Supersized!

What do you think of when you hear the words, “super-size”? Probably you think of McDonalds and that tempting question they ask you when you order a Big Mac combo: “Would you like to super-size your order?”  But because you adhere to such a strict diet J you politely say, “No thanks.”  However, if you did say yes, you would have a large enough carton of French fries to feed a small village, and enough soda to wash it all down.

The idea of super-sizing something is not uncommon in our culture. In fact, we have come to expect that there is always a larger, bigger option.  And it’s not limited to food.  There are super-sized cars, super-sized TVs, super-sized airliners, etc.

But what about super-sized faith? 

The kind of faith that expects things to be larger and bigger. Faith that sees more potential and possibility.  Faith that believes for the impossible to happen.  It’s sad, but this kind of super-sizing is not as common as what’s being served a Mickey-D’s.

Jesus asked His disciples who people thought He was.  They gave their answer.  Then Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was.  No one answered.  After a few awkward moments, Peter cleared his throat and said,


“We know, and have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (John 6:69)

Jesus was thoroughly impressed with Peter’s answer.  He responded by saying,


“Blessed are you Simon…You’re now Peter, a rock as opposed to a willow, upon whom I will build my church upon and the gates of hell shall prevail against you.  I’m giving you spiritual keys to bind and loose.”

You could say that Peter’s faith got super-sized.  But how did this happen?  The answer is found in something that Jesus also said to Peter,


“Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.”

What kinds of things does God want to reveal to us today?  Peter’s faith was enlarged by what God had revealed to Him. Ours can be too.  Let’s trust the Father to super-size our faith!

Words cannot describe the love and thanks I have for this man @sdnicksmith He brought it this morning @thecenterchurch!

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Good Bones

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I like watching home improvement shows (makes me feel like I’m doing something besides watching TV). Shows like, “This Old House” and  “Holmes On Homes” are my favs.  These shows depict situations where homeowners are living in a home that needs updating and renovation.

When the experts first come on the property and start looking around, they often use the phrase,


“This house has good bones”

This statement mostly refers to the basic design of the home, along with the materials used in building of that home and whether things were done according to local building codes. If a place has good bones it warrants that the money, time, and effort invested will not be in vain.

What’s a regular part of these shows is the removal of prior mistakes and/or shoddy workmanship. As things are ripped apart you can see the worry on the homeowner’s face begin to appear. I mean, this is their house.  Their home.  They may not like some of the defects, but either because of a lack of understanding or money, or both, they’ve grown used to them. 

The best moment in these shows is when Norm Abram and Kevin O’Conner, or Mike Holmes, bring the homeowner into their home for the first time after the project’s done.  You can sense the joy and thankfulness people have.  I’ll never forget one lady who grabbed Mike Holmes and said, “This is what I always wanted this place to look like!”  Then after a pause, she said, “Where were you 20 years ago?!”

Paul was very transparent to the Christians in Corinth about how he had lived prior to coming to Christ.  He had been an enemy of the Church and the gospel message.  Listen to these words,


“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)

Paul is saying that once God stripped down the things in his life that were defective, and grace recovered the mistakes and replaced the shoddy workmanship, he could say, “By God’s grace, I am what I am.”  In other words, “This is the life I always wanted!”  Wonder if he then asked, “Hey God, where were you 20 years ago?!”

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Don’t You Feel Like Giving God Praise?

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Two years ago this coming January my dad went to be with Jesus.  I miss him.  His love and insight to God’s Word was life-changing for me, and for many others.

When I was about eight years old my dad was preaching on a Sunday morning.  All of the sudden he stopped and said,


“The Holy Spirit is here.  I feel God’s presence.”

As people began praising the Lord response, my eyes and head were turning every which way.  I was looking up and down, forward and back in the Sanctuary.  So convinced by what my dad said, and how he said it, that I was certain one would be able to see God somewhere in the room.

It wasn’t uncommon for dad to stop in the middle of his sermon and say something like,


“Don’t you feel like giving God praise right now?”

To which people would begin to speak out their thanks and love for the Lord.  I can recall the first time I did that.  I told Jesus I loved Him and felt Him warmly embrace me with His love.  It was life changing.

Dad taught us over the years many things about God’s Word and our faith in Him, but he also taught us about the heart of God.  It’s in the spontaneous moments of stopping everything that dad showed us the simplicity of experiencing God’s presence. 

This is something we need to do more of. 


