What's My Motivation?

All too often I am confronted with the internal question of, "Why am I doing this?" I begin an endeavor only to wonder, while in the midst of it, what the purpose is. I am not talking about the product or it's use but the purpose of the act. For instance, I am going to build a fence. Like any project of mine I have a vision of the end result. I take measurements. I choose and acquire materials. I secure the necessary equipment. And I build it according to my vision. The use of the fence is to keep people or animals in or out. Behind that is the purpose I built it. Who am I attempting to satisfy by building the fence? When that question is answered then, and only then, will I know what my motivation is.

I was created for a purpose. That purpose, according to scripture, is to please God. I please God through my good works. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we were created in Christ to do good works. Scripture also tells us that our works, or righteousness, are but "filthy rags". Hmm. Dilemma.

The operative word in the term "good works" is good. What is it that makes a work good? Is it the size of the work? Is it the result of the work? Is it my conduct while doing the work? Is it the value of the work? Is it the amount of sacrifice I made to achieve the work? While these may be important to man God places no esteem to them. God only sees our motivation and intent.

Philippians 2:3 says, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit...". In other words we should not be doing anything with the intent of exalting ourselves. That means we don't give money to charity in order to look good. We don't volunteer to a cause to improve our resume. We don't return a wallet or purse in order to receive a reward. We don't get involved with something to bolster our reputation. We should be doing all these things and more for one purpose only. That purpose is to please God.

Will performing good works please others? Will performing good works please ourselves? In both cases the answer is "absolutely". However, even those should not be our motivation. Our motivation needs to be God's pleasure. Pleasing others and ourselves are merely byproducts of the works.

Again, in Ephesians 2:10, the Apostle Paul calls us God's "workmanship" or "masterpiece" in some versions. In the original language the word is poiema. It is where we get our word "poem". A poem is a work of literay art and is one of the most self-expressive forms of art. A poet creates a poem and that poem is an expression of themselves. In the same way God created us and we are the expression of Him. In Genesis 1:26 God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...". Are we accurate expressions? Sadly, we often are not.

In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus consolidated the the entire law into two commandments. The first, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." The second, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus referred to the second as to "like" the first. In other words He could have consolidated the law into one command, love God. If one truly loves God then they can only show love to His creations because pure love honors and pleases the recipient. However, Jesus saw the need to specifically point out loving one another because He knows that would be our weak point.

Of all the commandments, loving another is the toughest. It requires the most sacrifice. Can we see the connection? To honor God we must love one another. Is not a gift that required significant sacrifice esteemed higher than the gift that requires little sacrifice? Which gift is more pleasing to the recipient? Which gift honors the recipient the most?

I'm not sure who said it but this statement seems accurate, "The right thing to do is often the hardest thing to do". So, as we live our lives and are challenged regularly to do the right thing, remember that the harder, righteous works are the most honoring and pleasing to God. And that is our motivation.

Conflict Resolution

Disagreements. Arguments. Strained relationships. Estranged relationships. Let's face it, we have all experienced these things. As a third party we usually give advice. "Life is too short to stay mad." "Forget about them, you don't need them." The fact of the matter is these situations hurt. They hurt emotionally, spiritually and even physically. Whether you are the offender or offended doesn't really matter. What does really matter is our emotional, spiritual and physical health. In order to resolve these circumstances we have to understand a few things. Why do we hurt? Why do we offend? Why do we get offended?



Our pain is a result of being in the wrong climate. Take for example, penguins. Penguins thrive in the cold. They have been created to live in a cold climate. In their climate they multiply and are healthy. If I were to bring them here to Las Vegas they would all die off and quickly. It is the same with us. God created us perfect. Yes, I said perfect. We were to have perfect relationships. Our relationship with Him was to be perfect. Our relationships with others were to be perfect. However, we rebelled (sinned). We have changed our climate. Not only did God create us with a desire to worship but also a desire to relate to one another. When we felt something was missing in our lives we sought to fill the void. Some of us have permanently filled the void with Jesus. Others are trying to fill it with other stuff, in vain. All due to our predisposition to worship. We also are predisposed to have fulfilling relationships. When a relationship is strained it causes a similar void. This void is like a hungry stomach: it is uncomfortable, noisy and, yes, sometimes painful.



