Rick's Blog

“Crack Cocaine, alcohol and sexual temptation have slain their thousands, but bickering, quarreling and criticism in the church have slain their tens of thousands. No wonder the heart attack rate for ordained ministers is off the charts. I can assure you that their worst strain comes not from sermon preparation but from dealing with all the carnality, tension, division and politics within the ranks. Let us pray that God will raise up more voices led by the Spirit to bring this issue out into the open. One of the Apostolic fathers, Ignatius of Antioch, wrote about a confrontation some 70-80 years after the time of Christ: ‘when I visited your church at Philadelphia (a city some 100 miles inland from Ephesus) there was a faction in the church that was undermining the authority of the church’s leadership and questioning their decisions. Now God is my witness that I knew nothing about this at all. No one had told me about it, and no rumor had reached my ears. So when I stood up to prophesy, and I shouted in a loud voice, “give more respect to your bishop, your elders and your deacons” it was the Holy Spirit in me who was speaking. Although I know some of you think I had been told in advance of the divisions in Philadelphia, and I spoke from knowledge, the absolute truth is that this was the voice of God alone. So remember and obey the other things I said as well: Keep your bodies as temples of God. Love Unity. Shun Divisions’.”
“For our own lives as well, listen to David’s prayer in Psalms 86:11: ‘Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” David knew that no person divided on the inside can stand spiritually. We know from scandals in recent years that some who preached the gospel – who knew what is right but still got divided on the inside and gave loose reign to the flesh – ended up in a horrible mess. It all began with a divided heart that gave place for Satan to work further evil.”
Jim Cymbala from his book “Fresh Power”

“Everywhere I travel, it seems, I hear new war stories about divided church boards, factions within congregations and staff personnel clashing over the silliest things. In such at atmosphere, Gods Spirit can never bless, since He is the Spirit of Peace. Frank Bartleman, a Christian writer in the early part of the 20th century, wrote, ‘The Doctor looks at the tongue first thing. Have you been speaking evil?’ That denotes a bad heart…” “No pastoral staff that is fractured will experience Gods best upon its work. This is why I often advise senior pastors to hire according to the Spirit first and talent second. The most gifted musicians or youth workers in the nation are unlikely to bring a blessing to a congregation if they carry strife and gossip and innuendo. What good is a…“whiz”, if they cause division among the staff?”
Jim Cymbala in his book “Fresh Power”

“So Jesus called them and spoke to them in a parable: ‘How can satan drive out satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.’ Satan, of course, is too smart to let his troops get divided against each other. They stay in line and always keep the main goal in mind. Isn’t it sad that we the church, by contrast are not that wise?”…
“Mean while we have countless local churches divided against themselves, yet thinking somehow God can bless them. They don’t understand that division quickly grieves the gentle Holy Spirit and undermines every work of Grace. It doesn’t matter whether the pastor preaches orthodox doctrine straight from the Bible. It doesn’t matter whether he is a man of prayer. Unless division, strife, slander and fighting are conquered, all his labor is in vain. Division causes the treadmill effect: We are busy expending energy to move ahead, but we go nowhere in the end. At the same time we beckon the Spirit to ‘come’, through our praying and preaching, our slander, backbiting, and division yell at him to ‘go away’.”
Jim Cymbala from His book “Fresh Power”

“I have a strong suspicion that God does not appreciate those who fragment his family. Carol and I have three children and five grand children, and if someone tried to drive a wedge between us or start a feud of some kind, we would quickly get upset. The same is true in the spiritual family. It is a very serious offense, that’s why Paul wrote, ‘I urge you brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way contrary to the teaching which you have learned, keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites’ (Romans 16:17-18). When was the last time, if ever, that you saw a church member disciplined for causing division among believers? If someone who professes Christ is caught dabbling in witchcraft or practicing adultery, we would all cry for some kind of church action. But divisive gossiping people go right on attending our churches and sometimes hold leadership positions. We never address their ugly sin and destructiveness because we are so used to it. Paul the apostle told the Corinthians- who were preoccupied with spiritual gifts, by the way- that their divisions were a sign of carnality and immaturity.”…Jim Cymbala quoted from his book Fresh Power.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Unity: I’ve been reading Jim Cymbalas book titled “Fresh Power” on the work of The Holy Spirit. In it he does an excellent job of describing how the Holy Spirit is working in individuals and in the church. Since He is the “Spirit of Unity” he does not work through division. I found it a very interesting chapter and for the next few days I will be posting some excerpts from it.

“This principle of unity and its paramount importance was imparted to the early church through the person and work of the Holy Spirit of God. A lot more than anointed preaching and powerful evangelism was going on, for the Holy Spirit produced something wonderful as described in Acts 4:32: ‘All the believers were in one heart and mind.’ This unity was not organized by the apostles, who has show their own flurries of disunity and dissension while following Jesus of Nazareth. Rather it was God-produced, love-constructed, and Spirit born. The disunity and division that prevail today are holding back the work of God. As a result, millions of Unbelievers are getting a distorted view of the body of Christ. It is sad but true that Christian Marriages often end up divided, with divorce rates that are no better than American society at large. Church boards are fighting with their pastors. Church staff members are competitive and jealous of one another. Choirs are riddled by gossip and division. A minister of music told me once that he hadn’t spoken a word to his senior pastor in four months because of the tension between them. But as long as he kept producing two songs for each Sunday service, they would be just fine. ‘You must have some glorious services,’ I said shaking my head. How could God bless that kind of environment? This is a crucial question before us, for what good are even the gifts of the Holy Spirit if people continually hassling each other? What is the benefit of great preaching is the listeners snub one another on the way out the door?”…

