Berean Journeymen

John Pound has been transferred to Cleveland and is currently undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Please continue to keep him and the Pound family in your prayers. Also the wedding reception that was going to be held for his brother, Matt and his wife Audrey has been cancelled due to the family crisis.

Men Of Berean,

We normally meet every Friday for prayer in the Chapel on Friday's at 6:30 am. This Friday with it being a holiday, we are not going to meet, but instead we will meet at 8:00 am Saturday Morning in the Chapel. We had planned on increasing the focus and boldness of our prayers this coming year, and feel now the time is all the more appropriate.

This Saturday Morning at 8:00 am we will meet in the chapel to lift up the Pound Family, our church leadership and our church body in prayer. All men are welcome, please come even if you can only be there for a few minutes.

If you know of men who are not included on this email list, please invite them also.

In him we trust,


Tim Campbell

Men of Berean,

Please be in prayer for Jonathan Pound, Pastor Dave and Sher Pound's son, who has been diagnosed with cancer. We will be having special prayer times in the Chapel the following times this week:

6:30-7:30 pm Tuesday evening

6:30-7:30 pm Wednesday evening

6:30-7:30 pm Thursday evening at the New Year's Eve Service

Also, the Chapel will be open for people to drop by and pray on Wednesday from 9-4 and New Year's Eve from 9-12.

Please keep the Pound family in your prayers. Pastor Dave and Sher Pound's son, John, has been taken to MedCentral Mansfield. During an MRI for an injury, they found an aggressive cancer mass and they are currently performing more tests at this time. The family is respectfully requesting that there not be any visitation at the hospital due to the testing and the rest that John needs. If you would like to provide family meals or other assistance please contact the church office at 419-756-3300.

You used to have to wait for a high-school reunion to meet up with an old flame, but now people are doing it on a daily basis on Facebook. According to Time magazine, recycling a past relationship is the hottest trend on social networking sites. Why? Sites like Facebook make it so EASY to find people again, and you can try to rekindle a romance without the fear of a face-to-face rejection or an awkward call to their parents.

Nancy Kalish is a psychologist who’s studied these recycled relationships. Her research shows that, for many people, their first relationship is just as fresh in their minds 20 or 30 years down the road, as it was when it first happened. In fact, 25% of people on social networking sites say they’d love to get back together with their high school sweetheart, and about 39% have actually tried! Elise Garber is one person who did. When she was 15 years old she dated a boy she met at summer camp, but like most summer romances, it ended when school started. Twenty-two years later she looked him up on Facebook. They met up for drinks and something just clicked. Next thing you know, Elise quit her job and moved 2,000 miles to be with him, and earlier this month they got married!

Kalish says that’s not unusual. First loves make a huge emotional impact on us, and we develop our concept of relationships based on that first one. However, finding an old love isn’t all hearts and flowers, especially if there are current marriages involved. Kalish interviewed a thousand people who had met up with an ex while they were married. Of these people, a whopping 82% of them had extramarital affairs, and about half went so far as to divorce their current spouse for their former love! If you’re single, looking up an old flame might be a recipe for true love. Kalish says marriages between two people who rekindled an old relationship have a lower than average divorce rate. If you’re married, avoid the ex at all costs! Even if your motives are pure, the lure of a lost love might be too strong to fight!

Do we feel the weight of the Holy Spirit pressing upon us? Do we feel that prompting of God to be drawn to him, to be obedient to his commands, to be obedient to his will? Do we hear God saying we must make a choice; we cannot serve self, and Him.

As I reflect back over the last year or so and contemplate where I am personally, and where we are corporately in our relationship with God, our wives, our families, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Are we where God wants us? Are we completely surrendered to God and His will for our lives, or are we just using God as a "Life Insurance Policy” or are we truly repentant? Are we submitting under God in our marriages, and under the authority of our government and our employers, or supervisors?

Are we transparent and real with God? Do we truly confess our sins to God, and to others? Or, do we believe Satan's lie that our sins are worse and more sinful than those around us? Are we are so paralyzed by fear of being found out that we do not build those relationships for fear of being found out? Do we believe that our sins are unforgivable or unshareable? Are we embarrassed by our struggles in our marriages, or finances, or with your children? Are we so embarrassed that we pretend in church that everything is okay, but refuse to get close to people for fear of them seeing right through us?

Yet, while all this is going on, we long to share these burdens. We long have someone to be honest with. We long to be forgiven and accepted for our sins, and our failures. We long for that personal relationship with God that is unhindered by the sin that separates us from HIM. We long for those personal relationships that are unhindered by the sin in our lives. We long to be open and transparent and real.

God longs for us to have that kind of relationship with him, and with his body. He waits patiently for us as we navigate through an empty life trying to fill that desire which can only be filled with him and relationships with his body.
Is it easy to turn to God, and repent? Is it easy to repent in front of others and be honest with our sin and baggage which drags us down every day? Is it easy to kneel before the Altar, and allow the church to see you are not perfect?
We all know it is not easy. It is very difficult, and we have been warned by God’s word how difficult it is. We must give up our pride, and humble ourselves. We must give up our idols. We must take the narrow path. We must submit. We must pray for our enemies. We must be in the world, but not of the world. Do those sound like easy things?

The question is not is it easy, but is it worth it? If I give up all these things, is what I get in return worth it? We go through all of life evaluating decisions on risk verses reward? Should we get married? Should we have kids? Should I go to college? Should I take this job? Should I invest in this company? Should I buy this? In every single one of those decisions, there are no guarantees. If we chose to turn from the world and follow Jesus Christ and his Word, the rewards are guaranteed and eternal, promising benefits in this life and the life yet to come.
Talk is cheap, so how do we get what we are talking about? It begins with us! We must make the first steps. We must openly and honestly confess our sins to God, and to other brothers and sisters in Christ. We aren't talking about saying to God or to a Christian brother or sister, that "Forgive me for my sins God” or "I've got sin in my life, please pray for me” We are talking about openly and honestly coming before God, and saying "God, I'm struggling in pornography or sexual addictions" "God my life, finances and marriage are a mess" "God I'm having an affair?" "God I'm addicted to drugs and alcohol” and most importantly... "... God I cannot do life anymore without you"

After we openly confess our sins to God, then we must ask God to show us, or give us people in our lives to share these sins with. Some of you may feel that is impossible, but it is not. There are many sins that have and are being shared among brothers and sisters in Christ, and people are receiving true freedom from the bondages of sin, freedoms which cannot come from keeping it in. Relationships are being built and growing deeper because of this.

If someone comes to you and confesses a sin in their life, embrace them, encourage them, pray with them and listen to them, go with them to the Altar. Do not be judgmental, in thought, word or deed; because we all know that we all have sins in our lives that are just as embarrassing and just as difficult for us. You may even take the opportunity to confess the sins that you have been struggling with. If you do, your friendship and relationship will go to a new level. There will be a bond that sin has lost the power to separate.

We as a body need to repent. Repentance begins with confessing our sins to God and one another. I encourage you all to examine your life today and start your first step towards repentance. As you do confess and repent, then be ready to see God in a whole new way.

Your Brother In Christ,

Tim

Dear Americans,

There was a time not so long ago when you, though far from perfect, sought my face and my ways and for this I did bless. You and your leaders gave thanks to me for all things and in all circumstances for you knew I was your source. Thoughts and requests were presented to me with thanksgiving by prayer and petition and for this I did bless.

