The Water's Flow

Giddy up for Christ

2011-12-05T08:31:00.002-06:00

Luke 19:28-38
28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

The Bible tells us that Jesus sent two of His disciples to find a colt that had never before been ridden, and bring it to Him. After securing the animal, they saddled him with their coats, and this is the colt that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that fateful day.

Up the narrow streets the little donkey went, clippty-clop, clippty-clop, straight to the gate of Jerusalem. Along the way was a festive crowd spreading their coats and palm branches and yelling (shouting) "Hosannah! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosannah in the highest!"
And so it was that Jesus entered a bright, sunny, and happy Jerusalem. In the distance, however, stood Golgotha, the hill of the crosses, soon to be shrouded in darkness and tears.

But there is another part to the Biblical account that yet speaks in forceful language to us today. It is about the little colt that carried on his back Jesus. Now this little donkey is very interesting, and it seems to me that he also carries on his back some important lessons for us today.

The Donkey Was Available
The donkey was available.
He was ready to be used.

Jesus knew the colt was there when He sent his disciples to that particular place.
When the disciples told the colt's owner that the Master had need of the donkey, the owners let him go. Now Mark and Luke’s account tells us that no man had ever ridden the colt. He was unbroken, untamed, and untrained.

The colt could have balked, sat down, and refused to budge, like donkeys do, but he did not. The colt willingly went with the disciples. He was available.
How many of us are truly available to the Lord? How many of us are willing to place the cares, worries, troubles of the world on our back so that they may know Jesus?
Christ tells us in the Bible, “To pick up our crosses daily” (Luke 9:23) and do what?

Hide it under a bushel? NO!
Throw it in the closet? NO!
Put it in the trunk of the car? NO!

Jesus says in Luke 9:23 to “Pick up your cross daily – and follow Him!
Are you available to be what God calls you to be and work as God calls you to work. We must be like this colt and be available. Not pew sitting, staying home, going to events. We need to be giving God and his church His time.

Too many times we act like what a normal donkey colt would have acted like. When God tells us to do something or the church asks us to help out – we baulk, stay seated, and hee haw hee haw! Which means grumble under our breath. The price for you has been paid and now it is time to help others see this Good News and find hope in Christ. We grumble about giving one hour to the Lord each week. When if you think about it – if you give him 10% of your time in a week – you owe 16.8 hours and we complain about giving him the one hour from 11:00 to 12:00 noon. Let’s all become available to Christ and His mission in the church; to make disciples so the people of this world can see there is still hope as seen in our availability to carry the load Christ needs us to carry.

Are you available to get up or should I say, “Giddy Up for Christ.” Start doing that today. I believe you will be blessed even more in this life when you do.

The Team Concept

2011-08-28T22:00:00.003-05:00

The Team Concept
David W. Ching
Sunday's Message - August 28, 2011

What do Baseball, Football, Soccer, hockey, softball, and basketball to name a few sports have in common? They have the team concept down pat. It is a shame that the church cannot learn again from what it once taught. Team is not something you can do alone. Team is plural. Team takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears, joys, failures, victories, faith, and soul to accomplish.

1.) The Team was given a God-Sized Mission:
In Jesus’ time the team concept was radical and visionary. Jesus was challenging a small group of ordinary people to change the world and bring them to Him. I wonder sometimes if the disciples talked to one another about this vision. I wonder if they asked each other, “Do Jesus know who we are? Nobody has ever won the entire world in anything!”

After Judas turned on Jesus there were only 11 disciples left at the time they were given the Great Commission. With this commission in mind they were given support. Matthew 28:18-20 tells us, “18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (NIV). Jesus empowered them and promised to be with them to the very end of the age. The 11 disciples empowered by the One created invincibility in them and the world has never been the same. That held true for them as well as Christians today.

Christ gives us (the Body of Christ) a mission so great that it requires our best, all-out effort with wholehearted dependence on Him. This is the same mission the 11 brought through the ages that we must now move forward with. The leaders today as the disciples in Jesus’ time must develop and mature spiritually as His empowerment works through us.

2.) The Team will Face Conflict:
With this task, as with any task given us by the Lord; we must expect conflict to arise. The Gospel of Christ by its nature will create conflicts; because it is always calling people to change. Change more times than not causes resistance and that resistance produces conflicts.

The gospel replaces the old person with the new and the old person struggles to move back in. The gospel replaces sin with salvation and that sin looks to gain its spot back. The gospel replaces today’s status quo and replaces it with a transformed life and the status quo doesn’t like it. The gospel brings those things out of the darkness and replaces it with light and the darkness fears for its existence. The gospel replaces broken people with wholeness and the brokenness tries to hinder this wholeness. Such radical and drastic change will not be accepted by some and that is something you can take to the bank. Therefore, we must make sure conflict is rooted in the gospel. Conflict created by the demands of the gospel should be accepted, welcomed, and resolved in a creative and useful manner and not allowed to be destructive to the Team.

Calvin Coolidge once stated, “Never go out to meet trouble. If you will just sit still, in 9 out of 10 cases, someone will intercept it before it reaches you.”

3.) The Team Concept must be in a Loving Fellowship with One Another:
Most issues in the life of the church revolve around human relations. To get His disciples ready for His coming departure Jesus showed them how to love each other and love Him better. Jesus taught the disciples that love is the main ingredient in every aspect and function of the church. It is love that connects people to God and to each other. If you want your church to be effective in a world gone mad; love is that motivating force that gets the job done. Love treats others the way we want to be treated and attracts people to Christ. The basic distinctive of the New Testament church is love.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22: 37-40, NIV).

Jesus’ love for us on Calvary chisels away harshness; graciously gives forgiveness; heals broken relationships; creates community, fellowship and unity; and lights the fires of our witness of Christ.

In our society today, the church needs to be the church it was created to be in its beginning. There is a cry from the wilderness of life for community, fellowship and unity. There is a cry for the Team to function as a Team. Our society today needs to reintroduce into their lives, words like: relationships, family, belonging, unity, teamwork, acceptance, home, community, fellowship and communion. For the church to be effective in the community and world around them; it must reintroduce these words through the actions they bring into the everyday language. The church must love those things that the Lord loves and that means it must love everyone without exception or exclusion. We must accept the love of Christ as our guide to how we live. We must love God, His Word, His people and His world.

God’s Word clearly, affirming, and reassuringly tells us in John 14:23, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (NIV).

Love can build a bridge, but the lack of it can burn that bridge down faster than it was built” (DWChing 2010). Are you building bridges for the team to travel on or are you burning them down as fast as they are built? Think about that as you go through this week and ask God to make the changes in you that need to be made to help the team function properly. Have a blessed week!

