Draw Near.

I recently have had conversations with people who are going to an event at a church. A  wedding, a meeting, whatever. It almost always comes up, every time. "I sure hope the building doesn't collapse because I am there." Or better yet, "I sure hope lightning doesn't strike me." Then if they know that I am  going to the same event, they'll always say "I'll just hang around you." Just because I am a Christian and a Pastor doesn't mean you'll be saved. You can't ride my coat tails to Heaven. That's not how it works. I am a servant of the Most High. All I can do is point to and tell people about Jesus. He is the One who saves. It says in the Bible to draw near to God, not draw near to  Keven.
James 4:8 New King James Version (NKJV)⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
It's a personal relationship with Jesus. We all have a different paths we are taking.
Proverbs 3:6  (NLT)⁶ Seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take.
If you still think that you need to be by me, this is what the Bible says.
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NLT)11 ¹ And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
Once again. Just because you hang around me or are near me, I can't save you. Only Christ can do that.
Romans 10:9-10(NKJV) ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Amen!!

Heart Issue

So, it happened once more this past week. Another senseless act of gun violence at a place of employment. Five people were killed and several were injured including five police officers. This time it really hit close to home for me. It happened at a company in Aurora. I used to live a few blocks away from where it happened, plus I have family members and friends who are like family on the Aurora police department. Thank God they are all alright, but still scary at first, not knowing. These shootings are becoming more and more frequent, between places of work, schools, night clubs, baseball practice, wherever. People are quick to put the blame on the gun. But it's not the gun that killed these innocent people, it's the person behind the gun pulling the trigger who is to blame. We'll start hearing again about how we need to ban guns. How we need stricter gun laws (that no one will follow). The dude that killed those five people in Aurora was supposed to surrender his gun months ago. How come this didn't happen? Now innocent people are dead.We don't need more gun laws or policy's. We need more of Jesus! It is a heart problem in America.
Galatians 6:7  (NIV)⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
We keep kicking Jesus out of every thing and everywhere, then we wonder where He was at during the violence. Jesus is a gentleman. He will not go where He is not invited. He gives us free will. To choose what we want. Obviously He wants us to choose Him. If we don't, He is not going to force Himself on us. Like I said, He is a gentleman!
2 Chronicles 7:14  (ESV)¹⁴ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
I pray that we as a country repent and turn from our evil ways and turn back to The Lord!

The Punisher

I am going to make a confession. My guilty pleasure is watching the t.v. show 'The Punisher' on Netflix. It's bloody, raw, violent and intense. I love it. I couldn't get enough of it. When the first season ended, I hoped that they were going to make a second one. Guess what? They did. Yes!! Anyway, I liked the show so much, that is all I talked about at work. A co-worker convicted me of this. He had started watching it himself and was enjoying it, like I knew he would. I asked him earlier this week what got him started watching the show. He told me that I did. He said that I talked about it so much, that he had to check it out. I was thinking cool, but then... I started thinking about what I was talking about at work. If I was hyping up a violent t.v. show to my co-workers, what was I doing in hyping up my faith in Jesus Christ? What God has been doing and has done in my life. Do they know about that? Do they know my salvation story? How God pulled me out of what I used to be and what He has transformed into now.
2 Corinthians 5:17(NLT) ¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! I want to witness to them. Speak of all the good things that God has done for me and my family. 
1 Peter 3:2 (ESV)² when they see your respectful and pure conduct. How I conduct myself around other people. I want Jesus' love light to reflect off of me to others around me. When people see me, they see Jesus. He must increase, I must decrease.
 2 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
Lord, I want to spread Your fragrance all around my place of employment. I want everyone to know that you are the Lord of my life, and I will not be ashamed to say so. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Lord, I pray that all my speech is pleasing to you. That my actions model Yours. I was made in Your image, I need to start acting like it.

Living It Out.

My wife and I host a small group in our home a couple of times a month. We study the Bible from the You version app on our phones. The last study we did was on attitude. The kinds of attitude that we have when things happen to us. Good, bad or indifferent. The study was reminding us to have an attitude of Christ in every situation. This was kind of eye opening for  me, because even now, I still get a terrible attitude about things. When I do something stupid I say to myself "that wasn't very Christ honoring or pleasing to God." I am a work in progress on this. I have to keep reminding myself of this verse. 2 Corinthians 5:17  (NLT)¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! So my wife and I had a chance to live this out recently. We volunteered at Winter Jam in Peoria last week, Thursday. We had reserved a room for the night at a hotel in town because the concert would be getting out late. When we got to the hotel, the clerk told us that his internet was down and he could not tell which rooms had someone in them, and which ones did not. So he gave us a key and away we went. We got to the door, inserted the key and it was locked by one of those things from the inside. Oh boy!! So we go back down to the desk and tell the clerk this. He gives us another room key and this time he goes with us to see. Again, put the key in and again locked from the inside. Now what. We all head back to the desk to figure out what to do next. Now in my previous life before Christ, I would have been going off right about now on the clerk. But God gave me/us an attitude of peace, mercy and grace! It wasn't the clerks fault that his internet didn't work. He called the hotel across the street to see if they had anything available, and they had the same issues as he had. So that was a no go. So he set off by himself to find us a room. He was gone about 10 minutes. When he came back, he had found a room. Hallelujah. He got us all checked in, and gave us an extreme discount on the room. He apologized a hundred times for what was going on. We told him that we understood and just wanted to go to bed. I think that because we had the right attitude towards the situation, things worked out well for us in the end. James 1:19-20 (NLT)¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger^[a] does not produce the righteousness^[b] God desires.  

Super Bowl

So yesterday was the 2019 Super Bowl. Patriots against the LA Rams. Didn't really care who won, as long as it wasn't the Patriots. Yeah, that didn't turn out so well. The stadium was sold out. Over 70,000 people in the stands watching this game. Who knows how many were watching at home, or listening on the radio. The one thing that kept running through my mind was this. How awesome it would be if this  many people got excited for church. They got up, got dressed and went and worshipped and praised the Savior. Supported the pastor. Cheered for the church's success. Got involved in the community through the church. Clapped and high fived everyone for every victory that has been won . Imagine that many people catching fire for God. Wow, would this world be a different place. 100,000 people yelling and cheering for Jesus and His church with as much zeal and passion as their football teams. To take the title from the popular Mercy Me song 'I Can Only Imagine'. I would love for it to become like an Acts 2 church. Acts 2:47 NIV⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. How great would it be if every Sunday the church added people, that when on Super Bowl Sunday, the churches were packed instead of the stadium. It may seem impossible, but consider this. Matthew 19:26 (NLT)²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”