But it seems times are changing.

Now instead of looking to and relying upon me, you look for deliverance among your own. How bewildering to see a people follow an elephant or a donkey when neither bears my image. Some follow an animal that endorses the murder of babies and a lifestyle that would bring about humanity’s extinction, instead of giving thanks to, placing their hope in, and depending upon the Giver of life. Some follow an animal that often turns its back on the poor and is quick to enter into war for purposes of pride and revenge, instead of giving thanks to, placing their hope in, and depending upon the One who is truly compassionate and powerful.

I hear your chants of ‘God bless America’, yet your nation once committed to Christ is shifting to one that is following other gods. It seems you know me not and have turned a blind eye to history. Hasn’t history shown my blessing pours out upon those who follow me, and my wrath upon those who do not? Where is your love of me with all of your heart, all of your mind, all of your soul and all of your strength? Where is your full obedience to my Word? Where is your continual contemplation of, dedication to, and pursuit of my holiness and my will?

You celebrate Thanksgiving, but to whom do you give thanks…your political leaders, your false gods, yourselves? Who is it that has given you abundance? Who is it that has the power to give talents, ambition, and opportunity? Who is it that gives the greater things of salvation and peace? Is it not I? Do not forget who I am, and that I AM who I AM is the source of your everything. Do not forget blessings were bestowed upon you so that your neighbors and the nations of the world would see me honored and worshiped and be drawn onto me for their salvation and my great namesake.

O America, O self-proclaiming Christians…it is good to give thanks for your blessings this day, but ensure your focus is on the Giver and not on the gifts given, fore that leads to idolatry. Take care not to honor me with your lips while keeping your hearts far from me, fore that exposes your deceit and hands down ignorance and loss to your children and children’s children. Turn back to the teachings and passions of your forefathers. Humble yourselves and pray. Seek my face. Turn away from your wicked ways and towards Christ. If you do these things, I will forgive your sins and then you will realize who and what is truly worthy of your thanks and praise.

Signed,
Yahweh - The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

(meant for contemplation, not prophecy :) -- have a great week!)

A man stood before the peering eyes of the high council and those who accused him of proclaiming the power of Jesus of Nazareth. He was faced with a moment that would reveal his faith and determine his identity. And in that moment he responded by giving a reason for the hope within him and even challenged his challengers by claiming, "You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it." And by taking this stance, he was dragged out into the city and was stoned to death. His name was Stephen and he was killed for his unwavering faith in Jesus Christ a few years after Christ’s death.

There was another man who stood before the peering eyes of the Proconsul and those who had gathered in the stadium awaiting a show. His accuser urged, “Swear by the genius of Ceasar, repent, say 'away with the atheists'. Swear, and I will release thee; curse the Christ.” He was given a clear choice to deny Christ and live or face the deadly consequences. And in that moment he embraced the fact that to live is Christ and to die is gain and replied, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he hath done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?” As a result, his body was lit on fire and an executioner plunged a dagger deep within him. His name was Polycarp and he was killed for his unwavering faith in Jesus Christ over a hundred years after Christ’s death.

There was another man who stood before the peering eyes of the men waving their guns and shouting at the crowd. As he waited, he felt the compassion of God for his accusers and decided to present the Gospel to them. He told them, “God loves you and I love you. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven. Even now, God is willing to forgive your sins because He loves you. The blood of the Lord Jesus can clean and purify your souls.” The accusers stood in stunned silence and finally one of them said, “You are guilty of fooling the people with your religion. Today, you are being judged.” And without another word, the guns blasted and the man’s body dropped first to his knees and then to the ground in a pool of blood. His name was Romulo and he was executed for sharing the good news of Jesus just a few years ago, nearly 2,000 years after Christ’s death.

History is filled with an on-going line of saints who were willing to stand for Christ, not for the glory of standing or falling, but for the glory of God. Are you and I willing to step into this great line? Will we who call ourselves believers have the passion of Stephen to share the hope of Jesus to a dying world, even when insults and stones will be thrown at us? Will we have the life-long dedication of Polycarp to hold fast to the faith in the midst of being mocked and persecuted in front of others? Will we who call ourselves believers be willing to love non-believers enough to share the Gospel of Jesus in return for likely judgment and even death?

Within each one of us is the potential to stand as many saints have stood before, through the power of the Holy Spirit. So let us stand then! If our strength is in the Lord, then let us strengthen our relationship with and love of and obedience to God. In times of weakness, let us be all the more strong in our faith…when life feels passionless, let us be all the more passionate in our pursuit of Christ…when our thoughts are shallow, let us dive deep into our commitment to our Savior and the words He gave us. Whether we realize it or not, we are all given moments throughout our lives, yes even throughout each day, in which we must choose to stand with Christ or deny him. The choice is ours…so let us stand!

Written by Mitch Temple (click here for link)

I'll never forget the counseling session with Al and Olivia. They had been high school sweethearts and, now in their mid-50s, had been married almost 35 years. Al was about to retire after 25 years at a paper mill. Olivia was a registered nurse. They had three grown children and six grandchildren.

Al sat stone-faced in the corner chair in my office. Olivia fought back tears as she explained why they were there. "Al says he doesn't love me anymore. He's found someone else."
"Al, is this the situation?" I asked.

He cleared his throat and spoke softly, "Yeah, I guess it's so."

I listened as they both explained how they put so much energy into raising kids and building careers that they forgot to love each other and nurture their marriage. After the kids moved out, Al and Olivia never discovered how to reconnect and fill the gap of an empty nest.

Olivia recounted the wasted years of living two separate lives. She confessed that she had neglected Al sexually and domestically. "He poured himself into his job. I poured myself into the kids and my nursing career," Olivia said.

Al added, "We kept drifting apart. I knew what I was doing was wrong; I was too proud to ask for help."

After a brief pause, I quietly asked, "So are you guys going to call it quits after 35 years? Is this the best answer?" Al stared out the window, and Olivia looked at the floor. "You are both believers. Is this what God wants?"

I continued to ask pointed, painful questions over the next three hours. I knew this couple was on the brink of divorce, and I probably had only one shot at helping them.

At one point, tears rolled down Al's rough face as he said, "I think I have gone too far. I don't think I can pull it back together. I don't think Olivia can forgive me. I don't think I can forgive myself. It's too late."

I looked at Al and said, "Al, it's never too late to do the right thing. You and Olivia have too much to give up. God loves you but dislikes the way you are trying to solve your marriage problems—especially when they can be corrected and prevented."

Reality Check

Toward the end of the session, we had made some progress but not enough. Al had to be challenged to make a decision. So did Olivia. Would she take Al back after he had been emotionally unfaithful?

I handed them two pieces of paper. "Al, Olivia, I haven't heard either of you make a strong commitment to work on your marriage. So what I'm asking you to do right now is write a letter to your children and to your grandchildren explaining that you are going to divorce. Be assured that they will want to know why. They have a right; this affects them as well."

I walked out, leaving them to face the truth, and I prayed earnestly. When I walked back into the room 10 minutes later, Al sat with his head in his hands. Olivia sat quietly with her paper in her lap.

"I can't do it," Al said. Olivia shook her head in agreement. The reality that 35 years of irretrievable investments was about to be lost had set in.

Salvageable

For four months, I worked with Olivia and Al, teaching them how to make changes that would bring back intimacy and purpose to their marriage. One of the things that led them to the point of desperation is that they had stopped doing the things that brought them together in the first place.