Support System Failure

2011-08-11T10:43:00.005-05:00

Why has the support system of the church failed? The simple fact is that it has been under attack for years and now the attackers have fully infiltrated and set up residence. As I look around, I see no support system for pastors or any other person trying to live a Godly life. This has to change or God the Father and God the Son might be having the same discussion that God had with Jeremiah in chapter 5.
1 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city” (Jeremiah 5:1, NIV).

I stopped outside a church last Sunday and watched as all the people came forth through the doors after their service. Do you know what I saw? I saw people. I saw people no different than those people I had seen minutes before at the convenience store who did not attend church. I saw no saintly people. I saw no Godly people. I just saw people whom were no more “set apart” than those claiming no God.

If you look around, you may ask yourself; where have all the saintly people gone? Where are the people Romans 8:9, speaks of? “9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9, NIV). Where are those who follow the Words of God and Christ, “Be Holy because I am Holy” (I Peter 1:15-16, NIV).

There was a time when a pastor, as well as other Christians had a support system that was so solid that it was a base, which all could stand. There was a time when there were people who would come up to you and let you know they were praying for you and many who would say, “I need to pray for you” and do it on the spot. There was a time when you knew in your heart of hearts, that regardless of what came that person’s way; they were still supporting and praying for you even in their failing health. You knew just by walking up on them, seeing their smile, and seeing that Godly glow that this was someone who was truly standing in the gap for you at all times. There were those people that you hoped to one day be like that seem to be so close to God that the brightness of Godly love in their eyes was almost blinding. Where have they all gone?

I think that with the infiltration of the church, the worldly attitudes within have killed the Christian Spirit. There is no indwelling of the Spirit because the world overshadows all attempts to allow the Spirit to lead.

In his farewell address to the church elders at Ephesus, Paul warned them to be on guard because the flock was going to be attacked by “savage wolves” (v.29):
“26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:26-31, NIV).

Paul knew what was going on in the church and knew it was under attacked from within as well (infiltrated). He sent a letter to Timothy, urging him to not only preach the Gospel, but to be prepared to correct errors and to rebuke those who embraced the infiltration. His advice for the Timothy as well as pastors was:
“2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (II Timothy 4:2-5, NIV).

In the first century, even Jude knew the church was under attack and had been infiltrated. Secrecy is a tactic used by godless, selfish, and self absorbed people. This caused Jude to set off the sirens and sound the alarms as he urged the true believers to “contend for the faith” (v.3).

“3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 3-4, NIV).

Paul warned the Colossians to be on guard, that they might not be taken captive by those who have abandoned the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
“8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8, NIV).

Today, too many congregations have been infiltrated and compromised; so much so that they cannot even breathe life back into itself. The words of Paul, Jude and others who warned the believers to stand firmly on God and allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in them has been quashed by our unwillingness to live in the Word of God and let it live within us. The church is under attack from within and from the outside world. When are we as believers going to say, “Enough is enough?” When are we going to rekindle the flames within us that the Saints before us had and take the torch and make a stand as they did; support as they did; love as they did; pray as they did; and show us that true outward sign of inward grace?

The time is now in repairing the Support System of the church. If we cannot repair this, then we cannot disciple others or even lead them to where God needs them to be. Preventive maintenance goes a long way. It is just too bad we did not use the tool God gave us to do it with before now – the Bible.

Who are you living for and who is living in you? If you said Christ, why can't others see it? You can claim to be Godly all day long, but if others cannot see it in you; then it is probably not there. Christ doesn't want those who talk a good game. Christ wants those that walk it, live it, and do it. You can hear the Word and speak the Word all day long; but until you do the Word - your efforts are fruitless. And that my friends is the bottom line!

Have You Ever Noticed?

2011-07-03T20:14:00.001-05:00

Have you ever noticed that when a church begins to become purposeful and biblical when it hadn't been in years, that some people begin to grumble and groan? Why is that? Have we gotten so use to how church is and forgotten about how church is supposed to be in its origin! I am sure that in 1940 when this particular church was established; they did not come together just to have a meeting place for bingo. It was not just a place for the click to gather to snub their noses at others. The church established itself to live out a purposeful and biblical existence; taking its ques from the church of Acts. The Holy Spirit in Acts fuel the fire that ignites the church with power and wisdom. Jesus called it, "My church" in Mathew 18:16. I Timothy 3 goes a step further in saying, "The church of the living God" (v.15). The origin of the church does not rest on the back of man, but rest on the back of God.

The Day of Pentecost, the day on which the Spirit of God came as a mighty wind and as tongues of fire, the day on which fearful, weak disciples found themselves with new power and wisdom, the day on which about three thousand others were baptized and received the gift of the Spirit. It was the birthday of the church"my church"before prepared by God the Father, founded by God the Son, and empowered by God the Holy Spirit.

The church then, in origin, is entirely of God. Man neither planned it, nor founded it, nor built it, however much man may and must be a part of it. The church is the church of the living God, the church of Jesus Christ, the church of the Holy Spirit. So why then do many feel "They OWN it!"

Until later than the first century there was not a single church building. The church was not a building: it was rather the ecclesia, the assembly, of those who had believed in Jesus Christ, had been baptized in His name, and had received the Holy Spirit. They went to the Jewish temple for prayer, they met in peoples homes for worship and breaking bread, and they shared their earthly possessions. Many signs and wonders were done in Jesus name. They were a company united in praise, study, fellowship, and service.

Thus when Acts says "great fear came upon the whole church," the reference is to the believing, baptized, Spirit-receiving company of people. They were those who had called on the Lord and were "being saved" (Acts 2:47). They were people who had received new life, and in the excitement and wonder of it were witnessing to everyone of what Christ had done for them and how He could do it for all who would likewise believe in His name.

That is purposeful and biblical in a nutshell! Or can I say, "Biblically Purposeful!" :-)

One more remark about the church and a building. Nothing said has been intended to disparage church buildings. If nothing else, a building is a necessity for shelter in Christian worship and fellowship. The early Christians for all their lack of distinct buildings did meet in the temple and homes; they were not without the use of buildings. But the point here is that, building or no, the church is still wherever there is a coming together of Christians.

Therefore, let the Holy Spirit move in a mighty way and either get with the program or excuse yourself from it. You are accountable for those that you hinder in finding Christ and one day will answer for what you did or did not do; and that is the short of it. Christian's get it wrong so often, we forget what it means to get it correct. Let us not allow this to continue to happen in churches across our nation. Just my thoughts for the day...