What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me.
(Psalm 116:12–13, NLT)

Think of everything God has done for you.  Why not stop for a moment and tell Him what He’s done for you, what He means to you, and how thankful you are.  You’re going to sense His love and presence, and if there is anyone around, they will too!

 

 

An Accomplishment Unlike Anything Else

When a person considers their accomplishments they can be tempted to think, “My hard work produced this and I achieved this with my own abilities, skills and intelligence.” They can even become prideful and arrogant about their accomplishments.

God won’t allow His people to think like this.

The very gift, strength, or accomplishment that we place value in and take pride in is not of our own doing.  The bible says that God has a purpose and a plan for each of us, and He has given each of us certain gifts and favor that serve to glorify Him. We’re in trouble when this is forgotten and pride enters our thinking.


“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Prv. 11:2)

Those who seek only worldly treasures will find only worldly rewards. These rewards die when we die and will account for nothing in eternity. While we certainly should work to provide for ourselves in this life, this is not to be our main priority.

The world measures people by their level of success, wealth, knowledge, abilities, appearance, and skills. With so much attention placed on these things, it’s only when the bottom falls out, as it often does, that God can get our attention.  And it’s during these times of loss and brokenness that some of the greatest accomplishments take place.


“He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.” (2 Co 1:4, NCV)

It’s never easy to lose things we value.  The brokenness we feel when our plans fall apart can be severe.  But if we allow God to comfort, heal, and redirect us, what can emerge out of our shattered circumstances will actually be used to draw others to Him.  And we can find joy in the fact that He is using us for His purposes and glory.  That’s an accomplishment unlike anything else!

The Power of Honor

Everyone wants honor, but few are willing to give it.

We actually live in a culture and age of dishonor. It has become the norm for us to disrespect and dishonor anyone and everyone. Whether on radio or television, or in conversations at Starbucks, no one is immune from the assault. 

Many of us confuse honor with respect. We think honor is something we can withhold from someone based on their performance, or based on how much we like them.  But that’s not biblical honor.  In the Bible honor is nonnegotiable.


Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. (Ephesians 6:1–2)


Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God…Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13:1, 7)


Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
(1 Peter 2:17–19)

We are told to not only honor the people we like or agree with, but we are called to honor all people.  Honor is value that it’s freely given, recognizing that God has placed the people who are in our lives.

Honor literally means “a valuing.” The image is one of appreciation, esteem, favorable regard, respect.  Honor is close to God’s heart.  In fact, without honor God cannot work in our lives.  But many times God will send us what we need in a package we don’t like.


“When Jesus came to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
(Matthew 13:53-58)

God’s Son, the embodiment of the Godhead, could not do anything significant with people who did not honor Him.  This still applies today.  Where God and His ways are not honored, He is hindered from doing great things. 

Honor is the essential key to receiving from God, and for this very reason the enemy of our souls has all but eliminated the true power of honor. Honor carries with it great power and great blessings!

Changed from There to Here

Have you ever had different unrelated events merge into one kind of collective experience?  I experienced something like this a few years ago. 

It started with a conversation in which I was recalling a favorite trait that an old friend of mine had.  This friend had had enormous impact on my life.  Unfortunately, he had also hurt me deeper than anyone.  With God’s help I had not held any unforgiveness towards him, however for years I chose to not talk about him, nor recount the various things he did, until this conversation.  As I told about how I admired and learned from a particular habit my friend had, I felt the Lord literally lift the hurt off of me.

Two weeks later, I was attending the then new Hillsong church plant in New York City.  Although the church’s official start date was still months away, we had to wait outside with hundreds of young people before piling into the Fillmore Theatre in the Gramercy area of midtown Manhattan.  The worship was unbelievable!  People were pressing into God’s presence. Joel Abell, one of the pastors from Hillsong Sydney, spoke about growing pains.  He explained how the church and we as believers go through growing pains.  He had me right in the palm of his hand until he started talking about the need for people with apostolic gifting, and prophetic gifting, along with evangelists, pastors, and teachers. I quit saying, “Amen!” because what he was saying was against my doctrine.  Then God nudged me to look up to my left.  In the balcony where there was standing room only, I saw a young man and girl shaking their heads as they held their Bibles. Then the Lord spoke so simply to me, “Joel, quit arguing.”

