room in our life. The more we deal with God, the more He reveals His power to us. The more we experience God, the more we are introduced to His power. The more we surrender to God, the more we witness His power first-hand. Surrendering to God’s power is asking God to do the impossible. Too many times we are able to explain away the things in our life, but how many of us can only throw our hands to the sky and say, “It was God!” When was the last time you experienced the power of God?
This Easter season, allow for the power of God to work in your life.
Be Blessed,
Craig
What a difference a week can make!
This week at HBC we are looking at Matthew 21:1-9. Most interpret it as the Triumphal Entry of Christ. It was the last time Jesus would enter Jerusalem in His earthly body. I want to look at it also Luke 19:28-40 in this post.
Now in Jesus day it was not uncommon for a hero to ride into town at the cheers of the people. They would throw their coats to the ground and shout praises to their hero. There are some differences herehowever; 1. Jesus was not decked out in his most regal uniform. Many times when this happened it happened as the hero was returning from war. He would wear his best military uniform in all its majesty and may even be adorned with a medal either given to him by the king or taken in battle. Not Jesus, he wore simple clothes. 2. Jesus was not riding a great war horse. He rode a young donkey. It was a donkey that had never been ridden, but it was a donkey. I have never seen any one ride a donkey and think to myself, “how majestic.” Even the name, “donkey” makes me almost laugh. There is nothing king-like in riding a donkey, even if it has never been ridden.
Revelation talks about Jesus riding a white horse and leading a great army one day. But this was not that day, so for Jesus a donkey would do. After all, this battle was not going to be fought on a battle field, or a fortress. It was and still is being fought in the hearts and lives of person on earth.
Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the people began praising Him. The Bible tells us that they proclaimed, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Jesus was receiving His praise. They had seen Him cause the blind to see, heal the sick, make the lame walk, bring the dead back to life and now they were praising Him as the hopeful Messiah who came to rescue them from the Romans.
In Luke 19:39-40 it says that some Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him to rebuke His disciples. They were afraid that the Romans would hear their cheers and think the Jews were causing a riot against the Roman government. The Romans would have quickly sent in an army to squash the rebellion and the Pharisees did not want that. While the Pharisees did not like the Romans they had become accustomed to a very comfortable life under the Roman rule. They had power, status, money and protection. They may have been opposed to the Roman Empire, but they were not opposed to the life the Romans allowed them to have. If a riot broke out, they would be in danger of losing all of that. Jesus response was short and pointed. He simply said, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Did he just say that the stones would cry out? Now many scholars have debated on the meaning of this passage. I for one am naive enough to believe that Jesus meant the stones on the ground, on the sides of the mountains, all of creation itself! Creation had been waiting for this moment. This was the day the Creator had ordained that the Son of Man would be lifted up. I can see creation now, waiting in anticipation for it’s moment. As Jesus comes into the city, creation was prepared to shout and give praise to Jesus. Why, because it was ordained to be that way. God had ordained this moment in time at this place to bring praise to Jesus. If mankind did not follow through with this moment, creation itself was prepared to step in.
There are times in creation where Jesus is to be lifted up and praised. At those times, I challenge you to praise Him for all He is worth. Don’t let creation speak for you because you were not paying attention or too embarrassed to give Him praise. But when the time is right, shout! He is worthy! He is OUR KING! In the next couple of weeks we will celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter. In one weeks time the crowds go from proclaiming, “Hosanna” to “Crucify.” What a difference a week makes! What kind of difference is Jesus going to make in your life in the coming weeks? From Palm Sunday to Easter, will you proclaim Him? Will you just go about your normal routine? Are they the same? It is the time for the Son of Man to be lifted up!
Be Blessed,
Craig
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Mt 21:9.
The Eternal Fire
I was reading the other day in Leviticus. I know what you are thinking already…why? I sometimes like to read Leviticus or Deuteronomy to try and find some nuggets that I haven’t seen before. Well, I was reading in Leviticus 6 and I came across this:
Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.
