People love to pass the buck or as Freddie Printz aptly put it, “That’s not my job man.” The Lord commissioned the Apostles to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you …” The Apostles have all gone to be with the Lord, so whose job is that now? Must be the Pastor’s, that’s not my job man! How many farmers do you know that do all the work on the farm by themselves? Do they plow, sow, water, weed ’em, and reap all alone? No, they hire hands to help and especially at harvest time, the laborers reap that which they haven’t sown. Jesus said to His disciples, “Lift your eyes and look at the fields, for they are white for harvest … one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored, others have labored and you have entered into their labors.” Pastors are meant to teach, edify, and build up the body that the body may get to work and start bringing in the sheaves. This is the time that the buck stops here! It may not have been Freddie Printz’s job, but it is ours. So sharpen your sickles and let’s get to work!
It’s amazing how people can become divided on just about any issue and then believe that their opinion is the only one that matters and everyone else is out to lunch. Even when it comes to worshiping God, especially when it comes to worshiping God! There are over 4000 recognized religions in the world. When you’re talking billions of people I guess that’s understandable but not when it comes to Christianity! In the U.S. alone there are 200 denominations but world wide there are 45,000 different denominations of Christians! Are you serious? God gave us His Word, His Son, His Spirit so we all could become His children, one family. I know many families don’t get along to well, this isn’t an earthly family but an eternal one! When you get to heaven, do you think there will be a gate for Baptists only, a sign pointing Methodists over there, Charismatics enter through the purple door? I don’t know about you, but I’m a Christian not a denomination! God doesn’t care what building you worship in but that you worship in truth and love and that it comes from the heart. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman by the well, “But the hour is coming and now is, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” God isn’t impressed with fancy buildings, the color of hymnals, or long repetitive prayers. He is impressed with heartfelt sincerity and that you know His truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life Know Him, spend time with Him, in His Word and prayer. Study His Word so you know the truth and won’t be deceived by false teachers. Who knows what tomorrow may bring, covid showed us that. So, whether in a crowd or all alone, worship Him in spirit and truth and with a sincere heart. We are one family, one church, let the world know we are Christians by our love not because we have the tallest steeple.
Because it is such a normal thing to us, Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, it’s hard for us to understand why His disciples were so shocked when they returned from buying food in the village, but Jesus was breaking major social boundaries. Jews didn’t have any dealings with the Samaritans, let alone private conversations, especially not alone with a woman! But that’s what Jesus did, He got His hands dirty. He didn’t let social bias, poverty, or disease stop Him from ministering to people. He didn’t talk about loving people, He showed people love! He knew the Samaritan woman wasn’t high on the social respectability scale but He still offered her the living water only He can provide, the same living water he offers everyone, regardless of their worldly position. It’s comforting to know that God isn’t impressed with worldly accomplishments. He doesn’t care if you’re a prince or a pauper, a peon or a politician, a pastor or a priest, He offers His living water to all! If you have accepted and received His gracious gift, don’t hang out in ivory towers, get out and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! The world, not only who we think deserves it, but the world, needs the Lord! The world needs that living water, time to take them to the well!
“… that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,” a scathing testimony of man Jesus told Nicodemus, and one that is still as relevant now as it was over 2000 years ago. Remember how as a small child we were afraid of the dark but as we became teenagers we looked forward to the night time because of all the things we could get away with under the cover of darkness? How many things have you done in the dark that you would never do in the daytime? How many older people do you know that at night still act like teenagers? The world has been hiding from the light for years, but men’s hearts have grown so cold and brazen that they are trying to bring out their evil deeds and have them be accepted in the light. Our children are being indoctrinated to accept the unacceptable, the line between right and wrong is getting wider every day! When you live in darkness, you can accept anything, but when you live in the light, you must choose to do what is acceptable to the Lord. It isn’t easy as Christians to walk the narrow path while the world runs down a four lane highway, but we can and He will help us. The world doesn’t want to hear about Jesus because He exposes their dark secrets, which is the whole point! Whether they hide behind their dark glasses so they can’t see the Light or not, it doesn’t change the fact that there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved! So continue to live in the Light and help others to take off their Ray Bans that they may truly see the Light too!
John 3:16 is one of the most recognizable verses in the Bible, hopefully not because some guy in a rainbow wig, who somehow managed to get prime seats at seemingly every major sporting event, was waving it around. “For God so loved the world …” Think about that. He so loved the world, not just a couple of good guys, but the world! ” … that He gave His only begotten Son …” He gave His Son for the whole world! Not just for the holy, obedient part of the world, the whole world! Before the world ever thought about Him, He thought about everyone in it! He didn’t have a spur of the moment inspiration, He had a long term plan. Yet how can a holy, righteous God put up with such a vile, selfish people as we? We can barely put up with each other, how can He still offer salvation to murderers, deceivers, abusers? But He does. Love is in the world because He first loved us.
His love is unmerited, undeserved, unearned, but it is always offered, to all! He doesn’t love wrong behavior, but any behavior can be changed, especially when it is exposed to His loving grace through Jesus. He never gives up on people, no matter how bad we may think they are, He still wants them to turn to Him. Jesus is always ready and willing to open the door of forgiveness to any and all who choose o accept it. Don’t let the hate the enemy has sown in the world ever blind your eyes to the marvelous truth that, God so loved, so loves, the world!