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Make His Promise Complete

2011-01-26T15:31:00.002-06:00

HONE (MAKE PERFECT OR COMPLETE) HIS PROMISES (VV. 16-18) – January 23, 2011 – SUNDAY (The general gist of today’s message). Series Message II

16 “Now, LORD, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me according to my law, as you have done.’ 17 And now, LORD, the God of Israel, let your word that you promised your servant David come true.”
18 “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”

Too many times people never realize until after the fact or in some cases too late that they have drifted away from God and His promises and blessings. They drift away and then their world falls apart and they say to themselves, “I don’t know why this is happening?” When in fact, they have drifted away from God. You can come to church every Sunday and drift away. You can attend church every Wednesday and still be drifting away. You can read your Bible and pray daily and still drift away. Then God has to give you a little wake up call, by allowing you to do your own thing. That own thing that tells you I can do this. Then you realize after things fall apart, that you really didn’t know what you were doing.

How many people like their alarm clock? Not many! Why is that? Your alarm clock wakes you up when you would rather do your own thing and sleep. However, your clock was set for a reason. You had something important that required you to get up and respond. Sometimes we need God to give us a wakeup call to get us moving in the right direction instead of sleep walking our way through life.

God wants you to come to Him and allow Him to be the trash man. All that garbage inside us that is holding us back; He wants to take from us. All that clutter in our lives, He wants us to bring to Him so that He can remove the clutter so we can find the good that is underneath. Once we allow Him to remove the clutter to get to the good in us; He can take that good and make it great for the purpose He has on our lives.

Once all this clutter is removed, only then can He get the fires going in you. Only then can revival begin to take hold. Only then can we come before Him with open hearts and minds, willing to use our hands to help show others their need for revival. Revival will not happen in the corporate, if it doesn’t happen within the individual first.

Solomon has built this great altar. Solomon has come to God humbly giving himself before the assembly. Solomon has recognized God as who He is: He is God. Solomon brings everything to the Lord in front of all the assembly. Remember Thomas said, “My Lord, My God.” Acknowledging exactly who his Lord is and what place He takes in his life. Solomon is doing the same thing. Forsaken themselves and placing the Lord first in their lives; seeking Him and seeking His promises.
What the Lord offers is free. In a world that has lost all hope, and been blinded by a me, me, me way of thinking. We must show them that there is Hope in the Lord and if our thinking turns to a Him, Him, Him way of thinking; God will take care of me, me, me!

A. Remember His fulfilled promises.
1. Salvation (Rom. 10:13). “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (NIV)
2. Supply (Phi. 4:19) – “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (NIV)
B. Reflect on promises yet to be fulfilled.
1. Revival
2. Return

To get the best return, you must be willing to give your best. We have been created in the imagine of the Father. This can be a good thing and a bad thing because we are humans. It is a good thing because God thought so highly of us that He created us in His image. The bad thing is, we are humans and many times we place ourselves equal to or beyond the creator. Pride is an extinguisher of the fire of revival.
Do you want the Lord to fire you up so revival can take a hold of your life and move you forward or do you want to sit back and wait on your wakeup call because you want to do your own thing?

Drifting might be a good thing if you are a race car driver or in the movie the Fast and the Furious, but drifting is not good in the life of the follower of Christ in any form. Revival is a blessing that must start with us accepting the call, the place in the order, and humbly giving God our all; not just drifting along in our own world, doing our own thing.

The devil wants to take you to hell. He wants to take everyone you are associated with to hell right along with you. He comes to destroy all that you are and all that you can be. He comes to fill your life full of garbage to cover up the good God wants to use to make great with His blessings and promises. Who are you going to allow to take hold of you today? Do you want a life that is always in question? Or do you want a life where there are actually answers? The choice is yours. Don’t let your wakeup call come to late. The Bible says, “Seek Him and you will find Him.” Seek revival in the Lord humbly, and you will find that the fire in your life has not gone out, but just covered up with clutter. “Lord, Revive us again” so that we may be the best for you and so that we may share that fire as Solomon did with the entire assembly of our community.

The Silent Sermon (Worth a Repeat)

2010-09-24T09:02:00.001-05:00

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preachers visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent...

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.

The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.

'We live in a world today, which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.

Just thought it was something that I needed to share with you guys today. As Christians, we gather together so our flame will not go out and become dead. If you haven't been to church in a while and you feel no fire in your life. Stop by and try to rekindle that flame you once had. If you have never been to church, come join us and be warmed by the people you will meet who truly care about you. God bless you guys and have a great week.

Pastor David

"Just as You Are"

2010-02-26T08:40:00.002-06:00

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house…”

The old woman smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?” “That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.”

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house” (Author Unknown).
We are all wired differently and have our own unique flaws, but Christ loves us anyway. Christ takes the broken, the cracked, the hurting, the needy, the depressed, the rich, the poor alike and loves them just as they are. Overlooking our brokenness, He sees so much more.

Do you remember verse 4 and 5 of the hymn, “Just as I Am?”

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind-
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find-
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Christ is the redemption for our brokenness and all we have to do is allow Him in to our hearts. No matter how broken or afflicted we are, Scripture tells us, “9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10, NIV).

There is no better time than this very moment to allow Christ to show you what your cracked and dysfunctional being can do for His glory. Allow Him to show you just like the cracked pot in the story was shown; there is a purpose for your life and He will make you complete.

Have a great weekend,
Pastor David

Replacing Negatives Part II

2010-02-18T13:57:00.000-06:00

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Prov. 23:7). In reality, no one else really knows the thoughts of your heart, except you and God. Consequently, attitude is something that only you and God can work out — a change which must take place inwardly.

According to scripture, your attitude toward life, your circumstances, or toward other people should always be like the Lord’s — as is defined by scripture. Good attitudes are generally demonstrated in being positive, encouraging, loving, humble, teachable, cooperative, considerate, selfless, loyal, persevering and so forth (Gal. 5:22-23).

To God — Our attitude should be reverence, submission, love, trust, humbleness, obedience, worshipful, and prayerful. (Psa. 111:10, Mark 12:30, John 14:15, Jas. 4:7, 1 Sam. 15:23)

To God’s Children — Our attitude should be love, forgiveness, consideration, caring, encouragement, kindness, humility, unselfishness, respectful, and impartial. (John 13:34-35, 15:12, Rom. 12:10, 13:10, 15:7, Jas. 2:9, Eph. 4:2, 4:32, Col. 3:16, 1 Thes. 5:11, Heb. 3:13, 1 Cor. 13:4-8).