They had to reconnect with each other by going back to their dating days from the '60s: pizza and a movie every Friday night. Then they learned how to forgive each other for unfaithfulness in similar but different ways. They stopped keeping score of wrongdoings. They connected daily, even when they didn't feel like it.

They began to study God's Word together for the first time in more than 30 years. Instead of fighting to solve problems, they got on their knees and asked God to help them. They resumed intimacy in the bedroom after sleeping in separate rooms for 10 years. They rediscovered the value of touching, listening and walking together.

Two years ago I received a Christmas card with no return address. There was no writing inside, only a picture of Al and Olivia's large family: several young couples, numerous kids and a balding man and a beautiful, mature lady with gleaming eyes that said, "We did it!"

With the right spirit and actions, any marriage can be restored.

March 6, 2009If Jesus were to ask, “Who do you say I am,” the question He famously asked his disciple Peter, He would be disappointed by some of the answers He’d receive from contemporary Americans. A new nationwide survey conducted by The Barna Group among a representative sample of adults explored how many have what might be considered a “biblical worldview.” The report from Barna compared current results to the outcomes from a similar survey the company conducted in 1995, 2000 and 2005.

Defining Terms

For the purposes of the survey, a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.

National Results

Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Among the sixty subgroups of respondents that the survey explored was one defined by those who said they have made a personal to commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. Labeled “born again Christians,” the study discovered that they were twice as likely as the average adult to possess a biblical worldview. However, that meant that even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.

The same questions were asked of respondents in national surveys by Barna in 1995, 2000 and 2005. The results indicate that the percentage of adults with a biblical worldview, as defined above, has remained unchanged for more than a decade. The numbers show that 7% had such a worldview in 1995, compared to 10% in 2000, 11% in 2005, and 9% now. Even among born again adults, the statistics have remained flat: 18% in 1995, 22% in 2000, 21% in 2005, and 19% today.

Components of Worldview Thinking

Varying numbers of Americans embrace the different aspects of biblical worldview thinking. The survey found that:

One-third of all adults (34%) believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by the circumstances. Slightly less than half of the born again adults (46%) believe in absolute moral truth.

Half of all adults firmly believe that the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches. That proportion includes the four-fifths of born again adults (79%) who concur.

Just one-quarter of adults (27%) are convinced that Satan is a real force. Even a minority of born again adults (40%) adopt that perspective.

Similarly, only one-quarter of adults (28%) believe that it is impossible for someone to earn their way into Heaven through good behavior. Not quite half of all born again Christians (47%) strongly reject the notion of earning salvation through their deeds.

A minority of American adults (40%) are persuaded that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life while He was on earth. Slightly less than two-thirds of the born again segment (62%) strongly believes that He was sinless.

Seven out of ten adults (70%) say that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe who still rules it today. That includes the 93% of born again adults who hold that conviction.

Differences among Demographic Segments

The research data showed that one pattern emerged loud and clear: young adults rarely possess a biblical worldview. The current study found that less than one-half of one percent of adults in the Mosaic generation – i.e., those aged 18 to 23 – have a biblical worldview, compared to about one out of every nine older adults.

Other groups that possess a below average likelihood of having a biblical worldview included people who describe themselves as liberal on social and political matters (also less than one-half of one percent); Catholics (2%); Democrats (4%) and residents of the Northeast (4%).

Why It Matters

Ongoing research by The Barna Group on these matters consistently demonstrates the powerful impact a person’s worldview has on their life. A worldview serves as a person’s decision-making filter, enabling them to make sense of the complex and huge amount of information, experiences, relationships and opportunities they face in life. By helping to clarify what a person believes to be important, true and desirable, a worldview has a dramatic influence on a person’s choices in any given situation.

Barna’s research has discovered that there are unusually large differences in behavior related to matters such as media use, profanity, gambling, alcohol use, honesty, civility, and sexual choices.
The firm’s studies have also pointed out that a person’s worldview is primarily shaped and is firmly in place by the time someone reaches the age of 13; it is refined through experience during the teen and early adult years; and then it is passed on to others during their adult life. Such studies underscore the necessity of parents and other influencers being intentional in how they help develop the worldview of children.

For information about the Revolutionary Parenting Workbook, a new research-based resource that provides practical steps and advice to help parents shape the worldview of their children, click here

George Barna, who has directed this tracking research since the early Nineties, pointed out, “There are a several troubling patterns to take notice. First, although most Americans consider themselves to be Christian and say they know the content of the Bible, less than one out of ten Americans demonstrate such knowledge through their actions. Second, the generational pattern suggests that parents are not focused on guiding their children to have a biblical worldview. One of the challenges for parents, though, is that you cannot give what you do not have, and most parents do not possess such a perspective on life. That raises a third challenge, which relates to the job that Christian churches, schools and parachurch ministries are doing in Christian education. Finally, even though a central element of being a Christian is to embrace basic biblical principles and incorporate them into one’s worldview, there has been no change in the percentage of adults or even born again adults in the past 13 years regarding the possession of a biblical worldview.”

To find out which Christian teachings are most helpful in developing a biblical worldview, read Think Like Jesus. For more information, click here.

Barna concluded by noting that the lack of movement in the worldview status of adults reflects the fact that children are not provided with the basic ability to think in ways that correspond to foundational biblical teachings. He noted that Christian families, Christian schools, and Christian churches would be wise to invest more effort and tangible resources into helping young people understand and adopt the core ideas of Christianity, and to reinforce those concepts through their own lives. His pointed out that without such an investment, the current generational patterns indicate that the future Christian Church is likely to be one that has even less of a connection to biblical principles than is evident today.

About the Research

This report draws information from four nationwide telephone interviews conducted by The Barna Group, each including between 1,002 to 1,005 adults randomly selected, during the years 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2008. The range of sampling error associated with a survey of 1,000 people is ±1.5 to ±3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Each of the surveys utilized minimal statistical weighting to calibrate the aggregate sample to known population percentages in relation to several key demographic variables. All interviews were conducted among a sampling of adults in the 48 continental states.

As noted, “born again Christians” were defined as people who said they had made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that was still important in their life today and who also indicated they believed that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as “born again.”

Readers are encouraged to realize that the figures described above regarding a biblical worldview are somewhat different than a similar measure reported by The Barna Group in prior years. The earlier measure included an additional component, which had to do with the source of their worldview. When that measure is included, it typically decreases the percentage of people with a biblical worldview by about half.

The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.

© The Barna Group, Ltd, 2009.

The following article was taken from Ministry Today. To go to this website click HERE

If the American church were a patient on the operating table, its current vital signs would be cause for serious concern. According to the latest Faith Communities Today 2008 (FACT 2008), which released in part this week, only 35 percent of all congregations in the country reported being spiritually vital and alive. That’s compared to 42 percent in 2005.

In addition, most congregations say they’re in the worst financial shape they’ve been in years, with only 19 percent indicating excellent financial health, compared to 24 percent in 2005 and 31 percent in 2000. In terms of pure numerical growth among worship service attendees, 48 percent of all churches say they’ve grown by at least 2 percent, which marks a full 10 percent decline in only three years.

The massive survey, which includes churches of all types—old line Protestant, evangelical Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and other world religions—factored in results from more than 2,500 randomly selected congregations.

