Pastor Steve's Corner https://www.coltsneckchurch.com Thoughts, ideas, and announcements from Pastor Steve Mon, 18 Mar 2024 22:40:36 -0400 http://churchplantmedia.com/ 30 Days in the Bible, Day 30: Hebrews 10:21-25 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-30-hebrews- https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-30-hebrews-#comments Mon, 03 Apr 2017 21:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-30-hebrews- With today’s post, we reach the end of our 30 day journey for 2017. I want to encourage all of you to continue to faithfully read and study the Word every day. I hope that in going through this devotional you have learned the habit of spending time each day with the Lord and that this habit will remain with you for the rest of your life. (Of course, some of you m ay already have developed the habit, so I encourage you to keep it going!)

One of the blessings of our church’s “30 Days in the Bible” comes from many people studying the same passages together. Each one who has come along on this year’s journey has not only read and meditated on the same Biblical passages but also studied the same teaching on those passages. This gives us a common thread to share with one another as we work through this Bible study on service together.

Personal devotions, quiet time, morning meditation- whatever you call your time with the Lord, it is a precious part of the day. Every Christian needs that time alone in the Word, meditation, study, and prayer in order to develop a stronger relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to grow in both knowledge of God and His Word and in the ability and desire to put that knowledge into practice. I can’t urge you strongly enough to take time with Him every day.

There is another aspect of our time with the Lord, however. As we spend time alone with the Lord, we should encourage others to do the same. This fits in with what the author of Hebrews tells us to do, to encourage each other to “love and good works.” That love isn’t just directed to people, but to God as well. The good works we do will flow from our relationship with Jesus, which we build through our personal time with Him. We ought to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to strengthen their own relationships with Him, and they should encourage us to do the same.

Many people like to have a “workout buddy” when they exercise. When two people go to the gym together it becomes easier to find motivation for a workout and harder to make excuses to skip the gym. In a similar way, we can look for a spiritual “workout buddy” to keep us focused on spending time with the Lord and encouraging us not to skip out on our daily walk with Him.

There are ways to have your quiet time with God alone and do it together with someone else. You could both study through the same passage of Scripture at the same time. You could use a common devotional guide (like we do with the “30 Days” guides). You could simply get together and talk about what the Lord is developing in your life through your time with Him. Any way that two (or more) people can encourage each other is a way to keep doing good by growing with Jesus.

It is my prayer that today won’t be the last time you look into the Word. I also encourage you, if you feel that you may not be consistent in your time with the Lord, to find someone to help you and encourage you in this daily practice. May the Lord bless you as you continue to love Him, honor Him, serve Him, and draw near to Him.

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With today’s post, we reach the end of our 30 day journey for 2017. I want to encourage all of you to continue to faithfully read and study the Word every day. I hope that in going through this devotional you have learned the habit of spending time each day with the Lord and that this habit will remain with you for the rest of your life. (Of course, some of you m ay already have developed the habit, so I encourage you to keep it going!)

One of the blessings of our church’s “30 Days in the Bible” comes from many people studying the same passages together. Each one who has come along on this year’s journey has not only read and meditated on the same Biblical passages but also studied the same teaching on those passages. This gives us a common thread to share with one another as we work through this Bible study on service together.

Personal devotions, quiet time, morning meditation- whatever you call your time with the Lord, it is a precious part of the day. Every Christian needs that time alone in the Word, meditation, study, and prayer in order to develop a stronger relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to grow in both knowledge of God and His Word and in the ability and desire to put that knowledge into practice. I can’t urge you strongly enough to take time with Him every day.

There is another aspect of our time with the Lord, however. As we spend time alone with the Lord, we should encourage others to do the same. This fits in with what the author of Hebrews tells us to do, to encourage each other to “love and good works.” That love isn’t just directed to people, but to God as well. The good works we do will flow from our relationship with Jesus, which we build through our personal time with Him. We ought to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to strengthen their own relationships with Him, and they should encourage us to do the same.

Many people like to have a “workout buddy” when they exercise. When two people go to the gym together it becomes easier to find motivation for a workout and harder to make excuses to skip the gym. In a similar way, we can look for a spiritual “workout buddy” to keep us focused on spending time with the Lord and encouraging us not to skip out on our daily walk with Him.

There are ways to have your quiet time with God alone and do it together with someone else. You could both study through the same passage of Scripture at the same time. You could use a common devotional guide (like we do with the “30 Days” guides). You could simply get together and talk about what the Lord is developing in your life through your time with Him. Any way that two (or more) people can encourage each other is a way to keep doing good by growing with Jesus.

It is my prayer that today won’t be the last time you look into the Word. I also encourage you, if you feel that you may not be consistent in your time with the Lord, to find someone to help you and encourage you in this daily practice. May the Lord bless you as you continue to love Him, honor Him, serve Him, and draw near to Him.

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30 Day sin the Bible, Day 29: Luke 18:9-14 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-daysin-the-bible-day-29- https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-daysin-the-bible-day-29-#comments Sun, 02 Apr 2017 21:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-daysin-the-bible-day-29- Luke tells us the intended audience for this parable was people who had two qualities. The first is that they trusted that they were able to do what was necessary to be righteous on their own. While they gave lip service to God as their help, they really believed that they were able to fully obey His commands in their power. They might occasionally sin, but they always did what was necessary to atone for that sin. When it came to keeping the law, making the right sacrifices, giving the correct offerings, and even following the rules that were created in addition to the law, they thought that they did everything necessary to please God.

