Blog Archives - Collaborative Transformation

Luke 17

7/29/2013

Luke 17:30-34 “Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.”

We have got to realize the grandeur of Jesus’ return. It is what we should be living for so when it happens we are ready and excited. Nothing else should matter, it will be too late for anyone who doesn’t know and have faith in who Jesus is. So we must not be worried about our friends or family or possessions, our excitement should overtake everything in our world.

Jesus says, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it…” Our life could be everything that is a part of us; family, friends, money, possession so we must let go of it and love the Lord just as it says in Matthew chapter 22 verse 37, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” The time is now to keep studying and learning or seeking and asking, so we fall to our knees in praise and thankfulness upon His return or our last day on earth.

There are a lot of people that talk about it but how many really believe it? Look at what Jesus shares in Luke chapter 18 verse 8 after the persistent widow gets the unjust judge to give her justice. “I tell you, He will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?” This is not a scare tactic it is a warning for us to know the Lord, believe in Him and have faith to be like Him. Our journey will never end, we must take some responsibility to learn and grow so we can be ready when it is our last day.

I say thank you for everything you have given us to learn from and I pray as I learn I live out my faith so others see Christ in me not my flesh. Amen

Luke 15

7/27/2013

Luke 15:20-24 “So he returned home to find his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So the party began.”

This story makes me think of our walk with the Lord or our journey to know Him. Everyone is loved because God is love and God has made it clear that He is slow to return so no one misses out. But what is incredible about this is Jesus is showing us that our focus should be on Him and our reward is in heaven not here. We can’t get caught up in expecting anything now we must just remember what Jesus did and seek doing the same. It doesn’t matter if we have been saved for our entire lives or one month, the celebration is that we are saved. As believers we can’t get upset by what happens to people we can only continue to learn how to be like Christ and shine so people can see the light.

Verse 27 says, “Your brother is back, he was told, and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.” There should be excitement but the brother feels anger because he has been there working and his brother was living it up. Verses 28-30 say, “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf.” The brother gets his focus off of God and on self and he becomes selfish to what he thinks he desires.

We can easily get caught up in the same things. We expect rewards for what we do, but God has already rewarded us for eternity. When we take the time and build a relationship with the Lord we have a chance to become less like us and more like Him and our focus becomes only to do what we learn from God. It doesn’t matter what service we do or how hard we work, it’s that we view others before ourselves and work to show them Christian living. As we accept Jesus we are given this statement in John chapter 16 verse 33 by Jesus Himself. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Our joy is in Christ and our reward is in heaven. I love what the dad says in verse 32, “We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and he has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!” Our reward is yet to come but we can enjoy this world because we know the Lord and are trying to be like Him. Amen

lUKE 12

7/24/2013

Luke 12:35-38 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamp burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.”

Jesus is so clear on what He wants for us in this set of Scriptures. “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning…” We must be willing to study and pray all the time because knowing Him will help us see true service because He came to serve. And continuing to learn and study the word will fuel the lamp to keep burning so we are ready to answer the door when He knocks. Have you ever been waiting for a friend or family member you haven’t seen in a while? You are so impatient that every noise you hear you believe to be them. That is how we should be with Jesus; the more we learn and open our hearts the more excited we get to serve and show the light we have to others.

We get the wrong ideas about serving and giving in the church. We think of them as things we have to do, but in reality they are things we get to do. We get to serve on the weekend because there are people that need to see Christ-like behavior. We get to give because God has given us so much. It is all in how we want to view it. Look at what Jesus says in verses 39-40, “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” When we get comfortable we get lazy and when we get lazy the world looks more exciting because there is a chance for instant gratification. We need nothing but the Lord and when we keep adding fuel for the lamp we will continue to burn and be excited about answering the door at any time.

Look at Luke chapter 12 verse 34 and let it sink in to your hearts. “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Heavenly treasures are what will last; eventually everything else will be gone. Don’t be excited about things be excited about what Jesus did so we can return to the Father. Amen

Luke 11

7/22/2013

Luke 11:5-8 “Then, teaching them more about prayer, He used this story: ‘Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this – though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.”

This is amazing and is so easily seen even with our kids. I don’t know about you but sometimes I have given in just to quiet my kids down. But that persistence is what God is looking for as we grow in our walk with the Lord. Persistence can be us not being satisfied or us being determined to grow. It is also about focus to what is important as we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. God is not going to work in our timing so we must continue to ask and seek the things we want to know. Verses 9-10 say, “And so I tell you keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

When we realize God means everyone and we don’t have to be perfect our hearts will soften and make us continue to do all we can to know Christ. When we know Christ more we will be good even when things aren’t answered when we want them to be. Look what Jesus says to a woman that was blessing His mother’s womb for carrying Him. Luke chapter 11 verse 28, “Jesus replied, ‘But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” That is amazing to me, Jesus tells us it’s not only hearing but it’s also doing.

