Church guide

I’d Rather Be Hunting He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds…to shepherd Jacob His people. Psalm 78:70-71 When Jason Cruise was pastoring a church, he sometimes felt guilty because he wanted to be hunting. One day it dawned on him God was calling him to minister to sportsmen. In the NIV Outdoorsman Bible, he wrote of the moment, “God’s heart connected with mine and pushed me toward the idea that I could use my passion for hunting to bring him glory…. When I was a young boy stomping through the woods, I had no clue that God was preparing me to hunt with a purpose…or that I’d get the honor of speaking to hunters across the nation…and yet do it all in the name of Jesus.” Recommended Reading: Psalm 78:67-72 The Lord gives us passions, purposes, and life experiences—like hunting or shepherding—to prepare us for the personal and unique ministry He has for us. No experiences of life are wasted. He prepares us to stand up for Him, and every part of your background can fashion you for what He wants you to do today. Monumental changes often occur in simple, quiet moments, and it’s in those few seconds that a person makes a clean break with an old way of living and never looks back. Jason Cruise

Committed to Our Commitments For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. Job 34:21 There’s an old folktale about a man who wanted to sneak into his neighbor’s fields to steal some wheat. He waited for a dark, moonless night, and he asked his young daughter to be the lookout. “Call if anyone sees me,” he told her. Just as he was stuffing grain into his apron, the little girl shouted, “Father, someone sees you!” The man dropped his grain and ran to her in a panic asking, “Who was it? Who saw me?” She replied, “Someone above is watching you.” Recommended Reading: Proverbs 20:7-12 Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Maintaining our integrity in times of pressure brings glory to God. But God isn’t the only one watching us. Others see us more clearly than we think, and we can’t hide our deceit and infidelity forever. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper.” We have to be committed to our commitments, to keeping our word and honoring our pledges. A heart of integrity remains committed to the holy and omniscient God who desires honesty in our hearts. Integrity is not so much what we do as much as who we are. John Maxwell

Faith in Faithless Times But the righteous shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4 (ESV) The prophet Habakkuk left us an interesting book. Its three short chapters are essentially a counseling session between Habakkuk and God, for the prophet was troubled by the turbulent times in which he lived. He couldn’t understand why his culture had crumbled and why the streets of his city had become so lawless, so godless. He prayed about it in chapter 1; and in chapter 2, God told Habakkuk to trust Him and to live by faith (verse 4), for “the Lord is in His holy temple,” and one day “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (verses 20, 14). Recommended Reading: Habakkuk 3:17-19 In response Habakkuk composed a hymn of rejoicing in his third and final chapter, saying, “The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills” (verse 19). When the way becomes rough, trust Him who is still in His holy temple. He will give you hinds’ feet on high places. May all bow to the scepter of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the whole earth be filled with His glory. John Hancock, in a proclamation to Massachusetts, October 15, 1791

All the Way You shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness.. Deuteronomy 8:2 Sidney Cox was nineteen when he emigrated from England to Canada. It was 1907, and he never saw his parents again. But the next year he found Christ as Savior and soon began serving the Lord. In 1915, he married a Salvation Army coworker, Violet Henderson, and for the rest of their lives Sidney and Violet served the Lord in Canada and the United States. Sidney passed away in 1975 in Birmingham, Alabama, and perhaps you’ve never known of his name. But it’s possible you grew up singing his Sunday school songs like “Deep and Wide” and “I Love Him Better Every Day.” Recommended Reading: Psalm 107:1-9 Or this one: “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow…. Strength for today is mine all the way, and all that I need for tomorrow…. My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is follow.” Even if you don’t know the song, perhaps you know the experience. If you’re in the wilderness today, remember your Guide and follow Him all the way. All the way my Savior leads me, what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my Guide? Fanny Crosby

All You Need Is Love: Forgiveness FEBRUARY 23, 2019 When Jesus saw [the friends’] faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” Mark 2:5 Recommended Reading: Colossians 2:13 The hardest part of forgiving another person is acting like the offense never occurred. But that is what forgiving someone means—restoring relationships to the status they enjoyed before the offense took place. It’s one thing to say, “I forgive you,” but it’s another to act like all the effects of an offense are completely erased. After all, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, love is known by its actions more than its words. Jesus faced this dilemma when He healed a paralytic man. When He told the man that his sins were forgiven (and by extension, he was healed), He was criticized. He was accused of blaspheming by saying He had the authority to forgive sins—something only God can do. So, Jesus proved He had the authority to say, “I forgive you,” by doing something harder. He healed the man’s paralysis. After all, as Jesus explained, actions speak louder than words (Mark 2:8-11). We cannot go through life without being hurt by others, so we should learn to forgive. Even more, we should practice demonstrating our forgiveness by our acts of lovingkindness. Look for opportunities to do both. Forgiveness is to be set loose from sins. G. Campbell Morgan