To Authority — Our attitude should be respectful, cooperative, accountable, humble, helpful, encouraging, loyal. Not resentful, defiant or disrespectful. (Heb. 13:17, 1 Pet. 2:13-15)

To Hard Circumstances — Our attitude should be patience, thankfulness, persevering, believing. (Rom. 8:28, Gal. 1:9)

To Our Church — Our attitude should be respectful, faithful, cooperative, helpful, willingness, dependable, participating, encouraging. (1 Cor. 10:32, 1 Cor. 14:12, Heb. 2:12)

To Duty — Our attitude should be faithfulness, responsibleness, obedience, cooperation, endurance. (Luke 16:10, 1 Cor. 4:2)

To Unfairness — Our attitude should be patience, humility, confident in God’s justice. (Rom. 12:19, Luke 18:7)

To Disappointment or Tragedy — Our attitude should be humility, submission to God, prayerful, confidence in God’s fairness. (Psa. 62:5, Jer. 17:5, Deut. 32:4, Job 13:15, Rom. 8:28)

To the Lost — Our attitude should be compassionate, forgiving, encouraging, helpful, reconciling them to God. (2 Cor. 5:18, 2 Pet. 3:9, Matt. 18:11-14)

To Sin — Our attitude should be uncompromising, unaccepting, intolerant, unsympathetic, yet compassionate and reconciliatory for the repentant. (Matt. 18:8-9, Gal. 6:1)

To Success — Our attitude should be humble, grateful, God-glorifying, not self-exalting or forgetful to God. (Jas. 4:6, 10, Prov. 16:18)

To Misunderstanding — Our attitude should be peacemaking, reconciliation, patient, forgiving. (Col. 3:13, Matt. 5:9, Phil. 2:14)

Bring your attitudes into obedience to God’s Word. Apply discipline to your thought life — submit your thoughts to those of Christ’s. A good attitude is a matter of faith, disregarding your feelings, with a determination to embrace God’s outlook and disposition.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."

Replacing Negatives

2010-02-08T09:32:00.000-06:00

The Uncompleted Spot within You

2010-02-02T19:24:00.002-06:00

Ecclesiastes 12:13 states, "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (NIV).

If you are searching for fulfillment, purpose, and/or meaning from the world we live in, you might not want to hear the bad news; you will never find it. There is not one thing in this world that will fill the darkest and deepest hole in your being – not the greatest job, the most beautiful women or best looking guy, not having the greatest education, no having the finest automobile, or having the most money. None of these things even come close to filling that uncompleted spot within you.

King Solomon, had everything one man could ever want, and he was one of the richest men of his time. Yet he traveled down a dark and lonely road trying to satisfy his desires for the wrong things out of life. He sought after passions; he sought after possessions; and he sought land, buildings, and beauty. In the end this is what his conclusion was: "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:1-9).

Have you ever gone to the kitchen in search of something to eat and could not satisfy that hunger, no matter what or how much you ate? You know there is something your body is seeking, but no matter what you find, that craving is never satisfied? In the same way we are created with a hunger for God and no substitute for Him will ever complete the uncompleted spot within you. We are created to love the Lord, know the Lord, and be fruitful for the Lord. Everything else in life is secondary to this.

Therefore ponder on this a minute: If loving God and knowing God are first in our lives; doesn’t it make sense that He would be the only one that can complete us. Doesn’t it make sense that He is the only one who can take away that searching and hungry and fill the uncompleted spots within us?

Everything else in life should be secondary to loving and knowing the God who made us. Your families, your church, your job, your possessions, your ministry, and so on are important, but they are not or should not be the first and foremost purpose in your life. Until you realize this, you will continue to seek things you cannot find, and find things that you cannot make fill that uncompleted portion of your being. Only God can complete you. So why not stop the search and allow Him to enter in. He is waiting on you to decide to stop searching from can, to can’t, and seek Him.

Have a blessed week,
Pastor David

Take Responsibility for Your Life!

2010-01-27T10:02:00.000-06:00

One thing I have had to learn and remember over the years about relationships is that you are NOT guaranteed a happy, fulfilling, or faithful one – not ever! There is only one relationship that can offer this and it is in Christ and not in or with people. In other human beings you can hope for it, you can work toward it, you can give your all to it; but it is NOT a given that you will even come close to having it.

1.) No other human being, no matter how much they may love you, was put on this earth to make you happy. You were. That is not their job, duty, or responsibility.

2.) No other human being was put on this earth to guide you through life. That directional flow is solely up to you; especially after you have become an adult. They can advise you (if you listen), but they can’t walk the steps for you. You have to walk them alone.

3.) No other human being was put on this earth to make sure you escape or avoid hard times, bad situations, or storms in life. That falls on you.

4.) No other human being was put on this earth to pay or pave your way. That work belongs solely to you and you alone.

Do you see how it all boils down to you and the choices you make?

You can, at the most, ONLY blame your parents for 17 years of your life, unless you choose to live with them until you’re 40 so they can still foot your bills (if they are ignorant enough to put up with it until then). And in many cases not that many years can be placed on them. The rest is solely on you. After adulthood, we make our own choices in life. What have you done with the years after your left the safety of your parents nest? Who screwed those years up? Looks like you did? So take responsibility for it and stop blaming someone else. Life is what you make it. Life is about choices that you and you alone have to place your name on.

That’s life – shut up whining and make something of yourself; or continue to sit back blaming others for the years you are screwing up and stay in the mess of a life you are making for yourself. In other words, grow up and be the grown up you pushed so hard to be when you lived with your parent(s). It’s up to you. My life is up to me and yours is up to you. I can’t make yours and you can’t make mine. We make our own….now live with it!

If your parents got you safely and healthy to adulthood – they did their job and they own you nothing else. The rest of life, which you have been given is strictly up to you. Can you handle it? Well if you can’t, look in the mirror and you will see the person you need to blame for that failure…

All of this to say one main point. If you want to have a completed, fulfilled, happy, and stable life; other human beings cannot achieve that for you. Only through Christ can this be achieved and only by you taking control of your life and making the right choices and taking responsibility for those actions will you even come close to having it. If you fall on your face, admit YOU fell on your face. Pick yourself up; dust off; and move forward. It starts and ends with you and the choices you make.

As the old saying goes, “You made your bed, now lay in it!” So seek God to help you get out of that negative way of thinking and back on the road to being a successful human being. Again, that choice is up to ONLY YOU!

You wanted to be an adult! Well now you are! Welcome to the real world! Put on your big girl/boy underwear and get in line with the rest of us adults. There is no short cut.

"Next?"

2010-01-21T22:15:00.003-06:00

“Next?” By: David W. Ching
22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22)
Christ did not offer Himself to us as a burden and we shouldn’t be a burden on His church. He declared that His yoke was easy and His burden was light. A living faith is not something that you have to carry, but something that carries you. Christ stated He was the light of the world. Meaning He is the light that brightens our lives; gives it purpose; and gives it peace and hope. It’s sad that in the lives of many Christians, there is not enough of Christ shining to light a single bulb on a Christmas tree.

