Growing Pains

So we see Jesus as he walks with His disciple. They are passing row after row of grapes. They can see the care takers of the Vineyard as they are busy tending to the plants. They rise up branches, prune others and even cut some of the plants to barely anything left all to maximize the production of the grapes. They want the biggest, sweetest, healthiest grapes that these plants can produce, but they know something that the plant doesn't. If these grape plants are left on their own the will grow big and dense but their fruit will be small, bitter and hard. The other thing is there will be very little fruit.

It is in this place that Jesus looks at His disciples and says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

Jesus, the true vine is the source of everything we need to bear fruit for God. We can't find the strength, character or energy to maintain (or even grow) in our walk with God.

God the Father is the gardener. He desires to make us the best us, we can be. This process isn't easy. God must cut off that which isn't producing fruit. He begins working in the areas of our life that are the most dead. These lifeless, thoughts, attitudes and actions must be removed before we can flourish as productive members of God's kingdom. These dead areas rob the healthy areas of sustenance needed to bear fruit. These sin issues are things that God deals with in a mighty way. He sent His Son to pay the cost and now He is removing them. This can hurt or scare us as God shows us the depth of out wickedness and solidifies our absolute dependence upon the True Vine.

After God cuts away the big dead things in us He will start the pruning process. Pruning involves cutting away the excess in our lives. As a grape vine grows its branches and leaves will grow so dense and tight that they will start choking the life out of good branches. This is much like the business of many Christians today that can't seem to find any extra time in their day to give to God. We find our lives consumed with good things that we never experience the best that God has for us. We are bearing fruit but they are few and far between.

God's desire for you and I is to bear much fruit. This is why James could write, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Paul also wrote about the Fruit that God desires to harvest in our lives when he wrote to the Galatians. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

These 9 qualities are the product that God desires in the lives of all his children. What parent wouldn't?

These qualities all together make one fruit, a disciple of Jesus Christ. Where are you today? Is your life full of dead stuff and in need of a gardener to take control? Or are you producing some fruit and in need of a loving God to set you free to bear more fruit? Or maybe your bearing good fruit but just haven't reached the place where you can say you are bearing much fruit. In this case you need a God who will take you deep into what it means to walk in the Spirit.

God desires to do all of this and more for you. Jesus came to offer a hope of a better today and a brighter tomorrow as He seeks to be the source of your life.

Dealing With Doubt

In Mark 9, Jesus comes upon a group of disciples arguing with with the teachers of the law. The text indicates the argument was about Jesus' ability to heal this boy who is demon possessed. Jesus' disciples had been unable to heal the boy. When the boy is brought to Jesus the spirit in in the boy responds by throwing him into convulsions. He fell and rolled on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

The boy's father then pleads with Jesus, "if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

"IF YOU CAN"

Many times our walk with God is challenged with a nagging doubt that God won't or can't act in our situation. For some reason our faith is challenged and we desire for God to intervene on our behalf but we lack the true faith that God desires from us.

Let's look at Jesus' response in verse 23, "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Jesus is basically saying that our faith in God directly correlates to how God will choose to respond to our prayers. Look at: Matthew 8:9-11, Matthew 9:2, Matthew 9:22, Matthew 9:29, Matthew 13:58, Matthew 15:28, Matthew 21:21, John 14:12, Acts 3:16, Acts 14:9, ect...

Faith is so important in our walk with God that Hebrews 11:16 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

So how do we deal with these lingering doubts that war against our faith. The answer is found in Mark 9:24, "Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'"

HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF!

This man started out saying "I believe" but then he got real with Jesus "help me overcome my unbelief!" He knew that if he wanted to see God work in the life of his son that he needed to get real with Jesus. I can see it now:
"Ok, I confess, I don't believe. I want to believe but my son has been suffering for so long. I have tried so many things to get him help and nothing seems to work. My situation is some overwhelming. It seems every time I get my hopes up they get crushed over and over again. Please Lord! I want to believe. I really do but I have put my hopes in so many things before and I just don't have any faith left. Help me Lord Jesus. Help me to believe!"

I don't know what you are struggling with today but maybe it is time we get real with God. God loves you where you are right now. He doesn't want a show that looks like you have it all together, He wants you to simply come, as beaten, battered and bruised as you may be and He will help you with your unbelief.

Romans 3:3-4 says, "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written:
"So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge."