We offend people. That's right, we offend people. All too often we place the blame on others. "They are too sensitive." "Oh, put on your big boy pants." The truth of the matter is we say and do hurtful things. "I was just kidding", may stop the bleeding but it doesn't negate the wound. And, more times than not, we weren't just kidding; were we? We say and do hurtful things for two reasons. Either we are intentionally trying to cause damage or we have focused only on our desires regardless as to how they may affect others. One sounds less proactive than the other but both are sins. YES, I said sins. Disregarding others is just as sinful as purposely causing pain.



We are offended. Some of us like to say, "I am not easily offended." While it may be true that you are not easily offended you can still be offended. Many times it is our life's circumstances that dictate what does and does not offend us. A tough go of thing thins our skin. Pleasant times thicken it. Should it matter what our circumstances are? No. According to scripture, what can we expect from people? In Genesis 6:5 it says that man's heart is only wicked and evil. That is what we should expect. If we expect otherwise, we are foolish. On another note, why do we care. Should we not only care what our Lord thinks of us? Should we not only care how God is treating us? If we keep that perspective we will reduce our chances of being offended to nil. So, by caring what others think or do regarding ourselves, are we not placing our faith and desire for acceptance on wicked and evil creatures? And when we place either one of those on anything other than the Lord God Almighty are we not sinning? Yes, we are.



Now that we understand the source of these things, we can reduce the amount of relational drama in our lives. But, are we perfect? At last check I was not. As a matter of fact I am FAR from it. I expect to fail to keep the right perspective. I expect to offend someone. I expect to be offended. So does our loving God. See Satan loves it when we hate each other. He would prefer that we all isolate and insulate ourselves from one another. He enjoys it when we we behave contrary to the way God had intended. But our Lord has given us a process that, if followed correctly, not only repairs but actually invigorates relationships. When practiced, it actually ticks the devil off.



I encourage all to examine these passages: Matthew 18:15-17, Matthew 5:21-26, I Timothy 5:17-20.



The scriptures say that if we have been offended we are to go to our offender, one on one. All too often this very simple step is ignored. We seek to find an advocate. We stew in our anger. We isolate ourselves from the source of the offense. We even seek to isolate the offender from others. I have seen people just disappear from their church because they had been offended. They never even made the effort to reconcile, just left. In the overwhelming majority of situations the issue could be resolved in this step. Yet it is the one that is ignored the most. Why? It is uncomfortable. Confrontation is uncomfortable. However, would we rather spend a few moments in discomfort or weeks, months or years in anger, sorrow, pain or misery? Should we not be willing to sacrifice a short time of comfort in order to "gain a brother"? Or, for that matter, to please our Lord?



If step one doesn't resolve the problem then we take step two, not step three. The scripture says to then take two or three with you. Okay. Who should you bring? To determine this we should use wisdom. Set aside our selfish motives to promote reconciliation. That means we don't bring people that "got my back". We bring people that will promote peace and reconciliation. Ones that are willing to rebuke either on of you. Never make a determination that you are 100% correct and they need to see that. The purpose is to reconcile, not for them to concede. The Lord cares less if you were justified. He cares more that you "gained a brother". One misconception of this step is that the "two or three" are supposed to be witnesses of the offense. Not necessary. What they do need to be is mature believers with only the health of a God-ordained relationship in mind. It is also important that the one being confronted respects them. Otherwise they might reactively be defensive, as though they are being ganged up on. The objective is to create an environment that is the least intimidating as possible. One where they feel they have an advocate. Remember the desired end result is reconciliation.

If that still doesn't resolve the issue then it is brought before the church. This is very rare. Typically, if it cannot be resolved by step two the offender will usually leave on their own accord. They will have felt unwelcome. In this case, pray for that person and be satisfied that you took the proper steps with the desire for reconciliation in your heart. God will work on them. If they remain, then take it to the church. This step is up for interpretation. Do we bring them before the entire congregation? Do we bring them before the core group of leadership? I believe it is prudent to bring the situation before the elders of the church. Explain all that has occurred. Let them pray about it and act accordingly. They will talk to the offender and make a biblically sound decision. That decision may be to release the offender from membership, service, or in the rarest cases, worship. The last option should be set aside for one that is bent on dividing the church and heresy.