Let us not be hampered in our thinking by the fear that we will in the end be confronted with some orthodox formulation which we can accept only by compromising our intellectual integrity. I at least will make no such demand in what I say. The formula is quite simple and I will not be all Theological in stating it:
“To be spiritually fed, you must be physically present” (Ching 2007, 5). You must make the commitment to use the talent and potential He has given you and move from having potential to being productive for Him.

You cannot expect to only attend church service every third Sunday and be productive; or see His productivity in your life. You cannot show up on one Wednesday night a month and expect spiritual blessings to come your way. You either make the commitment to be the person He has called you to be or you sit back and play church. But remember, “You are either part of the problem or part of the solution.” The Choice is yours.

Think about it: Everything else in life is secondary to knowing and loving God. The first and foremost purpose you have in life is to know the God who made you. When we trust or yield ourselves to Christ, there is a true commitment just like in a healthy marriage. How tragic that many marriages are dysfunctional and are a poor example of long lasting commitments. Don’t let your lack of commitment be a poor example and have eternal consequences in your end result. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John. 4:19).
John 15:2 tells us, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (NIV). We are the Body of Christ…

The Purpose Bowl

2010-01-08T12:05:00.001-06:00

Does Your Life have Real Purpose or Are you just Blowing Smoke?
By: David W. Ching
1/9/2010 (Reprint)

I am not going to preach, scold, or tell you what to do. I am just going to give you the facts of life. After all the fish that swam up stream in your beginning, you are the one that hit the mark. If this were not true, you wouldn’t be reading this, now would you? And someone else would be in your spot. So at this moment, I am talking to you; the one fish who made it; the one who made it this far in the spot you fill in this world.
My question to you today is this: Does your life have real purpose or are you just blowing smoke dragging along through life without a sense of purpose?
With all the advancements, technology, and education in our world today; there are millions of people who walk around daily, lost to what their purpose in life is. Their lives are lived without any concept of why they are here. When you ask them what they want to do in life, the answer is usually, “I don’t know.” Or if you ask them where they want to be 10 years from now they reply, “I don’t know, we will just have to see what happens.” This way of living is no way of living and is taking life by chance and not by choice. This is living life hoping something good happens while you sit and do nothing to make something good happen, it is basically just blowing smoke. The sad truth is, many people in our society today have no clear purpose for their lives.
Many times it seems that these people are allowing the world around them to control what and who they become or even if they become anything. They are seemingly living their lives like playing the lottery. They waste time buying tickets and never seeing the results of the big lotto win, but they keep buying tickets regardless. This kind of chance taking in life, in hopes of having a life with purpose, will only see you give up in the end; frustrated; depressed; and with lost hope. Living this way is allowing your life to be out of control and hoping randomly that something good may miraculously happen to you.
However, not everyone is like this scenario in life. Some people take these lotto tickets and tear them up and say, “I am not going to live by chance. I am going to live by choice. I am not going to let this thinking control my life; I am going to take control of my life.” They want to know exactly what purpose their life has and where exactly their life is headed. They don’t want to live out of control, by the chances that may or may not come along. This way of pursuing life allows this person to create a life with purpose and not live a life reacting to what the world around them says they can or cannot become.
I know you are now thinking, “What purpose does my life have? What do I want to accomplish? Who do I really want to be? Well don’t look this way, I cannot help you there; this is something that only you can do for you. There is no “Easy” button or a “Do it for me” button. There is only you, making the decision to take back control of the events that surround your life. Each of us is wired differently, and each has a different life purpose. I cannot give you mine and you cannot give me yours. It is something we have to work through on our own. It doesn’t really matter what you say you’re going to do. What matters is that you are doing something in the process of living for purpose rather than living without purpose.
The hard truth is that many people struggle daily with no purpose and many never actually find it. These people go through life daily with no purpose, no direction, no meaning, and no hope. Their daily life is rolled into one big mess that they would just as well forget than have to think about. They have no control of the day or moment, any more than they have control over the weather where their lives are concerned. They haphazardly wander the barren waste land of a meaningless life; wondering, “What happened, that put them there?”
So do you know what your life purpose is? No? Well you don’t have to decide it all at this very moment. That is not the point or the purpose; and fulfillment will not happen in that manner. Finding your life’s purpose is much more than it all taking place in this moment of time. This is why I call it your life’s purpose and not today’s purpose.
Where Do I Start?
To begin you must begin by setting goals. This does not mean setting one large goal, but it means setting many smaller goals. Say you want to set a goal to start eating properly. Set that goal and work toward that goal first. Your ultimate large goal may be to be healthy and in shape and this one small goal starts the process. You cannot hope to begin a large goal with 100 smaller goals mixed within it all at once, because you will become discouraged and overwhelmed and the next thing you know you will quit the process and never reach the small goals that make up the large goal. In essence, failing to reach any goal you have set for yourself. It is important that each of your smaller goals point to specific areas that will eventually make up the major goal. This is just an example of setting goals with a purpose.
In this example (healthy eating), make it specific and detailed because this gives you exactly what you need to be doing and will help you watch your progress. Remember, it means nothing in what you say you are going to do; but purpose is everything in what you put into action by what you do.
As you begin this step in living a more purposeful life, you will be setting goals and moving forward toward those goals. As you begin reaching these smaller goals, you will gain purpose in your life. As these goals are completed, you will begin to see the major goal being filled in by the smaller goals and you will be able to track exactly how you are doing in this adventure. Life with a purpose is an adventure. However, life without a purpose is a repeat of the same ole things and the circle of destructive behavior will just continue to bring you down. Once you begin to see purpose in your life, you will see that you are gaining control of your life.
When You Were a Child:
When we were children, we would always be asked by teachers, friends, and parents, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For many boys it was, “A policeman, a fireman, a Doctor, a pilot, or an Army man.” It is said that most people stake claim to what they are going to be when they are children and those who hold tight to those dreams are the ones who are successful in attaining them. What did you want to be when you grew up? Have you achieved that goal or have you passed it off because the people around you stated back then that you would never do it? Check with your doctor and see if he wanted to be a doctor as a child. Most of the answers you will receive will be that they did want to be doctors and that was what they became.
Set your goals and start to move forward in reaching them. If you want to be a brain surgeon, then go for it by taking the first steps to reach that goal. Only you can make the choice; set the goals; and follow those goals through to fruition. Remember at most, your parents only have you for 17 years and the rest of your life is on you. Stop blaming everyone for your lack of drive and goal setting. Stop saying, “I can’t do it and blaming others.” You have the choice to stay where you are or move forward and become who you were called to be.
I have a friend who blames his miserable life on his parents. He claims, “It’s all their fault!” I beg to differ. The problem with this scenario is that he only lived with his parents for 17 years. He is now 42. Therefore, if you subtract 17 from 42, you get 25. That means that he has been on his own with no parental construction for 25 years; more years than he lived with his parents. It is time to stop blaming your parents for possibly screwing up 17 years of your life, when you have screwed up more in the 25 years of your own doing than they ever could in the 17 years they had you.
Set your goals and stick to them and four ways you can go about this are listed below:
1.) Set goals with deadlines that must be met and make yourself keep them. These goals are what you want to do; how you want to do; and where you expect to be with the completion of this goal. What your intentions are for your life and what you desire to accomplish.
2.) Decide what your steps of action will be. What do you specifically need to do to make these goals, desires, and dreams a reality.
3.) Monitor your progress from the beginning to the end of each step. Ask yourself, “Am I doing what I need to be doing to make this happen?” If your answer is, “no” change that attitude to see the results and behavior you need to see to make progress.
4.) Monitor your goals to see if adjustments need to be made. This is your life, your purpose, and your job. This is not your mothers, fathers, friends, or relative’s responsibility. This is your responsibility and choice. You control your destiny and it is you who takes the blame for your falling on your face or your standing tall to the end.
Do not be like those in life who seek purpose all their lives to only die in the end with people saying, “They sure had potential.” Let them be able to say, “They made a difference. They had a purpose. They were productive and not just someone who had a lot of potential.” The choice is yours and yours alone. Pray daily, and ask God to strengthen you in this journey. Good luck and God bless you. Stop blowing smoke and make a life of purpose.

