The Cold Church

The church in Ephesus looked good on the outside.

Revelation 2:1-4 "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 "I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for Me without quitting. 4 "But I have this complaint against you. You don't love Me or each other as you did at first!

---

Ever visit a church that you have never been to before? Maybe you are looking for a new church home and you want to know that the church that you are considering is really a good church. You can visit a few weeks or maybe even read some reviews online but you can't be sure that the church is really a good church. We may be fooled but Jesus has the eyes to see the true condition of the church. (Revelation 1:14)

The church in Ephesus looked great, they had ministries and programs, they had good teaching, they defended the truth and didn't tolerate false doctrine but they missed one thing that Jesus wanted to warn them about.

This church was in a very pagan city with a culture that must have been influenced by the temple dedicated to the worship of the goddess Diana which was located there. Ephesus was an important and famous city, the temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, they had games that rivaled the Olympics, a library and a large amphitheater.

This church had an awesome start, the ministry started with Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos worked at the new church plant and then Paul came into town and reaped a great harvest. Timothy served there and John was also there until his exile to Patmos. (Acts 18:24-28, 19:23-41)

The message to the church in Ephesus is that what we do for the Lord is important but so is why we do it! The church was serving sacrificially, they were defending truth and they were enduring persecution but their motivation was wrong.

You can be very busy serving God but if you are doing it just to follow the rules instead of it coming from an overwhelming love for him then you are no better than the religious leaders that Jesus was talking to:

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied, "You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind."

Jesus spoke those words to some of the best people on earth. A lot of the religious leaders were really very good people that followed the rules and tried to do exactly what the law said they should do. The problem with that is, even the best religious leaders of Jesus day with good intentions, were guilty of serving and sacrificing without loving.

It may surprise you to learn that the church that is passionately serving must be careful to be passionately loving as well because it is possible to serve, sacrifice, suffer persecution and physical abuse and yet not really love Jesus Christ. Without love for Jesus it's just religion!

If you can be a church that does not passionately love Jesus in a persecuted country then the odds that a church in the United States does not love Jesus properly is very high. We live so comfortably that we begin to rely on ourselves and forget about the source of our blessings.

Psalms 32:11 So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey Him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

The intensity of my love for Jesus needs to burn strong everyday. His love for me never fails but my love for him needs to be cultivated and nurtured at all times. It will be so awesome when we get to live without sin and there will not be any competition from the world for my affection.

I need to stop and take time to remember the work that God has been doing in my life and continue to fellowship with him everyday because I love him and want to serve him joyfully.

Puzzled About Jesus

Men of the Bible Series - Herod didn't know if Jesus was someone back from the dead, not yet but soon he would be!

Luke 9:7-9  When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything Jesus was doing, he was puzzled. Some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. 8 Others thought Jesus was Elijah or one of the other prophets risen from the dead. 9 “I beheaded John,” Herod said, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” And he kept trying to see him.

Luke 23:8-11 Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. 9 He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer. 10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

---

Could there be a second personality in town stirring things up? Herod had to wonder, he thought that the one making all of the fuss in town was dead when he had John the Baptist beheaded, Herod was paranoid  because of his guilty conscience. John was arrested because he criticized Herod's illicit marriage to his brother's wife.

Puzzled about what was going on, Herod asked, “so who is this man about whom I hear such stories?” Herod seemed to want to know more about Jesus but he never sent for Jesus to come to him, he never gave much thought and consideration about Jesus. So some time later when Jesus is on trial, Herod is delighted to see him, his delight didn't last for long as he became angry when his questions were ignored by Jesus.

Herod Antipas was one of four sons of Herod the Great, he inherited a fourth of his fathers territory upon his death, later Antipas was accused by his nephew Agrippa of conspiracy against the new Roman emperor Caligula.

We need to take some time to consider who Jesus is and why he came to earth, Herod didn't go beyond a superficial, careless inquiry into who Jesus is and he doesn't have a clue what his ministry is about. If you come to the wrong conclusion about Jesus or you don't even give his life and ministry any consideration then you will have made the greatest mistake of all. 

Luke 9:20  Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”

We need to consider the evidence that brought Peter to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah. Peter was an eyewitness to Jesus power over sickness, his power to feed the crowds with a sack lunch and Peter was the one that got out of the boat and took a walk with Jesus on the water.

Thank you Lord for your Word and for the eyewitness accounts that show us that you are really the Savior of the world. I pray that we will all consider the evidence thoroughly and come to the right conclusion.

Do I Care?

We say that we care but we don't prove it very much.

Matthew 9:36-38  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

He said to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into His fields"

---

Jesus has been bombarded with hurting people everywhere that he has gone, over and over again the crowds would press him for what they believed that he could do for them, each and every one of them was a victim of a religious system that was harsh and unloving. Jesus couldn't stomach the burdens that the religious system had placed on his people, his emotions rose to the surface as he saw the hurting crowds.