The second quality was reflected in their treatment of others. They looked down on others who they did not think were as righteous as they were. The tax collector in the parable is an example of that. Tax collectors were viewed by many Jews as traitors for helping the Roman oppressors. The reputation of tax collectors was also questionable. Those who saw themselves as the keepers of true Judaism despised them as inferior in their holiness. Tax collectors were only one group; the “holy ones” looked down on anyone who they considered a sinner or insufficiently thorough in their obedience to the law.

This led to not only spiritual pride, but also to working for the wrong reasons. When the Pharisees bragged about their keeping of minute rules for holiness that went even beyond the law, they weren’t necessarily lying. The apostle Paul in his epistles talks about his own practice as a Pharisee and claims that he was exemplary, even after he had come to Jesus. The problem with this kind of practice was that it became an end in itself. They lost sight of the God they were supposedly trying to please, focusing instead on keeping score against each other and those they thought were less holy than themselves.

The temptation to do good works for the wrong reason still remains with us today. We can labor in our church so that others will see how much we do for the Lord and be impressed. We might take on a difficult job just to prove that we can do what no one else could. We start to add up everything we do and compare ourselves to others, seeing if we can score higher on whatever standard of holiness we have set up for ourselves.

When striving for holiness becomes something we do to feel good about our own spiritual progress, we need to change our focus. All of the good works we can do won’t mean a thing unless they are done for the glory of God. Our service to the Lord should be a point of humility rather than one of pride. We should labor as servants of a perfect master rather than as holy specimens of human excellence. The best people on earth are bound for hell without Jesus Christ. When we recognize that, and view our labor as an act of humble gratitude to Him, we will be able to truly give the Lord what He wants from us.

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Luke tells us the intended audience for this parable was people who had two qualities. The first is that they trusted that they were able to do what was necessary to be righteous on their own. While they gave lip service to God as their help, they really believed that they were able to fully obey His commands in their power. They might occasionally sin, but they always did what was necessary to atone for that sin. When it came to keeping the law, making the right sacrifices, giving the correct offerings, and even following the rules that were created in addition to the law, they thought that they did everything necessary to please God.

The second quality was reflected in their treatment of others. They looked down on others who they did not think were as righteous as they were. The tax collector in the parable is an example of that. Tax collectors were viewed by many Jews as traitors for helping the Roman oppressors. The reputation of tax collectors was also questionable. Those who saw themselves as the keepers of true Judaism despised them as inferior in their holiness. Tax collectors were only one group; the “holy ones” looked down on anyone who they considered a sinner or insufficiently thorough in their obedience to the law.

This led to not only spiritual pride, but also to working for the wrong reasons. When the Pharisees bragged about their keeping of minute rules for holiness that went even beyond the law, they weren’t necessarily lying. The apostle Paul in his epistles talks about his own practice as a Pharisee and claims that he was exemplary, even after he had come to Jesus. The problem with this kind of practice was that it became an end in itself. They lost sight of the God they were supposedly trying to please, focusing instead on keeping score against each other and those they thought were less holy than themselves.

The temptation to do good works for the wrong reason still remains with us today. We can labor in our church so that others will see how much we do for the Lord and be impressed. We might take on a difficult job just to prove that we can do what no one else could. We start to add up everything we do and compare ourselves to others, seeing if we can score higher on whatever standard of holiness we have set up for ourselves.

When striving for holiness becomes something we do to feel good about our own spiritual progress, we need to change our focus. All of the good works we can do won’t mean a thing unless they are done for the glory of God. Our service to the Lord should be a point of humility rather than one of pride. We should labor as servants of a perfect master rather than as holy specimens of human excellence. The best people on earth are bound for hell without Jesus Christ. When we recognize that, and view our labor as an act of humble gratitude to Him, we will be able to truly give the Lord what He wants from us.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 28: Revelation 3:14-22 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-28-revelation-314-22 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-28-revelation-314-22#comments Sat, 01 Apr 2017 21:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-28-revelation-314-22 There are over 300,000 churches in the United States, taking all the various denominations and independent churches into account. With about one church for every 1000 people, we should see a huge impact for Christ on our national culture. Yet it seems that the exact opposite is true, and that the church of Jesus Christ is having less and less of an impact on our society every year.

Some of this is due to the fact that there are churches that classify themselves as “Christian” that hold to very little of historic orthodox Christianity. They may ignore the Bible entirely, see Jesus as just a good man and teacher who wasn’t really God, and take their cues from the hot social issues of the day rather than the Word of God. We would hardly expect a church that has abandoned Christianity to have an impact for Christ.

Yet there are many churches that still hold to the Word of God and who exalt Jesus as Savior and Lord. There should be more than enough of these to make a difference for the kingdom. While we see some effective ministries going on and some voices raised on critical questions of our day, the church remains largely silent and ineffective.

When we compare this to what was happening in Laodicea at the time Revelation was written, we can see why this might be happening. There are churches that believe themselves to be defenders of the faith, which faithfully minister to their congregation, but engage in almost no ministry outside of their own doors. Whether through fear, intimidation, or pride, they think all they have to do is present Jesus to anyone who happens to wander in while meeting the needs of their congregation and they are successfully expanding the kingdom of God.