Prayer Is Essential

2009-06-08T06:34:00.003-05:00

Prayer changes things, prayer changes people, and prayer changes churches when they really pray. Things really happen when churches pray!

We see in Acts 12, a story of how the church faced terrible persecution for their faith. The evil King Herod, was killing the apostles and seeking to kill more apostles. We see that the church gathered together during this time of need and emergency, and the first thing that they did was appeal to God through prayer. The church met together - James had been killed by the sword, and now Herod was turning his wicked attention to Peter, and we find in verse 5: “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

In verse 12 many gathered together praying. Right throughout the whole of the book of Acts, we see that prayer was an integral part, of the operations of the church of Jesus Christ in its beginnings.

Things started to happen when these Christian people prayed together. In fact, the miraculous happened, because we find Peter lying here in the prison, and an angel comes and taps him to wake up, and delivers him - and the iron gates yielded to the power of God, and effectively we see the power of God in answer to the prayers of the church.

Peter comes knocking on the door of the place where the people are praying, and Rhoda comes to the door. She can hardly believe it’s Peter, she’s in such shock that she hasn’t time to open the door, and she runs back to the people saying it’s Peter. They said: “No, it couldn’t be, it must be his spirit or his angel!”. Great things happen when a church prays, when it really prays – It’s easy to doubt that something we pray about can happen.

How often has God astounded you because He has done something that you didn’t even think could or would ever happen?

Do we all believe that things happen when churches really pray?

We could consider many occasions when God came to them in answer to their prayers, but one very famous one was when God addressed His people in 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 14, and said: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” He was instilling in them, the fact that great things happen when the people of God join together and really pray.

Are you willing to do your part today? There is no better time than the present to start.

I'm With You

2009-05-05T11:37:00.001-05:00

What is God like? Where is He? Does He know everything?

Two key attributes of God are found in Psalm 139. We read these words from David:

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways . . .Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:1–3, 7–10).

From this psalm and other passages in Scripture, we learn that God is omnipresent (He is everywhere) and that God is omniscient (He is all-knowing). Now that can be comforting or very scary, depending on your relationship with Him. If your relationship with Him is close, it's very comforting to know that no matter what storms you face in life, God will be there with you. Whatever happens in your life, you can remember that it comes through the screen of His love with your best interests in mind.

Remember that as you go through the storms of life.You can have confidence in the knowledge that you are never alone. The all-knowing and ever-present God says, "I'm With You."

Our Guide to Prayer

2009-04-22T11:22:00.002-05:00

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his Disciples came to Him and said, "Lord teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples" (Luke 11:1, NIV).

For prayer to be powerful and effective, there has to be at least a few moments of recognizing the One to whom we are speaking to.

"What? Isn't all prayer offered to God?" some would ask. Not necessarily. I think it is entirely possible to pray and never think of God at all. I think it is entirely possible to rush into God's presence and rattle off our grocery list as though we are talking to Santa Claus, without even taking a moment to contemplate whom it is we are addressing.

Often in prayer, there is little thought of God Himself. Instead, our mind is taken up with what we need.Jesus gave us a model prayer that we call the Lord's Prayer. In reality, the Bible doesn't call it that. It could be more accurately called the Disciple's Prayer, because one day, the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Notice they didn't say, "Lord, teach us a prayer." Rather, they said, "Teach us to pray. . . .”

Some people will attach a mystical significance to the reciting of this prayer. They view it as sort of the big-gun prayer to pull out when all else fails. But this is not a prayer that Jesus gave as much as it was a model for praying. There is nothing wrong with praying the Lord's Prayer. If you choose to pray it as it is written, that is fine, as long as it is coming from your heart. But more importantly, it is a prayer that gives us a guide to all prayers that we would offer to God.

Come to prayer with your heart open to Him, and see the difference it makes in your life.

Filling the Void

2009-04-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all.

— Ecclesiastes 12:13

If you are seeking fulfillment or purpose or meaning from this world, I have some bad news: you will never find it. There is nothing in the world that will fill the deepest void in your life—not the ultimate car, not the greatest job, not the most beautiful girl or the most handsome guy, not the greatest education. There is nothing that can even come close.

King Solomon, one of the wealthiest men who ever lived, had everything he wanted. Yet he went on a binge, trying to satisfy his appetites with the wrong things. He went after passion. He went after possessions. He went after things of beauty and buildings and land. Here was his conclusion: "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:1-9).

Have you ever been ravenously hungry and tried to satisfy your appetite with snacking? It just doesn't work. You want a real meal. In the same way, we were created with a God-shaped hole in our lives. We have been created to love God, to know God, and to bear fruit. Everything else is secondary.

Think about it: Everything else in life is secondary to knowing and loving God—your career, your family, and even your ministry. Those things are all important. But the first and foremost purpose you have in life is to know the God who made you.

