Where have all the faithful ones gone?

II Timothy 2:2 "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

Paul is instructing a young preacher named Timothy, to teach the things that he has been taught to the faithful men in the church so that they may be able to teach others also. there is a word there that is key in this passage, the word "Faithful". He is not being instructed just to teach the men, but rather the "faithful" men. So what is a preacher to do when there are none that are being faithful? Who is he to teach? Who is going to help him be able to teach others also? We are seeing an epedemic of unfaithfulness in our churches today. We have men that are more faithful to fanstasy football, hunting, fishing, and other events than they are to church and to the saviour who died for them. Where have all the faithful ones gone? We need men and women of God to be more faithful today than at any other time in our history. We are losing the our own generation to the world at a rapid rate and the next generation even faster. Encourage your pastor and your church - BE FAITHFUL, DON'T QUIT, DON'T DO LESS - DO MORE, BE FAITHFUL.

"Can you love yourslf too much?"

Philippians 2:4-5 "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"

According to dictionary.com the word "Selfish" means: "Devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interest, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others."
I am convinced that selfishness may very well be our own detriment. For years now, I have been observing how selfish people have become. I'm sure there has always been selfish people, but I not sure selfishness has ever been so prevalent in the Christian Church. This really concerns me, because I have observed this horrific character flaw in many places that ultimately it has ended up destroying not just the individual but also those around them. I've seen the spirit of selfishness ruin and destroy marriages, parents, children, siblings, and even pulpits. As Bible believers, we must get serious about getting rid of this horrible character flaw from our lives and ministry. May we do as the Apostle Paul instructed in our text and stop looking at ourselves and begin looking at others! Stop being selfish, do something for someone else before your are left with no one else to care for except yourself. This was not the mind of Christ, He was anything but selfish. When you read the verses following vs. 5 you will see what He gave up unselfishly for and for me. Stop being a selfish brat!

"Feeling Good?"

Psalm 73:1 "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart."

I have just realized something recently and I don't have a clue why it took me over 32 years to learn it either. I realized that when I do right instead of wrong, I feel better. The psalmist said, "God is good, even to such as are of a clean heart." What a concept! God is good, to those that are good. I don't know about you - but I'm gonna do my best to keep my heart clean today because I want to feel good!

"Someone is watching"

I Corinthians 11:1 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."

No, I am not trying to get people to follow me. These are the words of the apostle Paul. However, as I read this verse this morning, I am reminded that no matter where I may be in my Christian life - someone is always watching.

It is of utmost importance that we have a pretty good understanding about this. Basically what Paul is saying is this: "As long I am following Christ, it is okay to follow me, but if I stop following Christ, stop following me." The hardest part most people have with this is the fact that when we begin following a man, it is sometimes hard to determine when they are following Christ and when they are not. Let me give you a few things that may help you figure this out a little bit:

1. Someone who follows Christ, always points people to Christ. (See I Corinthians 11:3)


2. Someone who follows Christ, is aware that he/she is a sinful creature (See Romans 7:18-20)


3. Someone who follows Christ, understands that even though they may follow Christ right now, it is possible that they may stop and if they do - stop following (See Galatians 1:8)

The most important thing to remember is that following Christ must be the most important thing. As we live our lives for Christ - someone will always be watching to see who we follow. Are you following your own desires and ambitions, or are you following Christ?

"Double Honor"

I Timothy 5:17 "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine."

Today marks the 25th anniversary celebration of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Indianapolis, IN. This church has been so influential in my life and ministry. Under the leadership of Pastor Dan Tidd the Lord has blessed this church to touch thousands of lives over these last 25 years. I want to extend my gratitude to my Pastor. For the last 19 years I have had the privilege of calling him my Pastor. Even without knowing, he has impacted my life in ways that I can't even explain. It is my prayer today that he would receive the double honor that he has earned for his faithful service to the Lord and to His church. I can only hope that as I remain faithful to that same call, I too, would have the opportunity to impact lives in the same manner and pattern as my Pastor.

"Life long learning"

II Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

I wasn't sure I was going to like getting older. But I kind of do like it. While I don't care to much for the aches and pains that come with getting older, I do like the fact my knowledge of things is always increasing. Getting older isn't really as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

As a young boy and a teenager, I didn't care too much for school. Homework annoyed me, tests and quizzes frustrated me, and reading books bored me. I was not good student at all. I know I frustrated every teacher that ever had me...I know that because most of them told my parents as much! However, now that I am getting older I find myself wanting to learn more. I enjoying reading now more than ever. And I find myself want to increase my knowledge about several things. Maybe it's because I am getting older. I can't play baseball, basketball, or football like I could when I was younger and now my interests are changing.