The church of 2017 needs to be hot or cold. We need to bring a healing word to our broken society or a word of refreshment to those who are run over by life. Our ministry can’t stop at the door of the church, but has to go out into the community, the region, and the world that surrounds us. The church should be opening the door for Jesus to come in, but then following Him out of that door and into a lost, hurting, and needy world.

This requires every member of our church to be willing to be “hot or cold” for Jesus. It is when we work together and take a stand for Jesus together that we will see the kingdom of God through our service. When our churches band together to seek to impact a larger area, a state, the nation, or the world, we’ll see the kind of impact that we ought to have as the followers of Jesus. With Jesus and His Word at the center of our ministry and our own willingness to engage our culture for Him, the kingdom will grow, and we will see the kind of results we expect to see as the Spirit works through us and brings people into a right relationship with our Lord.

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There are over 300,000 churches in the United States, taking all the various denominations and independent churches into account. With about one church for every 1000 people, we should see a huge impact for Christ on our national culture. Yet it seems that the exact opposite is true, and that the church of Jesus Christ is having less and less of an impact on our society every year.

Some of this is due to the fact that there are churches that classify themselves as “Christian” that hold to very little of historic orthodox Christianity. They may ignore the Bible entirely, see Jesus as just a good man and teacher who wasn’t really God, and take their cues from the hot social issues of the day rather than the Word of God. We would hardly expect a church that has abandoned Christianity to have an impact for Christ.

Yet there are many churches that still hold to the Word of God and who exalt Jesus as Savior and Lord. There should be more than enough of these to make a difference for the kingdom. While we see some effective ministries going on and some voices raised on critical questions of our day, the church remains largely silent and ineffective.

When we compare this to what was happening in Laodicea at the time Revelation was written, we can see why this might be happening. There are churches that believe themselves to be defenders of the faith, which faithfully minister to their congregation, but engage in almost no ministry outside of their own doors. Whether through fear, intimidation, or pride, they think all they have to do is present Jesus to anyone who happens to wander in while meeting the needs of their congregation and they are successfully expanding the kingdom of God.

The church of 2017 needs to be hot or cold. We need to bring a healing word to our broken society or a word of refreshment to those who are run over by life. Our ministry can’t stop at the door of the church, but has to go out into the community, the region, and the world that surrounds us. The church should be opening the door for Jesus to come in, but then following Him out of that door and into a lost, hurting, and needy world.

This requires every member of our church to be willing to be “hot or cold” for Jesus. It is when we work together and take a stand for Jesus together that we will see the kingdom of God through our service. When our churches band together to seek to impact a larger area, a state, the nation, or the world, we’ll see the kind of impact that we ought to have as the followers of Jesus. With Jesus and His Word at the center of our ministry and our own willingness to engage our culture for Him, the kingdom will grow, and we will see the kind of results we expect to see as the Spirit works through us and brings people into a right relationship with our Lord.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 27: Revelation 3:7-13 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-27-revelation-37-13 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-27-revelation-37-13#comments Fri, 31 Mar 2017 23:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-27-revelation-37-13 Endurance is not a quality often valued in our fast-paced modern world. We get annoyed if the line at the drive-through is more than two cars long, we think second-day shipping is too slow, and don’t even think about what happens when the wifi connection slows down. We live in a time of instant gratification, and we expect that everything we want can come to us almost instantaneously.

This is even true of some segments of the church. They look for God to provide quick answers to prayers, seek after some simple steps to sanctification, and wonder why evangelistic efforts don’t show immediate results. Now it is true that sometimes God does work rapidly and provide amazing answers to prayer soon after we pray, but more often the Lord works through a process that occurs on His timing rather than ours.

Our church has witnessed remarkable growth over the past few years. To some who have come in recently, it seems like the Lord has blessed us with rapid growth, with many prayers answered in a short time. The process that led to this growth started over a decade ago, when the pastor who was here at the time started the church looking to serve beyond our own doors. We went out into the community with a desire to meet the needs we saw in the name of Jesus. While there was some growth, it didn’t come immediately, and it was accompanied by a lot of prayer and waiting on the Lord.

Over the years, there have been changes in the church, and the Lord certainly has blessed us. But we must never assume that His blessings will always come quickly. He may choose to have us spend an extended time in prayer and ask us to wait for His answer in His time. That requires endurance, and it’s not easy. Yet, just as in the church at Philadelphia, the Lord is honored and pleased when we hold fast to Him and wait to see Him at work.

Persevering is never easy, and our society doesn’t do anything to encourage us in our patience. We can only do this when we focus on the One with the keys to all the doors we knock on. Some He may open for us right away; others may require us to wait to be opened; and some may be doors the Lord closes and wants us to leave closed. It is when we patiently seek His will that we will know which doors are which.

We can expect to be called to wait on the Lord at some time in our lives and in our church’s ministry. When that happens, we will continue to serve the Lord and minister to others as we wait. As we endure, we will honor Jesus and show our trust in Him to our impatient world.

