Loose Tooth

My daughter Zoe freaked out a little bit last night while brushing her teeth before bed. One of her lower front teeth was about to come out, and she must have jarred it while brushing.

She came running to me holding her mouth in an odd manner, tears filling and spilling out of her wide, fearful eyes. She was crying hysterically.

So I tried to comfort her, told her that she had better get mommy, and went to get my needle nose pliers. We got her to lay down on the bed and tried to get her to calm down. She refused to let me get the tooth, though. She was too scared.

I was rather frustrated at the situation. When dads (and probably men in general) hear crying females, we translate that as “you should be fixing this.” So I got my tools. This was not quite what she had in mind.

Reflecting on this situation reminded me of a sermon I heard at one time. (I wish I could remember who it was I was listening to or reading, but the author of this illustration eludes me.) Let's compare our lives to a house. When we need something fixed, we often call on Jesus to fix the problem. Usually, we try to fix it ourselves, but when the problem is severe, we cry out to Jesus. However, once the crisis is over, we show Jesus the door. The cool thing about Jesus, though, is that He came to stay. He's moving from room to room and fixing other problems. Next thing you know, He starts knocking down walls, moving things around, and generally making a mess of your house. We aren't always happy with this.

“Wait!” we say. “I like this room! I'm comfortable in here! What are You doing?”

Jesus responds, “I'm making this place better. You invited me into you life because it was a mess, but I'm going to give you complete joy. In order to do this, we've gotta knock some of this stuff down. I'm going to make this place into a wonderful house where we can live together forever...a mansion! Just try to look past the mess into what we are trying to accomplish. Every remodel starts with demolition.”

Aren't we all in the middle of a remodel? I wonder if we recognize our problems for what they are. 1 Pet. 1:6-9 says: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” NLT

So when you run to your heavenly Father with a loose tooth, let Him pull it out! You love Him, don't you? Then trust Him! Cooperate with your sanctification! “There is wonderful joy ahead” if you do!

Pastor Brian Cox

Out Of Line

Imagine this.

A man comes home to his wife after being gone for a week. No phone calls, no communication, no emails. He starts to grope his wife, expecting immediate intimacy, and then he will try to leave. He will repeat this pattern week after week.

I think we can agree that this is not a healthy relationship.

Who is this guy? Could be you. Could be me.

I wonder sometimes if we have prepared ourselves for worship. Worship isn’t a song set, it’s a life lived for the only worthy One. I wonder if we appreciate the great honor and privilege we have to enter into the throne room. I wonder if we have a healthy fear of the Creator of the Universe who is awesome in power and might.

Boldly entering into the throne room of God does not mean disrespectfully entering in. A friend of mine, when asked to pray, always pauses to think before he approaches his Lord and Savior. You can feel the gravity of the situation. Why is that?

It’s not because his prayer is more important. It’s because he has magnified God in his heart, and in doing so has come to appreciate the honor and privilege that is his through Christ Jesus.

He doesn’t force himself into fellowship. He doesn’t knock down the door demanding an intimate experience with the Lord of all. He has built a relationship with God. He talks to him constantly. He listens to the Word daily. He meditates.

Let me make a quick statement here: I am not upset with the church today. I do not cast judgment on my fellow man unless we are one on one. It’s not that I’m afraid to, it’s just inappropriate and out of line. Out of order. I love the body of Christ. I love the church. And it’s because I love the church that I worry about how some of us approach the Lion of Judah. I shudder when I realize that I’m guilty of irreverent or presumptuous behavior.

My friends tell me that God is love, and that is true. But those friends often misunderstand real love. God is also holy, just, and righteous. He is a consuming fire. He is all these simultaneously, and He is perfect in every aspect and in every way. Even His wrath is perfect and does not contradict His love. Am I missing something?

Am I a bad father if I expect my children to call me “Dad” instead of “Brian”? Am I a control freak if I expect obedience? Am I a tyrant because I don’t allow my children to run in the street and climb on top of the house? Am I evil because I don’t buy my children whatever they want? Am I brutal because I spank my kids (gasp!)?

I consider myself a child of the King, but not a spoiled brat. I give my heavenly Father the titles that are His. I expect to obey Him because I know it’s for my own good. I realize His laws keep me safe. I realize His answers to my prayers will not always be ‘yes’ because I don’t know what He knows, and am not always in His perfect will. I accept that I need chastisement, and I trust He is loving in that respect. I don’t want to barge into His office when I want to sing a song just so that I can feel fuzzy.

