Bait and Switch

Seems to me that every now and then we hear this grumbling in the church: “I came, I listened, I gave my life to Christ, now why hasn’t my life improved?” They have heard testimonies and faith stories of how God showed up and rescued people from impossible situations, nothing short of miraculous. Now these folks are left wondering: “But where is the miracle in my life…?”

These folks have come to churches looking for their miracle, their promises…and when they don’t happen they are rightfully perplexed. They came to church, they gave an offering, and they even served in a ministry…but still no miracle in their lives. So what’s the deal? Who can we blame for this? God is an easy target.

This has led some churches to teach a Gospel that feeds this false hope, and implies the idea that the “better” a Christian you are, the “better” God will bless you in this world. That is just false. God can and will bless us, but He is the one who defines it, not us. When we look for the miracle we want, we turn God into our own personal genie. That is not the God of the Bible, nor the God of history. We were made in God’s image to glorify Him. We are to make Him the object of our praise, and not the other way around.

God did not promise an easy life if we do what He says. God did promise a way out of this life through Jesus. Just as Jesus did not promise those who chose to follow Him an “easy” journeyand as a matter of fact, Jesus used some pretty harsh language describing the consequences of such a choice.

I do not want to go on about false teachings or false hopes. I want to go on about Jesus. He promises life-everlasting. Jesus promises abundant life…a life without the need for worry or anxiety, a life of hope and of promise. Not a promise of a comfortable lifestyle or worry-free living from the consequences of this world. If that were the case Paul should have had a palace and a retirement package for all of the Gospel spreading he did. Read his letters that he wrote…several were written while he was in prison to offer encouragement to a persecuted church.

Look at this verse from his letter to the Romans:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

The key to this passage is that Paul says “in all things God works for good” not “that all things are good”. Paul is saying that God can use anything or anyone to fulfill His purposes if we love Him and let Him.

When it comes to sharing the Gospel - the “Good News” of Jesus Christ, some people are willing to get people to church or to listen to them by any means possible. I love the intentions, but I am not so sure the end justifies the means. After all it implies that Jesus alone is not enough. That somehow the more we have to offer, the better chance of winning more people to the church…as if God needs our help. We are tempted to offer more and more, and then the possibility of a “Bait-N-Switch” becomes the reality.

There is only one way to heaven: Jesus, but there are many ways to get to Jesus. We need to stop worrying about how to “get” people to church with our new and exciting experiential services, or our new marketing campaign, and focus on helping people experience Jesus. We need less chatter and more of His Word, period. No baiting, no empty promises, just the Truth of His Word. Maybe we should take up the tag-line “Church – just because He said so”, instead of anything else.

There is a lot of “Bait-N-Switch” going on these days, and the greatest one is being done by the enemy – He wants us to believe we can save ourselves, grab as much as we can while we can, and then you will be happy. But then the “switch” happens…we are not so happy, and we just want more…

There is a hole inside of us all, and we want to desperately fill it. Unfortunately, it is not a hole that can be filled with feelings or stuff, and I can say this with some confidence because I have tried. It is a hole that is in the shape of a cross…and only the cross of Christ fits. Then He is in us, and we can live in Him. No promise of easy, but then again when has easy been the way to go to get what really matters most?

Maybe we should stop looking for easy and start looking for Jesus…just saying.

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat

What's Weighing You Down?

What's weighing you down? Are there current things or things in your past that are keeping you from moving forward? We all have a past; I wasn't always a pastor ya know. But our problems and/or our past do not determine our future.

First, the past is the past, and there is nothing we can do to change it now. The past does not define or limit who we can be, only who we were. We allow it to define us only when we refuse to let go of it. Letting go of our past is nothing more than that. It is not a surrender to it or any acknowledgement that it is anything more than it was...our past.

Next, are there problems you are currently dealing with that have stopped your forward progress? These can be anything from the loss of a job to an illness in the family. Whatever it is, the mere presence of it has apparently stopped you in your tracks. You feel like if you can just get through it then...then you can what? Then it will all be OK? Wishful thinking, right? Because as soon as you get through one thing there is going to be a next one right around the corner.

This is not the way it is supposed to be. OK, you might be thinking "Great, now tell me to stop worrying...". Hold on a minute, that's not my plan. My plan is to talk about what we can do in "spite" of these situations or conditions...and it all comes down to perspective. Ask yourself this: "When things go wrong do I find myself often times wondering why is this happening to me(us)?". If you do, you are not alone; this is a common response.

