Generations

Our situation started way back in the book of Genesis. The story is told that not long after God created Adam and Eve, Satan came to Eve and, through deceit, convinced her that disobeying God was the right thing to do. After her decision to do so, the human race started downhill and has continued that direction ever since. Even now, we all bear the results of that decision every day of our lives.

However, this talk is not primarily about Adam and Eve. I intend to look more closely at Satan's method of deception and discover how blatantly open, yet discreetly hidden, is its working within the body of Christ.

The pattern goes something like this:

-God does or says something good.

-Satan takes notice of it.

-Satan "tweaks" the truth of what God says.

-We fall for his deceitful thoughts.

-We wind up disobeying God.

Satan led Eve down this path in the beginning, and he is still leading people down the same path today when he finds anyone who will blindly follow. The deception is so well planned that we don’t usually even see it until after we have tripped and become ensnared by it.

Let us take a look at the deception method of Satan as the scripture records it:

Genesis 3:1-5 NIV

1  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

2  The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

3  but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

4  "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.

5  "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Satan told Eve the truth........ sort of........

In reality, he took a true statement and used it to convince Eve that doing what he wanted her to do was the right thing. Eve then went down a road that she regretted.

Now, before we self righteously condemn Eve, let us spend time looking at some of the decisions that we have been deceived into making, too. (Just so you all know, everyone has fallen for Satan’s traps at one time or other.)

----How many of us have decided on a job or career based solely on the idea that we are convinced that God wants us to make a lot of money?

----- How many ministries have made decisions based completely on the idea that the three B's are the most important things?  Budgets, buildings, and butts in the pew......Dedication to these three items will drive both small and large ministries if we let them.

----- Personally, how many gadgets and big toys are in our hands and garages bought only because we have a selfish desire to have the best at all times no matter what it costs? Many have gone into debt simply for the reason of being able to say that they own the latest and greatest devices. We then try to justify ourselves by saying, “Look how God has blessed me!”

These are only a few of the examples that have sneaked upon us and caused us, at times, to miss God’s direction.

You see, Satan takes the idea that God wants to bless us (which is true), and convinces us to make decisions that are not necessarily in God's plan for us. Regardless of some popular "religious speak" out there, it is not always God's plan for every one of His children to have the riches of this world. I believe that Satan's hiss is lurking somewhere behind that teaching.......yet, it is embraced by so many who claim to follow Christ……..

Go figure…………

Having the  advantage of growing up in one generation of the church and then experiencing a new generation of the church coming about during my lifetime tends to give me a distinct view when I examine both.

What I have seen is both exciting and alarming.

Let us look back first………..

I remember seeing Satan's plan working masterfully during the era of the church in which I grew up . Now please understand, not everything was bad, but much of it became that way after Satan "tweaked" a lot of things. Many listened to his "tweaks" about the church and decided to follow them.

The beginning of that generation of the church was an explosion of people who loved the truth and wanted to bring people to Christ. Adhering to the truth of the Scripture and loving Jesus was paramount. The excitement that believers had was electrifying and many appeared to be powerfully motivated to follow this sending of the church to the world. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit had birthed all of this and was working wonderfully through it all!

From this great movement in the church that God had orchestrated, Satan began tweaking things. The mindset of church leaders (of which I was one ) became this, "just look at the big church’s examples and copy what they are doing, then God will bless us too". The truth of allowing the Spirit of God to lead the church was replaced. Instead of following the Holy Spirit, it was less work to follow the successful church’s examples. As a staff member, I remember being sent to a larger church to glean ideas and try to copy them. I also attended church conferences that usually consisted of big church leaders telling the little church leaders how to duplicate their examples so that they too could become big.

A lot of pride, division, jealousy, and debt was generated as Satan convinced us that following the biggest church's footsteps was preferable to spending time on our faces before God to discover what He wanted. We were too busy building monuments and ministries to glorify ourselves, than to take notice that we had forgotten the Holy Spirit and the mission of the Kingdom of God. The three "B's" that I alluded to earlier consumed us......along with building our reputations. The book "America's 10 Largest Sunday Schools" was required reading for any "serious" pastor. I believe that Satan had a good belly laugh at many of us.

I believe that the same deception brought about and used by Satan throughout history is beginning to show itself within our new generation of churches today.

Fast forward to now……..

Being a church that is dedicated to reaching people in the now generation is exciting. God has blessed many churches as they have followed the Lord in accomplishing this goal, however, the mindset of following another church's example while forgetting the Holy Spirit's leadership to produce ministry is infecting a great many people and church leaders all over again.