For leaders, FACT 2008 will reiterate what most already know: The healthiest churches are those who reproduce. Among the congregations surveyed, those whose leadership spent the most time recruiting and training other leaders were the healthiest. Similar results came from leaders who promoted a clear vision and emphasized evangelism. Interestingly enough, the study also revealed no significant correlation between a church’s spiritual vitality and its emphasis on administration or representing the congregation within the community. What it did show, however, was the advantage of standing out as a unique church. Those congregations who identified themselves as “very different” from others in the community showed a high spiritual vitality, whereas those who didn’t see themselves as offering anything particularly unique were less vibrant.

“It is a story of concern, but also a story of hope,” concluded FACT 2008’s authors. “It is the story of an emerging, persistent and broad based downward trend in congregational vitality. But it is also a story of pockets of vitality that are suggestive of the potential for moving forward.” [fact.hartsem.edu, 9/9/09]

Like many other men I have been unemployed for several weeks now and the biblical concept of a 'trial' has once again shifted from theological to applicable in my life. Any time that type of shift occurs it provides both discomfort and opportunity and the metal of our faith is tested.

For me, the first week or so of unemployment was quite interesting. Initially, my core beliefs kicked in and God was quick to remind me that He was in control and would provide for my family's needs. But…within 3 days, the heat and discomfort was turned up even more as our home computer died and our home phone system went out which left us with no communication capability, and then my car died which left me immobilized. Disbelief peeked as I sat in my broken down car just north of Ontario, but with the irony being so thick, I couldn't help but simply laugh. Unfortunately the discomfort didn't end there and after a few days Satan took the opportunity to kick me while I was down again, as he so often does, by throwing darts of self-doubt and self-worth and temptation at me. It was then in the midst of that growing discomfort, as I spent my morning alone time with God, that He reminded me of two things. One, I need to step back and gain right perspective; and two, my trial is providing an opportunity for growth and blessing.

Regardless of how sorry we want to feel for ourselves when we go through both minor and major trials, we must remember life could be worse…it could be much worse…in fact it could be much, much worse. There are millions upon millions of people who are experiencing a life of pain and dread and despair far beyond what we may be facing, both in this lifetime and in the one to come. Furthermore, who are we to question what God is allowing to occur? Do we know more than God? Do we know better than God? We would be wise to quickly gain Job's eventual perspective and realize when we begin questioning God, we speak of things we do not understand, things too wonderful for us to know. We must remember that God is God and we are not. We must believe that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. If this is not our persepective, we must repent in dust and ashes for our unbelief.

And as we gain right perspective, will we see that holy scripture indicates our trials also provide opportunities for growth and blessing? Through Paul, the Holy Spirit encourages us that our troubles open the door for a deeper relationship with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles, which will allow us to comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. Not only can we experience comfort through Christ, but joy as well. Out of the most severe trial, others have proven to have overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. Is that not a reason to have hope and even rejoice in the midst of our trials?

Through James, the Holy Spirit encourages us to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds, because the testing of our faith develops perseverance, and perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. When we persevere under trial, when we have stood the test, we will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Is that not a reason to have hope and even rejoice in the midst of our trials?

Through Peter, the Holy Spirit encourages us that for a little while we may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, but we can greatly rejoice because these have come so that our faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Is that not a reason to have hope and even rejoice in the midst of our trials?

And even Jesus encourages us that in this world we will have trouble, but we can take heart because he has overcome the world. The Lord reassures us that his grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in our weakness, therefore we can delight in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, in trials. Is that not a reason to have hope and even rejoice in the midst of our trials?

May each of us be encouraged as we embrace the opportunity to see God's word prove true and our faith strengthened. May we truly have hope and rejoice even as current trials continue and new trials emerge.

It was so encouraging to read in “the Berean Banter” newsletter about our pastor spending such precious time with our Lord, and it was even more encouraging to hear him convey the message he felt God lay upon his heart…that we all must repent and reform our ways. Fore we must and it is an encouraging message.

Why would this call to repent and reform be encouraging? Because we live in a world where religious leaders are choosing to say what itching ears want to hear. We live in a country where more and more pastors are bowing to the will of their culture and the will of their patrons and not to the will of God. We live in a country and maybe even a city where more and more shepherds are building their foundation on shifting sand and not the solid rock. Did Jesus not denounce unrepentant cities? Is a pastor’s urgency concerning repentance not good and right and loving? If we choose to reject this call, we expose ourselves to the lies of false teaching and ignore truth.

Why would this call to repent and reform be encouraging? Because forgiveness and right relationship with God is the most loving thing He can offer us and he is reminding us once again of that offer. Who can deny the deeply rooted truth of humanity’s desperate need to repent and reform? Was this not a recurring proclamation by the prophets to God’s people throughout the ages? Is it not an offer of mercy from a holy and perfect Creator? Are we not called to produce fruit in keeping with repentance? If we do not embrace this call as a people in this moment of time and as his children each and every day, we completely misunderstand who God is and who we are.

Why would this call to repent and reform be encouraging? Because God’s Word reveals our obedience to such a call will prove both beneficial to us and glorifying to God. How many stories must God tell before we gain ears to hear? How many times must history repeat before our eyes are opened and our hearts are softened? Has God not proven to be faithful time and time again to those who were called by his name when they humbled themselves and repented and sought his face and turned from their wicked ways?

So we either believe and respond or we do not…and we must know that our hearts and lives, not our lips, will bear witness to what our true beliefs are and possibly the very state of our souls. This call is not the trivial matter we so often make of it.

Thus says the Lord, “Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and make ye a new heart and a new spirit.”

Over the past few months I have been engaged in separate dialogues with a self-proclaiming atheist and a self-proclaiming agnostic. As I contemplate their views and their lives relative to many self-proclaiming ‘Christians’, it is not their differences that are striking, but their similarities.

How can someone who is uncommitted to any particular god and someone who claims Jesus is God…both accept the value of living according to the Bible yet choose not to do so fully? Maybe neither is willing to accept its entirety, preferring to pick and choose what they feel suits them.

How can someone who claims there is no god at all and someone who claims Jesus is God…both talk to each other with unveiled hatred and poison dripping from their tongues? Maybe neither really knows what true brotherly love is.

How can someone who is uncommitted to any particular god and someone who claims Jesus is God…both be disappointed by their sin yet do little to address it? Maybe neither connects with how deeply their Creator abhors their sin nor are they willing to pursue true repentance with perseverance.

How can someone who claims there is no god at all and someone who claims Jesus is God…both live lives of complacency and stagnation? Maybe neither actually believes they need to become a new creation and live a life of righteousness.

How can someone who is uncommitted to any particular god and someone who claims Jesus is God …both have so little passion for God? Maybe neither sees God for whom he truly is nor believes deep down that He is worthy of their full obedience and whole-hearted worship…let alone their very lives.

How can someone who claims there is no god at all and someone who claims Jesus is God…both say they have faith and hope (in themselves or their God respectively) yet lack any sustainable evidence of either? Maybe neither feels true faith overflows into works. Maybe neither feels an explanation for the hope, or lack thereof, within them needs to come from the heart, so they settle for the tongue.

How can someone who is uncommitted to any particular god and someone who claims Jesus is God…both think that the crucifixion was about someone experiencing a painful death upon a cross? Maybe neither ponders the weight of humanity’s guilt nor the emptiness of divine forsakenness. Maybe neither sees the true message of a Father’s love and compassion. Maybe neither wants to hear its command for self-sacrifice nor its call to embrace the indebted words ‘not my will, but yours be done’.