It is actually in verse 13 and it is a command. It is a command to keep the fire on the altar going at all times. It is stressed because it is also mentioned in verses 9 & 12, so that is why it stuck out to me. Why would it be mentioned three times? Is God a pyro? Does He just really like fire? Is it really safe to have a fire going at all times in a tent? I remember one time I wanted to start a fire in a tent and my dad got furious… wait, I’m getting off topic. If you study the Bible for very long, you learn to look for things. Anytime you see something twice, there is usually an important meaning surrounding it. If you see it three times, you can be assured it’s important.
God tells Moses three times, “Do not let the fire go out.” Why is it so important to God that the fire burn continually? Why was this an issue? As I looked at this I came away with several conclusions.
God kept the fires of the altar going all the time as a constant reminder to the people that forgiveness was final. The priest would offer a sacrifice each day for the people and He wanted them to know that His forgiveness was eternal. The constant reminder of the fire let the people know that their sin was dealt with eternally. Each morning at the beginning of the day, the priests would get up and take away the ash heap and place new wood on the altar in preparation for that days sacrifice. The sacrifice was for the people and their sin. But not just their sin, it was also a symbol that God was with them; He was in communion with them. When Israel was being led through the desert they followed a cloud by day and a fire by night. God was in the cloud and the fire. The fire in the Tabernacle represented His forgiveness and His presence.
Today in our churches we need a fire that will burn constantly. We need a fire that will burn in our churches and serve as a reminder that God’s forgiveness is eternal. We need a fire in our churches that families can come and draw from and take it back to their homes and offices and schools and spread light and hope in those places. As the church becomes a place with constant fire, the children of God can borrow from the altar and fuel their families, their relationships and their lives with a consuming fire that cries out to Jesus as our Savior and Forgiveness. Let’s not get bogged down in the entanglement of sin that discourages and wears down our desire to know God more. Instead let’s carry our torches for all to see! A torch that was lit in the sanctuary. Church, that is your call! Be that fire that will fuel God’s children to action and love.
Dead or Alive
Yesterday morning before church, I was studying and looking through the different stories of the resurrection as they were recorded in the Gospels. I came across this in Luke 24:5, “Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?‘”
Now I know most of you would contend that I should keep going and read the next verse. The next verse is the fulfillment of the prophesy of Jesus resurrection. That next verse is filled with the promise of hope and joy and greatness. The next verse is loaded with doctrine and theology and a student of the Bible could spend a lot of time in the next verse. However, the Spirit of God caused me to stop on verse 5. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
I have been reading on twitter and other blog sites from around the country and from friends in ministry how excellent their Easter Services were. Some talk about record numbers of noses that showed up. Some talk about the strategies that were successful in getting people there. Some are talking about the conversions that took place once people were there. But yesterday morning before most services had met, God’s Spirit caused me to stop. To reflect and to ask some tough questions of myself and the church.
You see for many people yesterday they were making their yearly ritual to attend a worship service. Some were going to be with their family, some were going because it was Sunday, some were going because they had a “part” to play, and some were going because someone invited them to attend this “special” service. There was probably even some that went because they were expected to be there or some that went because they wanted to worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. Wherever, you may fall in these categories, you can’t deny that most were looking for life! They may not have said that, they may not have even known that. I mean most youth want boundaries in their life but I have yet to meet that one will walk up and ask for it. We need life. Now you can look at this from a physical or a spiritual view, but we all need life.
Physically, we need life to continue to… uhm, well…live! It is a basic need. Life sustains life. If we don’t have life, we die. Since the dead don’t tweet, who wants to be a part of that? Spiritually, we need life to produce more life. We don’t just need life to sustain our own spiritual growth, we need it to implant in the hearts of those who are dead to their own sins and shortcomings. We need life in us to show it is possible to overcome the sins of this world. We need life in us to be the witness for the One who came to give us LIFE!