A Light Bulb Walking

2009-03-25T15:43:00.002-05:00

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

The religious leaders thought they had eliminated the problem when they crucified Jesus. But now, His disciples were preaching and performing miracles. It was as though Jesus had returned. He was back in the hearts and lives of His people.This reminds us that one of the best arguments for the Christian faith is a transformed life. Believers are the best advertising God could have because their lifestyles change, their attitudes change, and even their countenances change. The greatest biography of Jesus is written in the words and actions of His people. Your godly lifestyle is a testimony, just as if you were a walking miracle like the lame man whom Peter and John healed.Jesus told us we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. There is a place to let our lights shine and proclaim the truth of God. And there is a place for us to be salt.Even if you don't tell people you are a Christian, they will sense something is different about you. They will watch you. You are like a walking light bulb. You are a representative of Christ.If you are being the kind of Christian that God wants you to be, if you are being a "salty" Christian, then your lifestyle will stimulate a thirst for God in others. The greatest compliment is when someone wants to know more, when he or she approaches you and says, "What is it about you?" That is your opportunity to shine the light of the gospel.

I am sorry that I have not been able to post in a few weeks. I have been by my father's bedside as he passed away from cancer. This has been a tough time for us all and our hearts have been shattered. I know that my father is in a better place but I cannot help but feel empty now because he is gone. Please pray for me and my family during these trying times. Thanks

Who Rules Who?

2009-03-06T00:17:00.000-06:00

Read: Revelation 1:8

There are some who follow Jesus because they want God to conform to their plans instead of them conforming to His.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone. (John 6:14–15)

They wanted to take Him by force and make Him the king. They saw the Messiah as a political liberator. They didn't understand that before He will come to reign as Lord of lords and King of kings and establish His kingdom, He would first suffer and die for the sins of humanity. Sometimes people are that way with God today. They expect the Lord to conform to their conception of Him. They expect God to conform to their plans. They decide, and He is supposed to cooperate. It doesn't work that way. He doesn't conform to your plans. You conform to His plans.

The only thing that is going to turn us around, conform us, is a change of heart, a spiritual awakening, and that can only happen through prayer and the proclamation of the gospel. Jesus Christ is not a means to an end. He is the end. He is the all in all. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

What does God think?

2009-02-16T14:44:00.002-06:00

Houston Fellowship Church of the Nazarene
“What does God think?”
By: Rev. David W. Ching

Have you ever wondered what God thinks when we get together to talk about him on Sunday’s, Wednesday’s and during small groups? I believe that it is very special to Him!

Have you ever read this scripture from Malachi 3:16-17? “16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 17 "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him” (NIV).

God thinks so much about our speaking with each other and sharing the Word and His ways; that he has a special book where all our conversations are recorded. I believe this is important that we understand this because the way some people act in church, you might think twice about acting that way if you know that it is recorded by God. God loves to hear us talk about Him and show acts of love and kindness, but I don’t think He would be too thrilled about some of the attitudes and disgruntle-ness we sometimes show in His house toward each other. The devil is always trying to separate believers. If the enemy can keep us divided, then he keeps unity from ever coming our way and the treasurer our words bring in unity will not exist. Unity always brings fellowship, and in fellowship we have communication, and in communication we create special treasures that are valuable and precious to God.

We will never always agree on how some things should be done, because we are human and each is wired differently. However, in order to create valuable and precious treasure for God, we must choose to put aside our differences and focus on Christ (our one key element). To speak – to share – to shout – to honor – to praise – and to worship Him; we create a treasure that is worth His keeping. We cannot share with each other; love each other; be kind to each other; or set the example for each other and the lost, unless we all unity to have its way with us. Unity is a choice that we make one way or the other and it causes God to command a blessing upon us. Read Psalms 133 for more information from the Word on this.

I remember reading a story of two men a long time ago that I would like to share with you today. “There were two old men who had dwelt together for many years, who never quarreled. And that one said to the other let us pick a quarrel with one another, even as other men do. "Ï know not how to quarrel said the younger" to which the older replied, "set then this brick in the middle and say this is mine. To which I will say, no it is mine, from whence quarreling will begin." So they placed the brick in the midst, and one said "this is mine", to which the other said, "If this be so, then take it and go thy way in peace". So they were unable to quarrel” (Sayings of the Desert Fathers 400 AD).

We may not always agree with each other, but we can make a choice for unity. When we see unity we will see the Glory of God manifested. The Bible tells us, “The whole earth shall be covered with the knowledge of the glory of God.” Man has the ability to do great things through unity as well as having the capacity of evil. Therefore, you see, you do have the choice, one way or the other. The Body of Christ is made up of many ethnic groups; many cultures; and many different social economic groups. However, if we want to “See the Glory of God,” we must choose to walk in the diversity and acceptance of our differences and choose to be unified and not segregated!

Ephesians 4:2-3 tells us, “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace” (NIV).

John 17:21 goes on to say, “My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me” (NIV).

Now is the time for us to speak of his love together. The windows of the treasury in heaven are always open to receive new treasures, and there is no end to the book into which God will record our words. There are so many people in our world today crying out; lost; depressed; and with no one to talk with or share their joy with. Our unity brings about change and that change opens the doors for these lost souls.

With the world at its worst – the church needs to be at its best.

Your choices define whether it will be the best or if it will be running side by side with the world at its worst. God bless each of you and my hope is that today you will choose unity in Christ.

Silent Sermon

2009-02-10T14:28:00.003-06:00

A Life of Compromising Confusion

2009-02-09T13:53:00.003-06:00

When you try to live for God and the world, you find that you cannot do both. I heard a story once about a soldier in the Civil War. This soldier could not make up his mind what side he wanted to be on, so he put on the coat of the Union forces and the pants of the Confederate Soldiers and joined in the fight. The bad thing for this soldier was that because he did not choose a side; now he was being shot at by both the Union Army and the Confederate Army. Many times the choices we make end just like this soldier. When we attempt to live our lives on both sides, we live a life of confusion and compromise. Living for both sides is a life of compromise and a very dangerous way to pursue life.

Do you remember Lot? Lot was the classic compromiser even though he was a believer. Although he was a believer is made many mistakes along the way because of compromise.

Genesis 19:14 tells us, “14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking” (NIV).

Lot lived in corrupt city called Sodom. He was also at one point, a leader in the city of Sodom. However, he was so wrapped up in sin that when he went to tell his son-in-law’s about the judgment God was to bring on the city; they just laughed at him and thought it was a big joke. His witness for God had no power, because his example was so tarnished by compromise.

“I must watch my example, because others ALWAYS watch my example” (DWChing 2003).

