You Can’t Hide

I was listening to Mike & Mike (sports radio talk show) the other day. They were talking with a famous athlete about how he handles himself out in public now that cell phones can be pulled out and can record people doing and saying things.

He said it’s unfortunate about that today, with cell phones, but that’s the society we live in, and you just have to make the adjustment. He said, “These days, you just can’t hide.”

As I listened, I thought how foolish we are – to think we’ve “gotten away with it” if it isn’t picked up on a cell phone or a picture hasn’t been taken. And that we must be more careful of our actions and words since people can pull out cell phones and record us and take pictures.

We don’t have a clue about God. We don’t know Him very well. Scripture tells us that He is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere and sees everything. Hebrews 4:13 says, Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

Someone said, “Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven.”

Forget about someone catching it on a cell phone. If we don’t want God to know what we are thinking or doing, then we shouldn’t do it!

The Marriage Expert

Everyone’s been to an amazing wedding. You’ve got stories to prove it. Your memory of that day includes some combination of a loving couple, beautiful church, ceremony that’s not too long and great reception. So, if we all know the ingredients to a great wedding, why aren’t all of our marriages great?

Maybe few of us have witnessed or experienced a great marriage. Maybe most of us don’t even know what makes a marriage great. Maybe you aren’t even sure if this matters to you. We are sure that it does.

Join us for our series The Marriage Experts as we discover what makes a marriage great, and why that matters to everyone.

This is a great invest and invite series. I don’t know of one marriage that doesn’t need strengthening. Tuscarawas is one of the leading counties in Ohio for divorces, so it is a HUGE need in our communities. Tragically, the divorce rate within the church is pretty much the same as those who do not go to church or claim to know God. So, invite your family, friends, co-workers, etc.

We live in a world where parents give so much their children. The problem is we give them what they WANT (cell phones, clothes, games, money, etc.) and not what they NEED – a Dad and Mom who love each other and have a strong healthy marriage.

Here is my promise - anyone who is committed to coming to this sermon series and puts into practice the principles taught, your marriage will be radically different in 90 days or less. That is a promise.

If you are a single, don’t check out. There is a pretty good chance that you will be married some day, and it will serve you well to know these principles that are true of every relationship.

So who are you inviting?

Census 2010

As you have probably heard, the government is taking a census in 2010. No doubt you have heard the great commercials promoting the importance of making sure you fill yours out -- because we need to know how many people are living in the community so that we can know if we need larger hospitals, more buses, bigger schools, etc.

My wife Patty checked at the post office because we had not yet gotten our papers to fill out our censuses report. They told her it’s because we have a PO box, and the government addressed the census to our street address. And - the post office was given strict orders not to let them go through.

I thought to myself, both are government agencies but are not working together on something that they are saying is hugely important. Could this be a major reason why our government is not trustworthy of leading any organization? They don’t work together, but seemly work against one another. 

Patrick Lencioni shared in his book Silos, Politics and Turf Wars about this problem, and that it is not only true of our government, but also of many companies and churches. Here are some notes I took from his book:

Silos are nothing more than the barriers that exist between departments within an organization, causing people who are supposed to be on the same team to work against one another. And whether we call this phenomenon departmental politics, divisional rivalry, or turf warfare, it is one of the most frustrating aspects of life in any sizable organization.

Now, sometimes silos do indeed come about because leaders at the top of an organization have interpersonal problems with one another. But my experience suggests that this is often not the case. In most situations, silos rise up not because of what executives are doing purposefully but rather because of what they are failing to do: provide themselves and their employees with a compelling context for working together.

Silo issues are probably more structural and organizational than interpersonal.

If there is a place where the blame for silos and politics belongs, it is at the top of an organization.

To tear down silos, leaders must go beyond behaviors and address the contextual issues at the heart of the departmental separation and politics. The good news is that this is all immensely avoidable. How do you then avoid it?

1. Be Humble
2. Be Cooperate
3. Choose to Trust
4. Be Trustworthy (when you know you haven’t fulfilled your reasonability, admit it on your own)
5. Deal with Offensives quickly and thoroughly

Steps to Victory & Freedom – Part 2 of 2

Continued from last week . . .

Step 4: Rebellion vs. Submission

Step Four acknowledges our biblical responsibility to pray for and submit to those in authority over us. Being under authority is clearly an act of faith! By submitting, you are trusting God to work through His established lines of authority, even when they are harsh or tell us to do something we don’t want to do (note: instances involving abuse of authority are addressed in this step). This step guides us through the process of confessing and renouncing our rebellious attitudes and actions.

Step 5: Pride vs. Humility

Step Five deals with pride. The Bible teaches that pride is at the root of all sinful choices and is offensive to God. Pride says, “I don’t need God or anyone else’s help. I can handle it by myself.” Conversely, humility or “confidence properly placed in God” is one of the highest goals a believer can attain. This step helps identify areas of pride and leads the participant to renounce them and place their absolute dependence on God.