With all that being said, we have a mandate from the word of God to be always learning. In II Timothy 2:15 the Bible instructs us to study. We must all give ourselves to life long learning. Just because we may not be enrolled in a school any longer doesn't mean we have to stop learning things. Now go grab you Bible, sit down and learn something.

The Spiritual Diet

I Peter 2:2-3 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

Several months ago I began a diet. Let me begin by saying I hate dieting, as a matter of fact I hate everything about dieting. Well even so, I began one. Within the first 8 weeks I had lost a little over 20 pounds. (Now, don't think that I'm bragging here, because there is a whole lot more to lose!) The problem with the diet, was that I started it just a few weeks before Thanksgiving. That was not the most opportune time to began trying to lose weight, especially given the love affair that I seem to have with pecan pie. I did quite well through Thanksgiving, only indulging in a couple of slices of pie. Then Christmas came and the diet has been set aside for the last few months. Although I was able to maintain my weight within a few pounds here and there, I still had not reached my final goal. So now it is time to diet again. The funny thing about dieting is this, it cannot be a fad thing. It must be a lifestyle thing. Now while I may not allow myself the opportunity to indulge in a piece of pie, or a gallon of ice cream, I could if I wanted. Now if I choose to do so, I would be defeating the purpose of the diet, or should I say my new lifestyle. All in all in the end, when all of the weight is off, I will feel much better about my self and the accomplishment.

The Christian life is not any different than the physical life. It's not really a diet but yet so many Christians treat it as one. If something horrible happens in their life they will make a run for the church for a few weeks determining to "lose a few pounds". And after they feel better, the "diet" is off and it's back to the same old game. The same problem happens in the spiritual body, as it does with the physical body. The weight only stays gone for so long, and when the old habits come back, so does the weight.

What we need today is for Christians to make spiritual lifestyle change rather than following some newly finagled dieting fad. Get in the word, taste it, and let it change you for the better. Let Christ make the difference in your life.

When you let Christ make the difference you will feel that spiritual weight lifted, you will feel so much better about your Christian life.

Happy New Year? Hows that working out for you?

Today is January 28th, 2010, and 28 days ago most of us were wishing each other a happy new year! How's that going for you? Has the first four weeks of this year been happy for you? Some one once said, "Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get" So, I will ask you again, are you happy? Are you happy with what you are getting out of life? Happy with your marriage? Your children? Your financial status? Your spiritual growth? Your choices? Are you happy with you???

Proverbs 16:20 tells us that, "whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he". If you are trusting in anything else to bring you happiness, lasting happiness that is, You won't find it. If you are relying on your spouse, your children, or your situation to make you happy you will be let down time and time again.

Learn to rejoice in your life no matter what the circumstances may bring. Trust in Him and Him alone, and you will have a truly happy new year!

"Being Productive"

Physical skills need to be developed. No matter what the skill, a pianist, a juggler, a basketball player, a singer, all need and become better with practice. If we are going to increase our spiritual qualities we must practice and develop them into what God wants them to be.

Have you ever seen an inactive or barren Christian? I have seen plenty of them. Most of them became that way because they never developed the skill of making their Christian life productive. God wants our lives to produce fruit. If we are going to have fruit that remains we must be developing our lives in such a way that we are able to bear that fruit.

No one becomes a solid, grounded Christian on accident. It must be done on purpose. Become productive. You can do it.

Paul's View on Life

In II Timothy 4 the Apostle Paul, reveals to Timothy that he is coming to the end of his life. In doing so, Paul gives what his view of life had become over the years God granted him life.

The first thing I see is that Paul viewed life as an offering. Not just any offering, but he offered his life for the Lord. What have you offered your life for? Your spouse, your children, your job, your recreation, your church or your Lord? If you have offered you life for anything other than for the Lord, all of those other things mentioned suffer. In order to be the right spouse, parent, worker, or church member, we must first be the right kind of Christian, and that requires offering your entire life to the Lord.

The second thing I see about Paul's view on life, is that he viewed it as a battle. We are not going to have a good battle in this life if we do not take orders from the Commander in Chief, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. There are a lot of things that can happen during battle and we must be in direct contact with what the Lord wants for our lives.

The third thing I see is that Paul viewed life as a test of Faith. Don't base your faith on others. They will let you down every time. It doesn't matter if it's you own mother or father. They will disappoint you at sometime. Put your faith and trust in the Lord. No matter what happens in this life, keep the faith. Life may test your faith, but you must pass the test.

"When God Speaks - Do you listen?"