How can someone who claims there is no god at all and someone who claims Jesus is God…both comfortably or uncomfortably accept immorality in their lives? Maybe neither thinks they will go to hell.

How can someone who is uncommitted to any particular god and someone who claims Jesus is God…both hear the power of the gospel and respond with words but not their lives? Maybe neither thinks that one day they may call out “Lord, Lord” and hear Jesus reply “I do not know you.”

So I am left pondering, how many of us self-proclaiming Christians are walking blindly along thinking we’re sheep but the true reflection of our lives reveals we are nothing more than goats? If we truly were sheep, would we not be following our master’s voice? How many of us Americans and ‘Bereanites’ honor God with our lips, but have hearts that are far from him? How many of us Americans and ‘Bereanites’ have bought into Satan’s ultimate deceit, thinking simply because we called on the name of the Lord once we are saved while ignoring the greater commands to call on him daily and to repent and to believe and to serve and to be transformed…rendering ourselves not only useless but unknowingly lost? The rapidly declining direction of a country with such a high percentage of self-proclaiming ‘born-again Christians’ does not whisper, but screams there are more being deceived than we may think. Are we willing to take a hard, honest look at our own reflection…and cry out to God for eyes to see and a willing spirit to change…regardless of what we find peering back at us?

I wonder as our heavenly Father looks upon us, watches us get up each morning and go about our day, hears our every thought, I wonder if he sees love from us, if he hears love from us, if he feels love from us?

As I mentioned recently, a few weeks ago I was feeling pretty dry, I was lacking passion in my relationship with God…and what happens when we lose passion for something? What happens to our exercise schedule? What happens to our marriages? They certainly don’t become all they can be; instead they simply become ordinary or maybe even fade a bit.

I suppose our relationships, whether with our wives or our God, become ordinary when we start just going through the motions, when we stop being intentional, when we no longer pay attention to the details as we once did, when we stop wanting to please the other person, when we start thinking more about ourselves than about the other person, when we stop connecting at the heart level, when we stop truly loving passionately.

So today, are we loving our heavenly Father passionately as we could, as we should? Over and over again throughout scripture his number one message to us is Love the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength….love him with all that we are...love him. Are we?

Are we connecting with God at the heart level and not just with our heads? Do the great realities of our God stir us or do we simply acknowledge them? To connect with someone we need to be spending time with them; do we spend more time and energy talking to and thinking about our heavenly Father or do we spend more time and energy on our jobs…or our houses…or TV…or golf…or even “our” ministry activity?

If we feel a lack of passion for God today, then maybe we need to change our current routine in some way by spending more time with him and even by crying out to God to revive our hearts. Maybe we need to step back and have another look at who God is and who we are. Do we not only see but feel that all of history and the creation of this amazing universe and the sending of his Son to die on a cross and the offer of personal intimacy in our very lives is all about God and not about us? He is the Creator, He is the one who gives unending love, He gets the glory and our lives merely fit within his great story. Within a generation or two, no one will even know we existed, let alone care. But Christ, Christ will live on.

Our part in his eternal story is brief and he calls us to play an active part…but that part needs to be about him, not about us. Is that what we believe? Is that how we live? Too often I find myself saying ‘yes, that’s what I believe’ and then ‘no, that’s not how I live’.

Lord, help me, help us stay connected to you at the heart level so it becomes our heart’s desire to live passionately for you and not for ourselves! Lord, you said that your servant David had a heart after your own heart…give us eyes to see David’s heart. Help us see and embrace how David responded to his moments of sin and distress and praise. Help us see and embrace how David’s whole perspective, his whole world view revolved around you. Help us see and embrace how he loved you. Lord, help us pursue a heart after your own heart. Amen.

Dan Arnholt requested the memo below be posted. A handful of men from Church of the Cross in Lexington came to the Grill-out on Sunday.
_____________________________________________________

Berean Journeymen,

Thanks for inviting us to the Men's Grill out/ Fellowship night!

We were treated with great hospitality by Mike, The Runner, (From the YMCA) and Pastor Dave while we had dinner. The V-Ball, Corn-Hole, Basketball & Card Games were a great idea.

KEEP reaching out to MEN! The movement in our area is gaining ground, but still has room for growth. North Central Ohio needs your Men's Ministry!

Thanks Again, Dan Arnholt
'Sunday Night Men's Book Study'

It was great to see so many guys having fun (playing basketball, volleyball, corn-hole, laughing, talking, etc.) and praising God together last night at the Men’s Grill-out. I definitely look forward to the next one later this summer.

In thinking about the message of keeping an eye on our spiritual gauges that Rich provided, I realized it requires an intentional act. I need to, we all need to intentionally step back and take assessment of our walk with Christ rather frequently.

So I began to ask myself…and we all should ask ourselves…things like:

- Have we become lazy regarding the basics that keep us close to Christ? Has our focus on Christ lost any sharpness?
- Are we being diligent in pursuing holiness and rejecting and purging all forms of sin from our lives? Are we continuing to meet with accountability partners and being truly transparent? Are we being passive or active, maybe even radical if need be to ensure we are truly fighting a good fight?
- Are our hearts and minds engaged with God more than anything else…more than the news, more than our jobs, more than sports, more than ministry activity, more than our vacation plans, more than our family, more than our wives, more than ourselves? We spend many hours of each waking day in conscious thought, how much of that time are we investing in our most important relationship, in the eternal…versus the superficial and the temporal?
- Are we are spending time in God’s word? If we are, are we intent on connecting with God, is our desire to have the Holy Spirit open our eyes and counsel us…or are we just gathering facts, just going through the motions of reading words? Are our hearts truly engaged or is it just our heads?
- Etc, etc.

In going through that gauge checking process, I realize that I have become a bit distracted the past few weeks in staying connected to God on the heart level and as a result I’ve experienced some spiritual dryness. Goodness knows I’ve been there before, but I certainly don’t like being there.

So now that I’m aware of that red light, the question is what will I do about it? Will I keep doing the same things I have for the past few weeks that brought about dryness or will I intentionally change things in order to be refreshed? Maintaining my disciplines is a must, but it is not enough. Will I pursue a repentant spirit? Will I cry out to God to give me refreshment and renewal and revival? Will I go running back to him in desperation and even fear that a lingering dryness could lead to an acceptable new norm or even the wilderness? O Lord, I lie in dust; revive me by your word; encourage me by your word; renew my life with your goodness!

Lord, thank you for your message Rich conveyed last night. Help us be intentional in gauge monitoring, help us search for yellows before they have a chance to turn red. And if a light does appear, help us jump all over it without delay, never allowing it to linger. Grant each of us a willing spirit to sustain us and a passionate one that pursues you. Help us endeavor to have a heart after your own heart.

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20090526/NEWS01/905260307/-1/newsfront2/Lexington+grad+will+provide+care+in+Tanzania

God has done so much work in me to be comfortable in her doing this. Hope you all enjoy.

Tim

Jesus asked this very questions to the man at the healing pool in Bethesda. The man at the pool had been an invalid for 38 years, and Jesus asked him if he wanted to be well? You may be thinking that is an irrelevant question, "Of course he wanted to be well, why wouldn't he want to be healed?"

What if Jesus Christ asked you this very question today, "Do you want to get well?" What would your answer be? Would you immediately say "YES"? Or, would your response be more like "What's wrong with me?", "Why do I need to be well?" "I'm good, I've got no problems" We have become so comfortable in our lives, that many of us don't even realize we are not well. We become defensive when someone questions are salvation or our faith.