“But I Did Not” But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. Nehemiah 5:15 When Nehemiah became governor of the land of Judah, he and his family refused the common practice of having their meals provided from government funds. While there may have been nothing wrong with taxpayer-funded food for the nation’s leader, former governors had abused the practice. Their excessive lifestyles had burdened the people, and Nehemiah wanted to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing. So he paid his own way because he feared God and wanted to protect his integrity for God’s sake. Recommended Reading: Proverbs 10:9-17 Are there areas of your life in which you should draw some lines, erect some barriers, build some fences, and establish some standards? Any habits you should change? Our society has no established moral code, and the standards keep changing. We must not let the world keep rubbing out the lines we draw for ourselves. The Bible calls us to personal holiness, and our integrity comes from the standards we adopt. “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within” (Romans 12:2, PHILLIPS). Everyone with integrity has drawn some lines and said, “Everyone else did these things, but I did not do so.” David Jeremiah

Hear, O Israel I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called . . . endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1, 3 Shema Israel—“Hear, [O] Israel”—are the first two words in the Hebrew prayer known as “the Shema.” They are found in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” The prayer was central to the Jewish faith as the nation entered Canaan, a land filled with multitudes of “gods” The Shema affirmed that the God of Israel was one God, not many. To violate that belief was to violate the integrity of the Jewish faith. Recommended Reading: Colossians 3:12-14 The apostle Paul echoed the Shema in his call to Christian unity: “There is one body and one Spirit . . . one hope . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). To disrupt the unity of the Body of Christ with dissension or anger is to violate the integrity of God: Father, Son, and Spirit. Because God is one, His people must be one in “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (see Ephesians 4:3). Let the words of Richard Baxter (below) inspire your thinking today about love and unity. In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity. Richard Baxter

Whose Temple Are You? Flee sexual immorality…. Glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18, 20 The city of Corinth was one of the most modern and beautiful cities in the world in its day. As one of the best-located cities on earth for shipping, great masses of people were coming and going all the time. It was also famous for its sexuality, sensuality, and depravity. The entire city worshiped Aphrodite, the goddess of love and pleasure and the patron goddess of prostitution. Her temple sat on the acropolis looking down on a city in the grip of runaway sexual immorality. Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 How like our world today! Some of the new believers in Corinth were struggling with sexual purity, so Paul gave them a powerful truth to consider. When we receive Christ as Savior, our bodies become the temples of the Holy Spirit. We don’t belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us in a way that even has physical implications. He indwells us fully. When we view ourselves like that, how can we continue in sexual sin? God calls us to glorify Him in both body and spirit. When we receive Christ, His Spirit comes within. As we let Him reign on the throne of our inner sanctums, His indwelling strength helps us live conquering lives. Leslie B. Flynn

Praising God for Us! I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 The city of Corinth was one of the most modern and beautiful cities in the world in its day. As one of the best-located cities on earth for shipping, great masses of people were coming and going all the time. It was also famous for its sexuality, sensuality, and depravity. The entire city worshiped Aphrodite, the goddess of love and pleasure and the patron goddess of prostitution. Her temple sat on the acropolis looking down on a city in the grip of runaway sexual immorality. Recommended Reading: Psalm 139:13-18 The omniscient Engineer has designed our bodies with breathtaking complexity, and we should praise Him for that. Psalm 139:14 says, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous” (NLT). Have you made an inventory and praised God for how He created your hands, feet, lungs, heart, brain, ears, kidneys, ribs, and eyes? What about your circulatory system, digestive system, nervous system, and immune system? Perhaps if we were more thankful for our bodies we’d be better stewards of them, taking care of them for His purposes and using them for His glory. The basic chemicals in our body, can be found in the “dust of the ground.” However, these chemicals cannot arrange themselves into cell tissues, organs and systems. This can only happen with an input of intelligence. Joseph Paturi

In Quietness and Confidence In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15 Isaiah was dismayed when he saw the royal delegation leaving Jerusalem for Egypt. King Hezekiah was sending envoys to form a military alliance instead of trusting God’s protection. Hezekiah hadn’t asked Isaiah’s advice, nor had he sought God’s counsel (Isaiah 30:2). Instead, the king’s diplomats treaded through the desert (verse 6) on a mission doomed to failure (verse 7). Isaiah advised the caravan to turn back, saying: “In returning and rest you shall be saved.” He told them to turn around and return home, to rest in God’s protection, to quiet themselves, and to trust God’s promises. That, he said, would be their strength (verse 15). Recommended Reading: Isaiah 30:1-15 That’s our strength too. We can’t solve all the problems facing us; and sometimes the more we try, the deeper the mess. We find little help in “Egypt.” But in returning to the Lord and resting in Him, we find deliverance. And in quietness and confidence we find strength. This quietness and confidence is… an abiding frame of mind, an all-enduring and an all-pervading spirit…. Indeed it’s priceless value lies in the fact that it pervades the anxious activities of life. George Wilson, Edinburgh preacher of an earlier era