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Endurance is not a quality often valued in our fast-paced modern world. We get annoyed if the line at the drive-through is more than two cars long, we think second-day shipping is too slow, and don’t even think about what happens when the wifi connection slows down. We live in a time of instant gratification, and we expect that everything we want can come to us almost instantaneously.

This is even true of some segments of the church. They look for God to provide quick answers to prayers, seek after some simple steps to sanctification, and wonder why evangelistic efforts don’t show immediate results. Now it is true that sometimes God does work rapidly and provide amazing answers to prayer soon after we pray, but more often the Lord works through a process that occurs on His timing rather than ours.

Our church has witnessed remarkable growth over the past few years. To some who have come in recently, it seems like the Lord has blessed us with rapid growth, with many prayers answered in a short time. The process that led to this growth started over a decade ago, when the pastor who was here at the time started the church looking to serve beyond our own doors. We went out into the community with a desire to meet the needs we saw in the name of Jesus. While there was some growth, it didn’t come immediately, and it was accompanied by a lot of prayer and waiting on the Lord.

Over the years, there have been changes in the church, and the Lord certainly has blessed us. But we must never assume that His blessings will always come quickly. He may choose to have us spend an extended time in prayer and ask us to wait for His answer in His time. That requires endurance, and it’s not easy. Yet, just as in the church at Philadelphia, the Lord is honored and pleased when we hold fast to Him and wait to see Him at work.

Persevering is never easy, and our society doesn’t do anything to encourage us in our patience. We can only do this when we focus on the One with the keys to all the doors we knock on. Some He may open for us right away; others may require us to wait to be opened; and some may be doors the Lord closes and wants us to leave closed. It is when we patiently seek His will that we will know which doors are which.

We can expect to be called to wait on the Lord at some time in our lives and in our church’s ministry. When that happens, we will continue to serve the Lord and minister to others as we wait. As we endure, we will honor Jesus and show our trust in Him to our impatient world.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 26: Revelation 3:1-6 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-26-revelation-31-6 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-26-revelation-31-6#comments Thu, 30 Mar 2017 22:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-26-revelation-31-6 One of the hardest things to do is to stand for what is right when almost everyone around you is standing for something wrong. There is pressure to agree with the group so you don’t look like a stubborn holdout. People will try to convince you that what they believe or practice isn’t really wrong. They may even accuse you of being the one who is holding on to an incorrect or even sinful attitude, belief, or practice.

This pressure is a result of going against the grain of human nature. Those who want to follow their own desires don’t want to be saddled with a guilty conscience, so they convince themselves that they’re really OK if you just look at what they’re doing in the right light. When a faithful servant of Jesus thinks or lives in a way that shines the light of truth on them, they fight back, trying to justify their behavior while ignoring the warning God is giving them.

In the church at Sardis, there were a few who kept themselves from the stain of the world. While the rest of the church was barely alive, they stood fast for Jesus. Their conduct was a reminder of what it meant to be a faithful follower of the Lord, and I would imagine they faced some stiff peer pressure to fall in line with the rest of the congregation. Yet they wanted to be ready if they should meet the Lord, whether by His return or through death.

As a result of their faithfulness, they were the only ones Jesus commends in His letter to church. He sees through the reputation of the church and gives them a harsh warning, but He promises those who were faithful that they will walk with Him. Standing firm for the Lord would result in a reward far beyond what they could attain through their own selfish, sinful desires.

If Jesus were to visit our church today, what would He say about each of us? Would we be the ones who are commended for standing firm for the truth and for serving faithfully despite the pressures placed on us? Or would we be the ones receiving a warning that our reputation doesn’t match our work? Our goal should be to hear the praise of our Lord when He comes for us, and to know that we have been able by His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to resist the temptation to compromise.

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One of the hardest things to do is to stand for what is right when almost everyone around you is standing for something wrong. There is pressure to agree with the group so you don’t look like a stubborn holdout. People will try to convince you that what they believe or practice isn’t really wrong. They may even accuse you of being the one who is holding on to an incorrect or even sinful attitude, belief, or practice.

This pressure is a result of going against the grain of human nature. Those who want to follow their own desires don’t want to be saddled with a guilty conscience, so they convince themselves that they’re really OK if you just look at what they’re doing in the right light. When a faithful servant of Jesus thinks or lives in a way that shines the light of truth on them, they fight back, trying to justify their behavior while ignoring the warning God is giving them.

In the church at Sardis, there were a few who kept themselves from the stain of the world. While the rest of the church was barely alive, they stood fast for Jesus. Their conduct was a reminder of what it meant to be a faithful follower of the Lord, and I would imagine they faced some stiff peer pressure to fall in line with the rest of the congregation. Yet they wanted to be ready if they should meet the Lord, whether by His return or through death.

As a result of their faithfulness, they were the only ones Jesus commends in His letter to church. He sees through the reputation of the church and gives them a harsh warning, but He promises those who were faithful that they will walk with Him. Standing firm for the Lord would result in a reward far beyond what they could attain through their own selfish, sinful desires.