I was fortunate to preach a message on Luke chapter 10 when Jesus visits Martha and Mary. Verses 38-40 say, “As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” We all have been in a situation where we were frustrated about what was going on and our busyness kept our focus off of what was important. I really like how Jesus answers her question. In verses 41-42 Jesus says, “But the Lord said to her. ‘My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” She wanted nothing but to listen and hear what Jesus was going to teach and we should be concerned about the same things. Hearing and doing what God is teaching us in His word and then following Jesus because He did it perfectly. As we learn to give up control and following our Lord we realize that His timing is perfect and our persistence is what helps us get the answers on His timing. I want to end with a quote from Pastor Kelly Goff from The Rock Church and have us just think about it. “We need to stop putting due dates on God’s timing.” Amen

Luke 9

7/19/2013

Luke 9:61-62 “Another said, ‘Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

We have to realize that there is nothing that can come between us and Jesus. Our focus and desire should be fixed on Him and learning all we can so we are able to make a difference in this world. In my Nelson study bible it is put like this, “Jesus’ remark about being fit for the Kingdom of God demonstrates the seriousness of commitment to Him. Putting a hand to the plow means engaging in a task. Here the task is serving the Kingdom. Looking back makes it difficult to plow straight furrows.” If we keep thinking of our past or getting caught up in what we did there will always be something that hinders our service.

Satan will always work on using our past to make us feel unworthy and if we let him we will always give him a foothold in our lives. I love what Paul writes in Romans chapter 12 verse 2, “Don’t copy the behaviors and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” As new people we must learn and do new things. Our past can shape us but as we grow in the Lord it is our devotion to Him that develops us.

At The Rock Church we always say, we are a church that cares where you are going, not where you’ve been, and that is what we should remember as we put our hand to the plow. Jesus will use us all to get the message out, are we excited that Jesus died and raised for us enough to commit our lives to Him? It is not the easy road, it is the narrow road, but the reward is too great for us to delay and keep looking back. We need to have faith that all is good because of Jesus and we must let the Holy Spirit lead us to act on that faith.

James writes in James chapter 2 verse 22, “You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.” Abraham not only believed what God told him, he had his hands to the plow and was going to plow. We need to let the Spirit be the plow and hold on with joy. Amen

Luke 8

7/16/2013

Luke 8:18 “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

We can hear but not listen. The Greek word for listen is akouo and one of the meanings is to comprehend or to understand. When we hear and not listen we do not learn and our growth is stagnant, but when we concentrate and listen with the belief of doing we grow and transform into new creations. Think of a time when you went somewhere to hear something you really weren’t interested in. You could hear what that person was saying but nothing stuck in your mind because you really weren’t listening. It also happens with our spouses or friends when we are not interested in what they are saying or we are distracted by something else during the conversation. We must open our hearts and be willing to listen and hear what God have given us so we can make a difference in this world.

I love what Jesus says to a person who shares that His mother and brothers want to see Him. Luke chapter 8 verse 23, “Jesus replied, “My mother and brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.” There is so much that happens when we obey God’s word and live to learn and understand. Our hearts continue to grow and we are able to handle the craziness of this world that will never stop trying to win our hearts so we waver in our thoughts.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 Paul goes on to share an important message to the church and it is one we should read and remember. Verses 1-4 say, “For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God Himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband – Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.” When we believe and accept Jesus we start growing and our excitement keeps us focused on hearing what He is saying and our hearing keeps us believing what Jesus did for us and we joyfully want to learn more so we seek His wisdom. And it is His wisdom that moves us to be obedient to His teaching and the Spirit shows us all that we need to be disciples planting seeds and watering them. We shouldn’t get caught up in just hearing we should do what Jesus says and “pay attention to how you hear.” Amen

Luke 6 :46-49

7/13/2013

Luke 6:46-49 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord! When you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

This is amazing to me; Jesus is showing us how important our relationship with Him is. We can’t just listen to the words we must live them out. The more we open our hearts to learn the more we solidify our foundation and the better we can listen and obey what we are taught. God doesn’t want us to just know His Son, He wants us to be like His Son. Look at Jesus and how He made His foundation. In John chapter 5 verse 19 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does.” This is exactly what we need to do as we grow and seek wisdom from the Lord. Whatever we see Jesus doing we should work on doing in our lives as well.

If we just take our walk and listen we do not show to believe in what Jesus did for us. Our foundation will be weak and everything that happens will be devastating to us. James talks about this in James chapter 1 verses 2-4, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” That is because of the foundation that we are working on. When we realize that we can’t do anything without God we will surrender trying to control our own lives and we will do what Jesus is teaching us in the word.