Today

I remember visiting this church on time as a candidate to possibly be their pastor. As I was getting to know them one of the elders was telling me how they were primed and ready for God to do a great work in their church. This loving brother continues to tell me how the church had over $2,000,000 sitting in the bank. Wow! I began to share with them some ways in which they could use some of those resources that God had provided to reach the community and open peoples eyes to a God that loves them and sent His Son to die that they might get saved. I was then delivered the unexpected blow. "Oh no, pastor, that money is for the day that we need to build a new sanctuary." As the discussions continued, I discovered that this money had been sitting in the bank for nearly 25 years while this church had been sitting and waiting for God to grow the church. (the building they were in could sit around 200 and on their biggest Sunday they once ran 152 people; average weekly attendance was about 45)

This church, like many others, is stuck in wait mode. Waiting for the day that God is going to do something great. Their faith is something that will someday be great but not today. I need a God that is TODAY!

When Jesus started His sharing the Good News, He started with a simple message, "The Kingdom of God is near." (or at hand) In this little statement Jesus was saying that God and His kingdom are NOW! Stop waiting for a God who will do great things and start living for a God who is doing great things. God wants to be part of your life today. He has great things for you today.

When we live a life waiting, we fail to actively participate with God to bring resumption to to the world. God never called us to wait. It is His desire to use us as Christ's ambassadors to let others know that they can obtain God's kingdom NOW!

How about you? Are you waiting for a God who will someday do something great or our you living with a God who is working in your life right now?

James 2:14-26 says,
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

God loves you today! He wants to be part of you today. Will you live for Him today?

Good News

Hope! How often do we encounter people with no hope for tomorrow? Some are down on their luck, in need of a job. not sure how they are going to pay the bills and put food on the table. Some people are overwhelmed with depression, feeling that they have no value or self worth. Some are dealing with issues of heartache and pain, their marriage is falling apart, they are watching their children making poor decisions that could hurt them in the long run. Others are caught up in various sin issues that have some how managed to take control of their lives. This can show up as drugs, alcohol, pornography, violence, gluttony and so on. So many people are without hope today.

In Luke 4:18-19 we find Jesus sitting in a synagogue reading from the scroll of Isaiah. He reads these words, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL (Good News) TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." Then Jesus makes the the great statement in verse 21, "TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING."

This Good News is no longer something we have to wait for. It is here, Now! Jesus came to give us a better life. To the poor, He says you you can be rich in God. To those chained to addiction or sin Jesus says you can be free now. To those who can't see beyond their circumstances He will grant a glimpse of the God who is in control. And if you are oppressed by man or demon to brings you favor of the God who is greater than all things.

This is the Good News, You can have HOPE TODAY! What ever the circumstance, what ever the pain, the God of the universe is saying to you come and I will give you rest. Jesus laid down His life that you may have peace. Jesus rose from the dead so that you may have a new life in Him.

Stepping Stone

So there was this day when Jesus was talking to His disciples that I find very intriguing. Jesus asks, "Who do people say that I am?" Now at first glance we might think Jesus is concerned about other peoples opinion of Him, but He isn't. He is opening up a discussion that will set into motion the greatest movement the world has ever seen. A stepping stone that will shape everything His disciples will do.

Though His disciples, jump right in telling Jesus who people think He is: Teacher, prophet, Elijah, John the Baptist. So Jesus makes it more personal, "Who do you say that I am?"

This question is the stepping stone that we each need to ask. Who do we say that He is? The way we define Jesus, will directly effect the way in which we respond to Him.

If He is just a good teacher, we might study his life and teachings to grow in our intellectual pursuits, believing that they will make us a better, well rounded, person.

If He is just a savior, we will see Him will be someone that is there when we need help and is standing on the sidelines waiting to be called into play to save the day at the last moment, but doesn't seem to have a place in our normal every day life.

If He is just a judge, we will see Him as the black robed, gavel totting keeper of the law. Who walks around with His list of do's and don'ts just waiting to bust us for the smallest infraction.

Maybe we have the "Doggma" view of Jesus smiling with two thumbs up that says, "It's all good" as long as we are showing love in our own way we're fine.

Peter's response was, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

This answer was so profound that Jesus called it the ROCK on which He would build His church and the gates of hell would not over come it. (Matthew 16) What did Peter say? What was so profound that would change the face of the world.

By acknowledging the Christ, Peter, was saying that Jesus is the anointed one. As the "Anointed One" Jesus was The Prophet like Moses, The King like David, The Immanuel (God with us) from Isaiah, The Suffering Servant, The Son of Man and much more.

Peter continued to call Jesus the Son of the Living God. This is a reference to the deity of the Christ. That He is fully man yet fully God, that He is the great I AM. The wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Ever Lasting Father and the prince of peace. He isn't just a king but the KING of kings. Not just a lord but the LORD of lords.

How should our lives reflect the Jesus we serve? What do you call Him?