If Jesus were to visit our church today, what would He say about each of us? Would we be the ones who are commended for standing firm for the truth and for serving faithfully despite the pressures placed on us? Or would we be the ones receiving a warning that our reputation doesn’t match our work? Our goal should be to hear the praise of our Lord when He comes for us, and to know that we have been able by His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to resist the temptation to compromise.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 25: Nehemiah 4:1-6 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-25-nehemiah-6 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-25-nehemiah-6#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2017 22:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-25-nehemiah-6 Seeing the world mock God’s people is not a new phenomenon. We may think that we face unprecedented challenges from those who not only oppose God but who actively ridicule even the thought of Him. Yet we see in this passage that open mockery has been used by those opposed to the Lord for millennia.

I believe the enemies of Israel not only sought to discourage the Israelites, but to encourage themselves. They wanted to believe that they were able to keep Israel in check and that anything the Jews did would only be done with their approval. Their snide comments and condescending insults weren’t designed just to sap the spirit of Israel, but also to bolster the spirit of their enemies. Their observations were based on their own self-perceived superiority.

The same is true of those who mock Jesus and His church today. They not only want to discourage people from actively seeking and serving the Lord; they also want to make themselves feel superior. From their vantage point they are the intelligent, the wise, and the strong. Anyone who tries to follow Jesus is, by contrast, stupid, foolish, and weak. There is often no argument given anymore, since the superiority of the enemies of Christ is simply assumed by the culture at large.

The best way to fight back is not to stand and argue with the mockers, but to do what Nehemiah did: pray, trust, and work. If we are inconstant communication with our Heavenly Father, He will hear and answer our prayers whether others believe in prayer or not. If we trust Him, we will find the faith to believe we can overcome the obstacles set before us, no matter what those obstacles may be. If we work for the Lord, we will see results for His kingdom that no amount of insult can destroy.

Our world not only doesn’t think that it is important to follow the Lord, but that to follow Him is a foolish waste of time. We need to stand strong against this tide, which we can only do through the strength He gives us. Our prayers, our faith, and our labors for Jesus will have profound results when we focus on Him and what He has called us to do rather than the hollow mockery of those who do not believe.

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Seeing the world mock God’s people is not a new phenomenon. We may think that we face unprecedented challenges from those who not only oppose God but who actively ridicule even the thought of Him. Yet we see in this passage that open mockery has been used by those opposed to the Lord for millennia.

I believe the enemies of Israel not only sought to discourage the Israelites, but to encourage themselves. They wanted to believe that they were able to keep Israel in check and that anything the Jews did would only be done with their approval. Their snide comments and condescending insults weren’t designed just to sap the spirit of Israel, but also to bolster the spirit of their enemies. Their observations were based on their own self-perceived superiority.

The same is true of those who mock Jesus and His church today. They not only want to discourage people from actively seeking and serving the Lord; they also want to make themselves feel superior. From their vantage point they are the intelligent, the wise, and the strong. Anyone who tries to follow Jesus is, by contrast, stupid, foolish, and weak. There is often no argument given anymore, since the superiority of the enemies of Christ is simply assumed by the culture at large.

The best way to fight back is not to stand and argue with the mockers, but to do what Nehemiah did: pray, trust, and work. If we are inconstant communication with our Heavenly Father, He will hear and answer our prayers whether others believe in prayer or not. If we trust Him, we will find the faith to believe we can overcome the obstacles set before us, no matter what those obstacles may be. If we work for the Lord, we will see results for His kingdom that no amount of insult can destroy.

Our world not only doesn’t think that it is important to follow the Lord, but that to follow Him is a foolish waste of time. We need to stand strong against this tide, which we can only do through the strength He gives us. Our prayers, our faith, and our labors for Jesus will have profound results when we focus on Him and what He has called us to do rather than the hollow mockery of those who do not believe.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 24: Exodus 20:8-11 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-24-exodus-20 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-24-exodus-20#comments Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-24-exodus-20 Leisure is a topic that generates a lot of interest in our frenetic society. You can find articles in magazines, posts online, and entire books written about leisure. With this kind of attention, you might think that there is a broad movement devoted to the pursuit of leisure, and that we live in a well-rested and relaxed society.

You would be wrong.

For many people, even their leisure is labor. The activities they pursue have an end other than rest and rejuvenation. Perhaps an exercise once done to renew the body has now become an end of its own, and requires a schedule as demanding as regular employment. They might even take part in activities they don’t especially enjoy in order to gain the favor of the boss, make profitable connections, or satisfy a group of family or friends. There is almost a sigh of relief when it’s time to go back to work!

Now this doesn’t mean that all leisure means you have to simply rest or only participate in activities that have no other purpose. What sets a “restful” activity apart from a “laborious” one is the motivation behind it. IF my activity is designed simply to extend my work time into my leisure hours, it ceases to provide rest and renewal. If my leisure is intended to allow my body, mind, and spirit to be refreshed, it will do that even if it incidentally provides me with other benefits.

An example of this is working out. For some people, a workout is just another job, except you pay for the privilege rather than getting paid. You put in your hour at the gym, your five miles on the run, or your 20 laps in the pool, then go home. You’ve done what you needed to do for the benefits of your body, but there was no enjoyment in it. For others, though, that same workout is a time to renew energy, to have time to think while you exercise, or simply to enjoy using the physical gifts God has given. The difference is not the activity, but the attitude.

When the Lord commanded a day of rest for Israel, it was intended for rest. It was to be a day when daily work was set aside, and people could recover from their labors. It makes sense that this became a day of worship, a day of spiritual as well as physical renewal. God did not create us to work 24/7; He made us with a need for a regular cycle of rest.