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus by night to check Him out. He had heard about Jesus and all the miracles He was performing and the words that He was teaching and he had to find out for himself if Jesus was the real deal. Nicodemus, being a Pharisee, had clout with the people, he was esteemed and honored by the people, but he was still searching for a better way. How many people do you know that have it all, but are never happy or satisfied because they know they really have nothing? You may have all the material riches of the world, but if you don’t have Jesus, you have nothing. Material things will perish, but your eternal soul will not! Nicodemus knew there was more, a better way, and he wanted to be part of it. He first came to Jesus under the cloak of darkness, but later, when the Sanhedrin were degrading and plotting against Jesus, he openly stood up for Him. Then he showed his true faith when he came with Joseph of Arimathea to help prepare and bury the Lord’s crucified body. Do you only come to Jesus under the cloak of darkness or the safety of a Sunday service? Do you stand up for Him wherever you are, be it a crowd, a party, or only a couple of people? He stood up for you, you need to stand up for Him! How many people do you know that are searching like Nicodemus, knowing there is more, a better way? Maybe they are waiting for you to tell them what they need to hear? He gave us the answers, now we need to give them to others!
Anger is an emotion we all feel too often. Those fools in the green car, the black car, the white SUV, that need to learn how to drive can really make your blood boil. But is your anger justified? In these trying times, it doesn’t take much to set people off to commit needless violence. So, what makes you angry? I’m sure we all could come up with a long list of pet peeves, but what is at the top of your list? It should be the same righteous anger that drove Jesus to clear out the Temple. Anything or anyone that brings reproach to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or His church, should make our ears red! While everyone may have a right to their own belief, and while everyone hasn’t, and sadly won’t, accept the Lord, that doesn’t give them the right to defame the name of Jesus! We should be like David,, “because zeal for Your house has eaten me up.” That doesn’t mean we go around putting down others for their beliefs but we stand up for ours! We worship the one true God. He has blessed us in so many ways, given us His Son, His grace. Giving Him our devotion is a small thing in return. Jesus delivers some sobering words in Mark 8:38. “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of the Father with the holy angels.” We’re human, we’ll get angry, but keep those petty annoyances in perspective. Instead, take offense and stand tall for the Lord, but think twice before you go clearing out any temples.
Think you can’t be an effective witness for the Lord, then think about John the Baptist. He was not your typical evangelist. He didn’t go where the people were, he preached in the wilderness, and they came to him. He didn’t wear a suit and tie but was clothed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. He sounds like a hippie radical, yet the people still came to him. He never exalted himself but kept true to his calling of ” a voice crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord. Make His paths straight.” He kept pointing the way to Jesus, and when Jesus came to be baptized by him, he humbly stepped aside and pushed Jesus forward. He didn’t cling to his followers but encouraged them to follow “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John focused on what he was called to do and what did Jesus say about him? “…among those borne of women there is no greater prophet than John the Baptist.” John pointed to Jesus and Jesus set the examples in all things. John was sent from God and he had a special calling, but so do we! We don’t have to eat honey coated bugs or wear camel haired shorts (although we could), we only have to point people to Jesus, in our own special way. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a radical to much of the world. Pray that the Lord will help you to radically turn hearts to Him. He made you special, you can touch people like no one else can, so straighten out those fingers and keep pointing to the Lord!
If you’re going to pick a group of men to be your disciples, would the first four you choose be hard nosed fishermen? Two of which are nicknamed Sons of Thunder? (cue the Harleys, head on down the highway) Another great example of how the Lord doesn’t look at the outward appearance but He looks at the heart! The Apostle John changed from a rowdy biker to the disciple known for love. His book and letters give us an intimate knowledge of Jesus, and studying his gospel is a great way to start the new year. Right off the bat, John leaves no doubt about who Jesus is and all He has done. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.” That is a lot to get your head around. Some people can’t, some churches can’t, but Jesus is in all and through all things. He is the head of the church. A church without Jesus is a headless church, don’t go there! At CCC, we do everything we can to promote Jesus, but don’t only rely on us! Spend personal time with Him, be intimate with Him, share your cares, your fears, your hopes, your dreams. No more holding back. Make this the year to truly be real with the Lord!
This is not a typical Motivation Monday, but because this my 246th consecutive MotMons, I didn’t want to break the flow. Last Sunday night Patty came down with Fluvid – the next strain. (she likes to rename things and it’s very apropos) and by Wednesday she shared it with me and by new year’s day we were both half dead! I have never had such an all encompassing virus. Vicious headache, neck ache, back aches, eye aches, muscle aches, bones ache, chest pains, dry cough, sore throat, fevers, chills, sweats, and the worst complete exhaustion. If you stand up for a minute you have to lie down for an hour. It’s killing me sitting here typing this. I would not wish this on anyone. So this is meant to give you motivation to pray. Pray for protection for family and friends. Pray for any you know with medical conditions that they don’t get it Pray for those who have it. Pray for the Lord to give wisdom to the researchers that they may totally find a cure for this thing, but as in everything pray Thy will be done. We both have been vaccinated which is a good thing. Your have to do what you feel is right, but trust me, you don’t want this! Take precautions, be safe, and have a happy new year.
By Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By – Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team 
By: Tim Irving – Evangelism Team 
By, Tim Irving
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