Wow,
Pastor Rick

Are you content? Really? I realized lately that one of things I struggle with the most is contentment, I think most people do. Just when I think I am content something happens or some situation arises and I my mind and heart are flooded again with discontentment. I really did not give as much thought to it as I probably should being a pastor and all, until I was recently reading  from Francis Schaeffer’s book titled “True Spirituality” and I was convicted by what he had to say. He said that all sin finds its roots in coveting and discontentment. He said “My desire becomes coveting when it fails to include love of God or men, further I think there are two practical tests as to when we are coveting against God or man. First, I am to love God enough to be contented, second I am to love men enough not to envy”. He continues. “When I lack proper contentment, either I have forgotten that God is God, or I have ceased to be submissive to Him. A quiet disposition and a heart giving thanks at any moment is the real test of the extent to which we love God” A lack of thanking God is a sure sign of discontentment, its also the sign of an unsaved person, according to Paul in Romans 1:21 “Because when they knew God they did not glorify Him as God, niether GAVE THANKS…”  Francis said “The beginning of men’s rebellion against God was, and is, the lack of a thankful heart”, He added “If the contentment goes, and the giving of thanks goes, we are not loving God as we should, and proper desire has become coveting against God. This inward area is the first place of loss of true spirituality.” Wow! Let me ask again, are we content? -Pastor Rick

“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” – 1Tim 2:4
In the C.S. Lewis book Screwtape Letters, Screwtape is instructing his young apprentice demon how to get humans to be earthly minded. Screwtape writes “Prosperity knits a man to the world. he feels that he is finding his place in it, while really its finding its place in him. His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of really being at home in earth, which is what we want…So inveterate is their appetite for heaven that our best method, at this stage, of attaching them to earth is to make them believe that earth can be turned into heaven at some future date by politics or eugenics or science, or philosophy, or what not.” Let’s not be too satisfied with what we have in this life, let us not dig our roots too deeply here that we no longer long for the true glory that awaits us.
-Pastor Rick

“Without faith it is impossible to please God”
In 2Kings 6, the area Samaria was ravaged by a severe famine to the point where women were taking turns eating each others children for dinner. When the king of Israel heard about it, he tore his clothes and was immediately angry at the Lord and angry at His Prophet Elisha. He came to Elisha to express his disappointment with God and his desire to not wait on God any longer to do something. –If we are honest, we have all been there before. But Elisha replied and prophesied something absolutely amazing! He said by tomorrow at this time the famine would be over and there will be food for all to eat. But the officer of the king of Israel said “even if God would make windows in heaven could this thing be” and Elisha replied “You will see it with your eyes but you will not eat of it” In fact he did see the amazing fulfillment of Elisha’s words as the famine was miraculously removed by God supernaturally scaring off all the people of a entire city that was full or food and supplies, but that officer was trampled by the gate before he was able to eat of the spoils. but why? Why would he not get to eat? Because he doubted God, He doubted what God could do, the impossible! He did not have faith, and God was not pleased. How often have we done the same thing, doubted God or become angry with God instead of having faith that He can do it, and knows what He is doing better than I. Have faith today.

Solomon said in Ecclesiates 12:12 “Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh“. But I love to study, and I am discovering I love to read, A lot! I blew through a number of books since January, all the books I got for Christmas, and I am reading another 4 right now! I love it!

In fact I just finished a book titled “Super Freakonomics” By Steve Lewit & Stephen Dubner, very interesting an intriguing, Just before that I finished “What the Dog saw” by Malcolm Gladwell and I finished “The Greatest American Speeches” a compilation of the greatest speeches given since we have been a nation given by US Presidents, Authors, community leaders and civil rights leaders. Excellent! And yet another one called “American Lightening” the history and birth of Hollywood, it read like a Novel but it was non-fiction history, great! Before that was “the Tale of Two Cities” By Charles Dickens. And yet another one since by John MacArthur on “How to study the Bible” I even read a book by a somewhat postmodern, emergent author, which I read, of course, with a grain of salt, It was Leonard Sweets book titled “Soul Salsa”.  Actually someone asked if I would read it and tell them what I thought. I recently just started Ray Comforts book “The Way of the Master” on personal evangelism. And I have a goal this year to collect and read all of the writing of Frances Schaeffer.

You might ask “well, what about the Bible? Pastor?”, “Everyday, at least twice a day” It’s true what Solomon says “Of making many books there is no end.” But Im not sure if much study is so wearisome, Its exciting! Then again Solomon was writing from the perspective of one living under the Sun, not necessarily living in the SON. Maybe that explains it?

As I have been preparing for the messages on the fruit of the Spirit, Like always I find that God puts me to the test on the very things I am studying. Its as if he wants to work these things in my life in a greater way whether before or even after I speak on them to others.
As I was meditating this morning on Gods peace and praying about the day, the Lord spoke to me, that many times my prayers are asking God to give me good circumstances today so I can have peace, or so I can have joy. But then it dawned on me, Gods peace and joy are not dependent on circumstances. they come in spite of circumstances. In fact I can know its Gods peace and joy, by the Holy Spirit when I have no circumstantial reason to have them.