Good Thoughts You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 When you are pouring a gallon jug of water into a larger container, you get that “glug glug glug” effect as the water leaves the narrow neck of the gallon jug. That happens because water and air are colliding in the neck of the jug. Water is leaving and air is rushing in to fill the empty space. Recommended Reading: Philippians 4:8-9 Our minds are like that gallon jug; they have to be filled with something. The more we fill our mind with godly thoughts, the less room there will be for ungodly thoughts. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, when our minds are focused on God we will be at peace (Isaiah 26:3). There will be no room for its opposite—worry and anxiety. The apostle Paul went further with a list of things to meditate on: things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8-9). That’s an expansive list—lots of things to choose from; lots of ways to remain free of worry. Empty your mind of negative, ungodly thinking and let the good and godly thoughts rush in. There is no better source for good thoughts than the Word of God. When anger enters the mind, wisdom departs. Thomas à Kempis

What God Sees He hangs the earth on nothing. Job 26:7 In his book, Rocket Men, Robert Kurson describes the turmoil of 1968 with its riots, assassinations, and political unrest. But in December that year, three astronauts flew to the moon, a quarter million miles away. No one had ever traveled farther than 853 miles into space, and the Apollo 8 mission was the most daring enterprise NASA had attempted. Peering through the window of the spacecraft, Frank Borman viewed the troubled world from a greater distance than any human in history. He thought to himself, “This must be what God sees.” Recommended Reading: 1 Peter 1:13-15 In a scriptural sense, we need to see our world as God does and view our own lives from an eternal perspective. We don’t have to go to the moon for that—only to the Bible. Simon Peter wrote, “With minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:13, NIV). Change the way you’re looking at your problems, your priorities, your schedule, your world. Look at life from God’s perspective, and set your hope on the grace of Christ’s return. The entire space achievement is put in proper perspective when one realizes that God walking on the earth is more important than man walking on the moon. James Irwin, astronaut

Definitions: of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Unrighteous: not righteous; wicked. vicious and unrighteous passions". synonyms: evil · sinful · immoral · wrong · morally wrong · wrongful · bad · iniquitous · corrupt · black-hearted · ungodly · unholy · irreligious · unrighteous · sacrilegious · profane · · blasphemous · impious · base · mean · vile · irreverent · villainous · nefarious · erring · fallen · impure · sullied · tainted · foul · monstrous · shocking · outrageous · atrocious · abominable · reprehensible · hateful · detestable · despicable · odious · contemptible · horrible · heinous · execrable · godless · diabolical · diabolic · fiendish · vicious · murderous · barbarous · black · dark · rotten · criminal · illicit · unlawful · illegal · illegitimate · lawless · felonious · indictable · perverted · reprobate · sordid · depraved · degenerate · dissolute · dishonorable · dishonest · unscrupulous · unprincipled · underhand · roguish · crooked · warped · lowdown · stinking · dirty · shady · rascally · scoundrelly · beastly · bent · not cricket · malfeasant · dastardly · peccable · egregious · flagitious Fornication : Fornication is generally consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other. Idolater: A person who worships an idol or idols. Adultery: Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse. Effeminate: (of a man) having or showing characteristics regarding as typical of a woman; unmanly. Abusers of themselves with mankind. KJV Thieves: a person who steals another person's property Covetous: having or showing a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else. Drunkard: a person who is habitually drunk. Revilers: criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner. Extortioners: the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 New King James Version (NKJV) 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a] homosexuals, nor [b] sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. *** PS UNLESS THEY REPENT AND ASK FORGIVENESS OF THEIR SINS AND BELIEVE IN JESUS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLEJ1sZxjA4

Rest in Him Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 When the Interstate Highway System began in 1956, commercial interests (gas stations, food stores, motels) were not allowed except at exits. To provide access to facilities along the freeways, rest stops were built. But the rest provided was only temporary; once refreshed, it was back on the freeway again until the next rest stop. Recommended Reading: Genesis 2:2-3 All of us need rest. So when Jesus invites us to come to Him—saying He will give us rest—exactly what kind of rest is He offering? Like the Samaritan woman who wanted to be cured permanently of thirst (John 4:15), we might desire for Jesus to give us perpetual rest such that we never grow weary again. But that is not the rest Jesus offers us. His rest is the same rest described in Genesis 2:2-3. God rested from His creating, not because He was tired, but because He had finished creating an environment in which He and mankind could fellowship together. Our union with God through Christ offers that same rest through renewed fellowship with God. Have you accepted Jesus’ invitation to enjoy eternal rest in Him? His spiritual rest is never-ending and always available. Our rest lies in looking to the Lord, not to ourselves. Watchman Nee