Step 6: Bondage vs. Freedom

Many believers are trapped in the discouraging cycle of “sin-confess-sin-confess” that never seems to end. Step Six exercises the principle of James 4:7 (”Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”) to break the destructive patterns and find freedom. As the sinful patterns are identified we “submit to God” by confession and repentance (turning away from sin) and “resist the devil” by rejecting his lies and walking in the truth. This step specifically deals with the use of our bodies as “instruments of unrighteousness” by helping to identify and renounce our sexual sins.

Step 7: Curses vs. Blessings

Step Seven involves renouncing strongholds we may have inherited and curses that may have been placed on us. Strongholds can be passed from one generation to the next if we do not renounce the sins of our ancestors and claim our new heritage in Christ. We are not guilty for the sins of our ancestors, but because of their sin, the evil one can exercise subtle (or overt) influence in our lives and families.

Steps to Victory & Freedom – Part 1 of 2

We just came away from Easter weekend where we celebrated Christ's ultimate love and sacrifice for us. However I think it's true when said - none of us are as free as what Christ died for us to be.

At our Super SWAT (Staff Working As a Team) Meeting which happens the fifth Monday of the month, we take specific time to worship and to drill down on a skill or a spiritual truth. We experienced Acts 3:19 which says, “So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord“.

What an unbelievable time and experience we shared – a time with God! We understood and embraced the fact that everything we want to accomplish here and through NewPointe will only come out of an overflow of our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I shared with the staff that this was no doubt the greatest worship that has happened in this building over the last three years. Our vision, is leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, and it all begins and ends with times of repentance. We can’t lead someone where we have personally traveled.

Together we worked through 7 steps from Neil Anderson. Three of them are below, and I’ll post the rest next week. If you want to l learn more, read the books Victory Over Darkness and The Bondage Breaker.

Step 1: Counterfeit vs. Real

Step One involves prayerfully identifying and renouncing each previous or current involvement with occult practice, false religions or other non-Christian spiritual experiences. This includes any activity or group that denies Jesus Christ, offers guidance through any source other than the absolute authority of Scripture, or require secret initiations, ceremonies, or covenants. Examples include the use of tarot cards, astrology or participation with New Age seminars, mediums or psychics. Recurring nightmares or incessant negative thought patterns might suggest occultic involvement.

Step 2: Deception vs. Truth

Step Two considers the deceptive schemes of the evil one that you may be victim to. This includes false teachings, deceiving spirits, and the fears that have kept us bound. As the Holy Spirit identifies the lies we have believed we can renounce them and choose to live in accordance with the truth. This step also confronts the distorted picture we may have of God as our Father due to the choices of our human parents. It concludes with a doctrinal affirmation of biblical truth. Step One involves prayerfully identifying and renouncing each previous or current involvement with occult practice, false religions or other non-Christian spiritual experiences. This includes any activity or group that denies Jesus Christ, offers guidance through any source other than the absolute authority of Scripture, or require secret initiations, ceremonies, or covenants. Examples include the use of tarot cards, astrology or participation with New Age seminars, mediums or psychics. Recurring nightmares or incessant negative thought patterns might suggest occultic involvement.

Step Three: Bitterness vs. Forgiveness

Step Three is considered by many to be the most significant part of the Steps to Freedom. Many are caught in bitterness and resentment that allows the evil one to take advantage of them (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). This step is prefaced by a concise teaching on biblical forgiveness. Once forgiveness is understood the Holy Spirit is invited to bring to mind all instances that must be forgiven. By forgiving those who have hurt you, no matter the offense or pain, you will find freedom. It is a choice of our wills in obedience to the clear teaching of scripture.

Everyone Plays a Fool

Today is called April Fool’s Day. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes that are played on family, friends, and other people. The goal is to embarrass the gullible. The challenge is to be discerning and to be able to know whether someone is telling you the truth or not. The only problem - we need to be as alert on the other 364 days a year as we are today. We can be a fool on any day, if we are not. Really though, a fool isn’t someone who is just gullible. A fool is someone who knows what is right and chooses to do wrong anyway. Here are some scriptures to help us from becoming a fool:

• He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said (Job 2:10).
• Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple (Job 5:2).
• The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good (Psalm 14:1).
• The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline (Proverbs 1:7).
• The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice (Proverbs 12:15).
• It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel (Proverbs 20:3).
• A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control (Proverbs 29:11).
• “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matt 7:24-27).
• But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself (Proverbs 6:32 NLT).
• A fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise (Proverbs 15:5 NLT).

The best way to not to be played a fool is to fear the Lord, because it is the beginning of wisdom.