Rather than people getting on their faces to seek God, it is much easier to send a group to observe a large ministry and then try to copycat their methods of "success". Another easy route being tried is to buy a book and follow it step-by-step to a "successful" church ministry. I'm not saying that following another's ideas or using a good book is bad (sometimes they are really good resources to use), but when we allow them to replace the Holy Spirit's leadership within the church, then we are in trouble. As a result, lots of pride and division are rising within the body of Christ.

(Can you believe it? A friend who does not know what I am writing about in this talk, comes to me today with a Christian magazine advertising a church growth meeting and the new book, ”America’s 100 largest Churches”. Interesting……..)

Many churches are rampant with the philosophy of more, bigger, better, and tech-ier (made up word). It appears that to be more successful than the “other guys”, we must always be louder and flashier. Who has the best band....the best youth building....the most tech stuff......?

The one with the most stuff wins.........

This is not even close to being so.....................

What we are headed toward is just another set of church machines that are newer, flashier, and faster, but are still out of whack and drive worse than our father's Oldsmobile. If we build them based on Satan's "tweaks" to ministry concepts and ignore the Holy Spirit, what else can we expect? Religiosity is beginning to take on a new set of clothes, but it is still just as fake and empty as it always has been.

So what do we do?

We go deeper........

We refuse Satan's "tweaks" that lead us away from following the Holy Spirit, then we abandon ourselves in order to pursue the Lord for direction for His church. Too long we have followed trends while ignoring the personal approach to finding out God's direction for ministry and, for that matter, our own personal lives too. One-on-one time with God has been replaced by ministry "think tank" meetings to figure out the next new thing in order to "wow" the church world and then use it to draw in new people.

Let's make this even deeper yet............

----How often do you spend a significant amount of time talking to God and finding out about His direction about anything?

----How about your church? When is the last time your church called for a season of prayer to find God’s direction?

----Pastor, when is the last time you and your staff stayed before God until you heard from Him?

----Youth Pastor, who is giving you direction for your ministry to teens?

Where are the people that are willing to go spend time before God and listen to what He says before pursuing a new path?

God is probably more interested in us following His paths than we are. He is very willing to show them to us, but how often are we going to Him in order to listen?

Going to God for directions and following the Holy Spirit are more than just good ideas, they are critical to the Body of Christ.

How we approach and run ministry affects thousands of lives all over this country. Not only that, but we will give an account to God for how we train people in our churches to follow Him.

This is some serious stuff........

Sometimes I find myself looking at the whole picture of religion and asking, "Where is God"? (Like in the old "Where's Waldo" pictures.)

Lots of things resemble Him............ but are not really Him.

The simplicity of being filled with the Holy Spirit and working in His power will cure the problems plaguing the church of any generation. Jesus started the church with the Holy Spirit and His power. Maybe we ought to lay aside all the “tweaks” that Satan has placed on that idea and go back to the original plan.

Do you have faith enough for the journey?  It takes determination to follow the Lord’s direction and flow against what just sounds good. None of us are immune to laying aside the truth and following Satan’s adjustments to it.

Just ask Eve.......

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Check out this truth....

Joshua 1:7-8 NLT

8  Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

9  This is My command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Humbly Submitted,

Dan

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Another New Year.... So,Wha'cha Lookin' At?

How about that.

Another new year has arrived and with it the prospects of new challenges and great opportunities down every path we walk!

Let me remind you of this, regardless of what is going on around us in the world, God has always been in control. In all of the future, He will remain in control, and we have no real reason to fear anything in this New Year that is presented to us.

Having said that, it is interesting to note that, in the past, there have been certain new years that came around during which there were some unscrupulous people waiting to promote a lot of fear. Their plans appeared to be gaining money off those who could be so easily taken advantage of, and they very craftily used the emotion of fear on them. By the way, fear is also a favorite tool of Satan.

A couple of examples for you.......

Remember the year 2000?

Because of the projection of mass computer failures, world chaos was predicted. We were told that most likely bombs were going to explode, food might not be available to purchase, and the total collapse of the country would be looming. There was also the possibility that Jesus was going to come back.

Lots of generators, storable foods, books, guns, and survival equipment were sold as many churches started survival training meetings.  Several preachers got their reputations boosted and financial accounts fattened, and doomsday proclaimers had more than just a little time in the public eye.

Well, the world didn't end, Jesus didn't come back, and no explosions happened. Today, I know some people who are still embarrassed by their behavior at that time.

The year 2000 hoopla was just one event among many others from our past.

Here is another one…..