Peace Always in Every Way May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Thomas Watson wrote, “If God be our God, He will give us peace in trouble. When there is a storm without, He will make peace within. The world can create trouble in peace, but God can create peace in trouble.” Recommended Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:13-18 Paul ended his letters to the Thessalonians with a massive statement about peace, saying: (1) God is the Lord of peace. He possesses total peace within Himself and controls the flow and force of peace. (2) He Himself is peace. It’s one of His attributes. (3) He gives peace. It comes from nowhere else. (4) He gives peace always. There’s no circumstance in life beyond His ability to provide inner peace. (5) He gives peace in every way. It’s hard to comprehend all that means, but it surely involves our spirit, soul, mind, and emotions. (6) His peace is accompanied by His presence—“the Lord be with you all.” This world is full of distractions, distresses, and disasters. But there is a place of peace—it is in Him, and it is Him! Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest / Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest. Frances Havergal, in her hymn “Like a River Glorious.”

New Leaves: Gossip JANUARY 26, 2019 They learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. 1 Timothy 5:13 Recommended Reading: James 3:2-10 When reruns of The Cosby Show were pulled from stations across America, former cast members stopped receiving residual royalty checks, which put actor Geoffrey Owens, who had played the role of Elvin Tibideaux, in a tough spot. He went down the street and got a job bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s. One day a customer recognized him, snapped his picture, and it went viral. Owens was embarrassed, especially because the picture was unflattering. The woman who snapped the picture later said, “I don’t know what possessed me. I just did it. I didn’t even think about it. I just kind of did it on impulse and it was a bad impulse.” We’re inundated with celebrity gossip, political scandals, and tabloid journalism. If we aren’t careful, we’ll be carried away by the spirit of gossip pervading our society. Have you ever said or posted or texted something on impulse, and it turned out to be a bad impulse? We’ve all done that. But this year, let’s turn over a new leaf. Proverbs 21:23 says, “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” Let God’s wisdom be your impulse. Least said, soonest mended. An old adage

Keeping Your Balance Honor the Lord with your possessions. Proverbs 3:9 Someone said, “Old bookkeepers never die; they just lose their balance.” When it comes to keeping our books, we need a balanced perspective. On the one hand, the Bible tells us to be like the ant, which “provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest” (Proverbs 6:8). Proverbs 13:11 says, “Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow” (NIV). The wise woman in Proverbs 31 considered a field and bought it (verse 16). Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 On the other hand, Jesus spoke of the rich fool who hoarded his wealth and laid up treasure for himself but was not rich toward God (Luke 12:21). When we work hard and save wisely, our actions can honor God. When we share with others and freely give our tithes and offerings to God, these actions honor Him too. The guiding principle is found in Proverbs 3:9-10: “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty.” In other words, honor God with your money and with the first part of all your income, then you’ll better appreciate the blessings He pours into your life. If we don’t faithfully give to the Lord, we don’t really trust the Lord. Warren Wiersbe in Be Skillful

Good Things He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22 God specializes in good things. Moses told the Israelites, “So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house” (Deuteronomy 26:11). Joshua told them, “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken” (Joshua 21:45). Psalm 34:10 says, “Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” Psalm 84:11 adds, “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Paul told Timothy, “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit” (2 Timothy 1:14). Recommended Reading: 1 John 4:7-12 According to Proverbs 18:22, having a husband or wife is a “good thing,” but we must guard the relationship committed to us. The foundation of a good marriage begins with knowing and loving God. As we grow in Christ, He gives us the spiritual resources we need to bring patience, joy, and faithfulness into our home. Marriage is really a three-way friendship between a man, a woman, and the Lord. We must be zealous to guard that. Galatians 4:18 says, “It is good to be zealous in a good thing always.” Men, you’ll never be a good groom to your wife unless you’re first a good bride to Jesus. Timothy Keller

Flee! Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18 The English word “flee” occurs 81 times in the eminently physical contexts in the Old Testament—most of them having to do with escaping with one’s life in the midst of conflict. In the more spiritually-focused New Testament, “flee” only occurs 14 times, but it loses none of its Old Testament urgency: run for your life; flee the enemy; escape while you can. Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:13 Therefore, when Paul tells the Corinthians to “flee sexual immorality,” he was being extremely serious. In the same way that we flee things that can hurt us, we should flee sexual immorality. Normally, we flee from an external force that might come against us. In the case of sexual immorality, we are fleeing the possibility of hurting ourselves. Who would want to harm themselves? Moreover, our body is not our own—it is a sanctuary for God’s Holy Spirit. So not only do we sin against ourselves with sexual immorality, we sin against God within us. Thankfully, God provides a way of escape from the temptation to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). When you are tempted, look for the way He provides to flee. Holiness is not freedom from temptation, but power to overcome temptation. G. Campbell Morgan

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