Like-Mindedness

Growing in Our Service to Jesus

It was to the church in Philippi that we find some of the most heart-wrenching words written from a pastor's heart.  Paul the apostle, sitting in a Roman prison, hindered from visiting the church in Philippi himself, jotted a note to the church and wrote, "But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus"  (Philippians 2:19-21, NKJV).

When looking for someone to care for the church, as Paul carefully and prayerfully considered those closest to him, only Timothy sought the Lord first alongside of him.  Everyone else he could think of wanted their own things, selfishly.  Isn't that sad?  Nothing halts the joyful progress of the gospel more than those who selfishly serve, not seeking the things which are of Jesus.

As God raises you up to serve in your local congregation (Psalm 75:7), unity and like-mindedness with Jesus and your spiritual leadership is vital.  If not, fruitfulness will be withheld from heaven if you choose to serve with your own agenda, in opposition to the flow of ministry in that particular fellowship, under the careful oversight of your spiritual leadership.

Please be careful here; some people think that like-mindedness means a loss of personal identity or a faltering attempt at conformity.  Others may think they should submit to their leadership even when there is sin present - but that's not it at all.  There is great diversity in every church and the true beauty of His Body is how God works all of our gifts, talents, and personalities together for His higher good.  Additionally, God never encourages submission to sin, especially sin within spiritual leaders.  No, like-mindedness is the sweet fragrance of unity that is shared among men and women whom God has knit together by the love of Jesus.

The word used in the New Testament for like-minded is "phroneo" and depending on the context used, it means to have an understanding, to be wise, to feel and think along similar lines.  Amos the prophet put it this way, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3:3, NKJV).

"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:1-4, NKJV).

Serving Jesus within your local church requires a lot of prayer and seeking out the unique reason God has placed you in His service.  If you choose to do your own thing - your own way - apart from the unity given to us by His Spirit (Ephesians 4:3), it will be a long, hard, and frustrating road of ministry for you and your church's leadership.  However, if your heart resonates with the heart of Jesus, with the heart of your pastor, with the heart of your overseers, and with the heart of your fellow servants, oh what a difference you'll make for the Kingdom of God.  Pray for like-mindedness with your pastors and leaders - that's a prayer God will surely answer!

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me" (John 17:20-23, NKJV).

Open Eyes Will Help You A Lot in Ministry

I'm always blessed when good waiters and waitresses at a restaurant serve me. It's easy to tell the good from the bad by how well they serve without being asked. There is something about the waitress who is attentive to the table's needs: filling the water, keeping the kids' napkin supply coming, keeping the coffee full, and generally being available to serve you well. They are near, always observing, ready to act at a moment's notice.

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."

John 4:34-36 (NKJV)

Serving in the ministry is very similar. You will be very effective if you attentively open your eyes. One of the best practical things you can do to improve your service is to be very observant, expectantly ready to take care of things that need to be done, without waiting to be asked. As you open your eyes and look around, you'll see all sorts of things that need to be done. Does the trash need to be emptied? Is there trash in the parking lot? Has a wolf in sheep's clothing showed up? Are the chairs crooked? Is there distress on someone's face, joy on another's? Is that a brand new  family to the church and do they need some help? These observations are all promptings for things to be taken care of.

With eyes wide open, Spiritually sensitive to the situation, you'll have more ministry than you can possibly handle, ministry that the Spirit of God will direct you in. As you're observing, put yourself in the shoes of those you're serving and ask yourself: what would help them be most comfortable, ready to receive the Word from the ministry? If you were a new family what would help you? If you were that Jr. High kid, how would you best receive? Put yourself in the place of every kind of person who comes to your church and prayerfully ask God to show you what needs to be done and seek to fulfill that if at all possible. Don't wait to be told to do something, but instead, always be on the look-out, seeking for ways to serve and then do them. You'll be blessed and so will the precious folks put under your Spiritual care.

Blessings

Pastor Ed

Serving Jesus Doesn't Begin At School

Pastoral Reflections to Grow in our Ministry

Serving Jesus doesn’t begin at school. It doesn’t begin with being recognized. It doesn’t start with being asked. It doesn’t start because there is a need. It doesn’t start anywhere but in the depths of your heart and personal relationship with Jesus.  Serving Him is a clear response to the calling of God to rise up and be used mightily, a connection of the heart of God with your heart.  Serving begins and ends with Jesus.  Every minister of any kind or calling needs a true growing servant’s heart.

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

Mark 9:35 (NKJV)

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 "And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Mark 10:42-45 (NKJV)

Because the beginning of any service, especially pastoral service begins with the heart, it’s a seriously personal thing between Jesus and the man serving that cannot be neglected.  While with the lips it’s easy to say all sorts of things, if the heart isn’t right, it will come out soon enough.  True servant-hood can’t be faked, at least for very long. If your heart isn’t right, nothing else will be right either.  That’s when people start to get hurt.  What you do, how you act, the things you say are a reflection of your character, of who you really are inside.  Our character is a reflection of our heart.

If you’re heart is not right, no amount of work, or school, and effort can change it.  Only God can change your heart.  The position of change is always humble readiness and openness.

It’s true: servants of Jesus act, talk, and think like servants.  They serve with the heart of Jesus caring for people as He cared, from the heart.

Disciples Not Consumers

Psalms 61:7 (NKJV) He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!