Does anyone remember 1984?  The new year at that time was a doozy also. ( yep, some of you were very young)

All the planets were supposed to line up on one side of the Sun and the earth’s oceans were going to flood all over it. Gravitational forces from the lined up planets were going to tear the earth apart, and lots of excitement and fear were promoted as many preachers jumped on the bandwagon. Reputations were inflated (as were bank accounts) and many books proclaiming the earth’s demise were sold then too.

Doomsday was said to be coming.......but it didn't.

In this new year of 2012, we have a new sensational story and the haymakers are at it again with the Mayan calendar situation. Many are saying that the calendar predicts the end of the world in December 2012. 

The truth is, the Mayan calendar does not predict anything; it just stops at the end of 2012.

What does this mean.....?

I can see it all now........

The guys working on the Mayan calendar were very diligent in their actions------- keeping it up

day after day until eventually the lead calendar maker says to his assistant,

"Listen, I just ran out of the material that I need in order to continue working on this 

 calendar. Run on over to the supply shack, and pick up the items on this list."

"Sorry Boss, I was over there just a little while ago and they are clean out of all this

 stuff. It seems that it is going to be a while before anymore of this kind of material is

 available to us."

 "Well, okay......

  You know, this calendar already goes past the year 2000. Finishing it up right 

   here will be just fine, and if anyone wants to add more in the future, then they can 

   work on it later."

 "That sounds like a good plan to me, Boss!"

So then......... the Mayan calendar stops at the year 2012 ......... big deal......

Why would any realistically thinking person say that this predicts the end of the world unless some ulterior motives were involved one way or the other?

Now, to be fair about it, I don't know that the Mayan calendar ended the way that I depicted in my little story, but how do we know that it did not?  And if God does choose to end the world this year, won't it be cool for us to be in heaven? So what is the scary part of that?

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Some look at the New Year as a means of sensationalism, and then there are others that take a new year as a time to make resolutions.

I tend to like Calvin's approach:

At least it's fun to think about..............

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I guess what really matters in the long run is, how do you personally see 2012?

Is it:

.... A relief from the events of 2011?

.... Another year closer to Christ's return?

.... A new, fresh, exciting adventure coming?

Personally, I like the way that the ancient Hebrew calendar presented the New Year. To grasp my point, we need to understand more about their ancient calendar. However, the Hebrew method of counting days and seasons are not the subject of this talk. There are a lot of complex issues with the feasts, new moons, occasional 13th months, and all the constant adjustments made to the calendar for fitting it into the solar year.

For my purposes at this time though, it is enough for us just to know that the Hebrew year always started in the spring.

I love the visual picture of starting my year when the new growth appears and green grass is showing itself everywhere. Beautiful birds are singing and the earth is warming again. The dead looking trees put out small buds and take on the appearance of giving out new life, while flowers of brilliant colors push their way out of the cold ground (the crocus and tulips are two of my favorites!).

I would like to have these picturesque surroundings as I start into my new year because I have learned that I am very influenced visually by my surroundings. It is difficult for me to stay excited with new ideas and goals while I feel the coldness and see the dead look of nature all around me (friends and co-workers excepted, of course).

However........

...........regardless of when the new year comes, the starting out of a new year with reachable and exciting goals is an excellent way to begin! I have found that entering the New Year with high hopes while looking at something else other than my normal surroundings has helped me to accomplish much more than I normally would.

Consider these Bible verses:

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When I keep my visual perspective turned toward the loving presence of the Lord, it makes all the other things in the world situate themselves in the right frame of reference in my life. Not only that, but I also do find the warmth, freshness, and encouragement to pursue any goal for the year that the Lord puts before me.

Going Deeper

Where are your eyes focused when it concerns your career and relationships for this year?

What are you looking at when it comes to your marriage?

And what about your children……..what are you looking at to guide you in dealing with them?

                  

Self help books?

Counselors?

Jesus?

It doesn't just happen, you know. We have to on purpose look at Jesus when it comes to our lives..... but then, what does that really mean?

          When I look to Jesus with my heart and mind, I am acknowledging Him and willingly giving way to His direction in my life. I am also inviting Him to tell me what to do in every decision that I need to make, and looking at Him in this way is also a statement that I will obey whatever He says to me.

So, what do you need help with this year?

Finances?

Family?

Career?

Children?

Ministry?

If so, then we need to focus our eyes on Jesus this year……we can’t help but be the winners as we do so.

Another new year is here, so…… what'cha lookin' at?

Remember, we really don't have to make it up as we go.....

May this be the best year of your life as you keep your eyes upon Him!

Humbly submitted,

Dan

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