Look at what Jesus goes on to say about the Fathers love and healing a man on the Sabbath. John chapter 5 verse 20, “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing. In fact, the Father will show Him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.” God loves us so much He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16) and He also gave us the word so we know how to handle every situation that will happen to us. And finally He gave us the Holy Spirit to lead us and protect us so we know what is right. I say we can never stop building on the foundation and we must always be working on following what Jesus is showing us. Amen

Luke 6

7/11/2013

Luke 6:35-36 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unfaithful and wicked. You must be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.”

This really stood out to me today and made me think how God’s love is for all and He only wants everyone to know His Son. He is not angry or plotting negative, He does things for us so we choose His Son. In service this past weekend the pastor said, “God always looks first to change us not our circumstances.” This is because He loves us (everyone) and wants our hearts to change. Look at 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9 which says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some people may think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

We must understand the more we relation with God and open His word the more we can do the things Jesus has shown us. This is important because we are not supposed to be satisfied with our walk if it only benefits us, we must be growing so we can be like Christ and help others find the narrow road. In Luke chapter 6 verse 39 Jesus says, “Then Jesus gave the following illustration: ‘Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch?” We all must seek wisdom from above so that we can plant and water seeds that don’t show hypocrisy but love.

In verse 40 Jesus goes on to say, “Students are not greater than their teachers. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.” Our goal should be nothing less than to be like the perfect example given to us by God. Our willingness to learn and grow helps us keep focused in all that we do and we understand as we grow it becomes less about us and more about Him. John the Baptist had this theory down for sure. In John chapter 3 verses 27-30 we see that John understands. “John replied, ‘No one can receive anything unless God gives it from Heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for Him. It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with Him and hear His vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at His success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” We need to open our hearts and be willing to live the way we see the bible showing us, and then we will be able to love our enemies and focus on right living. Amen

Luke 1

7/7/2013

Luke 1:38 “Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’ And then the angel left her.”

This was the angel Gabriel telling her about her relative Elizabeth and her baby John, and about Mary and her baby to be. The comment is so important for us to see and believe ourselves. We are given everything we need to know Jesus and what He came for, do we believe and can we say, “I am the Lord’s servant…” After Gabriel leaves Mary she goes and visits Elizabeth and when they first see each other Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and says in verses 44-45, “When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believe that the Lord would do what He said.”

We can have that belief as well if we would die to self and live the way Christ shows us in His word. Look at what it says in Romans chapter 5 verse 1, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” When we believe that, like Mary believed, our lives are changed and there is joy and we are blessed. Look at what Paul says in Romans chapter 10 verses 9-10, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him form the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

Our hearts must open and accept who Jesus is. Our confession starts us in that direction but if we stop there we are like the demons that know Him but didn’t care to change. John chapter 1 verse 12 says, “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” I love the opportunity we have because of what Jesus did for us; eternal life and the peace to shine in this world as we wait to return home with Him. Warren Wiersbe shares this and I think it is important to remember. “Jesus still asks us to follow Him. What a responsibility! What a privilege! We can succeed only as we permit Him to transform us.”

As we open our hearts and study His word we change because good is going in and the Spirit is filling us from the inside out. When we choose, like Mary did, to be a servant, we surrender control and live to do God’s will not our own. Now look at what Elizabeth says to Mary and see it as true in our lives today. “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.” Amen

Mark 13

7/3/2013

Mark 13:36-37 “Don’t let Him find you asleep when He arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone. Watch for Him!”

This is not about physical sleep, it is about Spiritual sleep. Jesus wants us to know Him so well that we will not be deceived by anything that could take place before He returns. If we don’t take the time to know Him we could be getting caught up in the world and be sleeping when He returns. We are told to have peace on earth as it is in heaven, when we are not alert our peace is gone and we struggle to find it. Look at verse 33 which says, “And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!” We can never feel satisfied with what we know because to be alert and on guard we must be continually learning and having a relationship with Him. Then we will know what we need and we will have joy in all situations.

Staying alert means we are showing the qualities of Jesus in our lives. This statement by Pastor Kevin made me think, “What kind of evidence is in you that show you are committed to Christ?” Because when we are alert and learning from the Lord; our lives show it by our actions not just our words. In the book of Revelation Jesus talks to many different churches but I want to look at what He said to the church of Smyrna.

Revelation chapter 2 verses 9-10 say, “I know about your suffering and your poverty – but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you in prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death I will give you the crown of life.” This shows us being alert and being on guard and what happens when we are focused on Him. Verse 11 goes on to say, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.”

We who are in Christ will not die but we will go home to the place we belong. Amen (and that is not West Virginia.)