I thank God that He is gracious, and suffers the children to come to Him. He allows us to cross the line when we are young and don’t know any better. But I would think He expects us spiritual grown-ups to act our age. To call every day and check in. To read His Words of love to us, and to want to do so.

I wonder sometimes if we have prepared ourselves for worship. Before you go to church, give the Lord the honor due his great and holy name. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Spend time with him. Read his Word. Pray

Pastor B

My Brother's Keeper

First, a few definitions:

The sin of commission: A sin that was deliberately committed. Something I did when I shouldn't have.

“For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and
that without partiality.” --Col 3:25

The sin of omission: Not doing that which I know to be the right thing to do.

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
--James 4:17

Recently, I thought of (or the Holy Spirit gave me a download of...) an example of this: A man is standing on the edge of a cliff, ready at any moment to fall off of it. If I were to stand there staring while he slipped and fell off of the cliff, would I be innocent of his death, or would I be just as guilty as if I pushed him off?

Recently a friend of mine had attempted to take his own life. God intervened (thank You, Jesus!), but I was reminded of how often I had been moved to call him, invite him over to spend some time, visit with the family, and just never got around to it. I'm reminded of how the last time I spent time with him he was so broken. And I never followed up. Never reached out. Not even a phone call.

I'm the guy who just stood there while my friend fell off of a cliff. How can I even call myself his friend?

I understand that we are all responsible men and women, that we will all answer for every idle word, and that we are responsible for our own actions, and that my buddy is ultimately responsible for his.

Then again, I think of how often I was down and out, about to do something stupid, when a friend showed up to encourage me, to lift me up, build me up, give me hope, remind me of God's great love for me! How often has that happened? It's been more than once.

37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?  39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  40 The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” --Matt 25:37-40

I wonder how often I have labeled my sweet brothers and sisters in Christ. I wonder how often I have labeled them “needy,” “high-maintenance,” “immature,” “time-consuming,” or “difficult.” I wonder how often I was too busy trying to get to lunch or to sleep or to the TV and left my brother hurting. I wonder how often my self-absorption has contributed to my lack of compassion. I wonder what the Lord will say to me about these times when I see Him face to face. I wonder if anyone will die because of what I “didn't have the time” for. I wonder if anyone is dying inside right now.

4 “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."  15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.  16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” --Gal 5:14-16.

Have I consumed my brother for lack of love? Or have I displayed the fruit of the Spirit?

22 “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control....” --Gal. 5:22-23

Have I been gentle? Loving? Patient? Kind? Have I been faithful?

“Lord, in Jesus' name, please forgive us for our lack of attention to our brothers and sisters. Let us be witnesses for You in our actions, and we pray our brothers forgive us when we fall short. Let us all be reconciled to each other as we have been reconciled to You by the blood of the cross. Let us exemplify John 13:35-- “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

AMEN

An Acceptable Work

Bruce L. Shelly in his book, Church History, makes this comment about the conclusion of Martin Luther regarding the need for monasticism: "...The essence of Christian living lies in serving God in one's calling whether secular or ecclesiastical."

Serving God in one's calling... what is that?

We are all called to serve God in one form or another. Interestingly, God doesn't always call those who we would think would be the best man or woman for the job. He calls those who are faithful. "And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also." 2 Tim 2:2, AMP.

Notice that the commission is for faithful men who WILL BE able. The faithful man will entrust that God will supply his need, and God will honor that faith by equipping His faithful servants.

In speaking with you all about certain details of our worship set, I tend to focus on technical things. I want to be faithful to my calling, my position, my church, and my pastor because this is what I think it looks like to be faithful to God. Being faithful entails spending time in the details of a song, the dynamics, the lyrics, the transitions, and all the things that nobody will notice if everything goes right.

Bob Kauflin in his awesome book, Worship Matters, writes: "The first thing we can do is place our faith in God's promises rather than in our preparation. He's the faithful One, and He's more concerned than we are about people worshiping Him next Sunday," (p. 118).

Our spiritual goals should come first. What are these goals? We are not trying to create a worshipful mood, we are trying to help people actually worship the Savior. We are leading by example. Our musical goals should serve our spiritual goal.

Please don't think that my focus is only on music. Because you are in this worship team, it's a given that you are called to worship God THROUGH MUSIC IN A CORPORATE SETTING. Every saint is called to worship God. Being a Christian IS worshiping the Savior. Singing songs is just an outward, sometimes public expression of our everyday worship. The only thing different about this team is that we are on stage publicly professing on Sunday morning.