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Yesterday many people showed up at my church and your church and all God’s churches to find life. They were looking for the living. Did they find it? Did they see life in your church? Not just with you… but all over your church? Did they find life? Or did they walk away thinking, “I still haven’t found it. Those people are as dead as I am; they just don’t know it.” As I was saying, I have read all the glorious reports from friends and twitter friends in regards to how amazing their services were, but did the dead find life? I am all for amazing worship. I want it every Sunday. I pray and cry for it Saturday night and even more so in my life on a daily basis. (I must admit that some days are better for it than others.) But what did they find? Don’t just settle for, “Well, the Word of God was preached! We made a big deal about Jesus. If they missed that, we can’t help them!” Why can’t you help them? They were looking for life! They aren’t always looking for it in a big show or production or cantata or performance or eloquent speech. They were looking for life, what did they find?
be blessed,
craig
Do you enjoy waiting on God?
One of the most difficult things for anyone to do is to wait? We have raised a generation that believes in instant everything. Fast food, instant mashed potatoes, minute rice, instant mac and cheese. All these things are designed to bring us what we want instantly. I am guilty of this also. In the recent primary elections I chose not to vote because the line looked too long. Did you catch that; it “looked” too long. I later found out the wait was less than five minutes, but it looked longer. Think about all the things you do or don’t do because of the perceived time it takes you to do them. Sometimes I choose not to iron my shirt. I can just spray wrinkle releaser on it and shake it a few times and instant ironed shirt is ready for wearing!
Unfortunately this has spilled over into our spiritual life as well. Just because our lives have sped up and our need for instant gratification has increased; God still operates and works in His own time. The danger is that sometimes we believe that God is not answering us because He is waiting on us to act; so we act! We do what we think God would want us to do. Is there a sin greater than acting in God’s name without God’s blessing? How bad is it God to do something claiming that it is God’s will, when it really isn’t? What if your friends did things like that for you? For example, they knew you wanted them to buy you lunch so they took your credit card and went down to Appleby’s and ordered a big lunch with desert all on your dime? Would you be fine with that? Would you say, “Well, I was going to take you to lunch anyway, thanks for doing it for me.” No you wouldn’t. Because you know that sometimes the best part of buying someones meal is the time you get to spend with that person.
There was a mother who wanted to take her daughter to see a movie that was coming out. She wanted to surprise her daughter with the tickets. The movie was off of a bestseller book that the daughter had enjoyed for many years. The daughter was so excited for the movie to come out. The mother purchased tickets online early because she knew the cinema would be sold out. She was anticipating the surprise of the daughter’s face as she handed her the tickets in the car on the way to the movie theater. However, the daughter’s friend was able to get to tickets to a midnight showing on Thursday night and the daughter squealed with the excitement that she was going to get to go. The mother let her go because she knew the daughter wanted it so badly. The daughter got what she wanted and had a great time. The movie was as good as she had hoped it would be. However, the mother and daughter did not get to share the experience together. They missed out on the quality time together and the ability of the mother to show her daughter how much she cared and thought of her daughter that she planned everything out in advance for her.
The danger is that we are not always willing to wait on God. And while sometimes we may get what we want, we miss the greater blessing. Abram and Sara wanted a baby so badly that they compromised in their hearts and Sarah gave Abram her maidservant to lay with. The people at the foot of Mt. Sinai waited for Moses to come down and when he didn’t they made their own god to worship. They missed an opportunity to worship the only True and Living God.
Then take into account Isaac. He waited on his father forty years before his father found a wife for him and when he presented Isaac with Rebekah the Bible says, “Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Gen. 24:67)
Waiting on God may not always be the easiest and not waiting on God may not always lead to disaster. But, waiting on God and not being blessed leads to growth. It is the times when we are waiting and being faithful without the blessing that God grows us the most. And when God does move; the blessing is greater. Do you enjoy waiting? Probably not. I don’t know many people who enjoy waiting on anything. But waiting on God leads to growth and great blessing. It’s not easy, but most of the time I am able to look back and say, “God it was more than worth the wait. Thank you for your faithfulness to me.” Today I want to encourage you to wait on the Lord. He has something incredible for you. Are you willing to wait for His blessing, or are you contempt in your own?
Simply Craig Yates 