GROWING IN CHRIST

Growing in Christ We as parents have the privilege of watching our children grow and mature. Last Saturday, Malia and I took our oldest son Wade to look at a college. As I was driving, I began talking to Malia about how when he was a toddler I never imagined being at this moment. We have seen this young man grow from a baby into a rambunctious toddler and then into an energetic boy. At age six he accepted Christ as his Savior and then he continued growing. He has now grown into a young man. He looks at me eye to eye. We have adult conversations. He even is borrowing my shoes. Malia and I have watched him mature and decide what he wants to do with his life. It is an honor to know that he wants to spend his life helping those who may have great difficulties in their life. There have been many trials along the way but we have watched Wade get through each of them and come out a better man on the other side. We look forward to watching him turn into the adult that God has intended. Does God the Father look on His children and see us maturing in Christ? Or are we like the Corinthian church who when Paul wrote to them in 1 Corinthians 3 he wrote “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as the spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.” The cause of problems in the Corinthian church was more than external, worldly influence. It was also internal carnality. The pressures from the world were combined with the weakness of the flesh which made them as Paul would say “carnal”. The carnality of the believers was indicative of their immaturity. They had no excuse for not being mature, since Paul implied that he should have been able to write to them as mature, in light of what he had taught them. So what does maturity in Christ look like? Spiritual maturity is simply Christlikeness. We are as mature as we are like Christ, and no more. He was the only fully mature man. His character was complete, well balanced, and perfectly integrated. All His qualities and capacities were perfectly attuned to the will of His Father, and this is the model, the standard God has set for us. Philippians 2:11 “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Aaron Hodges

GOD KNOWS ME...HE REALLY KNOWS ME

God Knows Me...He Really Knows Me "O LORD, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in-behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Psalm 139:1-6 This passage has always given me hope but it also has been very convicting. That the Lord God would want to know me is beyond my comprehension. He chooses to search me and be concerned about even the smallest detail of my life. He knows every time I rise and every time I sit down. He even knows what I am thinking. Before I speak, He is aware of what I will say. These truths should convict us of our sin and cause us to really evaluate our motives and behavior. The Psalmist goes on to even say that the Lord goes before us and behind us and even has His hand on us. Wow! These truths really rock my world. The God of the Universe, the One who holds this world in orbit, the One who has all living creatures on His mind, is concerned about puny me. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light will become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like t he day, for darkness is as light to you." Psalm 139:7-12 There are two ways this passage can be read. God's omnipresence is expressed in a way that reminds us that we cannot hide from Him. There are no "secret sins" that we can hide from God. On the other hand, the presence of God is reassuring because it reminds us that we can go nowhere where God is not. Should our lives be taken, our soul will be immediately in the presence of the Almighty. The grave cannot separate my body from the love of my Savior, who will raise it a glorious body. No outward circumstances can separate me from my Lord. "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because 1 am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts,0 God! How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand." Psalm 139:13-l8 God loves you and has loved you from the very beginning of time and will continue to love you for eternity! PRAISE THE LORD! Aaron Hodges

Surrender: Let Go and Let God Work

Surrender: Let Go and Let God Work We raise our white flag; we surrender all for You, all for You. We raise our white flag; the war is over! Love has come; Your love has won! “Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” Psalm 37:7 Surrendering your life means: •Following God's lead without knowing where He's sending you; •Waiting for God's timing without knowing when it will come; •Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide; •Trusting God's purpose without understanding the circumstances. You know you're surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don't have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more. You also know you're surrendered when you don't react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don't edge others out, and you don't demand your rights. The most difficult thing for many people to surrender is their money. Many have thought, "I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday." Retirement is not the goal of a surrender life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money," (Matthew 6:24 NIV) and "Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21 NIV). The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before His crucifixion Jesus surrendered Himself to God's plan. He prayed, "Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want Your will, not mine" (Mark 14:36 NLT). Jesus surrendered Himself to God's will. He prayed, "God, if it is in Your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills Your purpose, that's what I want too." Genuine surrender says, "Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill Your purpose and glory in my life or in another's life, please don't take it away!" This level of maturity doesn't come easy. In Jesus' case, He agonized so much over God's plan that He sweated drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature. from Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Devotional Email April 29, 2010