Please don't assume that your emotions are proof that you've "entered into the Holy of Holies." If you feel like you did a good job, that doesn't mean you have. We are to walk by faith, not emotion. This is a common misconception among many Christians, and often leads to well-intentioned Christians chasing experience rather than truth. This is a form of gnosticism, of heresy. We are to follow hard after God, not emotions. I can guarantee you that if you feel one way about a thing, you will feel differently about it in the future. Feelings are fickle.

What does this have to do with Sunday worship? Simply this: Respect your calling. Be faithful in your walk, prayer life, and in reading the Word. Pay attention to the details. Trust that God will meet you in your weakness.

Finally, God isn't interested in your musical performance and ability. He is, however, interested in your attitude toward service in His house. I guarantee you that He takes it very seriously. The amount of time you devote towards practice reflects your heart's attitude toward the seriousness of your calling. I would challenge us, every one, to compare the amount of time we give to TV, sports, or recreation to the time we give to preparing for worship in the house of God.

-B.C.

He is Worthy

In the Christmas Movie, Elf, Buddy asks Jovi out for a date by saying, “I really wanted to see you, and, and I think you're beautiful. And I, um, feel really warm when I am around you? And, um, my tongue swells up?”

This remind me of the first time I saw my wife. She was wearing an orange dress. Let's just say it was pretty impressive. Her hair was like nothing I'd ever seen, and I kept thinking that I could fall right into her eyes and get lost forever.

My first reaction was to say to myself, “What do I look like? Do I have any mints?” You know how we do it. I tried to play it cool, but my guts were in knots.

So what does this have to do with worship?

When we read of men in the Bible encountering God, we see a similar pattern of behavior, multiplied to the nth degree. Isaiah's response is recorded in Isaiah 6:5: “Woe is me! For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”--Amp.

In the presence of greatness, we realize our own inadequacies. This is a great start for the person desiring to worship God.

True worship cannot happen by accident. We must know who we are worshiping. If we get the smallest glimpse of the majesty of the Creator of the universe, we will be humbled and awed by his power and might. If we are not in awe of our Creator, why worship Him? We worship Him because he IS awesome, and because He alone is worthy of our praise.

Our heavenly Father, however, does not want us groveling before Him like beaten dogs. The enemy wants that. Following him always leads to slavery and destruction.

So then, what is the proper balance?

Having children has taught me that you can rarely be friends with your kids. You can be friendly, but you must be “the dad” at all times. Kids need this. They need to have boundaries and they need to learn respect. I do not allow my kids to call me “dude,” or to speak to me like they would speak to their buddies. If they shush each other, I'll tell them it's rude to do that. If they shush me....well, let's not even go there.

God loves us and desires to commune with us. He wants to walk with us and guide us. He wants us to boldly come before His throne, but let's remember that the throne is one of grace. We don't deserve to be there. He meets with us at the seat of mercy, not the seat of obligation or friendship. Though He calls us friend, let's remember that He is our Lord.

The more we learn about our great and awesome God, the more we should respect His presence. We should be amazed that He desires our prayer, our attention, our submission, our supplications, and our worship. He doesn't need any of it, but He loves us and wants to build and strengthen His relationship with us.

Francis Chan says this: “The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure form this earth to be with Him—and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by,” (from Crazy Love, pg. 61).

This attitude should not be as familiar as it is to us, but we are all there to some degree. We must try to keep in our mind that God is awesome. He is Mighty, and Just, and Faithful and True. He is our constant help in time of trouble. He is the King of Israel, the King of Kings, the Son of David, the Son of Man and the Son of God. He alone is worthy. He is able. He is a conqueror. He is the Lion of Judah, the Holy One and the Just, the great I AM. He is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Emmanuel, God with us. The head over all things, the chief cornerstone, the Bright and Morning Star.

He loves us because He is a friend of sinners, and because He is love, and because He wants to, and because that's who He is.

That should inspire some worship.

“Honor Christ and put others first.”--Ephesians 5:21 (CEV)

This scripture tells two simple things: what to do and why to do it.

We are encouraged again and again in scripture to prefer our brethren over
ourselves. This goes against the 'wisdom' of the world, which usually
encourages a 'me-first' attitude. 'Self-esteem' and 'self-love' are the 
primary focus of many 'self-help' books.

I understand this these ideas are well-intentioned. The problem is that 
they are incomplete. Let's back up and take a look at something we all
should understand fairly well.

We are not saved by works, but by faith. This seed of faith produces fruit:
fruit in ourselves and in our actions. So we ARE doing good works, but we 
are not doing them to get saved. We are doing them as a result of our 
salvation.

So faith and works are inseparable. They are two sides of the same coin, 
much like self-esteem and submission.