I had some opportunity lately to reflect on this very thought. Recently I was around a large group of people with the realization that most of them don't even realize they "Need to be made well. They were a group of "good" people, and many attended church, yet most looked more like the world than Christ. We've become so much a part of this world, we don't even realize that we aren't healthy.

We've even redefined "healthy"

Healthy is:

- I go to church
- I'm a good person
- I work hard
- I'm a nice person
- I have compassion and help others
- I give to the church and other charities
- I serve at church or volunteer and help people
- God has blessed me therefore I must be healthy
- I don't commit the "BIG Sins"

If we are believing these things earn us ANYTHING, then we are believing a LIE. Those are the deceptions that we are falling for in this country and they are all FALSE. Not one of those things saves us or gives us eternal life with Jesus Christ the Son or God the Father. Our sin is making us comfortable and we are justifying our sin because of those things. We are not good enough, not even one of us, according to Romans 3:12 which says "All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

So if "No One" is good enough, then why do we believe that we are doing okay? Are you still believing that because you are a good person, that you are doing okay?

We've become so comfortable in Sin in this country that we don't even recognize it when we are doing it. We believe that because 80% of us are healthy by worlds standards that 80% of us our Christians. We've grown to believe that if we've "accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior" we've got a "get out of jail free card" and can continue on sinning and we're good. We have shifted the image of God from our Master, to our servant. We believe that God exist to only serve us and our needs, and provide for "US" We believe that he Owes us happiness and success and unalienable rights. We even believe the Worship Service is about "US".

Are you comfortable in your Sin? Does your life Monday through Saturday match the life you put on Sunday when you come to church? Or, is Sunday just a mask you put on to impress your Sunday friends and Pastors? Are you desperate for God or are you desperate for success, and money and material things? Satan will have you believe you can have both? Gods word is clear, that you must choose one or the other, you can't have both.

So, Jesus is asking, "Do you want to be HEALED?"

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. "

Are you blessed? Are you really? How are you handling life's struggles? How is your job? Your marriage? Your kids? Your finances? Your health? What areas in your life are you throwing your hands in the air and saying "I give up, I don't know what to do"

As I look back on this past year or so, we've heard some powerful messages from our pastors and guest speakers such as Ryan Loving and the Life Action people. We've had some great studies and groups in the Monday Night Men's Study. We've learned some great truths and powerful life applications. There have been some great relationships being built over the last year. I'm sure many of you have read some great Christian books, or seen some great movies or programs, or even listened to some inspiring pod-casts or messages on-line. A few of you may have attended a conference or event such as Promise Keepers.

While, each and every one of these are great things to do as a Christian none of them replace getting into the Word of God.

If you are not in the Word of God then you are missing the most powerful life changing thing you can do. No sermon from our pastors, or Christian book or activity can replace picking up the Word of God and reading it daily. All these other activities are in ADDITION to reading the Word of God.

I'm sure you've all heard the expression "Kid's don't come with an instruction booklet" I'm telling you that not only do we have an instruction booklet, it is an instruction booklet that applies throughout ALL of OUR lives; the "Word of God".

James MacDonald says that when people come to him with a problem he can tell almost immediately if they are reading their Bibles, and if not he listens to their problem and thinks to himself "Not in the Word, Not in the Word, Not in the Word" Is life throwing you a curve and you don't know how to deal with it? Are you in the Word?

Many men are saying "I don't know how to be the Spiritual Leader of my home" Well this is the first step. To be a spiritual leader of your home, you have to be reading your Bible daily. If you don't know where to begin, or need guidance, then don't hesitate "Ask" The people and resources to help you are all available to you if you seek them out. You can even email this blog and we'll respond.

In order to hear the Word of God we must read it. In reading it, God will reveal application for each of our individual lives. When we apply and obey those applications to our lives, then God's promise to each of us, is we will be blessed. In other words, we will benefit from it 100% of the time. How much greater of a guarantee do we need? Some of those blessings may be small blessings, but some of those blessings may be huge blessings.

I encourage you to take the first step and see what God has for you. He may have a solution for your marriage, or your finances. He may give you guidance on how to deal with a child or co-worker. He may help you through a trial or struggle in which you feel you are all alone. But, if you don't take the first step and open up his Word, you will never know, because as God's Word states, If "you read my word and obey" Then "you will be blessed".


See You at the Altar,


Tim

Men of Berean,

Our next Monday night Bible Study is set to begin on September 14th. We will taking the 30-day holiness challenge with Dr. Bruce Wilkinson’s series Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation.
We had about 135 men here last Monday night and the entire evening was anointed. Make plans now to join us this fall.

So, what are you doing on Monday nights right now? Let me suggest our Berean Golf League. We play at Pebble Creek Golf Course on Monday nights with tee times starting at 5:30. The first practice round is Monday, May 11th, and there is an organizational meeting on Sunday, May 10th after 1st service in room 215 (the church library). You can sign up this Sunday between services in the foyer. If you have a partner, you can join as a team. If you can’t make it every week, you can add your name to the sub list.

Golf is a great way to fellowship in the beauty of God’s creation, and get to know some other men in the church. If you have any questions about the Berean Golf League, contact Jeff Freitag at 419-610-5474 or send him an e-mail at jeffandjudi@neo.rr.com.

One more reason to join….you could probably use the exercise. Get into the swing of things, and have some fun with your brothers in Christ this summer!

Happy putting,

Pastor Craig


P.S. Our next Second Saturday Men’s Prayer Breakfast is Saturday, May 9th at 8:00 am in the Community Room.

It was so encouraging to see over 130 guys show up to begin contemplating our Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation on Monday night. Praise God!


Monday at 5:00PM I received a call from my wife; she had just turned on the TV and of all things that could be on, was a show investigating internet pornography. Through her sobs and tears, she shared a story of a 4 year old girl and an 8 year old girl being tied up and raped by adult men, all while being video taped. As sick as this was, just as disturbing is the fact that many, many other men were downloading that particular video. My wife (and I) realized how big and how important the issue of sexual immorality is; we saw how it affected so many innocent people and she proceeded to encourage and strengthen me for that night's men's meeting.

So who are the victims of our sexual sin? When we choose to jump into the waters of lust and pornography, who lies in the wake we create? It certainly is not us, our decision to sin caused the wake and we stand in the center…so who are the innocent bystanders that get side-swiped and overtaken by our waves of selfish, temporary pleasure?

At the very least, is it not our wives, our children and even the children of men we have never met?

How would you feel if that was your children being raped and watched by thousands of men? How would you feel if other men were pleasuring themselves as they looked with eyes of lust at your child? At some point, we have to face the dreadful fact that if we are viewing pornography of any type, we are doing the same thing in the eyes of God and in the eyes of fathers we have never met. Directly or indirectly we are feeding the demand and incentive for an industry led by Satan himself.

If we say, ‘fortunately my child is not impacted by that’, but then we still lust over women, are we not deceived? Do we not know that our sons are watching our every move? Do we not realize that our subtle as well as not so subtle actions are being adopted by our sons and any child within our influence, whether we’re aware of it or not? So what level of holiness are you and I passing down to our children and the next generation…the same level of holiness we are living.