Experiencing Victory through Pain

Experiencing Victory Through Praise It is easy to praise God when the sun is shining, our children are making good grades in school, and we have received a promotion at work. But when the storm clouds gather, the grades start to slip, and the pink slips are read, the last thing we feel like doing is praising God. Yet, this is the very time when we need to lift our voices to Him in praise. When we praise God, we proclaim our faith in Him. The psalmist writes, “As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure” (Psalm 71:14-15). A sacrifice of praise is something that we offer to God – in times of well being and in times of sorrow. Never allow praise to become a habit or a trite activity. It is a priceless honor to kneel before the throne of our Lord and Savior. One of the greatest misconceptions concerning praise is that it is something we do for God. However, nothing could be further from the truth. God does not need our praise, but certainly, He desires it. He knows when life takes an unexpected turn toward sorrow or when a serious illness lingers for months and even years, praise has the ability to lighten our hearts and fill us with a sense of love and security that can only come from one place – heaven’s throne. Praise teaches us to be joyful and thankful regardless of our circumstances. It prepares us for God’s service and helps us to see beyond our present circumstances to the immense possibilities that are ours through faith in Jesus Christ. No matter how deep our sorrow or how grave our circumstances may seem, we can learn to praise God while acknowledging His sovereignty over our lives. A.B. Simpson wrote, “Lift up the hands that hang down. March straight through the flood, and lo, the waters will divide, the Red Sea will open, the Jordan will part, and the Lord will lead you through to victory.” This sounds like good advice, but what do you do when life becomes so dark that it seems impossible to praise God? How do you lift your voice to the Lord in praise when your husband has left you or your daughter has terminal cancer? How do you praise God when you the world calls you a failure? You begin by recognizing who God is and how worthy He is of our offering of praise. Praising Him may not immediately lesson our sorrow or change our circumstances, but it will bring light to our darkness and shift our focus onto the One who is good, loving, righteous and sovereign. Dr. Michael Youseff - Leading the Way Ministries

Worship

“Fruitful and acceptable worship begins before it begins.” ~ Alexander MacLaren A Call to True Worship Psalms 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. Psalms 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! Psalms 99:5 Exalt the LORD our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is He! John 4:21-24 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Examples of Worship Exodus 33:9-10 Then when Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Worship in Song Exodus 15:20-21 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.” Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalms 63:3-4 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Psalms 150 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

AUDIENCE OF ONE by Greg Fergeson

It's such a strong temptation to live for man's applause But I don't want to buy into the lie 'cause I know that's not a worthy cause So to keep things in perspective I hung a sign upon the wall The sign is nothing special but it really says it all And the sign says… I'll be content to serve an Audience of One. Only His approval counts when all is said and done And this is my prayer when the race is finally run I want to hear well done from the Audience of One. When the drive for recognition starts to get the best of me All I've got to do is look around at the people serving selflessly And they don't serve for glory, and they're not keeping score There's a sign that's written on their hearts A sign I've seen before… I'll be content to serve an Audience of One. In the not too distant future When the crowds all fade away I'll stand alone before my Lord And this is what I long to say… I'm overjoyed to serve an Audience of One. It's what I've been created for ever since day one And this is my song as I bow before Your throne I love to hear well done from the Audience of One. So this will be my prayer 'til the race is finally run I want to hear well done I long to hear well done From the Audience of One. By Greg Furgeson Question from last week: How are you doing passionately loving Jesus, the Word, each other, your neighbors and the world? Remember that if we love Jesus passionately, the other steps should come naturally.

WHAT SHOULD THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD LOOK LIKE?

What Should the Church of the Living God Look Like? I have recently been thinking on what the Church should look like. I look around and see many variations of the way the Church conducts itself. I grew up in a church that I thought was really outward focused. I have served in churches that were inward focused. I have viewed churches that were committed to service. I have also seen churches that were all about Sunday morning and what happens on their church campus. So which one is right? This may shock you but they are all wrong…and right. Yesterday as I sat in staff meeting I heard our Pastor say what he believes the Church should look like. Let me list what he said and where it comes from. First, the Church should be passionately in love with Jesus. Luke 10:27. And He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind…" Second, the Church should be passionately in love with the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Third, the Church should be passionately in love with each other. John 13:34-35. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Fourth, the Church should be passionately in love with our neighbors. Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Fifth, the Church should be passionate about sharing our love with the world. Mark 16:15. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Matthew 28:19-20. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Let’s pray together that FBC Canton becomes this kind of church. Aaron Hodges