Its ok to be bizarre!

Acts 21:37-22:2

As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”  “Do you speak Greek?” he replied.  “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”   Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”   After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic.  “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”   When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.

Paul was an uncommon man, distinctive, exceptional, and lets just admit it, kinda bizarre.

It’s not like he was a superhero, he was not “divine”(although he was divinely appointed), but he was not all too unlike the rest of us.  He was, at the end of the day, a normal person who experienced all the same pitfalls and troubles the rest of us have to deal with.

It’s just that he was more of an uncommon man, an unusual conglomeration of talent, personality, experience and spiritual gifts that made him into the man that God chose to do some amazing work for Him.

I the passage we learn that Paul speaks fluently several languages, of course Hebrew(he is a Jew after all) but also Greek(Roman citizen you know) and Aramaic( the “common” language of the people) .

This surprised the roman commander and the crowd that wanted to lynch him.

Paul identified himself as a Jew and citizen of Tarsus, a pretty significant city of the day.  Showing he was Jewish but had grown up in a wider world.  We’ve also learned from other passages that he was highly educated, a top student of one of the big religious leaders of the day, and he knew the Jewish law inside and out from the scriptures.

In Acts 22 Paul tells his story the same way a lawyer or prosecutor would lay out his case before the courts.  Paul was very eloquent and ready to speak at any time to anyone from governors and soldiers, to intellectuals and common people alike, from the courts of kings to river banks and even prisons.

Some of his capabilities we natural talent, part of being the person God made him to be, other parts were direct interventions by the Holy Spirit of God and gifts given to him once he submitted himself to Christ Jesus.  But all of his abilities were purposed by the Holy Spirit to complete the work that God had set before him, and all of his gifts grew stronger as he continued to serve without fear and speak boldly the word of God.

Paul was definitely an unusual man, there has never been another person like him.  But don’t let that keep you from working for God, just because you may not be like Paul.

God created you with unique talents and has given you different gifts to help you carry out the work and the plan that he has for you.

In fact God has given you a specific set of skills and spiritual gifts and even allowed you to find yourself in certain situations so that you, like Paul, can serve Him, speak up for Him, and obey Him.

Now those who know me personally know I’m not a huge sports nut by any means but I’m gonna end with this quote from Tony Dungy, “In a common world, becoming an uncommon man begins by cultivating uncommon character.”

So how will you cultivate yours?

Lonnie

What does your character look like?

You know I named this blog for a very important passage, at least I think it is, in  1 Timothy 4:12 Paul writes “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity”.  Today I was thinking about the last part of this verse, “set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity”.  Paul was writing to Timothy about keeping your character clean, we first hear about Timothy in Acts 16,”Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.  The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him” He was already a fellow of good character to begin with well prior to the writing of 1 Timothy.  So how do you get a good reputation? By speaking, and doing. You see, a good reputation doesn’t come around all accidental like, it takes work, it takes making decisions that are honorable and good. Every good choice you make adds to it, but every time you misstep tears it down a bit. Timothy was chosen to walk with Paul and spread the truth of Jesus, because he had a good reputation, good character, and was well spoken of, something that he would not have been able to do if it were otherwise. Now I full well know that you and I are not going to be perfect, we are going to misstep, were going to say some things out of character, and do some things too, but if your working on building your character the right way then hopefully you can overcome the mistakes. Just remember we all makes mistakes, don’t let that stop you from still trying, and following Jesus.

 

Here are a few other passages about Timothy’s character and good reputation:        “But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel” (Philippians 2:22, ESV).  ”That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17, ESV).  And as you read in Acts 16:2, it says, “He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.”

 

So have you thought about what your character says about you, whats your reputation say? Does it say that your a follower of Jesus? Think about it,  becoming a person of good character,  a person who lives a consistent, God-honoring life, that’s someone who gives honor to God. Yes you may make a mistake now and again but don’t let the mistakes rule your life.