With all of the activities we have scheduled for ourselves (not to mention our children!), do we also schedule in a time of rest? You may have something you enjoy doing that needs time away from the grind of daily life, and you need to make time for it. Whether it’s reading a book, taking a hike, playing golf, having a family game night, or going out with some friends, when we take time to rest we are fulfilling God’s plan for us.

We also need to plan in our worship. When our activities crowd out time for the Lord our activities become our god. When we center our lives around them rather than Jesus they no longer are a rest, but an additional burden we may not even realize. Our rest must include a time of resting in the presence of our Savior, to be renewed in spirit for our lives in a challenging world. When we put all of this together, we will find we are indeed refreshed and renewed, able to serve the Lord with strength of body, mind, and spirit.

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Leisure is a topic that generates a lot of interest in our frenetic society. You can find articles in magazines, posts online, and entire books written about leisure. With this kind of attention, you might think that there is a broad movement devoted to the pursuit of leisure, and that we live in a well-rested and relaxed society.

You would be wrong.

For many people, even their leisure is labor. The activities they pursue have an end other than rest and rejuvenation. Perhaps an exercise once done to renew the body has now become an end of its own, and requires a schedule as demanding as regular employment. They might even take part in activities they don’t especially enjoy in order to gain the favor of the boss, make profitable connections, or satisfy a group of family or friends. There is almost a sigh of relief when it’s time to go back to work!

Now this doesn’t mean that all leisure means you have to simply rest or only participate in activities that have no other purpose. What sets a “restful” activity apart from a “laborious” one is the motivation behind it. IF my activity is designed simply to extend my work time into my leisure hours, it ceases to provide rest and renewal. If my leisure is intended to allow my body, mind, and spirit to be refreshed, it will do that even if it incidentally provides me with other benefits.

An example of this is working out. For some people, a workout is just another job, except you pay for the privilege rather than getting paid. You put in your hour at the gym, your five miles on the run, or your 20 laps in the pool, then go home. You’ve done what you needed to do for the benefits of your body, but there was no enjoyment in it. For others, though, that same workout is a time to renew energy, to have time to think while you exercise, or simply to enjoy using the physical gifts God has given. The difference is not the activity, but the attitude.

When the Lord commanded a day of rest for Israel, it was intended for rest. It was to be a day when daily work was set aside, and people could recover from their labors. It makes sense that this became a day of worship, a day of spiritual as well as physical renewal. God did not create us to work 24/7; He made us with a need for a regular cycle of rest.

With all of the activities we have scheduled for ourselves (not to mention our children!), do we also schedule in a time of rest? You may have something you enjoy doing that needs time away from the grind of daily life, and you need to make time for it. Whether it’s reading a book, taking a hike, playing golf, having a family game night, or going out with some friends, when we take time to rest we are fulfilling God’s plan for us.

We also need to plan in our worship. When our activities crowd out time for the Lord our activities become our god. When we center our lives around them rather than Jesus they no longer are a rest, but an additional burden we may not even realize. Our rest must include a time of resting in the presence of our Savior, to be renewed in spirit for our lives in a challenging world. When we put all of this together, we will find we are indeed refreshed and renewed, able to serve the Lord with strength of body, mind, and spirit.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 23: Proverbs 6:6-11 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-23-proverbs- https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-23-proverbs-#comments Mon, 27 Mar 2017 18:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-23-proverbs- My house is periodically infested with ants. They seem to find every possible scrap of food (at least, ant food), and when they do we’ll find a whole trail of ants heading to the location. They know what they need, and when they find it they not only labor to acquire it but get the rest of the nest involved. They also seem to know the difference between real food and an ant trap, given how unsuccessfully we put out the traps for them.

The ant is not only a picture of hard, faithful work, but of working together. While Solomon doesn’t deal with armies of ants, his portrayal of the ant’s labor can be multiplied by the number available to do the work. Where one ant may not be able to move a particularly good find, a swarm can carry it off. The combined labor of many ants can do what one ant cannot.

The sluggard to whom Solomon compares the ant is not only no good for work himself, but is unwilling to help others. His laziness creates problems for him, but it also makes him a burden on other people. When he becomes poverty-stricken, he will need the assistance of others to survive. In the time of Solomon, he’d probably find it, although he certainly would never become wealthy from it. His prosperous and hard-working compatriots would have to make up for his lack of effort.

I think we can apply this extension of Solomon’s observations to the church. Each one of us is gifted and called by God to a specific ministry in our church. As we labor diligently and faithfully, we enable the church to carry out its ministry to extend the kingdom of Jesus. When we work together with our fellow members, using our gifts in support of each other, the results grow even more than when we labor alone. Serving the Lord together can produce results far beyond what laboring for Him individually can.

Conversely, when we refuse to use our gifts and just sit back and let others do all the work, we hold back the work of the kingdom. We seek to have our needs met, using the time and talents of others, while not contributing ourselves. The gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit lie dormant, and perhaps a critical ministry in the church is weakened because we aren’t using our gifts for their intended purpose.