And what about our wives…they are the closest to us and will be most impacted by our plunge into any type of sin. As men, it can be hard for us to understand the depth and breadth of the wounds we cause them by choosing to satisfy the evil desires of our youth, but it is even harder for them to understand how we can be so shallow and calloused when it comes to looking at other women. We all too easily break the connection between our lust and the object of our lust (let alone its sinfulness), but to our wives that is a connection that is inseparable.

Although we may not be able to explain our callousness, we must try to understand and feel our wives’ pain. Jesus said our lust is akin to committing adultery…how would you and I feel if our wife came home and told us they were having an affair with other men? Let alone at the frequency we may lust…every day…every other day…every week. How would we react? Would we not feel betrayed? Would our insides not be torn out? Would we not need time to sort out our feelings? Would healing not come slowly? This (and more) is what our wives feel when faced with our sin of lust or pornography and we must be sensitive to their pain.

Men, spring and summer is upon us and temptations are sure to follow...we are entering the heat of the battle...let us be intentional and diligent in our fight, and let us fight that battle together.

Why ask do you and I truly believe…why step back and consider whether we truly place our faith in God’s Word …why consider the trends of religion…why ponder such questions…shouldn’t we just be focused on Christ and his will and be done with the discussion?

I would say amen and amen, we should…the problem is many of us who claim to be Christians are not focused on Christ and his will…and the state of our lives, our families, the church and our country cries out as evidence. Somewhere along the line the body has lost its appropriate focus and havoc has been wreaked; so we ponder what is at the root of it such that sustainable change can take place. If we do not address the root, we are subject to continue floating in and out of subjectivity and consequently in and out of a focus on Christ.

We claim to believe the Bible and in the Son of God who summarized his commands and the prophets by stating, ‘The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Yet as we look into the mirror of our own lives, does it reflect Christ’s summary? Do our internal thoughts, external actions and life passions reveal a true love of God and others? Does the decay taking place all around us stir us with both righteous anger and Christ-like compassion rooted in our desire to see God glorified and the hurting healed?

If not, then do you and I truly believe by faith the Word we profess? Because if the core of who we are embraced that belief, wouldn’t a natural outpour be a consistent focus on Christ and love of God and love of others?

What an awesome prayer gathering and communion experience we had this morning! In new ways it just stretched me and challenged how real my beliefs and my God are to me. Praise God!


Do you and I believe, with all sincerity, do we truly believe in all that Jesus has done and all that the Holy Spirit is and all that the Father is going to do? As I look at my own life, at our church, at our nation through the lens of the Bible we profess…I ponder whether we truly believe the claims we make.

Do we believe that Jesus, the Word, was with the Father in the beginning when all things were made and then became flesh and lived among us? Do we believe when Jesus came to earth that the blind received sight, the lame walked, the incurable were cured, the deaf heard, the dead were raised, and the good news was preached to the poor? Do we believe that this same Son of Man was crucified, died, was buried and on the third day rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures? Do we believe if we join Christ in that death and die to ourselves, that we can join him in new life? Do we believe that by his grace we are covered by his blood, but yet that same grace is by no means a license to walk in sin but rather aids in our walk of obedience and holiness?

If we say yes, we believe…then what are we doing with that belief? Has it become true faith? Has that faith become complete as evidenced by Christ-like deeds laced throughout our lives? Is our faith adequately sized for the true power that lies within the object of our faith? Is our pursuit of God’s face and our dedication to holiness sincere and vigorous? How deep is our appreciation for the sacrifice He did not have to make and what has that appreciation manifested? Has our old life been buried and our new life been lived? If not, why not?

Lord, I plead…forgive my unbelief, help me believe.

Do we believe the Holy Spirit is the third person who makes God, God? Do we believe this same Spirit was the given gift to those whom believe and obey God, both the Jew and the Gentile? Do we believe we are not alone in this world because the Holy Spirit, who marks us with Christ’s seal, lives within us? Do we believe when we live by the Spirit we can actually experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Do we believe the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given to each in the body of Christ with different kinds of working for the common good, just as He determines – whether it is wisdom, healing, prophecy, teaching, tongues, etc? Do we believe there is more to be had and each can be filled with the Holy Spirit, experiencing his power in greater ways?

If we say yes, we believe…then what are we doing with that belief? Are we pursuing more of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Are we seeking the Spirit’s counsel in times of need? Are we leaning on grace and the power of the Spirit in our holiness pursuit? Are we choosing to be led by the Spirit and not the flesh so we can taste the fruit of the Spirit? Do we eagerly desire the greater gifts? Is our desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit reflected in our requests, thoughts and actions? Do we trust in and experience the Holy Spirit as those in the first century? Does our hope overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit? Has our old life been buried and our new life been lived? If not, why not?

Lord, I plead…forgive my unbelief, help me believe.

Do we believe the Lord God is the Alpha and Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come? Do we believe a day is coming and right soon, when Jesus will come with the clouds and every eye will see him and the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him? Do we believe the urgency in his call for believers to repent and obey what was received and heard? Do we believe and heed his warnings not to tolerate sexual immorality fore He knows our deeds and will repay each accordingly? Do we believe his command to stay faithful even to the point of death so that we may be given the crown of life? Do we believe there are great battles to come? Do we believe he who is Faithful and True, who bears the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords will lead the armies of heaven into battle and capture and ultimately destroy our enemy? Do we believe each of us will face the true and just Judge and be judged according to what we have done?

If we say yes, we believe…then what are we doing with that belief? Where is our urgency? Where is our appropriate fear of the great I AM? Where is the consistency in our humble and repentant spirit? Where is our commitment to have sexual immorality purged from our lives? Where is the vigor in our pursuit of God and obedience and holiness? Do we see that many of God's calls and warnings are to us so-called ‘believers’? Has our old life been buried and our new life been lived? If not, why not?

Lord, I plead…forgive my unbelief, help me believe.

Shared by Tom Sholtiz

Written by: Jacob Dawson
Date: Dec 16th 2008, 14:18 I read an excellent article today in the Christian Science Monitor about the future of the Evangelical Christian. In this article the author, Michael Spencer, lays out the reasons why the Western Church will fall in the next 10 years. Spencer would be labeled as a liberal by many in the evangelical community, yet he hits the nail on the head in this article. His argument is that The Church as focused its attention on numbers rather than The Gospel, on politics instead of Biblical truth, and on feeling good instead of knowing God.

The truth is that the Great Awakening of Jonathon Edwards is no where to be seen today. We receive our Biblical teaching on the T.V. screens rather than from the Bible. I am not one to knock ministers of the Gospel on T.V., but we as Christians need our own understanding of the Gospel from spending time with God. We rely too much on what a pastor 1,000 miles away tells us, and not enough on what the Word of God tells us.

Spencer says that secularism and people pleasing will dominate the Church in the next 10 years, and this will lead to the demolition of the current Church system, but he points out that this may be a good thing. The Church flourishes in persecution. The Church fails in complacency. The old saying goes “you don’t know what you got, ‘til it’s gone”, and this will be evident when the Church is gone.

Jesus said in John 4:23, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.” This lets me know that “marginal Christians” will fade away and those who want His heart will prevail.

So this is my challenge to you. Don’t be that “marginal Christian”. Don’t be one of the ones that cause the Church to fall in the United States. Seek God and know Him. Don’t base your understanding by what you hear on T.V. or what you read here, but use T.V. and use this lead you to the Word of God. We face trying times ahead, but Psalm 37:25 says, “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.” God is faithful when we are faithless.