God’s gonna take care of me…

Well first let me apologize, I haven’t posted anything in a few months, but I have been thinking lately about something and figured I would go on a type it out.

Let me preface this by saying if you have heard this story before, well then I’m impressed because i figure that most of my friends will have no idea who this is. I was just listening to Jerry Clower a few minutes ago and couldn’t help cracking up, one of my most favorite stories of his was “Gods gonna take care of me…”.  I’m going to try to recount the story as best I can and then I’ll get into why I’m talking about it.

Well years ago there was an old man down in Mississippi sitting on his front porch watching flood waters rising in his front yard, the water was getting deep now and was lapping up on his porch as a civil defense boat pulled up, the man in the boat yelled over to the man on the porch, said mister, the waters getting deep, the dams about to bust when it does its gonna flood your whole house, get in the boat with me and you’ll be safe. The man replied “No, Gods gonna take care of me”. A few hours later as the man is sitting on the edge of his roof one of his neighbors comes by in a row boat, “the dams bust waters just pouring out now, get in the boat with me if you want to survive”.  The man replied “No, Gods gonna take care of me”. Later on just before sundown a rescue helicopter noticed the man standing up on top of his chimney and they threw down a rope with a life preserver attached and yelled “grab hold of the rope if you want to live”  The man replied, yelling over the roar of the helicopter “No, Gods gonna take care of me”. well now the man drowned in the flood and in heaven the man is standing before God and says, “God, you said you were gonna take care of me, now I’m dead. What happened?”.  The Lord looked down at the man and said “You dummy, I sent you two boats and a helicopter…”

How many times have you done that in your life? I know I have, just waiting, and waiting on God to do something. All the while He’s working in our life and we just don’t pay attention. One thing I want to make clear, God is always working. He knows what He’s doing. He has a masterful plan in place right now working out in the background of your life. Let me give you and example that we talked about in Sunday school last week, from the Book of Esther, Esther became the Queen Persia and saved the entirety of the Jewish people because God put a set of circumstances in motion. Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, was sitting at the Kings gate and overhead a couple people plotting to kill the king, well Mordecai, could have just sat back and said, I don’t care, this kings not really that nice of a fellow, who cares if someone kills him, but he didn’t. Mordecai told Esther, who was at this point the queen and she reported it to the king and he was saved. Now I’m not gonna tell the whole story, read the Book of Esther, its not that long of a book and definitely worth the read. But that circumstance led to the turn of events that save everyone when the king remembered that he had not yet rewarded Mordecai after he had saved the kings life. Just the simple act of doing the right thing after hearing the plot led to the salvation of the Jewish people. The king heard the appeal from Esther after having already signed a decree ordering there death. God has a plan for you and me just like He did for them, and we just have to play our part, now don’t just sit back and expect some miraculous thing to happen, he does work that way some times but more often that not he works through the circumstances that come up in our daily lives, God saved the people from destruction in Persia, not by sending a host of angels, but by putting Mordecai in the right place at the right time to overhear the right conversation. Just like He has now saved the entirety of the human race, not by coming as a conquering king, but as a suffering servant He wrapped himself in human form, came, tought, bled and died so that we can have eternal life. Now its up to you, what will you do with what you know. Just remember that it is our responsibility to pay attention to what God is doing in our lives so we done miss the boats or helicopters he sends our way.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Don’t be a Lemming!!

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.  How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 HCSB)

 

Do you remember a game called “Lemmings”?  It was this goofy little game from a few years ago where you had to lead a heard of lemmings home safely.  Lemmings are famous little rodents know for following each other, even over a cliff.

I would be willing to bet that none of the folks listening to Jesus though about lemmings as He was speaking, but these little rat-like creatures perfectly illustrate what Jesus was talking about,

Basically, Jesus is telling us “Follow Me and not the crowd if you want to get to Heaven. Don’t be a lemming!”

You know nowadays it’s pretty easy to see how people get confused about Heaven.  Lots of people think if your good enough you’ll  get there.  Watching TV will get you a myriad of opinions on the matter, some will even tell you there’s no Heaven or Hell and that this is all you get.