As members of the church of Jesus Christ, and of a local church as well, we need to examine ourselves and ask if we’re ants or sluggards. Is our labor done faithfully, working with others to build the church and the kingdom? Or are we those who sit and relax, expecting others to do all the work for us? If every member of the church decides that we want to serve our Lord to the best of the abilities He has given us and to support each other with our labor, we will see the ministry of our church grow and the kingdom of our Lord expand throughout our neighborhood, our region, and our world.

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My house is periodically infested with ants. They seem to find every possible scrap of food (at least, ant food), and when they do we’ll find a whole trail of ants heading to the location. They know what they need, and when they find it they not only labor to acquire it but get the rest of the nest involved. They also seem to know the difference between real food and an ant trap, given how unsuccessfully we put out the traps for them.

The ant is not only a picture of hard, faithful work, but of working together. While Solomon doesn’t deal with armies of ants, his portrayal of the ant’s labor can be multiplied by the number available to do the work. Where one ant may not be able to move a particularly good find, a swarm can carry it off. The combined labor of many ants can do what one ant cannot.

The sluggard to whom Solomon compares the ant is not only no good for work himself, but is unwilling to help others. His laziness creates problems for him, but it also makes him a burden on other people. When he becomes poverty-stricken, he will need the assistance of others to survive. In the time of Solomon, he’d probably find it, although he certainly would never become wealthy from it. His prosperous and hard-working compatriots would have to make up for his lack of effort.

I think we can apply this extension of Solomon’s observations to the church. Each one of us is gifted and called by God to a specific ministry in our church. As we labor diligently and faithfully, we enable the church to carry out its ministry to extend the kingdom of Jesus. When we work together with our fellow members, using our gifts in support of each other, the results grow even more than when we labor alone. Serving the Lord together can produce results far beyond what laboring for Him individually can.

Conversely, when we refuse to use our gifts and just sit back and let others do all the work, we hold back the work of the kingdom. We seek to have our needs met, using the time and talents of others, while not contributing ourselves. The gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit lie dormant, and perhaps a critical ministry in the church is weakened because we aren’t using our gifts for their intended purpose.

As members of the church of Jesus Christ, and of a local church as well, we need to examine ourselves and ask if we’re ants or sluggards. Is our labor done faithfully, working with others to build the church and the kingdom? Or are we those who sit and relax, expecting others to do all the work for us? If every member of the church decides that we want to serve our Lord to the best of the abilities He has given us and to support each other with our labor, we will see the ministry of our church grow and the kingdom of our Lord expand throughout our neighborhood, our region, and our world.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 22: Hebrews 6:9-12 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-22- https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-22-#comments Sun, 26 Mar 2017 19:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-22- Christians struggle sometimes with the place of good works in the Christian life. There have been those who see our own works as a necessary part of our salvation along with the sacrifice of Jesus. Others draw the opposite conclusion, and say what we do is of no importance if we believe in Jesus. Neither of these extremes does full justice to everything the Bible teaches about why Christians are to do good works.

The author of Hebrews refers to “things that belong to salvation” before discussing the way God views the work of those to whom he writes. There are aspects to salvation beyond the point at which we come to Christ in faith and receive forgiveness of our sins and regeneration through the Holy Spirit. From that point on, we are to live out our salvation before a watching world. Only because we have been made new in Christ are we able to do anything that is pleasing in God’s sight.

Although our good works do not bring us salvation, they are an integral part of being saved. It is when we serve the Lord, meet the needs of those around us, and demonstrate a loving concern for both our brothers and sister in Christ and for the lost that we show the change that Jesus has made in our lives. This ability to do what is right, even though we don’t do it perfectly, is an evidence to us and to others that we are indeed part of the family of God.

It is important to note that good works aren’t just an evidence for others, but are also evidence for ourselves. The author says that we should show earnestness in our service to give us assurance. When we are eager to do what is right in the name of Jesus it shows that our hearts are in line with His purposes for us. Our motivation to serve Him through our actions comes from the realization that we have been made new in Him, which creates in us a desire to show Jesus in our actions.

While we won’t do this perfectly in this life, we should find that we do it more frequently as we progress in our relationship with Jesus, our knowledge of the Word, and our dependence on the Holy Spirit. That progress will be another indication that something had happened to change our beliefs, our thoughts, our desires, and our service to the Lord and to others. It should encourage us with the knowledge that we have been made new creations in Christ, and provide assurance of our right standing with God through Him. That should cause us to seek to progress even further, and to continue in our journey to be more like Jesus until we see Him face to face.

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Christians struggle sometimes with the place of good works in the Christian life. There have been those who see our own works as a necessary part of our salvation along with the sacrifice of Jesus. Others draw the opposite conclusion, and say what we do is of no importance if we believe in Jesus. Neither of these extremes does full justice to everything the Bible teaches about why Christians are to do good works.

The author of Hebrews refers to “things that belong to salvation” before discussing the way God views the work of those to whom he writes. There are aspects to salvation beyond the point at which we come to Christ in faith and receive forgiveness of our sins and regeneration through the Holy Spirit. From that point on, we are to live out our salvation before a watching world. Only because we have been made new in Christ are we able to do anything that is pleasing in God’s sight.

Although our good works do not bring us salvation, they are an integral part of being saved. It is when we serve the Lord, meet the needs of those around us, and demonstrate a loving concern for both our brothers and sister in Christ and for the lost that we show the change that Jesus has made in our lives. This ability to do what is right, even though we don’t do it perfectly, is an evidence to us and to others that we are indeed part of the family of God.

