by Pastor Rick | Oct 7, 2024 | Click Date to Respond
Good morning all!
I want to share with you one more key point from yesterday’s message about the woman with the troubled daughter. It was to be a part of the message but as we neared that point in the message I glanced at the clock and knew we still had communion to share and didn’t want to keep you too long! As it was we were still going to go a little long.
It’s easy to miss if we are focusing on the woman but did you notice the attitude of the disciples?
“Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.” Matthew 15:23 (NLT)
The disciples are asking the Lord to dismiss her because she is infringing on their time. They are annoyed and want what they want. They didn’t want to get involved.
As people of faith, how many of us act this same way from time to time? “I should go do this but you know it’s Saturday and my only free day.” Or maybe you asked them for help once and they didn’t come so you think why should I help them. “I am too busy” is another as well as “I am tired of helping.” Even worse yet is the reason “let somebody else do it.”
Look, Jesus had been very busy. He had been in Gennesaret. He had fed the 5,000 and had taught. He thought he would get some rest but instead had to go rescue the disciples in a boat from storm. Then he taught some more. He left for Tyre and Sidon to get some rest and then comes this Gentile woman with some family problems.
I have to confess that sometimes I feel just like the disciples do. Someone comes to me or to church with a need…perhaps money, perhaps a prayer, and they come at a time when I just want to be left alone. So, I quickly grant their request in order that I can get on with what I wanted to do.
Have you ever felt that way? Are there people you consider a bother? You may help them, but you really don’t feel much compassion for them? We help some people begrudgingly and then invite them to our church and then we wonder why they don’t appreciate it or don’t embrace our invitation to come to our church. Could it be they can tell we really didn’t care or were just carrying out some duty?
Here’s the main point! Even when our faith is shaken, there are times we should get involved when we really don’t want to. Our lives have their own messes and getting involved in someone else’s…well it’s just too much! Please remember that when these opportunities arise, they may be very well be divine appointments. God has chosen you to help a person in distress. He has called you to be the messenger of his hope and love. What an awesome calling!
Pastor Rick
P.S. I will be in the office today and tomorrow this week. I have a cluster meeting on Tuesday at 11:30.
by Pastor Rick | Oct 3, 2024 | Click Date to Respond
Good Morning MABC!
In the office this morning, I am visiting with Mike Lawson and we touched on the topic of yesterday’s message. He said he almost wore his Mercy Me concert t-shirt that says “Even If.”
Even If is the title of one of their most recent hits on contemporary Christian radio. The writer relates that he is going through a bad spell. He says that his songs are to remind the broken that everything will be alright, but he is losing so badly and doesn’t think it will be. Then he asks the question we kind of touched on yesterday…what will my witness be when things are bad, when I am held to the flame?
It’s easy to sing when there’s nothing to bring me down. But what will I say when I’m held to the flame like I am right now?
And the answer comes back telling us to trust in Jesus.
I know You’re able, and I know You can save through the fire with Your mighty hand, but even if You don’t…MY HOPE IS YOU ALONE!
Isn’t that what Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego say in Daniel 3:18 when they tell the king they will not bow down to the statue he has commanded them to worship? Don’t they tell him where their hope lies? Go back and read their response…even if he doesn’t.
It is my hope that as we go through this “Shaken” series that you will indeed not be shaken but stand firm in your faith. That even if God does not resolve your crisis the way you wanted or had hoped for…you will still worship Him. Not forsake him as culture says to do when you don’t get what you wanted. You see, too many in the world today treat Jesus or God like Santa Claus or even a genie whose sole purpose is to bring you whatever you want to make you happy.
Gary Thomas wrote a book called Sacred Marriage. In it he poses a great question which is applicable to all your marriage relationship but I think is good for any struggle as well. What if marriage isn’t designed to make you happy but to make you holy? What other opportunity in life do you have where you learn to be more like Christ each and every day? So let’s take that question and use it in other life circumstances – broken family relations, financial struggles, even health problems. What if God is using them to help you become holy? Remember, holy means set apart for God to use. What if God is teaching you to respond to whatever life throws at you in such a way that people have no choice but to say that you must be a follower of Jesus? Didn’t Darius in Chapter 6 of Daniel issue a proclamation that everyone in the nation was to fear Daniel’s God as the living, eternal God? Daniel was set apart from the beginning of his time and through the trials of living in captivity and having his faith challenged he changed a nation.