John 15

Have you ever tried to go an entire day without speaking? I find it near impossible. I like talking so much, I even talk to myself from time to time and have even had disagreements! Speaking is one of the most vital aspects in our lives. Communication is highly important. It's how we express everything. Now while there is verbal communication, there is also non-verbal communication. You know exactly what I'm talking about. When your spouse is across a crowded room and your about to say something very stupid (men, we probably already did) then you get the look. Yes, everyone knows "the look." That is the non-verbal communication.

Have you ever been ignored, or maybe been the one doing the ignoring? Of course you have! We all know what being ignored feels like, yet even so, we still do it to others.

The question today is simply this: When God speaks - do you listen? Does God have your undivided attention? In John 15, Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice". Have you placed your life in a position to hear God's voice? You must be near by in order to hear him. I have found in my life that God often speaks to me in 3 different ways.

1. Sometimes He speaks directly - that still small voice. That voice that if I'm not close enough I miss what He's saying.
2. Sometimes He sends a messenger - the preacher. I can't even begin to count the times that God has spoken to me through the preaching of His Word.
3. Sometimes He sends a Text message - the Bible. Again, to count the times God has given me something just from reading His Word would be a lame attempt.

Notice the similarities between these three ways. We must be in the right position. If we are not walking daily with Him we may miss that still small voice. If we skip church for a ballgame or a family reunion we may miss what God wanted to say to us. If we neglect our Bibles, how can we expect God to speak to us. Stop ignoring what He is trying to say to you. Listen.

"What in the world is wrong with me?"

Have you ever asked yourself this question? "What in the world is wrong with me?" I know I have. Plenty of times. I John 4:4 says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

Hey, let's face it, if we look long and hard enough we can come up with some pretty good reasons as to what in the world is wrong with us. However, instead why not recognize our position in Christ and find out what is right with us. Don't worry about how you feel as much as what you know the Word of God tells you. Remove the weights from your life and press ahead, trusting Christ all along the way. Isn't good to be free?

"A Good Name is all about choices"

Proverbs 22:1 "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold."

What's in a name? When we hear certain names certain things come to mind. What do you think about when you hear the name, George Washington? Thomas Jefferson? John Wilks Booth? Jimmy Carter? John Wayne? Tom Cruise? Bill Clinton? There is a lot that we think about. But the Bible says that what ever it is that you think about a good name, or even a bad name for that matter, your opinion is derived from the choices made by the person that owns the name.

A good name is chosen. A person that has a good name has made several good choices in their life. Not that they are perfect, but they have considered what and how they are perceived in this life.

How is your name? Is it good? You know, it saddens me deeply to think that there may be people reading this paragraph today that would not have a good opinion of my name. But I have to live with the fact that I have made certain choices in this life that have very possibly caused my name not to be good with some people. You may be in the same place. But with God's help and good future choices to be made, our names can be good! It's all about how we choose. What will you choose? I hope you will choose A good name.

'The Bitter Waters were Made Sweet"

Exodus 15:25 "And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statue and an ordinance, and there he proved them,"

Oh, the trials in the wilderness! In Exodus 15, three days had passed since they made their voyage out of Egypt. Boy, were they thirsty! They wanted some water and they wanted it right then. When they finally found water, the Bible tells us that they couldn't drink it because it was bitter. Moses cried unto the Lord and God showed him how to sweeten those bitter waters. And the people drank. Because they trusted God, the next place that God led them to was Elim, where there was 12 bountiful wells waiting for them.

Whatever the trial is in your life, take it to the Lord. As soon as you pray, God already has an answer. Think about it. When Moses cried unto God, God showed him a tree. The tree was already in place before they ever arrived. What if Moses had not cried unto God at that time? What if he said, "Alright this water is no good, let's keep moving." Many would have lost their lives. God already had an answer and a solution. Don't make a decision first, act upon it, then expect God to just fix everything. Go to Him first, He has the answer. He'll make your bitter waters, sweet! Trust Him.

"Throw Some Wood on the Fire"

Proverbs 26:20a "Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out..."

We need a spiritual revival in our churches today. In order for that to happen we need someone who will be willing to cut down, prepare, and throw some wood on the fire that is already there.

Today the fire is out in many churches. That's because the fire has gone out of many of the homes that make up the churches. And that is the result from the fire going out in many hearts. You see all of these things are connected. We have allowed our own ambitions and desires to choke out the fire that once burned ablaze within our hearts.

Get a hold of the Word of God, stir the glowing embers of love and grace in your heart, and then throw some wood on and watch how God will once again cause the fire to burn brightly.