Lot’s example meant nothing to his son-in-law’s. He compromised so many times that nothing he could say would make people believe in what he was saying to them. Has this life of compromise happened to you? Is it currently the way others see you? Is your spiritual life getting weaker by the minute? When someone says something dirty around you, do you just take it in stride and keep going because it has no shock value at all in your life? How much have you begun to tolerate? Does your Christian witness and the words you speak, fall on deaf ears and have no effect on the non-believers you are trying to reach?

Such is the life of compromising confusion. A truth in the life of compromising confusion; you can never bring others up and you only can bring others down.

Do you want to change your character of a compromising confusion-ist? Do you want to change your direction and be the witness for Christ you are called to be? Then change your thinking to Godly thinking. Change your actions to Godly actions. Change your direction to a Godly direction. Get on the Godly side and stay there and stop jumping back and forth from side to side.

It’s a choice and there is a right and wrong decision. Are you willing to make that right choice? There’s no better day than today.

David W. Ching
Senior Pastor
Houston Fellowship
Church of the Nazarene

Thinking through Negativity

2009-02-03T11:57:00.001-06:00

Each and every day we are surrounded by all types of influences from many different sources and most of them are negative. Many of them are not the highlights of our day. When we turn on the television the news seems to all be negative programming. When we go to our jobs, our coworkers have negative attitudes about the job, the bosses and etc. When we go home some of the people we are around (family and otherwise) all seemed to have had a bad day and are so grouchy we don't want to be around them, let alone talk to them. What do we do? Are we to let them make us feel bad as well? The first thing that is affected by these influences is your emotions: As soon as something negative happens, it first hits your mind and bam you find yourself ready to respond in a way that only minutes before you would never have even thought about.

What caused this? The negative thought went straight to your emotions.
What can you do about this? The reason these influences affected you so rapidly is because your will power has not taken its correct place in your life.

One thing we can do is go to our quiet place (if you do not have one – create a quiet place); for 30 to 45 minutes and take a pen and paper with you. In our quiet place we need to reflect on what negative (and all other) influences control our lives and write them down. Once they are written down, we need to thoroughly reflect on them. Place an X by those influences that better your life and circle those influences that inhibit your life and cause it grief. Do not skip over any influence in your life during this reflection. Every response in life has an equal and/or opposite response, which has an equal and/or opposite response. This can be a vicious circle if we allow it to be.So ask yourself, "Do I really want these things influencing my life?" If you do not want these things influencing your life, it is time to set some firm guidelines and make some firms decisions where these influences are concerned.

Our will power decides what we listen to or what we don't listen to. Our will power decides what we allow to affect us or what we don't allow to affect us. Take a hard look at the influences you circled. Do you really want those things that you circled influencing your life? If the answer is no (which it should be), then it is time to make the choice and firm decision not to allow them in your life. As you continue to reflect on the circled influences, repeat out loud, "I am making the decision right now that these influences will not control my life!" You need to do this with every circled influence on your list. There is not a quick fix and this is going to take some time to correct. However, it is a start in the correct direction to becoming a stronger and happier person by not allowing the negative influences to control your life. Keep your list handy and repeat this daily; and you will see the changes that you want to see.

The key thing here is to respond to these negative influences by using the power of choice and deciding that they will have no power over you anymore.

According to the Bible, when you become a Christian, a part of your new creation is the development of new attitudes — your attitude should become like that of Jesus.

The Bible says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:" (Philippians 2:5). "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off the old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds." (Ephesians 4:22 NIV) We must consciously decide to override your emotions and think/speak words that will bring positive influences into your life. Remember, you decide what and how influences affect your life by choosing to allow them in it or not. Choose to allow the positive to rule and send the negatives to be with those other negatives, far away from your life. The next thing you know, your life will turn around and get brighter as each day passes. For those who are the creators of negativity:"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." (Prov. 23:7). In reality, no one else really knows the thoughts of your heart, except you and God. Consequently, attitude is something that only you and God can work out — a change which must take place inwardly.

According to scripture, your attitude toward life, your circumstances, or toward other people should always be like the Lord's — as is defined by scripture. Good attitudes are generally demonstrated in being positive, encouraging, loving, humble, teachable, cooperative, considerate, selfless, loyal, persevering and so forth (Gal. 5:22-23).

To God — Our attitude should be reverence, submission, love, trust, humbleness, obedience, worshipful, and prayerful. (Psa. 111:10, Mark 12:30, John 14:15, Jas. 4:7, 1 Sam. 15:23)

To God's Children — Our attitude should be love, forgiveness, consideration, caring, encouragement, kindness, humility, unselfishness, respectful, and impartial. (John 13:34-35, 15:12, Rom. 12:10, 13:10, 15:7, Jas. 2:9, Eph. 4:2, 4:32, Col. 3:16, 1 Thes. 5:11, Heb. 3:13, 1 Cor. 13:4-8).

To Authority — Our attitude should be respectful, cooperative, accountable, humble, helpful, encouraging, loyal. Not resentful, defiant or disrespectful. (Heb. 13:17, 1 Pet. 2:13-15)

To Hard Circumstances — Our attitude should be patience, thankfulness, persevering, believing. (Rom. 8:28, Gal. 1:9)

To Our Church — Our attitude should be respectful, faithful, cooperative, helpful, willingness, dependable, participating, encouraging. (1 Cor. 10:32, 1 Cor. 14:12, Heb. 2:12)

To Duty — Our attitude should be faithfulness, responsibleness, obedience, cooperation, endurance. (Luke 16:10, 1 Cor. 4:2)

To Unfairness — Our attitude should be patience, humility, confident in God's justice. (Rom. 12:19, Luke 18:7)

To Disappointment or Tragedy — Our attitude should be humility, submission to God, prayerful, confidence in God's fairness. (Psa. 62:5, Jer. 17:5, Deut. 32:4, Job 13:15, Rom. 8:28)

To the Lost — Our attitude should be compassionate, forgiving, encouraging, helpful, reconciling them to God. (2 Cor. 5:18, 2 Pet. 3:9, Matt. 18:11-14)

To Sin — Our attitude should be uncompromising, unaccepting, intolerant, unsympathetic, yet compassionate and reconciliatory for the repentant. (Matt. 18:8-9, Gal. 6:1)

To Success — Our attitude should be humble, grateful, God-glorifying, not self-exalting or forgetful to God. (Jas. 4:6, 10, Prov. 16:18)

To Misunderstanding — Our attitude should be peacemaking, reconciliatory, patient, forgiving. (Col. 3:13, Matt. 5:9, Phil. 2:14)

Bring your attitudes into obedience to God's Word. Apply discipline to your thought life — submit your thoughts to those of Christ's. A good attitude is a matter of faith, disregarding your feelings, with a determination to embrace God's outlook and disposition.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."