I am not asking you to change a nation today but maybe your response to a current struggle in life leads someone else to ask you how are managing to cope with “X” crisis? Maybe, just maybe you can change a life…that changes a life…that changes a life…that changes a life…
Have a great week MABC family! And even if you don’t …
Pastor Rick
by Pastor Rick | Sep 23, 2024 | Click Date to Respond
Good Monday Morning,
This is just about the best time of the year! The mornings and evenings, cool…almost chilly, and the afternoons in the mid-70s. Sherry and I shut down the A/C yesterday when we got home and opened the windows. It was great sleeping weather.
As I sat down this morning to begin writing, I thought for a minute about Peter and the lame beggar from Acts 4. The miracle of healing the lame beggar opened the door for the gospel to be shared and share it Peter did. So, if struggles and troubles open the door to the gospel, should we be praying for trouble? That we might be able to share the gospel? And as I pondered in my heart (Luke 2:19), I came to the conclusion there was no need to pray for trouble. Our world is filled with trouble already and our job is to pray for awareness, sensitivity to those around us and BOLDNESS to share Jesus we called upon to respond. May that be your prayer today and tomorrow and the days to come.
Yesterday, we talked about those times when we are feeling overwhelmed with our troubles or the troubles of others and how we respond. I want to elaborate a little on the responses to feeling overwhelmed.
1. First was seek community. God made us as relational people and we aren’t to do life alone. Find a group of people that share your faith and then maybe even hone it down to one or two really close confidants. Jesus had twelve in his faith group but in certain instances he turned to three. An easy way to find community is your church family. Gather on Sundays.
2. Pray! Start your prayer not with your troubles but with gratitude. Thank God for all that you do have and all that he has done for you. I have been fortunate enough to travel to places where they have very little…no running water, dirt floors, sketchy electricity and persecution. Those trips were some of the best times for Sherry and I to be thankful for what he had.
3. Focus on mission. Finding time to serve others is a great way to combat your sense of being overwhelmed. See number 2 above but also consider the impact your actions have on others. You can find a sense of fulfillment and purpose in life when you do that. Also, remember that the apostle Paul said that we are to comfort others as God has comforted us in our troubles. (2 Cor.1:4)
4. This is a freebie…didn’t mention it yesterday. USE technology. If you have a smartphone, you can carry the bible with you everywhere. Sitting in the doctor’s office for the third time this week? Pull up some scripture and read. Have a note-taking app on your phone? (Most phones do as a standard feature.) Use it to record some prayer needs from others and for yourself. Check your email for Les’ Monday Morning Update and pray for those on praise and prayer list. Sitting at the tag office with 50 other people? Pull up some praise music. You don’t have to blast it but someone sitting near may hear and ask what you are listening to – open door to share! Send a text or an email to someone you have in your contact list telling them you are praying for them.
Start with just one of these if you have to and add others as you go. Have a great week!
Pastor Rick
by Pastor Rick | Sep 16, 2024 | Click Date to Respond
Good Morning all,
Saw this in one of my news feeds (Christian Post) after worship yesterday. A Seattle pastor, Pastor Matthew Meinecke. won a significant legal battle with the city of Seattle over his sharing of his faith publicly in the summer of 2022. He had been arrested for reading from the Bible and handing out faith based literature at a pro-abortion rally. He received some monetary compensation but the big win was that the city had to acknowledge that they were in the wrong for suppressing speech, his first amendment rights.
It reminded me of another story I had followed closely. While pastoring in Augusta I was asked to help coach the high school football team. We prayed before practice every day and before games. We made it perfectly clear that it was strictly voluntary and you didn’t have to join us. In 2015, Joe Kennedy, a Washington state high school football coach, lost his job for praying on the 50 yard line after games. After the game, he would go to mid-field and take a knee to pray. It was just a solitary activity at first but then students started joining him. The school district asked him to stop because it gave the appearance of school sanctioned prayer and that as a coach students may feel coerced into joining him. He refused saying it was his right to do so and that any action by students was clearly up to them. It took seven years of legal battles but in 2022 the Supreme Court ruled the Bremerton School District violated the coach’s rights, saying prayers amounted to private speech and could not be restricted by the school district. Here is a quote from Coach Kennedy:
“As I have demonstrated, we must make a stand for what we believe in,” he continued. “In my case, I made a stand to take a knee. I encourage all Americans to make their own stand for freedom and our right to express our faith as we see fit.” (emphasis mine!)