Many people trapped in depression spend time and money on self-help 
books and building self-esteem and doing self-talk etc. How many of 
these people are volunteering their time in their community? How many 
of them are laying down their lives for others? How many are serving 
in their calling?

You may have noticed that, when you get involved in the church, there 
are many opportunities to help out our brethren. The more we help out 
(Jesus—the suffering SERVANT of Isaiah), the more we are VALUED. 
One day we hope to hear the Lord say to us, “Well done” (Luke 19:17). 
What is this praise and reward a result of? Being a good servant. 
Being a good servant to whom? Being a good servant to our brethren 
and to the unsaved.

The other half of this verse says “Honor Christ.” This is our motivation. 
Sometimes we really don't want to serve our brethren. But we honor 
Jesus when we do. Flip that idea around for a second: if we DON'T 
prefer our brother over ourselves, we are NOT honoring Christ. Check 
out a few other versions:

Submitting to one another in the fear of God. (NKJV)

Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. (RSV)

We are reminded in Phil. 2:2-4: “Let nothing be done through strife 
or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than 
themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also 
on the things of others.” (KJV)

Larry Richards (in The Teacher's Commentary, p. 930) comments: 
“Whatever role we have been given provides us an opportunity to serve 
our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is when we accept our role as 
husband, wife, employer, employee, community leader, or citizen in 
light of Christ's teaching and example, with a reverence for Him and 
His heavenly Father that we will begin to serve one another.”

Christians have accepted Jesus as their Lord and have submitted their 
lives and wills to Him. We have responded to his perfect love. Our 
response includes picking up our cross and following Him. What does 
that look like? It looks like us laying aside our will so that Christ 
can live through us, realizing his will through our lives.

Be encouraged! Ask Jesus for help in this, and He will be faithful! 

The “Called” Versus the “Volunteer”

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking briefly with John O'Campo (Mariners Church in California) about what it means to be called to serve. I've been meditating on this, and would like to share some of my thoughts, and some of his comments.

If you are called, then you are called of God. He has ordained us before the world began to do good works. He allows us to choose whether or not we will walk in His way or not. We are all called to worship, but we are not all called to lead a musical worship service.

God equips those He calls. He empowers, by means of His Holy Ghost, those who have decided to walk in His will. He annoints with purpose.

For those who are called and equipped, let me ask you a few questions:

• How seriously do you take the call of God?
• How seriously do you think God takes His calling?

• How has God empowered you?
• How have you used this power?

I am reminded of Jesus' parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-26). The servant who did not increase his talent was called “wicked and lazy.”

Paul repeatedly spoke of himself as a “bondservant.” This word (GR doulos) means, literally, a slave. It implies that the work he did was not of his own will, but the will of his master.

For those who have given their lives to Christ, let me ask you:

• Do you feel you are doing God's will with the talents with which he has blessed you?
• Do you feel there are areas where you may be an unfaithful slave?

Undoubtedly, the more honest we are with ourselves, the more we will find reason to be on our knees before our gracious and loving God, and ask Him to forgive, restore, and continue to use us.

There is a price to be paid to sacrifice to the Lord, but the rewards are great. Hebrews 13:15 encourages us to “constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.” Speaking about the cost of sacrifice, King David said, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God of that which costs me nothing,” (2 Sam 24:24).

Notice some of Pastor O'Campo's observations about the differences between those who are “called” and those who “volunteer.” (Slightly paraphrased)

• Volunteers see rehearsal as an obligation.
• Those called of God view rehearsal as another opportunity to be used of God, and to develop the gifts with which they have been entrusted.

• Volunteers put in 'just enough' effort.
• The Called put in all that they can.

• Volunteers look to be served.
• The Called look to serve and minister to others.

• Volunteers can feel threatened by the talents of others.
• The Called are secure in God's direction in their lives, and with the role that God has called them to play.

• Volunteers do not prepare.
• The Called are as prepared as they can possibly be.

• Volunteers are often oblivious to the needs of the ministry.
• The Called pray for the ministry and its leaders.

• Volunteers find fulfillment in their talents and abilities.
• The Called find fulfillment in being used of God and in doing His will.

• Volunteers avoid situations which may stretch them.
• The Called respond to the call with humble dependence on Him.

"When God has put His call on you, woe be to you if you turn to the right hand or the left. He will do with You what He never did with you before the call came; He will do with you what He is not doing with other people. Let Him have His way.”--Oswald Chambers.

(Thanks Pastor O'Campo!)

B. Cox

P.S. Next we will talk about how God EQUIPS, and what that means for us.