It is important to note that good works aren’t just an evidence for others, but are also evidence for ourselves. The author says that we should show earnestness in our service to give us assurance. When we are eager to do what is right in the name of Jesus it shows that our hearts are in line with His purposes for us. Our motivation to serve Him through our actions comes from the realization that we have been made new in Him, which creates in us a desire to show Jesus in our actions.

While we won’t do this perfectly in this life, we should find that we do it more frequently as we progress in our relationship with Jesus, our knowledge of the Word, and our dependence on the Holy Spirit. That progress will be another indication that something had happened to change our beliefs, our thoughts, our desires, and our service to the Lord and to others. It should encourage us with the knowledge that we have been made new creations in Christ, and provide assurance of our right standing with God through Him. That should cause us to seek to progress even further, and to continue in our journey to be more like Jesus until we see Him face to face.

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30 Days in the Bible, Day 21: Proverbs 16:1-3 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-21- https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-21-#comments Sat, 25 Mar 2017 22:00:00 -0400 https://www.coltsneckchurch.com/pastor-steve/post/30-days-in-the-bible-day-21- There is a dangerous temptation in a church to assume that because we plan to do things that are meant to benefit the kingdom of Jesus Christ that He will automatically bless the plans we devise. We look at a situation we are facing, come up with our best ideas, discuss each one, and finally make a decision. We pray that the Lord will bless what we plan to do, and use the proposed plans to further His kingdom. As a result, we feel like we’ve accomplished something good for Jesus.

All of this will be a waste of time if we don’t have our focus in the right place. Instead of trying to come up with our best plans, we need to ask the Lord what His plan is. Prayer should be the primary step in planning: the first step, the last step, and a whole lot of steps in between. Every part of our decision-making process should be designed to discern and implement the Lord’s will for our church.

It isn’t that people aren’t capable of making good decisions, or that we would completely ignore genuine spiritual concerns in our discussions. God has gifted each of us with various skills, talents, and abilities, and He expects us to use them. Our chief concern, though, ought to be to please and to honor Jesus, so we must put all that we have to His service, and seek what He wills rather than what we will.

Our commitment is to Christ and His kingdom, and our greatest asset in discerning His will is the Holy Spirit. When our desire is to please the Lord, and we earnestly seek the Spirit’s wisdom and guidance, we can expect to develop plans that He will bless. That may mean we have to do something differently than we would like, step outside of our comfort zone, or even put a desired outcome off to the future until the time is right. If we are willing to this, we will find that our plans end up looking like the ones God has for us.

This doesn’t just apply to churches. In our individual lives and in our families, seeking the Lord’s will and the Spirit’s guidance first and foremost will enable us to live the way God has planned for us to live. We will learn what His will is for us, and we will learn to set aside our own plans not only to please the Lord, but also because they just aren’t as good as His. Our skills, talents, and gifts will be used to further His kingdom rather than our own, and we will find greater blessing in our lives as we see Gods plan for us unfold. It may not be without its bumpy roads and dark nights, but as we faithfully seek to serve Him we will see the Lord at work in and through us, and will see, step by step, His work go on before us.

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There is a dangerous temptation in a church to assume that because we plan to do things that are meant to benefit the kingdom of Jesus Christ that He will automatically bless the plans we devise. We look at a situation we are facing, come up with our best ideas, discuss each one, and finally make a decision. We pray that the Lord will bless what we plan to do, and use the proposed plans to further His kingdom. As a result, we feel like we’ve accomplished something good for Jesus.

All of this will be a waste of time if we don’t have our focus in the right place. Instead of trying to come up with our best plans, we need to ask the Lord what His plan is. Prayer should be the primary step in planning: the first step, the last step, and a whole lot of steps in between. Every part of our decision-making process should be designed to discern and implement the Lord’s will for our church.

It isn’t that people aren’t capable of making good decisions, or that we would completely ignore genuine spiritual concerns in our discussions. God has gifted each of us with various skills, talents, and abilities, and He expects us to use them. Our chief concern, though, ought to be to please and to honor Jesus, so we must put all that we have to His service, and seek what He wills rather than what we will.

Our commitment is to Christ and His kingdom, and our greatest asset in discerning His will is the Holy Spirit. When our desire is to please the Lord, and we earnestly seek the Spirit’s wisdom and guidance, we can expect to develop plans that He will bless. That may mean we have to do something differently than we would like, step outside of our comfort zone, or even put a desired outcome off to the future until the time is right. If we are willing to this, we will find that our plans end up looking like the ones God has for us.

This doesn’t just apply to churches. In our individual lives and in our families, seeking the Lord’s will and the Spirit’s guidance first and foremost will enable us to live the way God has planned for us to live. We will learn what His will is for us, and we will learn to set aside our own plans not only to please the Lord, but also because they just aren’t as good as His. Our skills, talents, and gifts will be used to further His kingdom rather than our own, and we will find greater blessing in our lives as we see Gods plan for us unfold. It may not be without its bumpy roads and dark nights, but as we faithfully seek to serve Him we will see the Lord at work in and through us, and will see, step by step, His work go on before us.

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