Even when I don't want to shop, stores are invading my email box with offers and advertisements designed to get me to buy. The pictures are always done in sunny places with happy people. If I just had that shirt. Wow, how happy I'd be. It's all false and fake. There's only one reason they would frame the shot the way they did, using the person they used, the way they did, with the angle they chose: to get me to buy! I notice things like that.

This all-consuming mentality of "consumerism" has invaded the church of Jesus Christ. Rather than prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit, church leaders are more interested in catchy phrases, intelligent marketing ideas, polished plagiarized sermons, and packaged church growth programs to bring more people into their buildings.

Please be careful, friend. We don't want to settle for the emptiness of man's ideas, baptized with Bible verses. We desire the Living God to move in and through us by the power and presence of His Holy Spirit! Away with such worldly nonsense.

Blessings,
Pastor Ed



The Truth in Living Color

Your new radio station is a real blessing to me and my family. I didn't know how exciting the Bible really was until I started listening to all of the teachers you guys have on. Don't stop the good work.

Always A Price To Pay

Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Things can be so fun and exciting that it's easy to forget that there is always a price to pay.

Take a day in the life of Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut. Don't know who he is? He's a competitive eater who recently won the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest at New York's Coney Island. He won hands down by eating 62 hot dogs in buns in just 10 minutes. He's the champion this year! What a feat! He made national headlines with just 10 minutes of competition.

How much did it cost him to win? Well, the price was free. He didn't have to purchase them. But the nutritional cost was staggering. Ready? That 10 minute binge on 62 hot dogs adds up to:

19,158 calories
1,246 grams of fat
2,170 grams of cholesterol
42,408 grams of sodium

Not too good for his body, that's for sure! What's true in the physical realm is true in the Spiritual realm. There is always a price to pay for our actions. Sometimes it's reaped as a benefit, but other times it's received as a consequence.

Pray for wisdom this week with the decisions that are before you and make those decisions unto Jesus, and Him alone.

By Grace,
Pastor Ed

The Truth in Living Color

I'm always amazed how the Lord works. I'm at a job now where my manager seems to have a pre-conceived notion about my skill-set, and I am constantly being yelled at for not doing things the correct way. I feel like I'm always messing up at everything in this job, and I can never do anything right, and I'm really just not getting the proper training from her that I need. This e-mail really shows me that I need to stop worrying about earthly training, and I should more focus on my spiritual training. I put far too much faith and concern into my job and employers, and I'm always disappointed. I need to learn to let it all go, and at least twice when I'm at work, or when I'm being verbally attacked by her, to just consult the Lord, and let Him handle it. Just like Hezekiah, I just need to show the Lord what's happening, and see how He works. Great message on the Holy Spirit this past Wednesday, by the way. So encouraging!

Good Friends

Leviticus 19:17-18 (NKJV) You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

It's good to be surrounded by friends. Men and women who love us is a great gift from our loving, Heavenly Father. Hanging out together, fellowshipping in the Lord together, enjoying a coffee (at the One Way Café of course, ha ha), and just enjoying the wonderful opportunities God has given us with one another is a blessing.

Sometimes, it's through friends that God brings a message to us that we don't necessarily want to hear. Are you really ready to receive correction or rebuke from your friend?

That's where things get tough and the ball starts rolling down hill, when a person shares something with us that hurts. Because open rebuke is better than concealed love (Proverbs 27:5), the rebukes and exhortations which come our way should be embraced as friends.

I know it's more comfortable for us to ignore a difficult situation or issue, as we hope (and hope) it will get better. But that's not love. Love says, "I care more about you growing and maturing than I care about what you think of me. If you think I'm not a nice guy, that's okay, if what I'm saying will provoke you to love and good works."

Proverbs 27:6 says that the wounds of a friend are faithful. Be open and ready to grow as you may come across difficult words and penetrating insights, sometimes, even from friends.

In Love,
Pastor Ed



The Truth in Living Color

Nothing is more precious than to hear a child praying. Specifically, when my grandsons pray. The last time I visited them in TX, (May and July) hearing my 9 year-old grandson pray and in the midst of his prayer, ask God to get me home safely, was just awesome. It brings tears to my eyes because, of course, I don't want to leave them there. My plan is to move there eventually when I retire...

It will be hard to leave Calvary Chapel Aurora. Thank God for computers! But I always say, what I have planned and what God has planned, may be two totally different things.

Imperfect

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Every now and then, as I'm reading through the Bible, I'm struck by how gracious God is in choosing us to serve Him. I know it's not a new or novel truth, but one that so encourages me.

Jesus didn't call perfect people to do His work. How could He? There aren't any. So Jesus uses people like us, with our many misunderstandings, our mixed motives, our weaknesses and failures; our humanity. Yet, before He uses us there is that transformation by His Spirit. He's constantly changing, shaping, and molding us from the inside out. Day by day, our lives are becoming more and more like Jesus.

Don't lose heart today, friend. God is using you. God is changing you. God is not finished with you. Trust Him!

By Grace,
Pastor Ed



The Truth in Living Color

You know, I think it is awesome that you ask people to respond to you when you send out these e-mails. You might not know it, but I think that might mean a lot to people -- it does to me. So thanks! I can only imagine how many people these e-mails actually go to. I am sure your inbox runneth over.