What if you offend someone or even think you might have? Well, the proper thing to do is to follow the Matthew chapter 5 model. In that passage it talks about bringing a gift to the altar. In our case that could be monetary, service, communion or worship. All these, Jesus says, are not pure if we believe we may have offended another of the body. He instructs us to search our hearts and reconcile with our brother before worshipping Him in any form. This is a good indicator as to how important this is to the Lord. And, let's face it, the previous three steps would not be necessary. Let us worship Him with a clean heart.

Finally, what if the offender is an elder? First Timothy 5:17 says that elders who rule well should receive double honor, the more so if they are pastors. They should be give the benefit of doubt. If one is to accuse an elder there must be substantial evidence. Why? These are the ones with the most on the line according to James 3:1. They should not be subject to accusations base upon rumor or anything unsubstantiated. They are to be held even more accountable to God and to the church. For First Timothy chapter five says that any guilty of sin shall be brought before all. It would be wise to not entertain accusations against an elder without prudent consideration. Remember that elders and pastors have been placed first by God, second by congregation.

I have seen variations of all these methods. I've seen mediators involved. I've experienced churches that believe only elders are eligible to be witnesses. I've seen steps skipped. I don't recommend varying from God's protocol. However, there is one common denominator to all the successful scenarios. In each successful experience the ones involved had a true and pure desire for reconciliation. A real love for their fellow believer. A passion for the health of God's church. If you find yourself in such a predicament act not until your heart is burdened with these. It would do you well to approach these with a positive perspective and a desire to please your God.

The Lord Bless Thee,

Marc

"Running From God" - Psalm 139:1-12

On Sunday I was honored to deliver the sermon. I have to tell you that the topic was not what I had originally planned. I had originally planned to do the message on John 11:35, "Jesus wept." It was going to be about how our Lord and Savior experienced all the emotions that we do. It was gonna be cool. I had always wanted to do a sermon on the shortest verse in the Bible. God had other plans.



Once again He showed me a very valuable lesson through my everyday life. As it turns out my knee is healed up enough to begin running. Being that I was a runner in my early adult life, I naturally reminisced to those experiences. Those memories were led to how running became a metaphor for my life experiences. That, then graduated to a spiritual metaphor. So my sermon became a testimonial sermon. So here's my story.



Running became a pattern for me, physically and emotionally. I was quick to bolt whenever difficulties confronted me. This ranged from not wanting to confront my own emotions as they pertained to my biological father all the way to avoiding consequences of my actions.



I became a beleiver at the age of 8. I quickly grasp the whole idea of being an active christian. My mother was convinced that I was destined for ministry when I led my third grade teacher, Ms. Stansbury, to the Lord. I remained a proactive believer well into my teens. But then something happened. I soon developed a desire for independence. I became a bit rebellious not only to my parents but also God. At the time I was dating (somewhat seriously) a wonderful, christian gal. Feeling a bit opressed by my faith I sought after a "worldly" girl. So April and I started seeing eachother. It wasn't long before my parents gave me the ultimatum; shape up or ship out. Two problems; I was hard-headed and broke. Running from God.



I entered boot camp in the early fall of 1985. I figured God didn't hang out in the military. In the military I met some "wonderful" people who showed me things I had never experienced before. I quickly was engulfed in a lifestyle that we referred to as "partying". In reality, it's getting high and drunk as often as possible. For those of you who have never partaken in such behavior, the drugs and alcohol aren't the issue. It's what those things do to your thought process. I engaged in activities that even I have a hard time believing. Things like messing around with Ouja boards (ask me about it). How about knocking on a door and having it answered by a 44 magnum pressed to my forehead. Running from God.



I eventually got into trouble and the U.S. Navy thought it best to remove me from those who were influencing me. So they removed me from my roomates and assigned me to a room with just one other guy. Since I had joined the Navy I had shared a room with anywhere from 5 to 80 other guys. This was going to be great. Turns out this guy was a believer. I don't mean your typical christian. I don't know what the apostle Peter looked like but I am certain he sounded just like my new roomie. Great! Running from God.



I took a discharge rather than deal with my new roomate. Back to the civilian world. I decided that I was going to live an independent life. I wasn't going to let anybody dictate my activities.

I suppose the desire for independence is what drove me into rebellion. Then April reentered my life. Running from God.



April was safe for me. She didn't seem to have any interest in religion. She adored me. And let's face it, she's hot. We married in February 1989. A year later 364 days later Aaron was born. I don't know what happens to women when they become mothers but it is quite miraculous. All of the sudden April had questions, spiritual in nature. She eventually talked me into taking her to a Bible study. Looking back, if I was avoiding God, why would I take my unsaved wife to a Greg Laurie study? Oh yeah, you guessed it. She went and got herself saved. It was only one study and it wasn't all that good, go figure. Running from God.