Finally, a few days later I was in a situation that normally would have “gotten my goat” (and had on other occasions), but I found myself calm, un-reactive, in fact even being kind.  It was huge. I was surprised with myself. As I stood there thinking about what was happening, this verse came to my mind:


“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.”
(2 Cor. 3:18)

That “glory to glory” part is referring to the process of change that merges together different experiences and results in becoming more like Jesus.  I realized that these three experiences above have worked changes in my life, and I am becoming more like Jesus.

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Don’t Miss It

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There are several metaphors used in the New Testament to describe the Holy Spirit. We are told that the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove.  We are told that the Holy Spirit came upon the believers in the upper room in the form of flames.  We are also told the Holy Spirit is like wind.


“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

We can sense and discern the move of God’s Spirit, but we cannot see it nor predict it.  My friend Sarah Bowling describes it as, “an elusive perception of a infinite reality.” This mysterious quality of the moving of the Holy Spirit also implies that we could miss it.

Have you ever been somewhere and sensed God’s presence only to find out that others around you were totally oblivious?  The Holy Spirit was totally touching your heart, yet others seem unmoved and unaffected. 

I remember being at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the 1997 Promise Keepers gathering.  There were 50,000+ men there and God’s presence was so strong that most of us hit the ground and bowed our heads.  I say most of us because while I was kneeling I lifted my head to wipe the tears out of my eyes and noticed that an entire group of men near me were still standing totally out of touch with what was happening.

How can it be that one person can experience a dynamic touch of God’s Spirit while someone right next to them does not?  No doubt there have been times when all of us have missed what God was doing.  He was touching others, they were sensing His presence, and yet we felt dull in our senses. 

The bible tells us that in order to discern spiritual things and not miss when God is working, we must have our spiritual senses developed. 


“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

In other words, in order to discern spiritual things and not miss the move of God’s Spirit, we must have our spiritual senses developed.  We must stay open to the Holy Spirit, loving His presence more than anything else, and desiring above all else to be a part of what He is doing. 

Student worship team @escondidochristianschool #grandparentsday #ecslions

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Too Good to Keep

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What causes a video to go viral? It isn’t the quality of the camera work, lighting, or production. Videos go viral because when we watch them they cause us to laugh, cry, or go “whoa”, and then we tell our friends to watch it, and so on. 

There are some things so good you can’t keep them to yourself.

I remember when my wife Kathie received the shipment of her second CD, “Songs from the Center.”  Immediately she posted on Facebook that the CD was finally done and invited people to the CD debut concert, who then invited others.  It wasn’t long before lots of people were talking about the new record.

They’re some things so good you can’t keep them to yourself.

When I was 19, I began to experience pretty severe migraine headaches. After telling my doctor about what was happening, he sent me to a neurologist.  The neurologist put me through a series of tests, including a scan that required a dye with radioactive particles to be injected into my blood.  When the results were in, the doctor asked me to come to his office, and asked that I have my parents come with me.  As we sat down, I could tell something was wrong.  He began to hem and haw about how the test was not conclusive. I interrupted him and asked,  ”Do I have a brain tumor?!” “No,” he answered. “but I’m afraid you have ophthalmic migraines.”  I jumped up and shouted, “Hallelujah!” and ran out of his office to the nearest pay phone to call everyone who had been praying for me. 

There are some things so good you can’t keep them to yourself.

The Bible tells us about the northern tribes of Israel being besieged by their enemies, and as a result a severe famine broke out.  It was so bad that they were eating donkey heads, dove dung, and even boiling infants (2 Kings 6:24).  There were four lepers who figured that because death was inevitable, they would cast their lots with the enemy.  However, when they got to enemy’s camp they found it totally deserted, and all the food and valuables had been left behind.  While they were gorging themselves with food and wine, one of them said, 


“We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” (2 Kings 7:9)

There are some things so good you can’t keep them to yourself.

The New Testament calls the message of Jesus Christ, “good news,” yet most of us have difficulty freely sharing it with others. We feel limited by our lack of Bible knowledge.  Or we feel intimidated by hard questions like, “If your God is a God of love, why would he allow children to die of starvation?’  But those aren’t the issues in the good news of Jesus.  

The good news is forgiveness for all of us who have sinned.  It’s deliverance to all who are oppressed.  It’s help for the helpless.  It’s hope for the hopeless.  It’s news so great, so awesome, so incredibly good that you’ve got to tell, text, post, Facebook, Twitter, blog, video, etc., about it!

There are some things so good you can’t keep them to yourself.