Men, do we realize our desperation?

How different would things be if your source of income and mine, which are so readily taken for granted, were taken from us? How quickly previous needs would turn into mere wants. If we no longer knew how the next bill would be paid or if the next meal would be placed upon our table…would we then realize our desperation for the only One who actually provides our daily bread?

How different would things be if an aneurism, a stroke, Alzheimer’s forever changed how you and I could reason and remember? How quickly the years of gaining knowledge would gain us nothing at all. In the moment we watched the face of a loved one fade into the unfamiliar and felt loneliness engulf us…would we then realize our desperation for the only One who has forever known us and calls us by name?

Men, do we realize our desperation?

When our careers and our investment portfolios and our governments prove to be false security blankets… when the economy, American values and the world around us seem to be falling…do we then realize our desperation for the only One whom we can ultimately trust?

When our sins keep us bound in chains and ridicule our immobility…when the weights we bear press down upon us and feel unbearable…do we then realize our desperation for the only One who offers sanctuary and makes our battles his own?

Men, do we realize our desperation?

In the moment when temptation gives its initial tug...in the times when temptation floods the pit of our stomachs…do we then realize our desperation for the only One who offers refuge?

In awareness that the tempter, the father of lies is intent on our destruction and allegiance…in acknowledgement of the enemy’s power and our weakness in this world…do we then realize our desperation for the only One who is our true strength?

Men, do we realize our desperation?

When deep down we finally sense just how unworthy we really are and just how far God was willing to go…when the reality of the great I AM stares directly at us causing us to fall low upon the ground …will we then realize our desperation and yearn for more of the One and Only?

Regardless of how close or how far you and I are from God, regardless of whether we think we are doing well or struggling, regardless of our peace or our discontentment, regardless of whether we acknowledge it or deny it, nothing will change the reality that you and I, at our depths, are completely and utterly desperate for the One and Only who ultimately satisfies, delivers and fulfills -- whether we realize it or not.

Some words shared by permission from Rich Wilcox...

"To focus on our short-comings and to glory in our own righteousness are the two sides of the same coin. That coin? Pride and self-focus.

Please men of Berean, set your focus on the author of our salvation. When we truly focus on Him, we will no longer need to be encouraged to be humble and thankful. We simply will be! When we focus on ourselves, whether for good or bad, we don't leave room for Him. Remember, He is a jealous God and He demands our full attention.

Therefore, love Him and just know that He has already told us that our 'righteousness is as filthy rags'. He already knows that our best efforts are 'garbage'. It doesn't matter how disciplined or virtuous we are, to Him it is 'garbage'. Our only righteousness comes from Him, and our only righteous deeds are those that He, not us, has ordained. So, seek ye first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness."

I would like to submit this to you all to read. This is an posting that one of the student leaders in the Senior High Youth Group wrote and I am using it with his permission.


Before reading this please be warned of two things. This is directed to my own heart, if you're convicted, good, if not, I don't know what to say. Also, I HOPE you are offended. Or at least made uncomfortable... because I am.

How is it that those closest to Jesus should live very humble existences, giving more than receiving, suffering, and facing so much ridicule and yet, we as American Christians find it okay to just attend church on Sundays, and go about everything as situation normal?

Why is it that we feel it's alright to just live in our little house, with a 2.5 kids, and new car, as long as we go to church often and help out some here and there? What happened to denying your mother and father, your husband/wife, and even children, should God call you to move (just as the Apostles sometimes had to do?) -Luke 14:26 Who and what holds more importance?

Why is it that we find it GOOD to expand a church, when Jesus never made a place home for his gatherings? When did it become good, to spend more on the church building than we do on the people we're supposed to love?When did it become a good thing to have numbers rather than authenticity?

When did rebuke turn into an extreme thing categorized with hate?

Where is our heart, I mean really? In the ones we love, or in the ONE we love?
Where is my heart?
Where is my heart...?

Jesus said some tough stuff...

Do I truly love Him, or just the club benefits I get for praying, listening to sermons, reading and going to church often?
Would I sell everything?
Would I drop everything I had to follow him?
Would you?


Written by Aaron Grosch

    A recent study from Barna research shows that only about 9% of Americans believe in a biblical worldview. Yet 82% of people claim to be Christians. How can this be? How can you be a Christian, yet not have a biblical worldview.

    As I read this statistic, my initial question was, "What is the definition of a biblical worldview?" It must be something extreme for Christians not to believe it. So lets examine the definition used for the study and see what is extreme or causing people to not believe it.

1. Believing that absolutely moral truths exist. - Only 46% of "Born Again Christians" believed this as a truth.
   
2. The Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches - Again only 79% of "Born Again Christians" believed this as a truth.
   
3. Satan is considered to be a real being or force – 40% of "Born Again Christians" believe
   
4. A Person cannot earn their way into heaven by being good, or doing good works – 53% of "Born Again Christians" believe that works can earn you a spot in heaven.
   
5. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life – 38% of "Born Again Christians" believe that Jesus Sinned.
   
6. God is all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the world who rules the universe today – 93% of "Born Again Christians" believe this.
   

    Wow, these aren't issues over baptism, or predestination, or dress, or which day we should celebrate Easter, how we should worship, or what we should wear to church. These are pure and simple truths that God has made clear to us in his Word. How can we claim to be a Christian yet, not believe these 6 biblical truths? As I studied these figures, and some other studies, I came across another study shows that only about 10% of American's claim that Jesus Christ is the most important relationship they have in their life.

    Do you see the connection? If Jesus Christ and God the Father is not our most important relationship, then we are unlikely to believe the basic tenets of our faith. If we do not spend time with God, then how can we know his truths? How can we know the "Way"? Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me" We cannot get there unless we know Jesus Christ. We have to follow the path that he set before us, and like his disciples, that means spending time with him, learning what he has to teach us, and trusting that he knows what is best for us, better than we do.

    Men, we were challenged this past week by Rich Nichols, that "We cannot serve two masters" It is impossible! If we are trying to serve two masters, we are in the 82% group, and God wants us in the 9% group. If we are in the 82% group, I don't believe we benefit from God's promises, because we don't know God's promises, because we don't know HIM. If we are in the 82% group we look like the World, because we are placing our hope in the World and we are looking to the World to solve our problems.

    Jesus warned us and said in Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it." Does 82% sound like a narrow gate, or 9%? Which group do you think you should be in? Which group do you want to put your hope in, the Masses or the Few? Jesus also said in Matthew 9:37 "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." If we believe that 82% of people are saved Christians that only leaves 18% unsaved. Does that seem like the workers are few and harvest is plentiful? When Jesus said that, I believe he was truly saying the harvest is plentiful (91%) and the workers are few (9%).

    Brothers, I challenge each and every one of us to examine our lives. We should all be questioning, "What is the most important relationship in our lives?" If it is not Jesus Christ, then we need to ask our self "Why?" A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is one where we spend time with him daily, where he is always on our minds. A relationship we are eager to share, and talk about. A relationship where we spend money on and schedule time with. It is a relationship which makes us smile, a relationship where we feel safe, a relationship where we grow.

    I believe when we make Jesus Christ our most important relationship we will reap his blessings and promises in our lives. Promises such as :

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

John 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God^[a]; trust also in me.

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 54:17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.

Proverbs 4:11 I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

      I Prayed that as men we can not only grasp the truth of what it means to be a Christian, but that we can also apply this truth to our lives.