Must leave. Cannot afford to have my wife anywhere near that church. Where? Where? Wyoming! God ain't there. Heck, He hadn't finished creating it yet. Must of forgot about it. I'll be safe there...



Walt worked at the cement plant with me. Walt was a black man married to a white woman in southeast Wyoming. That limits your social options. He and I connected. Nice guy, former NFL running back with the Dallas Cowboys. We had a lot in common. Then he had to ruin everything. He through down the gospel to me. He didn't do a very good job and I told him so, even gave him a couple of pointers (the last of which was to leave me alone). Running from God.

We moved back to California but an hour and a half away from that church. Safe. We adjusted well to our new surroundings. We became active in our community (PTA, athletics, even coaching youth sports) and made friends. April, aparently was not in tune with my agenda because she made friends with a neighbor lady who sang on the worship team at the local baptist church. April went without me once and loved it. Figures! She told me all about it. She said that I should go with her and check it out. No problem! I already knew the baptist were weird. I would go and point out all their errors and put an end to this. Running from God.

After the service, I was angry with April. She had obviously spoken to the pastor and told him all about me prior to his message. I mean it was blatantly directed towards me. Later on that week I confronted the pastor with my accusation. Turns out he didn't even know who April was. No more running from God.

Psalm 139:1-12 tells us a few things regarding our relationship with God. For one, He knows all about us. He knows our thoughts, intents, goals, methods and even our words before we do or say them. Much less, He knows us more intimately than we can even conceive. The scripture says that we cannot attain even the understanding of how intimately He knows us. Secondly, it says that He is always there. In the good times and the bad. In the light and in the dark. Verse 7 rhetorically asks, "Where can I hide from your Spirit, where can I flee from your presence?" Answer, you can't. Once you give your life to Him, you are His. He will never leave you. Matthew 28:20 says that Christ will never leave you nor forsake you. There are two reasons why He won't leave you or forsake you. First, He loves you. Second, you are His. So, if you've been running from, avoiding or rebelling against God give up. Surrender. If you are His then every time you run from Him you will run into Him. He won't give up so save yourself the trouble and surrender.

"The Message of the Five Angels" - Revelation Chapter 14:6-20

This week's study was, once again, fabulous! I really commend all of you on your participation in the topic. You guys make this class both fun and educational.

The topic of discussion was the messages of the five angels of Revelation 14:6-20. Once again we followed the proper guidelines of interpreting escatological scripture. First, we identified the setting (place and time). Then we identified the characters involved. And finally, we interpreted the declarations (prophesies, warnings, announcements) and the time frames in which they must take place.

The setting in this passage is in heaven at the mid-point of the seven year tribulation. We can determine this by the transition between verse 5 and verse 6. John did not make a transition in either location or time. Therefore, we won't either. We can then assume all is as it was in the last passage.

The characters involved are John the writer, five angels as messengers, an angel to distribute the judgement of God, a group of faithful martyred saints, the recipients of God's judgement and "One like the Son of Man". We have already identified John as the writer. The five angels are, without doubt, heavenly due to their origin (heaven) and their proclamations (righteous). The angel that distributes God's judgement is also heavenly based on his obedience. The saints are easily identified. The recipients of God's judgement would be those who do not heed the warnings of the five angels. The only real challenge identifying a character came in this "One like the Son of Man". Although, we were quick to unanimously determine that He is Jesus Christ. For one, this is a common reference to the Messiah throughout scripture. Secondly, the act of reaping is just only for the sower. And thirdly, He's wearing a crown (hint, hint).





The passage can be broken down by it's events. The first event is the proclamation of the first angel. This angel carries the everlasting gospel. Angel number one additionaly declares that the inhabitants of the earth are required to "fear God", "give Him glory" and "worship Him". This, in context, has both consequence and reward. The consequence being the events of verses 19 & 20. The reward coming in verses 12, 13 & 16.