What bothered Jesus was the helplessness of his flock, they were in a desperate situation trying to work their way to heaven by obeying the hundreds of rules that the system was telling them that they had to abide by.

Do I have "Jesus cam"? Am I bothered by the things that bother Jesus? Do I see the world the way Jesus sees the world? Jesus saw hurting people needing a Savior, needing love and peace, he saw the urgency of their situation. How urgent do I see the need to get the good news out to all these wondering sheep?

How can Christians proclaim a message of urgency while living a lifestyle of complacency? - Henry Blackaby

There is so much to be done, I must be willing to see the world through the eyes of Christ, see the needs around me and be willing to get to work to save some lost sheep.

Help us Lord to get the urgency of the situation and allow it to affect the way that we live. I pray that I will be found faithful to the work of making disciples.

How Exciting Is My Quiet Time?

If you are yawning through it then you need to wake up.

Nehemiah 8:1 All the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had given for Israel to obey.

2 So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. 3 He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.

Nehemiah 9:3 They remained standing in place for three hours while the Book of the Law of the LORD their God was read aloud to them. Then for three more hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.
What if you only had the Book of Law to read for your daily quiet time, I don't know if I could keep a journal or a blog of my daily quiet time if I only had the Book of Law to read, how exciting would it be to sit down and read God's word?

---

Thankfully we have a more complete revelation of God and what he is like, he has revealed himself to us through the sixty-six books of our Bible, and we have a better understanding of who he is through the teachings and the life of Jesus.

Heartfelt, genuine worship like this is seldom seen in churches today, just let the pastor ramble on for five extra minutes and the congregation is going to be zoned out. The Israelites had been given so much as the Lord restored their nation and they were so in awe of what he had done for them that they couldn't help but praise him and learn about how to please him.

The Lord has shown me incredible mercy and love but I can be very nonchalant and unresponsive to these great gifts that I did nothing to deserve.

Help me Lord to always stay aware of your gifts to me, and to always appreciate them, I don't want to ever be indifferent.Help me to always be excited about studying your word.

Watch Out

Scripture

---

Luke 21:34-36  "Watch out! Don't let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don't let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world. 36 Keep a constant watch. And pray that if possible you may arrive in my presence without having to experience these horrors."

Luke 12:35-40  "Be prepared--all dressed and ready-- 36 for your Lord's return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return. 39 "Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the exact hour of his return--just as they would be ready for a thief if they knew when he was coming. 40 So be ready all the time. For I, the Messiah, will come when least expected."

Observation

---

Watch out! Be ready all the time. I remember when I was a kid and my parents were on the way home and I wasn’t ready for their return, I had to hurry up and get the house in order. How embarrassing it will be when Jesus comes for me and I have not been living to please him, you cannot clean up your heart fast enough. I should always remember Ephesians 4:17 – 5:21, Paul told us what a child of God should look like and told us to be careful how we live because the days are evil.

We should be living with urgency, not in “careless ease or occupied with the problems of this life.” Our way of life should be as a pilgrim that is heading to a sacred place, our minds should be set on our destination and being prepared for our arrival in his presence.

Rev 16:15   "Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are awaiting me, who keep their robes in readiness and will not need to walk naked and ashamed."

Application

---

I will warn somebody of the danger ahead for those that do not know you.

Prayer

---

Lord I pray that I will always be ready and that I will live with urgency and travel light through this world.

One Month To Live

Scripture

---

Luke 17:26-30  "When I return the world will be as indifferent to the things of God as the people were in Noah's day. 27 They ate and drank and married--everything just as usual right up to the day when Noah went into the ark and the Flood came and destroyed them all.

28 "And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot: people went about their daily business--eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building-- 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be 'business as usual' right up to the hour of my return.

Luke 21:34-35  "Watch out! Don't let my sudden coming catch you unawares; don't let me find you living in careless ease, carousing and drinking, and occupied with the problems of this life, like all the rest of the world." 

Observation

---

We don’t know how many days that we have on this earth or if the Lord will return before we leave this world but either way we need to live beyond the ordinary. We need to live above the mediocre and “careless ease and preoccupied with the problems of life”.

I get discouraged when I see the apathy and numbness to God especially in the men of our churches. But it isn’t anything new to God, he has been treated that way since the beginning of time. I suppose that even Adam didn’t have the passion for God and was unconcerned when he compromised. The great men of the Bible lived with passion for God and were not afraid of what the world might do to them, the life of ease that we have breeds the sin of apathy that we must rise above. How would we live if we only had one month to live?

Business as usual is how we conduct our lives and it is how we do church. Our mediocre routines attempt to keep our lives simple and easy which is what we desire when we are “occupied with the problems of this life.”

Application

---

I want to live my life above the ordinary and live above the problems of this life.

Prayer

---

I pray that I will live above the ordinary as if it were my last day. I pray for the men of our church, that they will lead their families beyond the ordinary. Please give us a passion for you!