As the percentage of Americans who feel their faith is highly important to them continues to dwindle and the number of those who feel their faith is “somewhat important” or not important increase, we can be sure that we will see more and more opposition to faith-based activities in public spaces. And if we don’t raise up a generation that is prepared to take their faith serious, we are failing the Great Commission to go and make disciples. I was greatly encouraged though last Thursday. I am coaching on my grandson’s middle school football team where he is an 8th grader. Before the 7th grade team took the field one of the players gathered the team around and asked them to kneel in prayer. I think every last player joined him. There is hope.
This week I will be in the office on Wednesday morning and then again on Thursday morning. Today we have a follow up doctor appointment for Sherry. Thursday morning I will be in the office after a morning meeting at Lawrence Elementary school.
Should the opportunity to stand strong for your faith arise, remember that Jesus has not given a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Tim. 1:7 NLT)
Praying that God blesses your socks off this week!
P.R.
by Pastor Rick | Sep 12, 2024 | Click Date to Respond
Good Morning MABC family,
I love this time of year. This morning as I had my cup of coffee on the porch it was a cool 58 degrees but this afternoon will be in the high 80’s. And, it’s football season!
First things first! I will be doing some work from home this morning but will be in the office tomorrow and Wednesday instead. One, I want to be home with Sherry one more morning as we strive to get back to pre-surgery routines. Two, I am trying to combine trips to Wichita more efficiently. Tuesday is our men’s lunch at the Copper Oven at 11:30 am. Men, hopefully you can join us there. Wednesday is a men’s lunch at Newspring that is usually attended by around 500 men. I have invited a couple of younger men to join me there for lunch. Men, if you can’t make it Tuesday morning, maybe you can join me and others at Newspring at 11:45 pm. If you want a lunch you need to register ahead of time otherwise it doesn’t cost anything. I have been emphasizing with our men the need for us to disciple other men. Who is that man you have some connection to that could use good biblical encouragement alongside other men? Let me know if you decide to go so that I can look for you!
While sitting on my back porch having a cup of coffee this morning I was reading a couple a couple of insights from other leaders and church related research. Yesterday I mentioned the culture shift in our country and how it seems to be moving further and further away from the principles we try to live by as followers of Christ. I use the term followers because I really don’t like the word “Christians” any more for a couple of reasons. One was mentioned yesterday in Luke 14 as Jesus talked about the cost of being a disciple. Verse 25 says a large crowd was following Jesus. Jesus turns to the crowd and essentially says it is not enough just to follow me around for the “show.” He boldly tells them what he is interested in – committed followers – not just big numbers of “fans” so that he can post on social media how many “followers” he has. I use “followers” loosely there! He is interested in those who want to help him further the kingdom no matter the cost.
George Barna, Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University says “’Christian’ has become somewhat of a generic term rather than a name that reflects a deep commitment to passionately pursuing and being like Jesus Christ.” The CRC’s research says that despite 69% claiming the faith, in reality only a tiny minority of American adults (6%) possess a biblical worldview and demonstrate a consistent understanding and application of biblical principles. This research was done in 2021 and it falls right in line with the Gallup Poll numbers mentioned yesterday from 2013 suggesting fewer than ten percent of evangelical Christians could be called deeply committed. Gallup stated that most of those who profess Christianity don’t know basic teachings and don’t act differently because of their Christian experience. Maybe I can speak to that more next week.
Next week, we will take an even deeper look into culture and Jesus as we move forward in chapter 4 of Acts. Yesterday as I was reading chapter 4 again, doing some research and praying, I have come to the conclusion it will take two more weeks – maybe even three – to get through this chapter. I have to tell you that really throws off my tentative schedule for sermons for the rest of this year! Read ahead and pray about verses 5-21. On this beautiful morning, that’s what I hope cover. Let’s see what the Lord says!
Pastor Rick