Event number two is the prophesy of the second angel. This angel declares that the ruling world religion (Babylon) is "fallen". This could refer to the literal city. The destruction of the literal city will occur in chapter 18. The Babylon of this chapter, taken in context with the events of chapter 13 (a proclamation by the "false prophet" that all shall worship the "Beast" and the image of the "Beast" (Anti-Christ), is no longer significant. There will be no need for a one-world religion when the earth will be host to a resurrected messiah (Anti-Christ). Why participate in worship services when one can worship their god face to face?

Event number three comes in the form of a warning delivered by angel number three. The angel simply states that all worshippers of the "Beast" and those who receive his mark will get a full taste of God's wrath. Again, there are rewards and consequences (verses 12, 13, 16, 19 & 20). The forth event is very rewarding to the saint. Verses 12 & 13 deal directly with the obedient and faithful "Great Tribulation" saints. Although verse 12 tells us that these will most certainly die, they will also be rewarded for their obedience to God and their faith of Jesus. Verse 13 reveals through a "voice from heaven" that these are "blessed" and they will receive rest and their works shall be their legacy. The "voice from heaven" is revealed as the Spirit. How cool is it that in just two short verses all members of the triune God recognize the faithful coming out of the most turbulent time in history? From my perspective it is beyond cool.

The next event is actually a more descriptive version of the last. Verses 14-16 declare to us that the death of the saints is actually the Lord reaping His harvest. It is in these verses that the one "like the Son of Man" uses a sharp sickle to reap the harvest. This indicates that this will not be a comfortable thing. There will be no physical comfort for those that will be harvested, but spiritually they can take comfort in the previous verses. It is this commentators opinion that the Lord's reaping of the earth will practically eliminate believers from the earth by the end of the tribulation.

The last event won't be comfortable for anybody still remaining on the earth. It is the pouring out of God's wrath through the last half of the tribulation, culminating with the battle of Armegedon. The fierceness of this battle is described by the result. That result being the Valley of Megido being filled 5-6 feet high in blood. That valley is roughly 180 miles long by one and a half miles wide. All the blood will be of those that rebelled against the One and Only God. It is interesting that an angel shall pronounce this judgement and another will administer it.

Be on the right side. God bless and I'll see you next week.

"Another 144,000?"

This week we looked at Revelation 14:1-5. If you weren't able to be there you missed out on some great discussion. The topic of the passage was 144,000 dedicated believers. We discussed the identity of this special group of believers. We also discussed the source and motives of their "blamelessness".



In order to properly identify these 144,000 we must first determine the setting. Then we begin to look at the characteristics mentioned in the passage and compare them to characteristics of previously studied passages.



The setting is quite obviously in heaven. We can determine this by the presence of the Lamb (v.1). Since our messiah has not yet returned to earth (mid-point of 7 year tribulational period) as well as the fact that they "sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders" (v. 3) we can safely say that the setting is on Mt. Zion (v.1) in the City of God in heaven. The time frame of the setting can be determined by the continuance of circumstances from chapters 12 and 13 as well as the verses following and warning the inhabitants of the earth of God's impending judgement.



Identifying these 144,000 proved to be a bit tricky. We compared what we know about the 144,000 witnesses addressed in chapter 7 to the characteristics of this chapter 14 group. First, the chapter 7 group is undoubtedly Jewish. There will be 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. There is no mention of Israel or any of the tribes in the chapter 14 passage. The chapter 7 group will be marked with the name of God on their foreheads. The group in chapter 14 have both the name of Christ and the Father sealed on their foreheads. However, the KJV and NKJV do not include Christ. Then there is the fact of the chapter 14 group being "purchased from the earth" (v. 3) and "purchase from among men" (v. 4). The phrases "from the earth" and "from among men" are predominantly used in regards to gentiles. Whereas, "of" or "from your fathers", a lineage or a mention of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob refers to people of Jewish heritage. In addition, verse 3 says that they "sang a new song". With all these factors considered, we can presume that this group of 144,000 are not the same group that is found in chapter 7. We can also presume that this new group is atleast predominantly gentile.

We had fun discussing and debating these conclusions but I do not wish that the debates be the focus of the study. It is my desire that the real focus be on the behavior of these 144,000. These are not some people playing some Christian game. They are the real McCoy. Dedicated and genuine believers that set themselves aside, made true sacrifices and obeyed their Lord in order to honor Him. Oh, how I aspire to do the same. Don't you?

Do you want to be blessed? Go back and read the text again and pay close attention to the way they lived their lives. You will feel completely unworthy but atleast you will have lots of company.

God Bless You All!