 

But Jesus has something to say on the matter, He says there is a way to Heaven, but you have to look for it.  You wont find it just running around like a lemming following the crowd, cause theyre about to run off a cliff and dont even know it.

 

You’ll only find Heaven by stopping and looking at Jesus.  He alone is the way, the truth and the life.

 

 

Me? Gifted?… FourTwelve Devotional 1/12/11

Read Passage: Luke 19:11-27

 

 

“‘I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away.” Luke 19:26 HCSB

 

DO you ever think that some people have more than their fair share of blessings? It seems they have that extra measure of everything:  good looks, charm, brains, talent . You could be  thinking, I don’t have any amazing qualities, and actually, I’m kinda boring.

 

Well, hold up a minute. Before you think you’ve got nothing to offer, look at what Jesus says about the gifts He’s given everyone us and what happens when we waste them.

 

Like the king in the story, Jesus expects us to use our talents and gifting for good. The king didn’t say how he wanted them to  invest the money; he just said to do it. Jesus gives us the opportunity to develop our own abilities, but as He lays out through this illustration, He won’t give more to the one who lets his God-given talent shrivel up and die.

 

“Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God” 1 Peter 4:10 HCSB

 

Did you get that? The gifts are given to every believer, and it’s not so we can think we’re just the best thing since sliced bread. The primary reason is to point people back to God.

 

So what has God gifted you with? Maybe you’re a awesome encourager or your the best at listening. You might be gifted as a speaker or leader. If your mind is drawing a blank, ask God to reveal your gifts and then get ready to jump into the pool. God hasn’t made anyone boring.

You can’t waste this year!

These are some notes i took from a sermon I (Cathy) heard last night. I hope you get something out of it.

Mark 2:18-22

Basically out with the old and in with the new.
* You would not put new wine into old wine skins.
* In order to really appreciate life, you need to have aches and pains.
* Your life is a gift.
* There is no need in going into a new season of life with an old mind. (Again back to the wine skins)
* You need to clean out the closets of your mind.
* Satan has tied up your mind with stress, worry, fear, aggravation, etc.
* You have the mind of Christ, so you can get out of anything.
* THIS IS YOUR YEAR TO STRETCH!
* What are you going to do with the time you have left?
* You can’t renew your mind if the closets of your mind hold onto all the garbage and won’t let go.
* When you are renewing your mind and getting old stuff out, you have to be careful. Because a lot of the things you are doing, you are doing because of the environment you came from.
* Stop arguing with people who are accusing you of changing.
* This year I do not want to be MANipulated. I want to be GODipulated.

A few points to help you get through the year,

1. Anticipate problems. – They will come.
*. Constantly looking for problems will keep you from moving ahead.
* Only systematic timing will give you long term success.
2. Conserve your energy. – Avoiding things that are counter-productive to where God wants to move in your life and what He wants to do.
* Why go into battle if there is nothing to win?
* Stop living for now and start living for the future.
3. Consider the cost. – Putting yourself out there will cost something.
* If your dreams are easy to achieve, they are not worth going after.
* Transformation is always costly.
4. Sameness between actions and ambitions.
* Is what you are doing getting you closer to what you want to do 5 years from now?
* Avoidance is NOT a strategy.
Habakuk 2:2
“write the vision and make it plain”

* Transformation is intentional.
* Because opportunities are good does not mean they are from God.
5. Move into the vision (birthing) position. – Your job on Earth is to birth what God put in you when the foundations of the world were laid down.
* Without a vision, people perish.
* You have to have it in you before you can get it out of you.
* If your vision does not involve planning then it is too small.
* Keep the END in mind.
* You will become what you associate with. If you associate with alcoholics and drug addicts, you will eventually become one of them.
* Get out of your comfort zone.
* Where you are right now, is not where you are going.

MAKE 2011 YOUR YEAR TO ARISE.

FourTwelve Devotional for 1/2/2011