If we view life as how it is supposed to be according to what works best for ourselves, then everything that happens is filtered through that "to me" filter. If we step back and consider God's plan, then we can respond to life as direction from a master craftsman. We start to see things as happening "for" us not just "to" us anymore. A hammer can't complain that it is not being used right, just like it can't take credit for the work it helps accomplish. So how do we change our perspective?

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17, 18 NIV)

The real answer is that we don't, He can. When we shift our vision from us to Him then we see things as He sees them. We then can start to be content where we are. After all, unless God is wrong, we are already where we are supposed to be. And what we are in control of is our next choice, not dependent on situations or circumstances, but dependent on Him. It is not where we are that matters, but where we are going...it is the first part of what Jesus taught us how we should pray:

"This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9,10)

Do you know where you are going? When you do, then everything that happens is for you, as part of God's plan to show people what a relationship with Jesus looks like, and then they might ask you why...and you can tell them.

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat

So How Much Ya Got?

Well…we ask this about everything, don’t we? I mean it seems like this question gets asked an awful lot. Maybe it stems from the false belief that more is better…or maybe it is from curiosity that if someone has a bunch of something, then by asking how much he or she has we might infer “surplus”, wherein this person might be inclined to share some of the excess with someone who has none (wink)? Just saying…

So then what do we have or could have where how much of it, if any ,we have really matters?

This morning a friend sent me a text with this quote:

“To the one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To the one without faith, no explanation is possible.” Thomas Aquinas

This got me thinking…how much faith is enough? Or ample? Or sufficient? Is faith measurable?

The Bible says that “small” faith is powerful:

“…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

Faith seems to come in quantity then, right? I have heard statements like these:

“Wow, you must have a lot of faith to have done that.”

Or “That takes more faith than I have…”

OK, then are there levels of faith, like beginner, intermediate or advanced. I don’t believe so. I believe faith is just like a muscle - the more you work it out the stronger it becomes, or if you neglect it totally it might become so weak that it is useless. Quantity doesn’t seem as important as just having some…and if you have some you need to use it, otherwise how do you really know you have it, right? It is also not your only muscle...but it is an important one. Faith is a muscle for your Spirituality; kind of like the heart is a muscle for your body...you can't have spirituality without faith or a body without a heart. So how does one use or exercise one's faith? Glad you asked.

Using it then means acting on faith. The book of Hebrews offers a definition of faith in Chapter 11 verse 1: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Are you certain of what you do not see? For the most part I would say, “I don’t feel certain…” But I am certain God can see it, so I accept He knows what He is doing and what is next whether or not I “feel” certain...and that gives me certain peace.

SO how much faith is enough? My answer is: “Any…”. Then I would say, “Now use it and see what happens”.

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat

Are We There Yet?

Having just gotten back from a little time away that required just around 12 hours of driving, I was pondering something…and to my surprise the phrase “Are we there yet?” was actually not really used at all. I have been driving my four children around for over 15 years, and I have heard this phrase used on 20 minute trips to a friend’s house. But this trip was different, and yes, the kids did come.

When did the question stop? GPS…GPS stopped the question in its tracks. How you ask? Because the GPS says “when” we will be getting there down to the minute, As soon as we got it, as valuable as the calculated route was to my bride and I (HUGE value), my kids for the first time had their most desired information at the tip of their fingers so to speak – GPS answered the question “Are we there yet?”! …now this got me thinking.

How we get somewhere is important to some, while to others it is more about the how-long. Is this what matters most? Are “how” or “how-long” the keys to enjoying a journey? I think not…no, wait I KNOW they aren’t! The key is the destination, right? Both how and how-long are going to the same place! As believers we know the story and how it ends, and that we will ultimately be in heaven some day. But we still stress so much during the journey…(we need GPS for life…).

Because, that is our nature. We find some kind of purpose in being anxious about what is next, like that is what matters most. The key is not to be so driven that what is next is all that matters…when that happens we end up missing the gift of “now”. There is a reason it is called the “present” ya know…just saying. SO where is the GPS for life to answer the question “Are we there yet?”. It is in His Word (Greek=logos), and that is a name for Jesus.

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:12-13 (NIV)

What is NEXT matters most when we are trying to get something or somewhere… But NOW matters most when Jesus is with you. Sound simple? That is because it is. We can find peace where we are when we are with Jesus. So instead of trying to get somewhere or feel better, just take Jesus with you. Enjoy the gift of now…after all it is exactly where you are supposed to be.

Bring Jesus wherever you are, and then you can enjoy the spot that you are in…

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat